Baconfest Chicago 2019

It was another year of bacon awesomeness! It was my eighth year in a row going to Baconfest Chicago!

This year, I didn’t 100% follow my usual plan of attack (i.e., walk up and down each aisle and try the dishes that looked appealing and limit my bread intake). My first two dishes had bread. I thought this would impact the total dishes I would eat, but it didn’t. However, it did slow my pace a little.

Here's the bacon deliciousness I had:

The Ruin Daily: Bacon Cheddar Gougeres with Bacon Shallot Jam
I thought this was going to be my downfall and I was just getting started. I wasn't sure what to expect on the inside. I decided to be "greedy" and just pop the whole thing in my mouth. It was different in a good way, although I tasted more of the pastry and cheese than bacon.

Wrigley BBQ: Bacon Bourbon Bread Pudding
This was pretty good. It wasn't too thick and I could taste both the bacon and bourbon.





Rack House Kitchen & Tavern: The Dusty Porker
This was an interesting dish/combination. I tasted more of the pickle, than the bacon and sauce.





Atwood: Bacon Panna Cotta
This was a good dish. I could taste the bacon along with a hint of almond.

Community Tavern: Thai-spiced Bacon Spring Roll
This was ok, but I thought the other ingredients overshadowed the bacon.





Goose Island Brewhouse: Candied Nueske's Bacon Bread Pudding
This was one of my favorites even though it was a little thick. I could taste all the ingredients and one didn't overpower the other.

NoMI: Whole Milk Braised Pork Belly
This was another favorite dish. The pork belly was tender, the beans and slaw tasted good. Not sure if the dehydrated corn was needed, but still a very good dish.





Bistro Campagne: Bacon-wrapped Braised Pork Belly
This was a good dish. Probably could have skipped the radish though.

Chicago Artizen: Chocolate-Covered Hempseed and Bacon Brittle
This was another favorite. I could eat a whole pan of this.





Honey Butter Fried Chicken: Bacon Buffalo Mac 'n Cheese
This was a very good dish. The combination of the pimento mac n cheese, honey buffalo sauce, chicken, and bacon had a nice kick to it.





Fig & Olive: Chocolate Obsession Cake
This was heavenly even though the chocolate overpowered the bacon.





The Signature Room at the 95th: Bourbon Glazed Nueske Bacon Cotton Candy Lollipop
I can't remember what year it was that someone made bacon cotton candy at Baconfest Chicago and it was awesome. Somehow they were able to infuse bacon within the cotton candy. This dish was just glazed bacon on a stick wrapped with cotton candy. It wasn't bad though.





Cooking Skills Academy: Promiscuous Pork Belly
The pork belly was nice and tender.





Blue Door Kitchen & Garden: Bacon Bird Cake
This was a good dish. The cake was moist and the frosting was delicious.





Osteria Bigolaro: Baby Got Carb
I wasn't sure what to make of this dish that had egg yolk, parmesan mousse along with the bacon. It was ok.





Whirlyball: Drunken Pineapple Bacon Ball
This was pretty good. Essentially a bacon wrapped pineapple on a stick.





Bites Asian Kitchen & Bar: Bacon Sushi
The pictures probably don't do this dish justice. This was a pretty good dish with a little kick. The addition of the cheddar cheese on top seems weird, but it works.

Catering by May St: Applewood Smoked Bacon Chocolate Jalapeno Flan
The first bite I took of this I was on the fence due to the texture. I ate some more and it grew on me. I could definitely taste the jalapeno. This was a good dish.





NoMI: Bacon & Strawberry Fried Pie
This was another favorite. I could eat these like tic-tacs.





Travelle at the Langham: Maple Eclair
This was another favorite. This was quite decadent with the bacon pieces and sauce.





Piece Pizzeria: Applewood Smoked Bacon Pizza
This was a good dish with a decent amount of bacon.





Baptiste & Bottle: Bacon Mac & Cheese
This was a pretty good dish. The crispy lardons, jalapeno, and bacon crumble tasted good together.





Pink Taco: Shrimp & Jalapeno Bacon Grits
Besides the pieces of bacon on the side, this was an ok dish.





The Chicago Firehouse Restaurant: Apple Pecorino Glazed Belly
The dish didn't quite look like this when I picked it up from the table. The meat fell off the top of the polenta so I made a couple of attempts to put it back on top. Oh well. The pork belly was good. I wasn't really a fan of the polenta.





This is the t-shirt I wore. This is one of my faves.

Baconfest Chicago 2018

Hello bacon lovers! It was another year of bacon awesomeness! Seventh year in a row and hopefully more!

I followed my usual plan of attack (i.e., walk up and down each aisle and try the dishes that looked appealing and limit my bread intake). This year, there were some dishes I wanted to try, but the line was pretty long for them, so I moved on since there were plenty of other dishes I wanted to try. I was on a mission!

I was really excited to see Nosh This at Baconfest this year. Their "Bacon Crack" is awesome!

Here's the bacon deliciousness I had:

Bacaro: Bacon Lasagna
This wasn't a bad dish, but an interesting take on lasagna.

Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits: Bacon Fat Grits
This was one of my favorite dishes. You can't go wrong with bacon fat.

Burger Bar Chicago: Belly-Stuffed Chicken Wing
This was a good dish. The glaze was a nice addition.

Carnivale: Maple Bacon Pops
This was an interesting dish because it was cold. I tasted more of the maple syrup than the bacon.

Chop Shop: The Third Little Pig
Smoked chicken/bacon sausage..need I say more.

Community Tavern: Bacon & Apple Kimchi
I've only had kimchi a couple of times, so this was an interesting dish combining kimchi and bacon.

Honey Butter Fried Chicken: Bacon & Fried Chicken Ramen
This dish had a little kick to it, but it was good.

Hutch: Meatballs + Pork Belly Carbonara Style
You can't go wrong with pork meatball in carbonara sauce.

Inspiration Kitchen: Bacon Pistachio Beet Empanada
This dish was okay. The beet wasn't overpowering which was a good thing.

Jerk Modern American Grill: Rum Butterscotch Jerk Candied Bacon
This bacon definitely had some kick, but very good.

 
Kitty O'Sheas: Bacon Chocolate Creme Brulée Lollipop
This was another one of my favorite dishes. All of the ingredients tasted so good in just one bite.

LOKaL: Candied Bacon & Waffles
I only ate a small piece of the waffle, but the bacon was really good.

Margeaux Brasserie: Braised Bacon Cassoulet
I've never heard of cassoulet before, but when I first saw the dish, I was all in. The meat was pretty tasty.

Rack House Tavern: The Flying Swine
Apart from trying to avoid stabbing myself in the mouth with the toothpick, this was another one of my favorite dishes. Pork belly, plus a pickle, and the sauce made it a good combination.

Sheekar Delights: Bacon and Bourbon Gourmet Baklava
Very good baklava.

Smylie Brothers Brewing Co.: Mom's English Toffee with Applewood Smoked Bacon
You can't go wrong with the following combination: toffee, bacon, and dark chocolate.

Spacca Napoli: Malu Miri Ripieno
This restaurant always has interesting, outside of the box type dishes. Although not my favorite, there were a lot of flavors.

The Heritage: Bacon & Red Floriani Cornmeal Dumplings
This was almost as small as a tic-tac. I thought it was okay considering it was cornmeal with bacon.

The Signature Room at the 95th: Spicy Maple Glazed Nueske's Bacon
This was a good dish with the bacon and grits.

Whirlyball: Baconchetta
This turned out to be a good dish since when I first looked at it, I wasn't sure what to expect. This was good combination of sweet (sauce) and savory (bacon!).