Taking the Cake

I have a sweet spot for desserts modeled after natural wonders. The fudgy goodness of molten lava cake makes volcanoes seem downright affable. And as a child, I developed my fascination with the stalagmites in Wisconsin’s Cave of the Mounds based on my experience with crystal rock candy sticks. My favorite phenomenological confection might be the Chicago-born Rainbow Cone, whose slices—not scoops—of ice cream make it look like an actual half-arch of a rainbow. In 1926, South Side resident Joseph Sapp didn’t care to see if there was gold at the end of the rainbow. He wanted the rainbow itself. Several trials and experiments later, Sapp found the perfect formula and transformed his childlike indecision about ice cream flavors into one of the most famous of Chicago treats: an impressive balancing act of chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House, pistachio, and orange sherbet ice cream flavors (in ascending order) atop one cone. The only drawback is in deciding which slice to try first. I prefer all at once, with one fell lick.

Taste of Chicago, July 2010: the Rainbow Cone stand is by far the most crowded booth at the food fest and I’m on a tight schedule. I’ll come back tomorrow and see if it’s clear. I inform my boyfriend of the plan.

Boyfriend: “You do realize that the Loop Rainbow Cone shop is right below where you work.”

“What?”

“Like, in the same building. Right beneath you.”

“What.”

Bliss.

Chicago may not be the city that never sleeps, but it will always be the city with good eats. Chi-town practically brims with food options. At last week’s Taste of Chicago, over fifty vendors from local restaurants filled Grant Park for ten days to offer “tastes” of their menus to the crowds (and they’ve done this every year for the past three decades). In fact, food is so big here that its practitioners achieve stardom: famous chefs like Charlie Trotter, Top Chef Chicago champion Stephanie Izard, and molecular gastronomist Grant Achatz all chose Chicago as their culinary playground.

The most recent celebrity chef spot I’ve tried was Xoco by Rick Bayless, the maestro of Mexican cuisine and a Top Chef Master. I like him, because he gave me the perfect sandwich—no big deal, right? Located in River North’s restaurantopolis, Xoco serves gourmet Mexican street food, taking tortas (Mexican sandwiches), caldos (soups), and the infamous churro (cinnamon heaven, rolled) to new heights. I ordered the Cubana, a torta topped with smoked Maple Creek pork loin, bacon, black beans, avocado, artisan Jack cheese, and chipotle mustard, all griddled to perfection. “Melt in your mouth” might be food writing’s most hackneyed phrase, but I feel as if I’m doing a disservice to the sandwich by avoiding it. Suffice it to say that the ingredients fused so seamlessly that I couldn’t tell where the beans stopped and the mustard began, but the synchronization screamed: EAT. Thank goodness this isn’t Rick’s only restaurant in town. (For more, click here.)

I’m realizing that if I elaborate on every meal I’ve had in Chicago, there’ll be enough fodder for a new blog entire. Take it from the girl who chose to spend her spring break at a food-focused market research firm in Chicago rather than on a beach—this city is an epicure’s sweetest, never-want-to-wake-up-from-this-est dream, with a cherry on top. Or perhaps something better: the greatest meal she’s ever had.

Frozen Hibiscus Leaf Tea with Whipped Cream from Iyanze