For most, North Central College’s Cornerstone Day Celebration Picnic commemorates the school’s move to Naperville in 1870 and the placement of the cornerstone of Old Main. For Chronicle contributors Halle Olson and Tom Miller, however, the picnic was a celebration of all the great food offered by local Naperville restaurants.
Catered by 13 area eateries — and beverage shops; here’s to you David’s Tea — the picnic invites all students and local residents to attend and enjoy both fresh food and fresh music. With food offerings ranging from spicy Hyderabadi Indian cuisine by Deccan Spice to standard American fare from Belgio’s Catering, there was sure to be something for almost anyone.
Tom Miller, of Tom Tries It, decided to sacrifice his slim figure and test out each and every booth in an attempt to determine the top three must-visit Cornerstone Picnic caterers – no calorie counts or swipes needed, free food is free food!
1. Deccan Spice, Hyderabadi Indian Cuisine: While it may be near impossible for me to forgo my lifelong love of not only Indian food, but spicy food in general, I feel confident in saying that Deccan Spice really brought its A-game to the Picnic. Dually offering vegetable samosas and “Chicken 65” — which is seemingly not featured on its online menu — Deccan Spice had something for spice-phobics as well as spice-aholics.
The “Chicken 65” was like a poisonous snake: seemingly offering its bright orange color in an effort to ward off those unable to take the heat. For me, the level of spice was perfect and the chicken was beautifully tender; truly a treat. I’m not sure that Halle would be able to say the same. Between fanning her mouth and sipping the lemonade from Raising Cane’s, Halle was a testament to the fact that this dish may not be for everyone.
The vegetable samosas, filled with potatoes, nuts and spices, were divine as well. Dunked into the cilantro-mint chutney on offer, these miniature samosas were like the ultimate snack food. Among the sauces offered by Deccan Spice was also a tamarind sweet-and-sour sauce which was equally as good but seemed a bit less fitting for the occasion.
2. Frost, A Gelato Shoppe: Taking a cue from Halle, I could see that it was time to cool down the palate. Frost seemed to be the perfect next stop, and clearly one of the better booths available to attendees according to my ranking. Halle said the “Lotus Cookie” flavor was outstanding, I had never heard of it so I took this recommendation — man, oh man was she right.
I am almost at a loss for words on how to describe this “Lotus Cookie” flavor, it was like a mix between speculoos (Or speculaas, a type of cookie butter popular in certain European countries around Christmastime) and graham crackers. Something that must truly be tasted in order to be understood, this was the perfect treat and cool down.
3. Sullivan’s Steakhouse, by Del Frisco’s restaurant group: Actually the first booth we visited and if I may say so, one of the friendliest, Sullivan’s had a garlic roasted beef tenderloin on offer. We were advised to prepare a slider by sandwiching the sliced tenderloin between homemade pretzel rolls and topping it with a Parmigiano-Reggiano cream sauce.
The sauce was heavenly and, despite its richness, cut through the savory beef in a most magnificent way. The only downfall here was the weather — that’s right, the weather. Sullivan’s was the first booth that appeared to be fully setup and due to their pretzel rolls not being housed in any type of warming tray — I hate to say it — they suffered from firm, cold bun syndrome. This was something that in my opinion could have been easily remedied, but despite the despicable disorder that their buns were suffering from, Sullivan’s still managed to make it to my top three!
All in all, the Cornerstone Day Celebration Picnic did not solely offer great food, it offered a safe space from the rain early in the day; a place to see friends and colleagues, both old and new; and some wonderful music performed by North Central College’s very own students.
