It's called the Pitchfork Music Festival, so it's all about the music, right? Yet even the skinniest hipster must eat, and the fine organizers of this event have them covered nicely- at least on 2 of the 3 days. I will attempt to cover the food at the 'fork by sampling as much as my stomach and wallet can bear..
Day One: You have been warned
This is my third year at Pitchfork, and as in each of the previous years, they send an e-mail to ticketholders and post a list of rules and warnings to the fest site so you know what to expect before you go. One note I've seen each year is that there will only be two food vendors on Friday night, selling pre-packaged foods- good for a snack, but eat a meal prior to arriving. It's never exactly been explained why, but by the feverish setting up of food booths behind a temporary fence, my guess is the festival folks don't have enough time to set up the grills/fryers/dutch ovens/etc. by the time things kick off on Friday. Which is a shame, for both the vendors and the concert-goers. There is clearly a demand for food, as the line for the vendors on Friday night was ridiculous. In fact, I only saw one of two advertised vendors. I think both were there, but I lost sight of one in the beer lines- or was it the ticket lines? (More on that in a minute).
The vendor I saw was a good one- Whole Foods Market. They had a nice assortment of pre-packaged foods, including my perennial favorite snack at Pitchfork, the big ol' bag of bing cherries. Fresh, cool, juicy and with plenty of ground to spit them on, it's the perfect snack for an outdoor fest. It was listed at $7 on Friday, but only $5 on Sunday.
Regarding drinks on Friday, I wanted a beer, but was quickly dissuaded when I saw the length of both the ticket lines and the beer lines (A two step process that ensures the proper IDs are checked, makes sense for an event this size.) I wasn't that thirsty. The lines were long and I heard may complaints when I walked by, but I saw plenty of people with beer and nobody obnoxiously drunk or vomiting. So, perhaps that was the balance organizers were looking for.
Day Two: Great choices abound
For day two of the fest, the food choices swell from two vendors to fifteen, offering a variety of items, many vegetarian and vegan friendly. In fact, the meatless choices were on an even par- or may even surpass- those with meat. I was a vegetarian last summer, and Pitchfork's food selection was heaven. I'm back on the meat wagon now, but it's still nice to see so many excellent vegetarian and vegan choices.
I smelled grilled onions and sausage, so my first bite of the day was the Cajun Bratwurst from Wishbone, an outstanding Chicago restaurant. The sweet onions were a nice contrast to the spicy sausage, and the sauce blended in nicely. At $6, not bad for a fest.
Second on my menu for the day was the Thali Plate from Bombay Station. The Tuvar Dal of the plate was spot on, a nice spice and great lentils. The other half seemed like canned vegetables (corn, tomatoes and green beans) and one chewy mushroom. It balanced the spicy part nicely and was filling, but lackluster in comparison. The bed of basmati rice was passable. $8, it filled me up, so I can't complain too much on the price.
I finished with the Beer-Fed Pork Pork Tacos from the Goose Island Brewery. Yes, the pigs that ultimately wind up on the menu at Goose Island feast on the spent grain from the brewing process. They were tasty with a nice cabbage topping and above average salsa, and a nice deal at 2 for $6.
Day Three: More great choices
I tried out the other curry vendor, Urb Garden from Iowa City. The spice wasn't as much as Bombay Station's, but this plate blew Bombay's away in every other category. The vegetables were organic and fresh with an excellent crunch, and it was served over fresh brown rice. At $6, $2 less than Bombay Station, this was the clear winner.
A Berghoff Root Beer- with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup- was a great accompaniment to the curry, 20 ounces for $2.
I next had Chicken Satay from The Rice Table, an Indonesian Restaurant. 3 skewers for $7 in a nice peanut sauce over yellow rice. A little bland but decent, $7.
I ended my day with an enormous veggie burger fro The Chicago Diner, a long standing vegetarian restaurant. This is not the frozen patty you find at most places, but a giant, fresh patty served on a whole wheat bun. With plenty of condiments, this was a great deal at $6, $7 if you add vegan cheese (which I did, and believe me, on this burger it works)
Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips said this during their event-closing set: "Even the food you get at this festival is (expletive) top-notch." Amen, brother. Some food-dedicated fests don't offer up what Pitchfork does, and that goes tenfold if you don't eat meat.
All photographs by TimV.
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TimV
I'm a 40-something dad/husband/working stiff/music pack rat who enjoys food, beer, soda, books and writing about music when he can find the time. Oh, and I like pie. More
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