Food Adventures on Two Wheels

There are few things I enjoy more than good food (obviously), exploring new neighborhoods (Chicago has over 200) and biking (I'm not a hardcore, spandex wearing biker - when I say biking I'm referring to me tooling around on my mint green Gary Fisher).

When the three activities are combined I'm a very happy camper and a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to explore new foodie destinations by bike courtesy of Fork and the Road.

My good friend Erin joined me for the "Sweet Home Chicago" tour. At just over 20 miles of riding we rode all over the city and by the end I have to say our legs were a little sore but our bellies were happy and full. We visited Chicago's French Market for authentic French macarons (see my last posting), traditional coconut macaroons, handmade chocolates and Belgian frites (because you can't have too much sweet without a little salty, right?) If you haven't visited the French Market, located at Ogilvie Station, I highly recommend it for gourmet prepared items and specialty food items too. Next up we learned about the gelato making process at Black Dog Gelato from adorable owner Jessica Olorosa. Sure she makes some of the more traditional flavors, but I was delighted to sample the smooth fig sesame chocolate and goat cheese caramel cashew. Exotic, but the ingredients blend so well to create a highly comforting treat...it's like they were made to be eaten together. Next we headed to a Middle Eastern bakery in Albany Park which warranted a longer bike ride up Milwaukee and then Kedzie. We passed a host of restaurants that I've read about and now I have an even longer list of "places I need to visit".

Eating your way around the city by bike is a fantastic experience. I told my friend Erin that I want to plan our own dine around with friends because I was so inspired by the tour. There are so many wonderful cultural and ethnic neighborhoods in the city and so many that I still need to discover!