No matter why you are in Chicago, either on vacation, business, or you are a brand new resident, you may have a little trouble finding your way around the big city. Chicago is jammed packed with exciting things to do, places to stay, thing to experience, and even places to eat. You will definitely not have any troubles finding something to eat at the many restaurants in Chicago
There are many types of Chicago restaurants from low budget fast foods to expensive premium dining establishments and everything in between. So, how do you choose? Well this article is a small guide to some of the must-visit Chicago restaurants. You absolutely must try these places during your time in Chicago.
For eating by yourself or with that someone special, you definitely want to try Alinea. With top chef, Grant Achatz behind the scenes of some of the most beautifully presented and delightfully tasty foods, you will certainly not be disappointed. A few pointers about this restaurant, this is not a place for younger children and you should expect to spend $500 to $1300 dining at this Chicago restaurant.
Visiting Chicago restaurants would simply not be the same if you did not visit Weber Grill Restaurant. This is a great place for those relaxing moments and they serve items that can fit all tastes and appetites. You will find grilled pork chops, ribs, fish, steaks, and hamburgers, plus a menu full of other great foods ready to satisfy your hunger.
There are so many restaurants in Chicago with many different types of cuisines and dining, you will definitely not visit them all in one or even two trips; it will take you years to visit the many different Chicago restaurants. One you definitely want to consider if you like Indian food is the India House. This restaurant has been named number six of the top Chicago restaurants.
The India House has the highest quality service and food that bring people from all over Chicago and the world to experience the restaurant. This is Indian food at its best. You can taste foods from many different Indian regions such as Tandooi, Madras, Delhi, and Bombay. While this restaurant in Chicago is something of a fine dining experience, if you are tight on money, but still want the taste of some authentic Indian foods, they offer a lunch buffet for a great price with plenty of variety.
More fine dining, tasty foods, and the best of Chicago restaurants can be found at Bice Ristorante. This restaurant serves up tasty Tuscan foods with flair. This restaurant is quite pricy, but well worth the visit. You will find your taste buds delight in everything from the broccoli to the lobster risotto, calamari, and mussels.
As you can see, there is a wealth of restaurants in Chicago just waiting for you. The ones listed in this article are just the tip of the iceberg. Excellent foods, excellent atmosphere, and some of the finest dining establishments in the world, Chicago restaurants just can't be missed.
What is Organic and Fairtrade Olive Oil?
All of you that have do the cooking at home will have used cooking oil or olive oil at some point. Whether you use the oil for frying or salads, organic oil can provide the maximum taste with the minimum use of pesticides and chemicals in its production. Organic olives are used in the production and many people say that the taste is superior to non organic olive oil.
Olives are typically grown in the Mediterranean, with its hot dry summers and cool winters it is the ideal habitat of the olive tree. Olive oil is the oil obtained from the fruit of the olive tree in a mechanical manner. The liquid is pressed out of the olives. Organic olive oils are often picked and crushed by large stone rollers without the use of any mechanical machinery or unnatural processes. Expensive virgin oil is sometimes labelled in a way that you can trace exactly where the oil has come from. The bottle and tin can be numbered and this enables the buyer to identify from which trees the olive oil of each individual container came from.
As well as organic oil, fairtrade oil is increasingly available. The Fairtrade principal involves democratic organisation where producers have maximum control over their land and are often formed into co-operatives. Trade Unions are allowed, no child labour is used in the production and a decent wage is paid to the workers that pick the olives and produce the oil. The Fairtrade Mark means that a social premium is paid on the product which doesnt go to the individuals, it goes to the organisation or communities for development projects such as health, education and sanitation.
One producer of Fairtrade Organic Olive Oil is Zaytoun
Zaytoun is the UKs first volunteer non-profit project to import fair trade palestinian organic olive oil to the UK.
The oil is imported from farmers worse hit by the current political crisis in Palestine.
The agricultural economy, which is one of the major arteries of the Palestinian economy, has been significantly damaged due to the continuing conflict with Isreal.
65% of Palestinian families live in rural areas and are connected to agriculture in some form.
Rural livelihoods have been desimated through the confiscation of land, uprooting of trees, controlling of water sources, denying access to land and the lack of access to markets in Isreal and abroad.
Zaytoun attempts to seek a practical means of assisting the Palestinian People by providing consumers with something we use at least once a week, cooking oil!
Did you know that you can also buy olive based beauty care products such as soap? Olives have long since been known to hold the secret of youthful vitality.
Buy Zaytoun Fairtrade oil at http://zaytoun.org/
Find other organic
and fairtrade cooking and beauty products on the authors websites.
What is Organic and Fairtrade Tea and Coffee?
The UK is known as a nation of tea drinkers, one Polish person once asked me if we drank tea at 3 oclock everyday as some sort of ritual! Most of us dont realise that this tea is often grown on tea plantations in the developing world where the crops are sprayed with many chemicals and pesticides and the workers that pick the leaves are not only exposed to this danger but are often paid a pittance of a wage as well.
Organic and Fairtrade tea, coffee and cocoa are growing in popularity as people realise the benefits of spending those extra pennies per box and the payback in both health and human terms.
Why buy organic tea, coffee or cocoa?
Consumers usually decide to buy because production is carried out using sustainable farming practices, specifically not allowing deforestation to occur as part of plantation farming techniques.
Some producers go down the Fairtrade route, which gives the consumer further altruistic benefit in terms of assurance that the workers on the tea or coffee plantations have been working under improved terms and conditions, giving them a better quality of life and reducing exploitation. You can now buy organic, Fairtrade tea which is not much more expensive then just organic tea. I buy Morrisons own branded organic, fairtrade tea bags as its cheaper than the branded products such as clipper teas.
What exactly is organic I hear you ask?
Tea or coffee qualifies as organic only when environment-friendly techniques are employed in its production. An organic unit should essentially be a self-sustaining one, designing the farm at the time of establishment of new organic tea or coffee plantation is crucial for optimum utilization of resources within the plantation itself.
In order to establish organic tea fields or coffee plantations, it is necessary to build up inherent nutrient levels and neutralise the chemical residues left in soils from past cultivation. This requires an interim period - called the conversion period. Based on the agro-ecological conditions, this period may vary from 3 to 5 years. If plantation is taken up before conversion period is over, chemical residues may show up in the product. These processing techniques are sufficient to make it highly unusual for any pesticides to be present in the end product.
Insect pest and disease management
Insect and disease management in organic farming systems rely on the inherent equilibrium in nature. This includes using natural enemies of pests to keep their numbers in check.
There are many varieties of organic herbal teas now available also. Some of these have the added benefit of possessing medicinal properties. For example, peppermint tea aids indigestion and chamomile can soothe and relax you.
Find companies that sell organic tea in GuideMeGreen.com