Free Concerts and Great Food at the 2010 Taste of Chicago – June 25-July 4

Come out and enjoy the 30th annual Taste of Chicago June 25 – July 4, 2010 in downtown Millenium Park. Admission to the Taste is FREE and most of Chicago’s tremendous array of culinary delights are all located in one place at this annual ten-day lakefront festival for you to feast on! Each day more than 53 local restaurateurs offer a delicious combination of ethnic items, family favorites, exotic and Chicago specialties. In addition to regular-priced offerings, restaurants will feature two “Taste Of” portions at $2 or less. This year, 108 “Taste Of” selections will be showcased.  Free concerts are also provided every day on multiple stages.

New restaurants include: Abundance Bakery, Bobak Sausage Company, Carbon, Churro Factory, Cubby Bear, Dorreen’s Pizza, lyanze, Pegasus, Shokolad Pastry and Café, Summer Rice and Noodle and Timothy O’Toole’s Pub.

List of All Participating Restaurants

The popular Chef’s Table, located at Buckingham Fountain, will be featured again this year and will offer a selection of sweet creations which are personally selected by TV personality and ABC Channel 7′s “Hungry Hound”, Steve Dolinsky. Chef’s Table restaurants will partner with Washburne Culinary Institute students to create Steve Dolinsky’s favorite sweets in the city. The restaurants and bakeries featured at this year’s Chef’s Table include: Bittersweet, Floriole Café and Bakery, The Goddess & Grocer, Ina’s, Kristoffer’s Café and Bakery, Lovely: A Bake Shop, Petterino’s, Thai Pastry and Vinci.

Tickets are sold for purchasing food and beverages; 12 tickets for $8. (a GREAT tip from Racheal Brimberry: Discounted Food and beverage tickets will be sold in strips of 12 for $6.00 at Dominick’s from June 17-24, 2010, (4) strips max per family, a Fresh Values Card is required.  All 80 locations will be selling tickets.)  The number of tickets required for each food and beverage purchase is posted at the food booth, with many sampling “tastes” available for 2-4 tickets. Here’s the list of restaurants at this years taste of Chicago and we have highlighted just a few of the great foods available for your eating pleasure:

• Burgers, gyros, noodles, corn on the cob; funnel cakes; ice cream; ribs; hot dogs & brats; chicken wings and hush puppies; watermelon; buffalo wings; and more
• Pizza from Connie’s Pizza, Home Run Inn Pizza, Lou Malnati’s Pizza, Doreen’s Pizza, Reggio’s Pizza, Bacino’s Pizza and more
• Yummie desserts from JR’s Cheesecakes, Abundance Bakery, Original Rainbow Cone, Franco’s Ristorante (Italian Ice), Eli’s Cheesecake, and the Churro Factory
• Garett’s Popcorn, Chicken and Waffles from Lagniappe-Creole Cajun Joynt, and more!

The Taste of Chicago hours are 11:00 am until 9:00 p.m., except on July 3 (closes at 7:00pm) and July 4 (closes at 6:00pm).

For your Taste of Chicago entertainment, the largest stage is the Petrillo Music Shell. The line up at the Taste of Chicago Petrillo Music Shell pays tribute to 30 years of FREE top National entertainment spanning last three decades.   Here are a couple of key things to know:

• There is limited seating for the concerts at Petrillo Music Shell. Tickets are not required — it’s general admission on a first come, first serve basis and opens 30 minutes before showtime so it’s best to line up early.
• The Petrillo Music Shell has a “Jumbotron”, so sitting in the lawn is not a bad option — you are allowed to bring chairs.
• Dogs are not allowed at the Taste of Chicago

Here’s the free concert lineup for this stage:

Also be sure to check out teh opening acts, like the Band from TV on June 26 (The Band From TV lineup includes a powerhouse of well-known and acclaimed actors including: Greg Grunberg (drums),  “Matt Parker from Heroes”; James Denton (guitar), “Desperate Housewives”; Bob Guiney (vocals), “The Bachelor” “; Jesse Spencer (violin) “House”; Adrian Pasdar, “Nathan Petrelli from Heroes” and “Desperate Housewives”; Scott Grimes “ER,” and rounding out the band are accomplished musicians Chris Kelley (Music Director), Barry Sarna (Eagles), David Leach (Ben Harper), Chris Mostert (Eagles) and child-star turned bass player Brad Savage.).

On the Illinois Lottery Taste Stage, you’ll see a variety of free bands; each day will bring a new musical theme:

BEST BUY STAGE

On the Best Buy Stage, you’ll see bands from many musical genres, including a real up and coming Chicago duo Beckon Q, on Thursday July 1 at 2pm.

Friday, June 25, 2010

11 am-12 pm – Jordan Rice
12:30 – 1:30 pm – Alpha Kings
2 – 3 pm – Chaometry
3:30 – 4:30 pm – Stank Star
5 – 6 pm – Cliff Johnson Band

Saturday, June 26, 2010

11:00 – 12 pm – Karla Sue & The Very Blue
12:30 – 1:30 pm – Lifeline
2:00 – 3 pm – Jimmi Langemo Band
3:30 – 4:30 pm – Hag
5:00 – 6 pm – Uncle Bob, Ms. Etta & The Bluzers

Sunday, June 27, 2010

11 am-12 pm – Zmick
12:30-1:30 pm – Torch Singer
2-3 pm – Jamrose
3:30-4:30 pm – Windy City Rev Ups
5-6 pm – Kevin Lee & The Kings

Monday, June 28, 2010

11 am-12 pm – Raman Sachdev
12:30-1:30 pm – Lives Of Los Angeles
2-3 pm – Looney Train
3:30-4:30 pm – Imminent
5-6 pm – Dank

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

11 am-12 pm – Night Knights
12:30-1:30 pm – Jugo De Mango
2-3 pm – Guitars Of Fire
3:30-4:30 pm – Mike Roman & The Tellstars
5-6 pm – Guitarra Azul

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

11 am-12 pm – Taroniah Rice
12:30-1:30 pm – Black Love Affair
2-3 pm – Just Infinite
3:30-4:30 pm – Jennifair
5-6 pm – Camille G. Brown

Thursday, July 1, 2010

11 am-12 pm – Singing In The Abbey
12:30-1:30 pm -
2-3 pm – Beckon Q
3:30-4:30 pm – Rob Stone & The C-Notes
5-6 pm – Single Helix

Friday, July 2, 2010

11 am-12 pm- Model Stranger
12:30-1:30 pm – Thomas Nicholas Band
2-3 pm – Steez
3:30-4:30 pm – Carlos Ramos Band
5-6 pm – Noah Wotherspoon

Saturday, July 3, 2010

11 am-12 pm – Amina Bennett
12:30-1:30 pm – Madman Band
2-3 pm – Jeannie Tanner Quartet
3:30-4:30 pm -
5-6 pm – Low Of The Low

Sunday, July 4, 2010

11 am-12 pm – Dawn O’Keefe Williams
12:30-1:30 pm – 1969
2-3 pm -
3:30-4:30 pm – Shelley Miller
5-6 pm – Brinn Black