Taste of Chicago

One benefit of visiting my boyfriend's family is that they are only 15 minutes (in traffic) from Chicago.  Every late June/early July Chicago holds an event called Taste of Chicago.  The Taste is run by the city and consists of various restaurants from the Chicago area putting up booths and selling food. Entrance is free and you then buy tickets to be spent at any of the food booths.  I love the variety of food at the Taste.  Last year I tried an Indian dish called behl (I think that's the spelling) for the first time, and this year I tried roasted goat in jollof rice.  I'm a pretty adventurous eater.  It turns out that goat is mildly stringy and reminds you of a venison or roasted beef.  The rice was delicious and was reminiscent of mexican rice. 
At the Taste you can buy burgers, many, many varieties of pierogi, desserts, salads, fruit, sausages, and most any other food you can think of.  Parking is nonexistent but luckily the train has a stop right at the entrance to the Taste. Overall, I would recommend attending the Taste if you are in the Chicago area.