I Did A Line With Danny Conrad And All I Got Was This Stupid Instagram Post

Chicago has long been a foodie town, ramped up of course by social media/'influencers' and hype from FX's hit show, The Bear. That was apparent when I moved here three years ago and noticed long lines in every other neighborhood I ventured through. 

A resident of West Town myself, it was impossible to miss one in particular - The Kasama Line™. Sun, rain, wind, snow, Canadian wildfire smog, didn't matter. The line was there, sometimes stretching all the way to Shit Fountain and beyond. A neighbor across the street even started a TikTok account dedicated to tracking the cue, @KasamaHowWeFeelin. 

At first I was in denial as I passed these losers on the way to early morning daycare drop offs, appointments and work. "Ha. Yuppies. I'd be embarrassed to stand there all morning, waiting hours for a pastry in plain sight." But with each passing revue it dawned on me... "Kate, you are a loser and a yuppie. You belong in that line and you are desperate to know if the other end of it lives up to the hype." 

At the red light I'd drift back to New York City circa 2013 - the Dominique Ansel Cronut line - and marinate in deep regret over never standing there with the herd to pay $15.99 for something "pretty okay". 

And great news, took a little while but I finally made it. Thanks to Danny Conrad's documentary & editing skills we were able to post the results. 

Worth noting, pastries aside, Kasama is supposed to be fantastic for sit down meals, so that's a line for another time. Also, not knowing how long we'd be waiting, I grabbed an emergency pre-game pastry from Nettare on Chicago Ave. to eat on my way to the other pastry line. Some sort of spicy, dark chocolate cookie with sea salt that was genuinely incredible. Randomly stumbled upon it after parking for Kasama and was blown away. Just trying to say, the #foodfluencer accounts might be onto some good stuff, but endless other wonders await down every block. (And without having to waste an hour in the process.)

Stay tuned for our next line and give me a shout if you know of any long ones formin' in the Midwest. Doesn't have to be baked goods. We're at the ready.