Summer is fleeting, but there are more than enough sunny afternoons left to make the most of the miles of sparkling blue lakefront views, grassy green parks and stately architectural gems that make eating outdoors in Chicago a no-brainer. Luxury picnics are picking up steam on social media, and you can embrace the trend with a specialty picnic spread from Delightful Pastries. Or picnic the old-fashioned way, with a simple wrapped sandwich or bucket of fried chicken.
Once you’ve settled where to order from, picking the right park in which to picnic is a challenge in and of itself. We considered walking distance, transportable foods and park comfortability in our listings. Here are the food desk’s favorite places to picnic.
— Lauryn Azu, deputy editor 6 picnic food and park pairings across Chicagoland The picnic platter at Delightful Pastries includes mini croissant sandwiches, mini quiche bites, mini cookies and seasonal fruit. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune) Pastry chef Dobra Bielinski just launched a new seasonal picnic at the beloved bakery she founded with her mother Stasia Hawryszczuk in 1998. Delightful Pastries, the pink jewel box of a shop in the Jefferson Park neighborhood, is offering the special through Sept.
30. They say the picnic ($70) serves two, but they’re Delightful-sized servings, which means generous, with four buttery mini croissant sandwiches (stuffed with roasted veggies, egg salad, Polish ham and cheese, plus a Thanksgiving stuffing sandwich wi.