Despite the name, I no longer live in Chicago (though a Chicagoan I always will be!). When we did live there, we hauled from Hyde Park up to the Evanston Market. We would hit Lloyd Nichols' stand first. This time of year, the mushrooms and green garlic are great. We also bought our tomatoes, as they came in, herbs, and cranberry beans from him. Then over to Giles, King of Cheese for a bunch of stuff. La Petit Tome, any of the Lazy Lady cheeses, Berkshire Blue, Mezzo Secco, and his Asiago were perennial favorites. There's a stand along the far back run by a husband and wife pair, European, and for the life of me I cannot remember their names. Tiny perfect flower bouqets, jams and jellies, and the most luscious fruit. This time of year, we'd be eating green garlic and goat cheese pasta a lot. Saute Lloyd's thinly sliced green garlic (white and pale green parts) with whatever luscious mushrooms he was selling that week, in a smidge of butter and olive oil. Boil orichette or other smallish pasta. Drain, and add big fat dollops of whatever fresh-ish goat cheese Giles was selling. Toss to coat, pour green garlic and mushrooms over, toss, eat. Why no, I don't miss the Evanston market at all.
