Great Chicago spots to hit during National Picnic Month and National Ice Cream Month

Got this in the inbox today and it sure is making me hungry. :) Take a look and what's going on at some great Chicago restaurants during National Picnic Month and National Ice Cream Month!

Dive Into a Summer Full of Picnics and Ice Cream at 
Chicago's Top Restaurants and Hotels
The days of street festivals, movies in the park, lazy afternoons on the lake, and al fresco dining are here. Chicagoans, rejoice; summer is (finally) in full swing! This July, make the most of the joyous season by packing up a picnic or indulging in the city's best ice cream. After all, July is National Picnic Month and National Ice Cream Month. Celebrate our favorite month at one of these delicious choices...

  
1400 W Randolph St
(312) 563-1010

bellyQ's Chef Bill Kim is getting in the summer spirit with decedent, soft serve ice cream, the perfect sweet treat after a Korean barbecue feast. Guests can get nostalgic with the PB&J Soft Serve made with peanut butter crunch and huckleberry jam, or dig into a new favorite for the summer season with the Banana Granola Soft Serve topped with Vietnamese cinnamon and fresh bananas.
  
 
151 W. Adams
(312) 660-8866

The Italian Loop restaurant brings back their popular picnic baskets to celebrate the start of summer and of course, National Picnic Month this July. Guests can grab a picnic basket with all the trimmings and head to their favorite park or free outdoor activity, most of which are within walking distance of The Florentine. From the Millennium Park Film Series, Movies in the Park (featured across the city), Grant Park Music Festival, Millennium Park Presents (a series of free one-night only performances), and more.

Please place your order 30 minutes in advance by calling the restaurant at (312) 660-8866. Picnic baskets available all summer and include all necessary disposables (plates, napkins, flatware and plastic wine glasses). Choose from the following picnic basket options:

Ciao Bello Date Basket  ($65)
Homemade grissini
Assorted Italian cheeses
Roasted almonds and house marinated olives
Prosciutto and melon
Grilled and roasted vegetables
Pollo al Mattone (grilled chicken)
Assorted Biscotti
Bottle of red or white wine

Italian Summer in the City Basket ($40)
Homemade chips with rosemary salt
Chicken panini
Heirloom tomato, watermelon and buratta salad
Baby spinach, toasted hazelnuts and pickled fennel
Panna Cotta with Michigan blueberries, basil and lemon


  

624 Davis St, Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 866-6969

Koi Evanston is pleased to introduce the restaurant's recently launched dim sum menu available for carry out beginning July 1, 2014!  The dim sum picnic package for two, perfect for those out and about on Chicago's North Shore this summer, includes 6 pre-selected dim sum items, 2 non-alcoholic drinks, and all sauces/utensils for $30 (not including tax and gratuity).  The complete dim sum menu will also be available to-go à la carte.


1412 W Chicago Ave
(312) 666-6900

From movies in the park to concerts at Pritzker Pavilion and Ravinia, a bottle of wine tops off the basket for any charming summer picnic.  Lush Wine & Spirits, with two neighborhood locations in Chicago, has selected its favorite wines for picnicking this season.  And to make it even better, leave the corkscrew at home - these wines are all screw tops!  Chicagoans can head into a Lush that's most convenient for them to pick up a hassle-free screw top wine for their next picnic adventure. Lush's recommendations include:
  • 2011 Adega de Pegoes 'Vinha do Foral' Moscato ($10)
  • Laurent Miquel Syrah-Grenache ($10)
  • NV Brochelle Stimulus ($10)
  • 2007 Radog 'Evie's Blend' ($15.50)
  • 2010 Vinaceous 'Divine Light' ($22.50)


401 N. Wabash
(312) 588 - 8000

This summer, Trump Chicago's Pastry Chef Aya Fukai has created a whimsical series of summer desserts for The Terrace at Trump that showcases her modern interpretation of nostalgic summer time classics. A warm-weather highlight is her bright and playful Fruit Raspado, vanilla ice cream with berries, shaved ice and exotic syrups. 

Through Labor Day, Trump Chicago is also offering sunny-day beach services and amenities for guests to enjoy Chicago's 26 miles of beautiful, sandy beaches on Lake Michigan. The downtown hotel invites guests to visit the city's famed beaches in-style with Luxury Beach Services that outfit beach-goers with plush Trump Chicago beach bags filled with sunscreen, deluxe beach towels, fresh fruit and bottles of water. Younger guests can also enjoy complimentary beach toys for sand castle building and lakeside fun. Available by request, the hotel will arrange beach chair reservations at Oak Street Beach (rental fee applies), complete with an umbrella and lunch order. Whether arriving via foot, city cruiser bikes, cab services or the hotel's chauffeured Cadillac vehicles, transportation to the beach can be arranged by the hotel concierge for a seamless experience.

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