Bon Appetit 2012: Restaurant Crawl of Albany Park & North Park
Scheduled for May 2012! Join us for our 3rd Annual Restaurant Crawl featuring the delicious and delectable food of award-winning restaurants of Albany Park and North Park. Billy Dec loves it, and so should you! Look for more information, participating restaurants and other deets coming soon.
Join our mailing list! Email the Chamber here to get on our mailing list for all upcoming Chamber events, and to learn more about the events celebrating North River Commission's 50th Anniversary this year.
Join our mailing list! Email the Chamber here to get on our mailing list for all upcoming Chamber events, and to learn more about the events celebrating North River Commission's 50th Anniversary this year.
Thank you to everyone who participated & supported Bon Appetit 2011!
View pictures from Bon Appetit 2011 Restaurant Crawl of Albany Park & North Park
Thank you Gordon Walek and LISC/Chicago for these great shots!
For individual pictures, click HERE
Thank you to event Sponsors & Donors:
Harris Bank
Charter One Bank
LISC/Chicago
Admiral Theater
Advanced Physicians Pain Management Chicago
Albany Bank & Trust Company, N.A.
Bass Real Estate Group
Foster Bank
Frankenstone Artisians
Jesus House Chicago
Korean Broadcasting Company / WOCH Channel 41
Lawrence Kedzie Self Storage
Mark Mackey State Farm Insurance Agency
MetLife
Northeastern Illinois University
SomerCor 504, Inc.
Thank you to all the restaurants that participated in Bon Appetit 2011:
Ay Ay Picante!, 4569 N. Elston Ave**
Ban Po Jung Korean Restaurant, 3450 W. Foster Ave**
Beijo de Chocolat, 3334 W. Foster Ave
Dawali Mediterranean Kitchen, 4911 N. Kedzie Ave
Jaafer Sweets, 4825 N. Kedzie Ave
Jimmy John's Sandwich Shop, 3234 W. Foster Ave
Fruityland Ice Cream, 4610 N. Kedzie Ave
La Baguette North Bakery, 4734 N. Kedzie Ave
Marie's Pizza & Liquors, 4127 W. Lawrence Ave**
Merla's Kitchen, 5207 N. Kimball Ave
Nazareth Sweets, 4638 N. Kedzie Ave
Noon O Kabab Persian Restaurant, 4651 N. Kedzie Ave
North Park Village Pizza, 3352 W. Foster Ave
Rice & Roll, 3312 W. Foster Ave
Roots Room Social Club, 5203 N. Kimball Ave
Salam Restaurant, 4636 N. Kedzie Ave
Semiramis Lebanese Restaurant, 4639 N. Kedzie Ave
Smokey Bear's BBQ House, 3312 W. Foster Ave
Starbucks North Park, 3232 W. Foster Ave
Ssyal Ginseng House, 4201 W. Lawrence Ave**
**Food only provided at the check-in location
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2010 "Bon APpetit" Restaurant Crawl in Albany Park a Rousing Success!
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On a beautiful spring night, over 150 participants and 18 local restaurants took part in the successful “Bon APpétit” Multicultural Restaurant Crawl in Albany Park on Tuesday, May 25, 2010 co-hosted by the North River Commission (NRC) and the Albany Park Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber). “Crawlers” experienced tasty samplings of food, drinks and entertainment at venues up and down Lawrence, Kedzie, Kimball, Foster, Elston and Francisco Avenues in the downtown Albany Park and Mayfair communities.
Restaurants provided excellent food and hospitality and were well received by participants. One “Crawler” said, “The hospitality at Marie’s Pizza was the best, I felt like I came to a party.” Another noted, “The Ssyal Ginseng House had delicious Korean food; Mrs. Cho, the owner, went above and beyond.” Participants overwhelmingly said they would be back to enjoy Albany Park this summer and would attend the next Crawl NRC and the Chamber hosts.
The diverse spread of venues included award-winning and well-known local favorites like Marie’s Pizza and Liquors, Mayan Sol Latin Grill, Las Cazuelas Mexican Restaurant and Al-Khaymeih Restaurant, in addition to well-loved hidden gems like The Ssyal Ginseng House Korean Restaurant in Mayfair, and Merla’s Kitchen, the Roots Room Social Club and Beijo de Chocolat at Foster and Kimball Avenues.
Among the residents and out-of-towners attending the event on Tuesday night were 12 culinary students from Alabama attending the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Show downtown. They heard about the Crawl from advertising at the Cultural Center thanks to the City's Department of Cultural Affairs, and took taxis up to Albany Park to participate in the event. “We really enjoyed seeing and visiting Albany Park,” said a student. “Ay Ay Picante’s owner, Jaime Chamuca, was so gracious he fell over himself providing a great selection of Peruvian dishes.”
Staff, interns, and volunteers from NRC and the Chamber and consultant Big Buzz Idea Group worked tirelessly to organize the event, Albany Park’s first ever Restaurant Crawl. “This event showcased our neighborhood’s diversity and assets,” stated NRC Executive Director Rev. Rodney C. Walker. “We are excited that so many new visitors came out to experience all we have to offer.”
Many local businesses, Chamber members and foundations helped sponsor “Bon APpétit” including: Charter One, LISC/Chicago, Harris Bank, The UPS Store, Jesus House Chicago, Albany Bank & Trust Company, N.A., Baladna Jewelry, Celebrity Properties, Chicago Chocolate Tours, John Tunnell Allstate Agency, Lawrence Kedzie Self-Storage, New Compass Solutions, and Rieck & Crotty, P.C. Gordon Walek, photographer from LISC Chicago, captured the evening in full color (see pictures).
“It’s clear that people loved this event,” Walker said. “The demand is out there for the Crawl to become an annual tradition. Mark your calendars for next year!”
Restaurants provided excellent food and hospitality and were well received by participants. One “Crawler” said, “The hospitality at Marie’s Pizza was the best, I felt like I came to a party.” Another noted, “The Ssyal Ginseng House had delicious Korean food; Mrs. Cho, the owner, went above and beyond.” Participants overwhelmingly said they would be back to enjoy Albany Park this summer and would attend the next Crawl NRC and the Chamber hosts.
The diverse spread of venues included award-winning and well-known local favorites like Marie’s Pizza and Liquors, Mayan Sol Latin Grill, Las Cazuelas Mexican Restaurant and Al-Khaymeih Restaurant, in addition to well-loved hidden gems like The Ssyal Ginseng House Korean Restaurant in Mayfair, and Merla’s Kitchen, the Roots Room Social Club and Beijo de Chocolat at Foster and Kimball Avenues.
Among the residents and out-of-towners attending the event on Tuesday night were 12 culinary students from Alabama attending the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Show downtown. They heard about the Crawl from advertising at the Cultural Center thanks to the City's Department of Cultural Affairs, and took taxis up to Albany Park to participate in the event. “We really enjoyed seeing and visiting Albany Park,” said a student. “Ay Ay Picante’s owner, Jaime Chamuca, was so gracious he fell over himself providing a great selection of Peruvian dishes.”
Staff, interns, and volunteers from NRC and the Chamber and consultant Big Buzz Idea Group worked tirelessly to organize the event, Albany Park’s first ever Restaurant Crawl. “This event showcased our neighborhood’s diversity and assets,” stated NRC Executive Director Rev. Rodney C. Walker. “We are excited that so many new visitors came out to experience all we have to offer.”
Many local businesses, Chamber members and foundations helped sponsor “Bon APpétit” including: Charter One, LISC/Chicago, Harris Bank, The UPS Store, Jesus House Chicago, Albany Bank & Trust Company, N.A., Baladna Jewelry, Celebrity Properties, Chicago Chocolate Tours, John Tunnell Allstate Agency, Lawrence Kedzie Self-Storage, New Compass Solutions, and Rieck & Crotty, P.C. Gordon Walek, photographer from LISC Chicago, captured the evening in full color (see pictures).
“It’s clear that people loved this event,” Walker said. “The demand is out there for the Crawl to become an annual tradition. Mark your calendars for next year!”
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Participating Venues included:
Marie's Pizza & Liquors, 4127 W. Lawrence Ave
Mayan Sol Latin Grill, 3830 W. Lawrence Ave
Cambodian American Heritage Museum/Killing Fields Memorial, 2831 W. Lawrence Ave
Las Cazuelas Mexican Restaurant, 4821 N. Elston Ave
Ay Ay Picante! 4569 N. Elston Ave
Salam Restaurant, 4636 N. Kedzie Ave
Nazareth Sweets, 4638 N. Kedzie Ave
La Baguette Bakery, 4734 N. Kedzie Ave
Al Khaymeih Restaurant, 4748 N. Kedzie Ave
Noli's Pizza, 4839 N. Kedzie Ave
Baladna Restaurant, 4835 N. Kedzie Ave
Dawali Mediterranean Kitchen, 4911 N. Kedzie Ave
Merle's Coffee Shoppe, 4642 N. Francisco Ave
Beijo de Chocolat, 3334 W. Foster Ave
Merla's Kitchen, 5207 N. Kimball Ave
Roots Room Social Club, 5203 N. Kimball Ave
Ssyal Ginseng House, 4201 W. Lawrence Ave
Pollo Campero, samples at check-in location, 4650 N. Kedzie Ave
The Albany Park community boundaries are roughly Montrose Ave to Foster Ave and the North Branch of the Chicago River to Cicero Ave (approximately 4400N to 5200N, 2900W to 4800W.)
For more information, please contact Elizabeth Derry at (773) 478-0202 ext. 25 or email her at ederry@northrivercommission.org.
