Chicago French Market – Lunch and Then Some!

We finally checked out the Chicago French Market downtown this weekend. The market reminded me a lot of the market in Minnesota I mentioned, though on a much smaller scale. We did a lap or two around the place before deciding on what to eat for lunch, lucky for us most places had samples available so we go to try a wide variety of the foods. RAW had a handful of things to try. These samples were the first time any of us had tried raw food. The pizza and lemon squares were really great, the kids love them both. The flavors were so dense and rich, a small amount would go a long way in satisfying. We tried some zeppole and pizza from Zullo’s, again big hits and they were so friendly.  Zullo’s sells a homemade pizza kit that included homemade dough, cheese and sauce. A great dinner option to pick up on the way home from work. We also tried a variety of cheese and sausage too. Gosh there was probably more that I can’t remember.

As if we weren’t full enough, we decided on lunch. The kids both decided on crepes, we split a meatball báhn mì from Saigon Sisters. A delicious variation of a hoagie, it had a great spice from the siricha. We then all split a large order or Belgian fries with a peanut sauce and curry sauce on the side, in addition to the traditional ketchup, mayo, and chopped red onion. They have a long list of side sauces to pick from.  Delicious!

We then did another lap and bought a few things to bring home for dinner (and then some); Faux-caccia fron Neccessity Baking Co., a few types of sausage from Pastoral, roasted veggies from Zullo, some smoked fish City Fresh Market, hummus from RAW, pickled jalapeno beets, and cheese made in Benton Harbor. Benton Harbor doesn’t come to mind when thinking of places to make cheese, though they do make some great beer there so figured it was worth a try.

I was really happy find that my favorite vendor from the Pike’s Place in Seattle

were setting up shop to open on Monday. I was also excited to see they sell Tallgrass Beef, which I love and can’t find in my area besides through PeaPod.  They had some beautiful chocolates, great looking fish, lots of fruits and vegetables, and other vendors I didn’t even get to mentioning.

I thought the market was great and definitely worth the trip. Especially since it is so convenient to the train, which makes for a fun day trip for the kids. Though I will say the signage for the market is minimal, and the ones did that exist were confusing. Coming through the train station you would have never known the market was nearby as there were no sign leading you to it. Closer to the market there were signs, though they referred to the market as the MetraMarket. I guess they are one in the same, but visiting for the first time it was a bit confusing. I wish I worked closer so I could stop in more often, though with everything we bought and ate maybe I am better off with this not being a regular stop!