To Market We Go

This past weekend we were in Chicago to visit my mom and aunt for their birthdays.  Our plan for Saturday was to visit an open-air French market.  The market is located in the downtown area.  It has about 40 vendors selling everything from cheeses, meats, breads, produce, and packaged goods. 

Early Saturday morning, my aunt (Meenor), sister (Michelle)and mom (l to r) met to begin our day.  We packed the car with empty shopping bags and began our adventure.  I think I can honestly say, we were giddy with excitement.  Well maybe not giddy but certainly very excited to be spending time with family whom I love and don't get to see enough of.

We decided that our plan of attack would first be a walk through to scope out the merchandise.  Within the first three vendors, we lost my mother who was now three vendors ahead waiving her credit card. This was going to be an expensive day.  Somewhere between the first and second aisle, my sister disappeared when she spotted one vendor who was making fresh crepes.  With two down, my aunt and I were determined to stick with the plan.  So, we stopped at the coffee booth to fuel up and continued on our journey perusing the wares.

The market also contained a few vendors who prepared food for one to sit down and eat.  There was Mexican, which offered an interesting breakfast tacos with eggs, potatoes and chorizo.  One vendor sold Belgian fries with dipping sauces.  There was a deli for sandwiches along with vendors making curry and asian.

Some of the favorites included a vendor who specialized in breads.  We purchased a cheddar/bacon foccacia, an artichoke/mozzarella/basil/tomato foccacia, and a great loaf that was stuffed with cheese and sundried tomatoes.  The three breads were about $20.00 but well worth it.  This bread was ph-en-om-on-al!  My mom and I were comparing leg of lamb roasts in the picture to the left.  here was a meat counter that specialized in grass-fed meats.  We saw filet-mignon that was $29.99 per pound. These filets were approximately 6-inches in diameter and 3-inches thick.  They were the most gorgeous, ruby-colored steaks I have ever seen. They had a cheese monger that offered cow's milk, goat's milk, and even a water-buffalo cheese.  Unbelievable sausages and seafood.  Way too hard to do justice to them all.

All in all, I would say that this open-air market was a great experience and very similar to the market in Milwaukee only slightly larger.  The market is located 131 North Clinton, Chicago, IL.  For information, you can find them on the web at www.frenchmarketchicago.com .