By Natasha Wadlington, Ph.D., PDA Social, Teaching/Outreach, and Social Committees
As a postdoc, the
opportunities to go out and explore what Hyde Park has to offer may be limited
between doing experiments and traveling home. However, there are plenty of gems
located in the area that would be fun for you and the whole family. A few
members of the BSD Postdoctoral Association Social Committee had the pleasure
to experience the Hyde Park Restaurant Crawl hosted by the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce. The
event showcased 8 eateries: A10, Chant, Clarke’s, Kilwins, Mellow Yellow,
Native Foods, Pizza Capri, and Rajun Cajun. We knew we arrived in the right
place when this friendly chocolate moose waved to us on the sidewalk. Across
from the moose, we were greeted by the people at the sign up tent, given a
flyer with the signature dishes that each restaurant offered, and sent on our
way to the Restaurant Crawl.
The first restaurant we
visited was Clarke’s where the
atmosphere was nice and homey. There was plenty of space at the booths and the
servers checked up on us frequently given that we were only going to be there
briefly. We were wowed by the fried green tomatoes. It’s good that we came with a big appetite
because these tomatoes were really filling. Unfortunately, we were greeted by
storm clouds rolling in from the north but that did not stop our spirit and we
continued on our food journey. Our palettes were quite impressed with the
flavor of the samosas from Rajun Cajun,
and liked the Rotini from Pizza Capri. 
Luck was on our side
during the outing because most of the rain fell north of Hyde Park. We
continued on to our next restaurant which was Chant. The inside décor gave a chic vibe and seemed perfect for a
date night or business dinner meet up. The sample we were given was the lobster
rangoon. The flavors were out of this world compared to the standard crab
Rangoon and the filling inside was very rich. Next on our journey was Mellow Yellow were we indulged into
some savory chili. It was there that we sat with another woman who informed us
that she would be participating in the next Restaurant Crawl this summer. With
this much satisfying food, we were left in wonder about how good the next one
would turn out.
Bidding the woman
farewell, our next stop was Native Foods.
Our luck ran out with the rain but a little water never deterred us from
enjoying good food. We were promptly greeted and offered to try the twister
wrap. As we were sitting at the booth, we noticed that there was a sign which
listed the ingredients. To our surprise, the food was completely vegan. We
confirmed this with the greeter. For those postdocs who follow a vegetarian or
vegan diet this would be an excellent restaurant to try that is not far from
campus.
By this point, we were
getting pretty full from the delicious food so far and the rain was getting
heavier but with two more places to visit we did not want to give up. A10 was the next restaurant that
specializes more in Italian cuisine. This place had more of a formal and
intimate atmosphere perfect for dining. We were led to a small area where we
stood and eventually presented with fried ricotta gnudi with Tuscan kale pesto.
This dish had the most visual appeal which matched with the taste. It was well
worth getting rained on.
Remember the
chocolate moose from earlier? It turns out that this was the mascot for our
final destination on our journey. Kilwins
was where we picked up mouthwatering fudge, caramel popcorn, and brittle that
was handcrafted at the restaurant. To our delight, they also offered us a free
taste of one of the many ice cream varieties they offered. The atmosphere was
very friendly with parents and their kids enjoying the sweet delights as well
as various others from the community. The
restaurant is right next to the movie theatre so what better way to end a movie
night than to indulge on a sweet treat. 
While being rained on
was a tad unfortunate, it did not stop us from having a good time. There are
two more Restaurant Crawls planned in the future at different locations in Hyde
Park. This is an excellent opportunity to sample what Hyde Park has to offer.
Take an evening away from the bench and enjoy the delicious foods served up by
our local restaurants. By the end of the day, you’ll never know what pot of
gold you might find at the end of the rainbow. Give it a try postdocs!
All images by Natasha
Wadlington Ph.D., postdoctoral scholar at the University of Chicago
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