Maybe the groaning about hot weather that would make the Green City Market Chef’s BBQ Benefit seem more like Top Chef: Death Valley kept some folks away. Maybe the fact that they expanded the space it would occupy helped too. But for whatever reason, this year’s BBQ seemed less crowded and more laid back than last year’s, and even with the heat, that made for an extremely pleasant evening with some great bites— all made with ingredients from the farmers who bring their best to the market.
Some trends were discernable— housemade sausages were everywhere this year, even moreso than in past years, and tacos definitely seemed to be on the rise, with the likes of Stephanie Izard and Paul Kahan putting goat leg and blood sausage on little flat things instead of big bready things. Though pork belly was certainly in evidence, there was also beef belly from David Dworshak at Carnivale, pastrami from Barry Sorkin at Smoque, and smoked trout from Jeff Hedin at Leopold. While for dessert, there was Basque Cake from The Peninsula and sweet corn ice cream from Mindy Segal and raspberry gelee from Prasino in St. Charles, and everybody was grateful for the “liquorsicles” from Rick Gresh at Primehouse, located strategically next to the end of the longest line (always Rick Bayless). Check out our slide show of some of our favorite chefs and bites.
