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    A Full Living » Blog » Dining Out

    Published: Jun 1, 2018 · Modified: Jan 14, 2022 by Briana · This post may contain affiliate links.

    4 Food Vendors You Need to Check Out At Andersonville Midsommarfest This Year

    graphic with text of hands holding two popsicles Food Vendors To Try at Andersonville Midsommarfest

    Have you considered checking out Andersonville Midsommarfest from June 8th - 10th? Here’s 6 Food Vendors You Need to Check Out At Andersonville Midsommarfest This Year. It’s that time of year, when the days are getting longer and warmer again, so come have a drink, eat a lot, browse some amazing merchants and listen to some live music. We’ve teamed up with the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce to highlight some Andersonville Restaurants & an Andersonville Farmers Market vendor that will be at Midsommarfest this year. Here's some of our favorites!

    graphic with text of hands holding two popsicles Food Vendors To Try at Andersonville Midsommarfest

    Disclosure: This is a paid partnership with the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce. We picked vendors that we wanted to highlight at Midsommarfest. All opinions are our own. 

    *We'd also like to note that this post was written in 2018, so we plan to update it soon.

    Vincent

    This Dutch American bistro is a cozy, eclectic space with a stellar patio. The decor is inventive, and changes often as the employees put together their own art pieces for the space. Vincent is casual, inviting and inspiring with an upbeat, ambient music selection, and a staff that will make you laugh, while simultaneously making you feel like an old friend.  It’s impossible to not have a smile on your face in here. We would classify this place as an ideal date night spot, that isn’t stuffy in the slightest. So order some wine (or cocktails), some frites and mussels and stay awhile!

    • chalk board with sign that says hand crafted cocktails
    • inside of vincent restaurant with plants hanging from the ceiling
    • candle flickering
    • menu from vincent restaurant
    • ornate umbrellas hanging from the ceiling
    • a couple sitting in the window with a reflection

    At the festival, you should try some of their signature parmesan, truffle frites. You could say we were a fan!

    garlic parmesan truffle french fries

    They will also be serving up some amazing made in-house popsicles that will only be served at the festival. We loved the blackberry-basil and the ginger-citrus equally.

    hand holding up two popsicles with a tree in the background

    If you’re not able to make it to the festival, we’re sad for you, but here’s what you can expect in the restaurant. During the weekdays, you can expect dinner service only, closed Mondays. Sundays offer brunch from 10-2, and dinner service. Their cocktails are well thought out, with fun names and even better flavors. We even tried owner Michael Bransford’s favorite menu item - the chicken liver mousse. We basically licked the dish clean.

    duck liver pate with toast pickled onions cherry preserves and greens at vincent

    Also pictured below is the “High & Tight” - a kaffir lime infused gin, with lemon, cardamom bitters and sparkling Yuzu sake. Chamere had the “Ugly Brother” with angostura bitters, Buffalo Trace bourbon, citrus, vanilla-cinnamon, mint & egg white. Highly recommend their fun and inventive cocktail menu.

    • lime cocktail with mint in a highball glass
    • hand held pink cocktail outside near a bright green bush in a coupe glass

    If you can’t wait for Midsommarfest to stop by Vincent’s booth, click here to make a reservation. We won’t judge you. In fact, we encourage it!

    Katherine Anne Confections

    Katherine Anne Confections was such a (literal) treat to visit! Owner Katherine Duncan has been making confections, truffles and marshmallows with ingredients on her family’s farm since she was a little girl. As she grew older, she was initially confused by the fact that people didn’t know how to make such treats on their own, and then realized this was an opportunity. Katherine Anne Confections has been in business since 2006, selling all kinds of delicious treats in their gorgeous store in Logan Square, as well as various Farmers Markets around the city and online.

    She’s famous for her gorgeous and creative truffle flavors, marshmallows and her drinking chocolate. Katherine sources all of her ingredients very carefully, using organic and hyper local ingredients to make her creations come to life. She knows all her of farmers by name, and everything is made with care and her amazing artistic touch.

    • sign that says money cant buy happiness, but it can buy marshmallows which are kinda the same thing
    • drinks and truffles on a table at katherine anne confections

    At Midsommarfest, we can expect to see one treat for sure: this s’more that is pretty next level. Homemade marshmallows, torched and then rolled in her salted caramel drinking chocolate mix before being set between two homemade graham crackers. We’re pretty positive you haven’t had a s’more like this before! Katherine will surprise us with her other offerings that will be coming with to the festival, and it kind of depends on the weather. She doesn’t want anything to melt! We will show you a bit of everything that we were able to try!

    • homemade marshmallows and graham crackers to make a s'more
    • homemade s'more with a homemade marshmallow

    We tried some fresh made truffles. The one with the nuts on top is a milk chocolate hazelnut. Then came for the red top, a vegan dark chocolate, raspberry truffle. My personal favorite was the salted caramel dark chocolate, with the salt sprinkles on top. The cream colored one is the lemon poppyseed. Lastly, the dark chocolate with the chocolate chips was the creme de menthe. They were as delicious as they are beautiful.

    • homemade gourmet truffles on a tray
    • homemade specialty chocolate truffles

    To cool off we tried a couple varieties of lemonade. The fermented ginger lemonade is made for apple cider vinegar, super refreshing. The red one is a strawberry, rosemary lemonade, made with market fresh strawberries.

    • two glasses of multicolored lemonade
    • overhead view of homemade specialty lemonade
    • glasses of colorful lemonade with a flower in the background

    We tried Katherine's homemade marshmallows, vanilla and mocha. My favorite was the mocha!

    • homemade mocha marshmallows
    • homemade traditional marshmallows

    Lastly, we had to try some of her famous drinking chocolate. Made with real chocolate and cream. It was truly heavenly. She has all kinds of flavors, but we wanted to try the brown butter lavender. It was the perfect subtle hint of lavender. Truly lovely. If you're salivating, feel free to order something online.

    • tall glass of rich drinking chocolate
    • drinking chocolate topped with whipped cream and lavender buds

    If you can’t catch Katherine at Midsommarfest, be on the lookout for her at the following locations during the week: Andersonville Farmers Market every Wednesday, Daley Plaza on Thursdays, Saturday is the Evanston Farmers Market, Sunday she is at the Glenwood Sunday Market and Logan Square Farmers Market. You can also drop by her store in Logan Square, everyday except Mondays. You can also check out all the photos from our visit here.

    Fireside Restaurant

    Fireside Restaurant has been a staple in the Andersonville/Ravenswood neighborhood since 1904. Conveniently located across from Rosehill Cemetery, they may have some spooky stories to tell. They'realways whipping up delicious dishes with a smile. Locals come here to watch sports, catch up and grab a bite late into the evening. You can also bring your dog and sit on the front patio. They have a fantastic (and heated) outdoor patio space that makes you feel like you’re on vacation. They also have a great cozy fireplace (hence the name, Fireside!).

    The drinks here are strong, tasty and a great value, so you can kick back and relax. Saturdays and Sundays, Fireside hosts brunch, with an insane build your own bloody Mary bar with over 250 ingredients and 40 different vodkas! Holy smokes. If you have a designated driver, they will be pleased to know that free street parking is plentiful. Just make sure you’re getting to and from responsibly!

    The menu has a Cajun-American flare, you’ll notice some pretty classic menu items, but many offer a little Cajun spicy kick. There really is something for everybody here, with a wide variety of dinner, drink and dessert offerings.

    At Midsommarfest, they will be bringing along a couple sandwiches, like the country fried chicken sandwich, a new menu item, complete with breaded and fried chicken breast, with cajun mayo, lettuce and tomato. They’re also bringing along a smothered pulled pork sandwich.

    • closeup of a fried chicken club sandwich
    • smothered pork bbq sandwich on a pretzel bun with tater tots and pickles

    On our visit we also tried some signature dishes, like their blackened chicken pasta, complete with a spicy alfredo, parmesan cheese flakes and topped with spicy, blackened chicken. This was a our favorite dish! Chamere is a sucker for anything spicy, and anything alfredo, so this was a winner! Pretty sure this dish is what inspired our cajun chicken alfredo recipe.

    spicy cajun chicken alfredo with parmesan shreds and parsley

    They are also pretty famous for their rib dinners, look how big they are!

    huge slab of bbq ribs with gravy and side of mashed potatoes

    Now, onto the most fun part - cocktails! Chamere and our friend Flo, of Flo’s Favorites both ordered coconut mojitos, complete with Bacardi light rum, muddled mint, lime, pureed coconut and club soda. We were big fans of this drink. Come to think of it, I think this may have inspired this coconut cranberry mojito too!

    coconut mojito with mint sprig

    I ordered a ‘Modern Epicurean’ with muddled lime, Bombay Sapphire, St. Germain elderflower liqueur and cranberry juice. Loved how refreshing it was.

    cocktail with cranberry juice and a lime

    Our friend Christine had this massive Lava Flow, which was a Pina Colada poured over pureed strawberry! Seriously, it was huge! I don’t think we were able to finish it!

    huge pina colada drink with strawberry syrup on the bottom

    We somehow managed to squeeze in dessert, even though we regretted it later, only because we were so full. We tried a lemon cake, and a coconut cake. Both great choices.

    yellow layer cake with coconut topping

    We all waddled to our cars, happy and full. We look forward to seeing these guys again at Midsommarfest.

    Calo Ristorante

    Calo Ristorante is a no frills, classic Italian spot serving up HUGE portions at fair prices. It’s no wonder these guys have been in business since 1963. Their building is pretty iconic in Andersonville at this point. They’re family owned and operated, and they serve up some delicious Italian and American dishes, like pizza, pastas, and even fall off the bone ribs. They also offer seafood, and plenty of meats like veal and steak. We promise you, you won’t leave this place hungry.

    Calo is a great place for a date night, a business meeting and hosting a private event. They save a lot of space for private parties and have a lot of experience in this area. There’s also free parking for guests, just make sure you grab a slip from the attendant before leaving the lot and ask the staff at the restaurant to validate it before you go.

    At the festival, you can expect lots of pizza. So we tried some of their best, a thin crust and a stuffed pizza. Just look at these cheese pulls on the stuffed.

    deep dish pizza with italian sausage and a cheese pull

    The thin crust was also fabulous, and again, huge! Are you getting the theme here?

    pepperoni thin crust pizza with a slice being lifted

    If you know us, you probably know that we loooove pizza, so finding another “new to us” spot serving great pizza makes our day.

    We also tried the Rigatoni Barese, with Italian sausage, chicken, asparagus, roasted red peppers, tomato sauce, garlic and EVOO. You can see we asked for lots of freshly grated parmesan on top. It truly was very tasty, and we had lots of leftovers (score!) Now, this dish won't be at the festival, but you can find it anytime on their regular menu.

    bowl of rigatoni pasta with fresh vegetables and parmesan chese

    We hope you guys are hungry to try some of these amazing spots at Midsommarfest. And if you can’t make it, we’re sure you’ll know where to head to next time you’re looking for a great spot in Andersonville. As always, shoot us a note if you’re coming or let us know if you’ve been before, or if you plan to check out any of these spots! VIP tickets for Midsommarfest can be purchased here.

    If this article made you hungry, do us a solid and share it with your friends!

    Until Next Time,
    Briana & Chamere

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rachel Kanarowski says

      June 02, 2018 at 9:39 pm

      I really appreciate that you featured mostly local spots. Thanks for the article!

      Reply
      • bdebolt says

        June 05, 2018 at 4:42 pm

        Absolutely! There will be lots of options at the festival, but we want to make sure that the neighborhood spots get the attention they deserve! Thanks for reading 🙂

        Reply

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    Briana and Chamere in Norway Opera House

    Hi, We're A Full Living! Bringing wholesome recipes, treats, & drinks for all occasions!

    More about us→

    Winter Recipes

    • Steak and Seafood Skillet with Parmesan Cream Sauce
    • Beef Bourguignon Pressure Cooker Recipe
    • Chicken and Butternut Squash Recipe with Parmesan Sauce
    • Keto Mushroom Sauce Recipe
    • KFC Famous Bowl Recipe
    • Jalapeño Popper Chicken Skillet Recipe

    Trending Recipes

    • Cowboy Butter Dipping Sauce
    • How To Blanch and Peel Pearl Onions
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