As the saying goes, “all good things must come to an end.”  So come join us as we bid farewell to the end of another great July summer here in Chicago with the return of some of our favorite street festivals as well as a new event for something different!

One of Chicago’s most popular and trendy neighborhoods is hosting their annual foodie fest, Taste of River North, this Saturday (11 a.m.-10 p.m.) at its new location on Wells Street from Ontario to Superior Streets.  This fest features spectacular food from the many River North restaurants, plenty of beverages, live music from local cover bands, local merchants, a family fun area, and more.  Plus, this year’s fest will feature a morning Dog Parade!

One of Chicago’s most anticipated summer festivals is the Wicker Park Fest taking place this Saturday and Sunday (12 p.m.-10 p.m.) on Milwaukee Avenue between Damen and Ashland Avenues.  This year you’ll find plenty of food from a range of local vendors, well-stocked beer tents, installations by local artists at a dedicated Arts Area, a kids’ area, and more.  Come celebrate this neighborhood’s acclaimed restaurants, and rich musical heritage!

Returning for its 44^th festive year, the Chinatown Summer Fair takes place this Saturday (12 p.m.-10 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m.-7 p.m.) at Armour Square located at Wentworth Avenue and Cermak Road.  As usual, this festival opens with a traditional lion dance procession (12:30 p.m.) followed by a welcome (1:00 p.m.) on the main stage.  Then it’s time for some fabulous family fun with plenty of great cuisine from Chinatown’s restaurants, Asian performances, kung fu demonstrations, a K-pop breakdance competition, arts and craft exhibits, a kids’ area, and more!

Come join the 18^th annual and final year of the Silver Room Sound System Block Party this Saturday and Sunday (12 p.m.-10 p.m.) at Oakwood Beach (4100 S. Lake Shore Dr.) in the Bronzeville neighborhood.  Get ready for a lineup of live musical performances, local food vendors, artists, a volleyball area, and many other fun activities!

It’s time again for the largest free, family-friendly Latino festivals in the Midwest as Fiesta del Sol spans an eight-block space down Cermak Road between Ashland Avenue and Morgan Street in the Pilsen neighborhood this Saturday and Sunday (11 a.m.-10 p.m.).  This street festival features delicious food from local vendors serving up some of the best tacos, tamales, and tostadas in town; a line-up of traditional music, well-known artists, and up and coming talent on three stages; and a carnival with a Ferris Wheel that can be seen from miles around!

An iconic family favorite board game comes to life this Saturday (5 p.m.-9:30 p.m.) with CLUE: A Walking Mystery starting at Block 37 (108 N. State St.) in The Loop.  Guests step into the roles of beloved CLUE characters as detectives to solve the mystery of who murdered the elusive Mr. Boddy.  Get ready to search through evidence for the long-lost antiques from the Tudor Mansion rooms, solve puzzles, and connect the clues to crack the case!  Are you ready to partake in the world of CLUE?

Sue Moss and Dean’s Team Chicago

Now that Chicago is in the official ‘dog days’ of summer, our culinary tastes are turning to fresh, light fare, salads and fruity, thirst-quenching drinks after a long, hot summer’s day.

River North’s Tzuco raises my vision of a refreshing, light summer meal during summer’s warmest days. They offer upscale, regional Mexican cuisine “from the Imaginarium of Carlos Gaytán, the first Latin American who earned a Michelin Star,” according to their website. 

At Tzuco, Chef Gaytán, who came to Chicago as a dishwasher and rose to compete in ‘Top Chef’ and earn a Michelin star, presents the best of Mexico, infused with French haute cuisine techniques.

“Americans don’t think of Mexican food as fine dining. In my restaurant (previously, Mexique), we got rid of beans, guacamole, and margaritas,” he told Hola in 2021. “Once you break with expectations, you can begin to suggest new experiences to the diner.”

That said, the Margarita is back on Tzuco’s menu. This one is indeed refreshing, with a mix of tequila, Cointreau liqueur, cucumber, elderflower, and lime juice. My favorite summer refresher, the Mexique Sangria, is a blend brandy, burgundy, hibiscus flower, citrus, and mint. Guacamole is also on the menu here, with creamy avocado, pico de gallo, lime juice, Huitzuco cheese, served with tortilla chips. For an additional $5, you can add Castacán (crispy pork belly). 

Guytan’s starters include a Pescadilla, which pairs a stuffed squid ink tortilla with a fish fillet, served with tomato, onion, garlic, fresh thyme, and avocado salsa. Their Black Ceviche boasts tuna paired with smoked Japanese aguachile, squid ink, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, black avocado mousse, and a crispy purple tortilla. Roasted Beets are like none other;  Amaranth-crusted baby red beets and pickled yellow beets, served with mole rosa, candied hibiscus flowers, and Robiola goat cheese.

Entrees are similarly imaginative. Cochinita Pibil is a Guerrero-style pork shank, with a black bean purée, pickled red onions, and habanero salsa, served with tortillas. Barbacoa is a traditional Lamb Neck Barbacoa, slow-cooked and wrapped in charred maguey leaf, served with mint-infused jocoque, smooth pinto bean puree, and sweet pickled vegetables. Chile Relleno is a summery mix of stuffed poblano pepper, ratatouille, roasted squash spaghetti, tomato fondue, and panela cheese. Soft Shell Crabs arecrusted, most unusually, in puffed rice, and servedwith jicama pistachio pesto and pickled grapes.

As we usually say here, save room for dessert! Guanábana Aguacate has a refreshing citrus tapioca,  guanábana sorbet, and avocado foam. Maìz y Azafrán is a sweet cornbread, caramel popcorn, honey toffee, saffron ice cream, and cajeta ahumada. Arroz Con Leche has rice pudding, white chocolate, Rice Krispies, and pink peppercorn ice cream.

Google reviews were impressive:

“Bottom line: This restaurant has it all together. I can’t wait to come back. You can tell everything that you experience as a diner has been thought of.

The vibe of this restaurant hits you as soon as you walk in the door. From that point, you know you’re in for a treat.

The food was all spectacular. Octopus and Tlacoyo to start. Then goat shank with mole and cochinita pibil were explosions of flavor. The vegetables on the side were notable and those fresh tortillas were the perfect vehicle.

Our server was very knowledgeable and helped us find a nice bottle of wine to accompany.”

Tzuco is located at 720 N. State Street. They are open Monday-Thursday, 4pm-10pm, Friday and Saturday, 4pm-11pm, and Sunday, 4pm-9pm. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday, 10am-2pm. For reservations, call (312) 374-8995.

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago

You’ve found the home of your dreams, put in an offer, and the sellers accepted.

The agreement to purchase is signed, and the closing date is set. You’re ready to crack open that bottle of champagne to celebrate. Then you make a questionable move that could potentially steer the process of closing right off its tracks.

Even if closing day is just around the corner, you’re not exactly out of the woods quite yet. There are a number of blunders that you can make that will put finalizing the transaction at grave risk.

Quitting or Changing Jobs

Some clients will actually call their agents in the middle of escrow to tell them that they’ve either changed jobs, or quit their jobs altogether. And all the agent can do is cringe.

That’s the last thing you want to do if you’re depending on a lender to approve your mortgage. Being unemployed for any period of time or giving up a secure job in favor of becoming self-employed will only make your lender more uneasy about loaning you any money.

Lenders would much rather see a borrower with a steady job history. If you decide to make a job switch right before the house closes, it could put everything in limbo while your lender takes a second look at your current financial position.

Blowing Cash on Big Expenses

If you’re patiently waiting for closing day to come and go, do yourself a favor and resist the urge to make a huge expenditure – forget the new car, new appliances, or new furniture until after closing. This is especially true if you’ll need to put the purchase on credit or take out a loan to finance this expense.

Big expenditures like these that are on credit will do nothing but pile on your debt, which will have a negative impact on your debt-to-income ratio (a calculation that measures how much of your monthly income is dedicated to paying debts). This ratio plays a huge role in helping the lender determine if your mortgage will be approved or not.

Even if you pay these items in cash, you could still find yourself in hot water. Lenders look to see how much cash reserves you have when considering a mortgage approval. Instead, keep your credit card balances low and don’t tack on any new debt to your books while you’re still being considered for mortgage financing.

Opening New Credit Card Accounts and Closing Old Ones

Opening up new credit cards just before closing on your new house could have a negative effect on your credit score. This will make it look like you need additional credit to pay off future big expenses, or that you have intentions on adding further credit debt to your books.

If you’ve got old accounts that you never use, don’t close them. Having “old” debt can actually be a good thing – it helps to build your credit history which is exactly what lenders want to investigate when they consider you for a mortgage.

To reiterate here, don’t make any financial moves that will compromise your financial health until after you’ve secured a mortgage.

Making Late Bill Payments

This is a huge no-no for anyone, whether or not a new home purchase is in the works. If you’re waiting for your home purchase to close, make sure you stay on top of your bill payments.

Whether it’s a bill to the utility company, cable company, or anything else you’re responsible for making regular payments for, and be sure to make the payments on time and in full every single month. Making even one late payment can wreak havoc on your credit score, which will do nothing to win you points in the eyes of your lender.

Don’t make any moves (financially speaking) while you’re waiting to get the keys to a home you just agreed to buy. Even one slip up can cost you the home of your dreams. Speak with a licensed mortgage specialist or real estate agent to find out what you should – and shouldn’t – be doing while you’re waiting in escrow to ensure you’ll be drinking that champagne on the designated closing day.

“Everything we do is rooted in our mission: to connect people with nature.”

Lincoln Park Zoo

I never realized how lucky I was as a kid. 

When I was little, my mom knew how to keep the three of us entertained. Not far from our apartment was Lincoln Park Zoo, Cannon Drive at Fullerton Parkway. She’d push our stroller along the paved sidewalks while pointing out giraffes, polar bears, and lion cubs. We all laughed as we tried to pronounce ‘rhinocerous,’ and ‘meercat.’

I credit my mom’s family for the generational transition. When my mom was a little girl, her family had done the same for her. The 155-year-old zoo has served generations of families. At 96, Mom still remembers the massive Bushman, (1931–1951), the gorilla who now resides, stuffed by a taxidermist, at another Chicago institution, the Field Museum.

I passed the tradition to my own kid when they were young. So did my brother, to his children. 

I suppose it’s no wonder our family ended up founding an animal rescue years later! 

These are a few of my favorite things… 

To this day, my favorite place to go is their Farm-in-the-Zoo. 

As their website notes, Farm-In-The-Zoo opened in 1964, and today, incorporates domestic farm animals in their Main Barn, Livestock Barn and Dairy Barn has outdoor yards for cows, goats, pigs and ponies.

The Best Things in Life are Free… 

As Choose Chicago notes, The Lincoln Park Zoo is admission-free and open to the public seven days a week (It’s only closed on Christmas Day). It’s one of only three major free zoos left in the country. 

But…that doesn’t mean your food, drink, and souvenirs are free, nor is the vintage carousel inside the park, which is a must for kids! Those support the Zoo in their research and development work throughout the world, as well as keeping the animals cared for 24/7, 365 days a year. It also employs literally hundreds of Chicagoans annually. 

But what is free, and best about the Lincoln Park Zoo is that it is home to nearly 200 unique species from around the world, and to 1,200 animal residents, self-guided tours, and interactive activities with seals, polar bears, and penguins. You can also see “critically endangered eastern black rhinoceroses to thought-to-be-extinct Jamaican iguanas,” according to their website. 

And the Zoo receives new animals Some new arrivals include Kevin, an 11-year-old male Asian small-clawed otter at their Small Mammal-Reptile House.

In the beginning…it was a cemetery! 

According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago History, there was a cemetery at the site, active from the 1840s, which did not cease burials until 1866. When Lincoln Park was named in 1865 to honor the assassinated president, the honor anticipated a more park-like setting than existed at the time. 

Lincoln Park Zoo was founded in 1868, according to Wikipedia sources, when the Lincoln Park Commissioners were given a gift of two pairs of swans by Central Park’s Board of Commissioners in New York City. 

Other animals were soon donated to the park, including, a puma, two elk, three wolves, four eagles, and eight peacocks. As the Encyclopedia of Chicago Historynotes, the early decades of the twentieth century saw the development of the Lion House (1912), with its great hall, and the Primate House (1927).  This was a period of formal growth and organization for the zoo, by then a recreational destination and city treasure. 

It was also a media phenomenon in the early days of television. In 1945, Marlin Perkins  became the Zoo’s  director, hosting ‘Zoo Parade,’ and later, ‘Wild Kingdom, ’ bringing the Zoo to a generation of Baby Boomers. He created the Lincoln Park Zoological Society, which supports the Zoo’s mission to this day. As Wikipedia sources note, the facility underwent a dramatic transformation in the 1970s and 1980s, with the additions of many new, naturalistic exhibits. In 1995, the Zoological Society assumed management of the zoo from the Chicago Park District, which remains the owner. The Zoo would undergo major renovations and upgrade exhibits over the next 27 years, and continues today.

A must see is the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo, which, as the website says, “blends expert animal care, interactive learning elements, and tactile experiences to teach visitors of all ages about the interdependency of living things. This kid-friendly home for North American animals lets visitors get nose to nose with red wolves, black bears, North American river otters, and American beavers. “

Event: Play! At Farm-in-the-Zoo

On Wednesdays through September 27, from10 am–12 pm, children ages 1–5 with a caregiver can “explore the sights, smells, and textures that nature has to offer during this free, open-ended experience. Take in a tall tale during story time, get messy at the process art station, sift and scoop at the sensory bin, or make music.” For more information, email learning@lpzoo.org or call 312-742-2056.

Summer Wine Fest

On Friday, July 28, from6:30pm–10pm, a decidedly more adult event is the Summer Wine Fest, featuring 50 wines from lead winemaking regions. For more information about this and other events, click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago

Many people think putting something in the freezer assures freshness forever. This is sadly not the case. You are not saving money buying bulk packages if the food becomes freezer burned or inedible after too long in the freezer. Here are some mistakes to avoid.

Frozen food’s freshness first depends on how it is prepared and packaged. If you are really into buying in bulk or making meals ahead of time and freezing, it’s best to invest in a good vacuum sealer. They eliminate most of the oxygen and open spaces that cause freezer burn. If you don’t have one the three-layer approach works too. First wrap in plastic, then tightly in foil, squeezing as much air out as possible. Then stash it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. 

The freezer needs to be as cold as possible. Frozen food suffers when the temperature fluctuates too much. This can be a problem more often in freezers attached to refrigerators rather than stand alone deep freezers. Freezers should be set at 0 degrees. A fluctuation of a degree or two is ok but not more than that. Avoid opening the freezer frequently, especially in the summer. 

Always label and date all your freezer items. You may think you will remember and be able to identify everything but it’s not that easy. Dates also are extremely important. Always use the FIFO principle: first in first out. Rotate constantly and twice yearly go through everything in the freezer checking for freezer burn and items that may have slipped through the cracks. Foods also do not last indefinitely in the freezer. Some items need to be used in three months or even less. Check out the National Center for Food Preservation. There you will find all you need to know about safe freezer preparation and storage. That is also an excellent resource for all kinds of food preparation from canning to simply storing. 

How you freeze initially is also important. Cool hot items to room temperature, then refrigerate before packaging and freezing. Putting hot food in the freezer can cause unsafe temperatures and can damage other frozen foods. Also freeze individual items separately before storing. It’s not nice to freeze individual meatballs or cookie dough balls only to open the bag and find a large solid brick! Place on cookie sheets, cover it with plastic and freeze. When frozen, double bag in heavy duty freezer bags. 

Lastly, a few more tips. Your freezer works best when not too full or too empty. Air needs to circulate around the food, but you don’t want large empty spaces. That never seems to be my problem! But too full is not efficient and can be unsafe as some items may not be staying at proper temperature. Also be sure to properly defrost. Always use the refrigerator to safely thaw food. If necessary, you can defrost in the microwave. Defrost in 1-minute intervals rotating till thawed. You can also immerse in cold water in a freezer bag, changing the water every 30 minutes till thawed. Freezers have a good airtight seal. If you have a prolonged power outage do not open the freezer. The food inside will be safe for at least 2 days. If food is still solid it is safe but don’t refreeze anything that’s thawed. 

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago