14 Jun 14 - Taste of Randolph Day 2

Lincoln Jesser

Hey, blogspot readers, SouthSide’s back cruising the sights, sounds and smells of Taste of Randolph 2014 with the afternoon crowd. Today, it was all about families spending time tasting the array of food from restaurants like Vivo, Wishbone, and Alhambra while listening to music from acts like Lincoln Jesser, Dog 1,Quantic Live Band and Kins. This reviewer highly recommends checking out the indie pop sound of Lincoln Jesser (http://www.lincolnjesser.com) from Los Angeles rockin’ the West stage. She liked how this performer fused the energy of powerpop with lively dance music and live drum rhythms thus creating a fun, vibrant party songs for the crowd ...even SouthSide was seen groovin’ to the beat before browsing around the vendor booths.

One Man Surf Party

It’s a shopper’s paradise, blogspot readers! From doggie treats to pamper that pooch to a colorful array of sarongs and clothing as well as fashionable jewelry and more, local vendors had plenty to offer to the fest goers during the three days of Taste of Randolph. One vendor of many specially tailored for dog owners – Just For Dogs (http://www.justfordogz.com) caught this reviewer’s eye with the many unique doggie treats. They weren’t just any ordinary treats for Fido. No, blogspot readers, these treats featured some rather familiar human food names but made for dogs like Vanilla Crème (cookies), Nutter Butters, Taffy and more. There was even Jawbreakers and Pigs In A Blanket as well as Sushi, Dove Bars and Hamburgers. Across, from that booth, SouthSide met the man behind One Man Surf Party (http://www.onemansurfparty.com) who told her it’s all about artwork with fun video game inspired t-shirts and more. Next door to that booth, she watched Brandon Mall, the man behind Infinity Lights (http://www.snaplamps.com) snap together a light fixture for a customer. The lights are made into any design you want such as a clown fish, Japanese lantern or unique shape and/or size in which he attaches a 12-foot cord. You supply the light bulb, blogspot readers.

Brandles candles

Moving along, this reviewer touched and tested a pillow by Hotel Comfort Pillows before checking out candle booth – Brandles (http://www.candlesbybrandles.com). Brandles will take your favorite brand of liquor, beer bottle and/or can, wine, and more ...even soda and turn it into a candle that’s cosmetic grade soy. This booth featured over 40 scents and will burn for up 550 hours. Plus Brandles will refill your candle for a low price of $10. Some of the brands seen included Corona, Jack Daniels, Captain Morgan and more. A great unique gift-giving idea, blogspot readers. There were other unique ideas for gifts like one booth in which you could get a map of your town’s/city’s pubs by Pubs Of (http://www.pubsof.com) or snagging t-shirts and/or BBQ aprons for Dad at another ...unique bottle cap jewelry by Weener Ware (http://www.weenerware.com) and so much more. Besides shopping, you could also spend a few quiet meditative minutes for yoga and/or meditation at one booth while a few feet away you could try lightly shocking your aches and pains away at the Accu-Therapy booth, blogspot readers. For the kids, there’s a booth for face painting ...some were even seen sporting Henna tattoos too. Yet, there was more to this festival than the shopping. It was time for SouthSide to sample the food!

Vivo restaurant staff

Ah, the smell of an outdoor street festival! SO many choices and she didn’t know where to begin first. Many food booths had lines but none of them like at Nicholas Quality Meats. blogspot readers, where the line was longer than the booth area itself. You could this restaurant was popular because there was ALWAYS a line and it continually grew by the minute with more customers. Those kebabs featuring lamb, steak and chicken and roasted corn must have been really good to eat. However, SouthSide found a place just a short walk away from Nicholas called Vivo (http://www.vivo-chicago.com). The friendly staff there were busy hawking the lamb chops and Italian sausage sandwiches in which this reviewer was allowed to try. Now, that was a very spicy sausage with a kick of sauce ladled on top, blogspot readers (see photo). YUMMY! She loved the kick of heat from both meat and sauce sizzling inside her mouth with each bite. This reviewer will visit this restaurant soon to try the lamb chops ...or perhaps a pasta dish like Ravioli Del Giorno ...the Braciola di Maiale Grigliata sounds good too ...so many delicious choices, blogspot readers. Vivo is located at 838 W. Randolph and reservations are strongly advised. The popular drink (according to SouthSide’s observations) besides beer was the Sangrias. The fruity alcoholic drink was seen everywhere, blogspot readers, and even this reviewer had a sample – very delicious. As she walked towards the East stage, she signed up to be a guest on the Judge Mathis show (the booth was looking for audience members for next season’s taping which will start in August). SouthSide will be there on August 14 for a taping. The Redeye booth was a lifesaver, blogspot readers! Not only could you relax and watch the World Cup Action but also recharge you mobile devices for FREE! What helpful genius idea especially since this reviewer was snapping a lot of photos on her phone thus quickly draining her battery power.

Kins rockin' West stage

SouthSide completed her fun afternoon at Taste of Randolph with two musical acts. Over at the East stage, it was a rockin’ bluegrass hoedown with Dog 1 (http://www.dog1blugrass.com), blogspot readers. This reviewer enjoyed the lively rhythms and energy during the short time she spent listening to the band as they entertained the crowd. Then, walking her way back towards the West stage again, she stopped for a moment at the MID Stage where a DJ had groups of families groovin’ to the music ...dads as well as kids of all ages were on the dance floor strutting their best dance moves, blogspot readers. From there, she arrived in time to jam to mellow out amidst the moving, melodic music that really stirred the soul by the lads known as Kins (http://www.hellokins.com) from UK. Known for specializing music that features a vibe from detachment and muted aggression, it was the perfect mood setting for the early evening crowd at a summertime festival. She immediately liked the band’s eclectic rock sound that had a funky rhythmic flow especially during the instrumental bridge while they performed songs off their debut self-titled album. This reviewer highly recommends checking out this band while they’re currently on tour in the US before heading back home.

Overall, blogspot readers, it was another beautiful day in Chicago cruising Taste of Randolph ...see you tomorrow...

 

Until next time, support your local scene,

SouthSide