Weekly Wrap Up: April 30th – May 6th

Hi everybody!

Did anyone else have a really good week this week? The previous one was a little rough, not gonna lie, so I was really happy to have this week be on the upswing.

I started out with a taste test at Dos Toros, a new competitor in fast-casual Mexican food. I loved it the first time I went, so I was stoked to be back again with Chicagogrammers this time. Something to know about Dos Toros is that they make everything from scratch. Like literally everything. The staff gets there at 7 am every day (even though they don’t open ’til 11) to make it all. This guac was AMAZING, one of the best I’ve ever had. I would honestly pick this up for a party or something because it tasted so fresh and yummy!

The burrito was the real winner though. With cheese baked onto the tortilla before you add all the toppings, this avocado and Mexican rice filled goodness is the perfect dinner choice if you’re really hungry. I couldn’t even finish the other half so I saved it for the next day. Yesterday was the opening day for their second location in Chicago, with $1 entrees (guac included). If you guys went, let me know what you got. I’ll definitely be going back soon!

Since going to Beatnik last week, Katie, my cousin Kylie, and I wanted to try their sister brand: Celeste! This River North relative is a bit smaller than Beatnik, but to tell you the truth we liked Celeste better. They weren’t shy of chandeliers, as expected, and the vibe was very relaxing and easy with standing marble tables and comfy couches surrounded by jungles of plants. The staff and the people who just happened to be there were all super nice too. Just a couple helpful hints: this part of the bar is on the 4th floor (not the 2nd like we thought 😂) and it’s standing room only. When you see an open table or couch, sprint to claim it. We got a table but didn’t realize at first that the couches were free reign – we thought people had reserved them! Oh well, next time!

Celeste had a sweet happy hour deal of $8 ’til 8pm so we tried a couple different options. Katie got the Silent Treatment (not pictured) which has matcha, gin, absinthe, dry curaçao, orgeat, and a smoked lime which had a nice little bite. I tried the Faithful Mistress with gin, malbec, lavender, peach, lemon and topped with a foamy layer of egg white and a mint leaf. I loooooved this one you guys. Like, it was probably one of the best drinks I’ve ever had. All the ingredients were up my alley so it was pretty hard for me not to enjoy it, but hey I know what I like! Katie even ended up getting one of her own after and ranted and raved about it!

The last one I got was Pinky Ring, a vodka & pomegranate rosé combo with lime, orange bitters, vanilla and ginger. As I said before, I liked both drinks. This one was very refreshing and perfect for the hot day. It was similar to a vodka cranberry but better! I would order both of these again and next time try their bites (we didn’t realize ’til the end of the night that they had them, oops). If you need a little garden escape during the summer, come here!

Something quick I want to mention here, the “cardigan”, shawl, duster, kimono, what have you that I’m wearing is actually a dress!! You might remember seeing the dress on Insta in my Nashville pictures, and no your eyes are not deceiving you, it is that dress! Quick story – when I was contemplating on buying this dress, I noticed that you could wear it multiple ways. Opened up as a shawl, as it’s meant to be worth (all buttoned up dress with the sash), and even tying the sash up and making it off the shoulder! You could even take the sash off and wear it as a headband or as another belt with other outfits! So that sold me on this piece, I’ll be doing another post about it later with all the different ways to wear it so stay tuned.

Earrings: Lilly Pulitzer, Top: Brandy Melville, Dress (as a shawl): Nordstrom, Necklace: Altar’d State, Bralette: Nordstrom, Shorts: Joe’s Jeans, Shoes: Target, Nails: OPI Can You Spare Me a French Quarter?

Next, I took a quick trip to a Chicago icon with the fam: Superdawg! This old school drive in has been around since 1948 and almost every single piece of the spot is original from when they first opened (they make sure to do the upkeep every so often so it stays that way). They have great hot dogs (peep the Tarzan and Jane mascots on top, which also represent Flaurie and Maurie, the founding husband and wife of the establishment), milkshakes, fries, you name it – all the diner classics! What’s so cool is that you could walk up there in the hut to order or there’s a machine at each parking space where you signal the food to be brought to your car. So cool, right? If you want to try a piece of history in the name of good food, this one is a hidden gem!

We’re down to the last couple spots here and I think you’re going to recognize this one. It’s Barrio! After coming here for Restaurant Week a few months ago, I had been meaning to come back for their brunch. Spoiler: it did not disappoint! My friend Nikki was in from out of town and we love brunch so I knew this would be a great excuse to try it out. Thankfully it was nice out so instead of sitting inside (though it’s very pretty!) we opted to sit on the corner patio.

Confession: I have never had bottomless mimosas before. I know I know, how could I right? Nikki and I and the rest of the group all went in on their $25 mimosa deal and our waiter hooked us up big time. Usually, you just get a couple juices but he was nice enough to get us the whole rainbow of them. They are, in order, pineapple, guava, blood orange, peach, and orange juice. I tried all but the pineapple and they were great!

Ok, but be honest, you wanted to hear about the champagne. We got our champagne in wine glasses, not flutes, so they definitely don’t skimp on it! Between the five of us we had two rounds and it was plenty, as bottomless goes until 3 plus another shout out to our waiter for continually topping us off – you the real MVP.

Nikki looking sassy and fun, as usual!

 

The menu was really hard to decide on – everything sounded so good! I ended up getting the chilaquiles with the pork belly carnitas, though the carnitas are extra you should get them. So filling and savory, perfect to balance all the champagne. The chips had a nice crunch, the cheese was melty and blended nicely with the meat and the eggs gave a nice gooey texture to the whole dish. In short, I was one happy girl.

Ok, one last shout out to our waiter again (last one I swear) because he got us these “cinnamon toast crunch” shots with Rumchata and cinnamon – perfect sweetness to cut the savory meal I just had. This is my favorite kind of shot so again, very happy here. I will 100% come back here for brunch again because we couldn’t have asked for better service and the meal matched it. Who’s coming with??

Earrings: Kendra Scott, Necklace: Altar’d State, Jacket: Top Shop, Top: Brandy Melville

Hi Kyles!

 

To walk off our brunch, we headed to the classic “Bean” aka Cloud Gate for a few pics. Then we went to the Purple Pig, another spot I had been meaning to try. It was very crowded so we sat at the bar. I got a great Chianti Classico, which was perfect. Kylie and I split a truffle salami board to pair with it first. Unfortunately, I didn’t taste any truffle at all so I would say to skip this one. However, when we tried the Pecorino cheese board, it made up for it! I want to try more wine bars like this – such a fun atmosphere and who doesn’t love a great charcuterie board to go with a glass of wine? Such a great way to spend the day!

Truffle Board

Pecorino Board

That’s it for now – I’m so happy that warm weather is officially back in Chicago. How would you spend a day out? I need ideas!

Heading home and taking the scenic route!

Local Spots I Checked Out: Dos Toros, Celeste, Superdawg, Barrio, Purple Pig

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Holt’s Spring Cocktail Menu Blogger Event, Apogee with Jordin, Mother’s Day, Ravinia Restaurant Opening

See you in the next post!

 

Weekly Wrap Up: April 23rd – April 29th

Hi everyone!

This week was quite busy this week – dare I say because it might actually be getting warmer??? Might be some wishful thinking on my part, but I do feel like summer is just around the corner now (finally). To start the week on a sweeter note, I decided to check out one of the city’s favorite doughnut shops: Doughnut Vault. I’ve seen it all over my feed lately and since I was in the neighborhood, I thought why not! The location is quite hidden – I went past it at first since I didn’t think I needed to take the stairs down, oops. It’s quite small but it adds to the exclusivity factor, seeing as they close once they run out of doughnuts. There’s also a newer location in the West Loop that has seating and store hours, so if you want to guarantee a doughnut, go there but if you get here early, you’re fine! I tried the buttermilk old fashioned since it’s their classic. As I’ve stated before, I’m not a big doughnut person but that’s not to say I don’t like them at all. I didn’t love this one to be honest, however their ginger bread one is supposed to be really good. I think I honestly might not have gotten the right flavor for me, I usually opt for chocolate ones but have never had a buttermilk doughnut so wanted to at least try it. So for now, I won’t totally rule out this place yet until I try a couple more flavors.

Next up, something I’m super excited to share: meeting Nick Jonas at Nordstrom!! If anyone else was a big #olddisney fan like me, you know this was a big deal. Meeting John Varvatos was also cool, don’t get me wrong, but me (along with the majority of the crowd) were here for Nick. I really liked hearing that both of them have a soft spot for Chicago, with John Varvatos wanting to open a store here and Nick, at one point in time, wanting to go to Northwestern. The event itself, I felt, was handled pretty well honestly for having a high profile celebrity. Once in the priority area, vodka tonics and beer along with snacks like fancy seasoned potato chips and salmon rolls were passed around. Now that’s not to say it wasn’t crazy, (people camped out overnight!) but I’m glad hardly anyone was obnoxiously screaming and the organizers kept everyone in a straight line, making sure everyone who was in the roped off area would get a picture. The only thing I was a little disappointed in was that neither of them were allowed to sign anything (so the line was fast) but I mean, I get it. 

Jacket: Veda, Top: Nordstrom, Necklace: Altar’d State, Jeans: Nordstrom, Earrings: Kendra Scott

 

These next events really put a positive spin on my week, the first being a West Loop panel at Co Optim, a new luxury co-working space in the neighborhood. The space itself was gorgeous! Each room was decorated with little chandeliers and accessories that added to the “luxe” feel, along with serving charcuterie boards (yum) and beer, wine and champagne! Unlike other co-working spaces, Co Optim does not allow members behind the bar since they are supposed to serve you as you are the guest. They also have a relaxation room with pillows and candles if you need a mental break!

Cookies from Warm Belly Bakery! I tried the sugar cookie, chocolate chip and Ube and all were delicious.

My friend Jordin, whom you’ve heard me talk about, was speaking on the panel so I had to go support my gal! She talked about her blog as well as balancing one with a full time job, super helpful! The other panelists were Emily Belden, author of Hot Mess – a story about a girl who gets stuck in a bad restaurant investment and has to either open the restaurant or lose all the money she gave to it that was inspired by the famed Restaurant, I mean, Randolph Row. There was also Joe of Warm Belly Bakery, a cookie bakery that has been recognized by the Food Network and serves very unique flavors of cookies like his purple yam Ube cookie, which sells out every. single. day. I tried it and I definitely see why because it was delicious! Last but not least, Susan of Pure Barre West Loop, talking about the workout group’s successful pop-ups around the city as well as how competition can be healthy. If you want a recap, check out my highlights in “events”!

The second event was an Instagram Seminar with Chloe of Chloe’s Cravings (and Shop Buzzed) and Lexi of Lex and the City at the Acme Hotel. Such a cool vibe here and we even got to see one of the rooms and stage a little shoot with props. Again, I walked away with some great knowledge after this from new apps to use – did you know Adobe Lightroom has a mobile-only app for $4?? Because I didn’t! Planning your content is also key, but make sure to keep it authentic by mixing it into your everyday activities too. The biggest takeaway that I got was that you shouldn’t be afraid of what people think, when you have a vision (whether it’s a type of photo you want for the gram or a blog post idea) nothing should stop you, take chances. You can check out a few tidbits on my Insta highlights for more details!

Coat: Hollister, Top: Target, Jeans: Topshop, Earrings: 2 Sisters Boutique

 

Quick one here, had an awesome shoot with Oak Street Social and Five Roses Pub. Five Roses is a Rosemont Irish Pub with lots of fun food and drinks like their caramelized onion and mushroom cheeseburger (yum). I can’t wait to share more on this spot but I don’t have the content yet so stay tuned!

The final two were probably my favorite of the week because I had been wanting to try both spots for a while now. When Claire asked me to help her do some research on an upcoming prettiest cocktails in the city post, I obviously had to help 😉.  Her and I (and Lee, of Its in Chicago – hi!) went to Beatnik first, a chandelier filled spot with interesting appetizers and super fun drinks. You guys, I was in awe of this decor. This is seriously what I want for an outside deck one day. There were pillow filled couches to sit in, plants to add a little jungle feel, and even vintage candles lit up parts of the deck as well as the rest of the dining room. The area itself is slightly sketchy so just be aware but you can get off the Blue line and walk to it so not that bad.

The first of the drinks (that I didn’t try, sorry y’all!) was this aperol spritz, grape fruit, orange and pomegranate one called Got Stones that Claire got. It looked so pretty (job well done) and I love coupe glasses like this. I’ll definitely have to give this one a go next time since it sounds delicious.

Another one that Claire got (that I tried, yay) was the Cats Vodka Soda with lime dust and champagne along with the title ingredients. Very refreshing and yummy, however it is a vodka soda which you can get just about anyway so I would say skip if you want something a little more outside your comfort zone.

This coming one is the first one I ordered, the Tio’s Safe Word. VERY sour at first sip so if you’re not a citrus fan, you’ve been warned. However, it wasn’t bad otherwise with lime, orange flower water and brut syrup thrown inside it.

Lee got a little baby octopus appetizer since we weren’t getting dinner til later so Claire and I sampled it a little bit. It was actually really good! The garlic aioli squid ink (the black swirl) was something to not miss, it really gave the octopus a nice flavor. Plus I’ve talked about garlic aioli a million times so you know I was happy when I found out that’s what the sauce was.

Claire got the Cava Cobbler, with cava (Spanish version of champagne), elderflower, bitters, and Bergamot. I really liked this one! I would’ve added a little less of the syrup since it reminded me of grenadine which I’m not a big fan of but otherwise it was light and sweet. The mint really adds to the flavor too!

Breaking the cocktail talk for a second, I had to share that it’s finally warming up in Chicago so I was able to break out one of my new spring tops – hooray! This one is from Nordstrom and I just love the ruffle sleeves. They add just the right amount of drama to the outfit (along with my matching black Frame jeans).

Earrings: Lilly Pulitzer, Choker: Nordstrom, Top: Nordstrom, Nail Color: OPI, Can You Spare Me a French Quarter

 

Ok back to regularly scheduled programming. This last drink was my favorite out of all of them, if you don’t get anything else, get this! The chipotle and mezcal give this cocktail, the Mámù Vida, a nice smoky flavor and a bit of a kick like a spicy margarita. It was the best of both worlds: pretty and flavorful!

Pants: Frame, Shoes: Target

 

On our way to dinner we made a quick pit stop at Frontier, which I hadn’t been to since last summer. I was hoping their frosé would be back for the season but it wasn’t so I tried something I had never seen on a menu before. It’s called the Gin Buck and it’s a gin version of a Moscow mule. Yum! It didn’t come in the copper glass, but the taste sure made up for it. I want to try making this at home sometime because it was so delicious with Hendrick’s Gin, raspberry-basil syrup, fresh lime and ginger beer. If you like regular mules, this one has a nice sweet twist!

And it all comes down to this…Il Porcellino, a Florence inspired Italian restaurant in River North. I had no idea that the spot was inspired by one of my favorite places in the world until I walked in, but I was in heaven after entering. The ambiance is on point with cute floors, chianti bottles everywhere, a replica of the famous hog statue that sits in one of Florence’s piazzas (give him a coin in his mouth and rub his snout for good luck!), and the starry night lights that you sit under while dining.

I got a Super Tuscan wine for a drink (yum) because I knew a place like this would have great ones (I got the number 1, there’s two of them listed) and it did not disappoint. Very smooth and tasted like my home away from home. Upon arrival, instead of table bread, the restaurant gave each of us a mini arancini (fried cheesy rice ball) with a little marinara. Very good but very small so if you’re hungry, I would order an appetizer. Which we did! The first being the Tuscan Cheese Bread with marinara sauce. You guys. When I say this bread was out of this world, I mean I could have just eaten this as my meal and been perfectly happy. It was super cheesy and gooey plus the freshly baked bread itself (when the cheese fell off) was seasoned and oiled to perfection with EVOO and sea salt.

The stuffed mushrooms were also a win, with spinach, bread crumbs and garlic. Again, well oiled and seasoned so the flavor was perfect, one hundred percent would order both of these again!

For the main course, I got the Molto Benne Penne (it rhymes!) with tomato and asiago cream plus basil on top and mini fresh mozzarella balls hidden throughout the dish. Super flavorful but I wish the sauce was slightly thicker so it could stick better to my pasta. It still tasted really good though and I love red sauced based penne so I was happy. All three of us agreed that we liked the appetizers more than our main courses but we did eat everything (bringing some of it home) and were full after so mission accomplished on that. I hear that Il Porcellino has aperitivo (similar to happy hour) so I definitely want to check that out next!

Local Spots I Checked Out: Doughnut Vault, Nordstrom, Co Optim, Acme Hotel, Five Roses Pub, Beatnik, Frontier, Il Porcellino

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Dos Toros Happy Hour with Chicagogrammers, Cinco de Mayo/Kentucky Derby, Brunch at Barrio with Nikki, Holt’s Spring Cocktail Menu Blogger Event

See you in the next post!

Weekly Update: April 9th – April 22nd

Hi everyone!

With all the traveling last week and tinkering away at the new site (so excited for updates!), I decided to take a little break on the blog this week. Don’t worry, to make up for it I’ve got two weeks worth of recap at the ready for you today.
Without further ado, first up is a great event that I had the pleasure of attending a second time: happy hour with Chicagogrammers at Yard House. After my last visit during Restaurant Week as well as the happy hour prior to that, I was so excited to come back for my third round of fun with old favorites while trying new items as well.

For drinks, I got the Jalapeño Spicy Margarita and the just tapped Angry Orchard Rosé. Both were very different but also delicious! The margarita was very spicy and packed with flavor. As for the rosé, I was a little worried that it would be too sweet but the consistency was more of a cider instead and actually tasted really good! Another not to be missed drink (mainly because it looks so cool) is the Beer Yards – they weren’t founded on great food, great music, and great beer for nothing! That’s right, you can actually order a yard of beer. With Yard House having over 110 beers on tap just at the location I went to, getting any kind of beer here is essential. Another fun fact is that they do local takeovers of the taps at various locations, so regardless of which one you go to you’re sure to find something brewed in the area there. Starting in 1996 in Long Beach, California to now 72 locations in 40 states from Hawaii to New York – you’re bound to find one near you.

Now let’s get to the food. To start, we have pepperoni & sausage pizza, ahi tuna salad, buffalo cauliflower bites, and squid ink calamari pasta. For those who’ve been keeping up with the blog for a little bit, you already know how I feel about the cauliflower bites. The pizza wasn’t the best I ever had, but it was good! I didn’t get a chance to try the others, but according to my friends at the event, their favorites of this group were the pasta and the salad – the salad was crunchy and the tuna seared nicely, while the pasta was very savory and flavorful.

This next one is my favorite thing (along with the spinach artichoke dip) to get here: the poké nachos. With wasabi soy sauce, avocado, jalapeños and ahi tuna, it’s no question why it’s the number one appetizer for the restaurant! If you’re going to Yard House for the first time, get these for sure!

Just before we moved on to the final course, we got some wings as well. Again, I didn’t get a chance to try these but my friends said they really loved them – the sauce on them had just enough kick.

The final trio was probably my favorite of the night to try because I already knew that the molten Chocolate Soufflé was mouth watering from last time. The other two were the Peach Apple Cobbler topped with caramel ice cream as well as the Mini Crème Brûlée with vanilla bean custard, chocolate, & caramelized bananas. Every single one of these was to die for. Every. Single. One. All melt in your mouth and the flavors each offer something different from the other. Don’t skip this no matter how full you think you might be!

Next up, I got to learn some very cool tips and tricks when it comes to Influencer Marketing through another social media seminar with Oak Street Social. Super informative and learned a lot when it comes to appealing to brands as well as different apps to have in your arsenal too. Plus it doesn’t hurt that we got to munch on Swirlz cupcakes again too! If you want to attend the next one in July, here’s the link to register!

On my way back home that day, I stumbled into a food truck festival going on and knew I had to stop to try one of the more famous trucks around the city: The Fat Shallot. The Fat Shallot has done so well that you can actually buy it at Revival Food Hall in the Loop as well as the truck itself. Their most famous sandwich (though all sounded really good along with the different styles of fries) is the Truffle BLT, composed of bacon, arugula, tomato, avocado and truffle cream on challah bread. I think I just found my new favorite sandwich – this blew my expectations out of the water. The bacon was crunchy, the truffle had just enough flavor, and I loved that avocado was added. Be warned, this sandwich is quite big and definitely messy to eat so prepare to use both hands for this.

Then it was off to Nashville! I’ll be doing a separate post on this so stay tuned for more details but I couldn’t tell you how happy I was to be back in one of my favorite cities. Here’s a few highlights thrown in for a little sneak peek!

Fast forward to the past week and back in the city. Since I wanted to show my friend, Sami, who went to Nashville with me around; we ended up going to this classic spot: 3 Arts Club Cafe inside the Restoration Hardware showroom in Gold Coast. I had only been once before and was still amazed once again by all the decor like chandeliers and fountains.

In the theme of truffle, I knew I had to truffle their truffle grilled cheese since I heard so many great things about it and last time I came here we didn’t really order a full meal. I was happy that you could actually see the black truffle inside and since it was cream it added to the gooeyness of the cheese. The fries had a nice crunch, a little bit on the saltier side but the garlic aioli paired with it helps. I got a peach bellini to wash it down with and it’s one of my favorite bellinis I’ve ever had (again, had it last time).

Jacket: TopShop, Shirt: Gap, Necklace: Altar’d State, Earrings: 2 Sisters Boutique

We finished off with their famous chocolate chip cookies topped with sea salt (baked in-house). They were nice and hot and a little undercooked to make them melt in your mouth. The perfect amount of sweet to compliment the savory meal. We then walked around the showroom (4 floors including a rooftop) oohing and ahhing at each room we walked into. I loved the vault-inspired bar cart in one of the rooms and the rooftop is probably my favorite part besides the chandelier courtyard, which you can actually see from each floor through windows! Definitely go when it’s a rainy day as you’re inside the whole time and you can’t bring alcohol outside on the rooftop anyway. Also if you’re looking to avoid the wait (they don’t take reservations), go on a weekday. We got seated in under 10 mins and my prior visit during the summer on the weekend was about 2 hours.

Going back to the homefront for a little, we were hoping to see all the Murray brothers at their newly opened Caddyshack Restaurant but sadly they must have filmed the press conference days earlier so only one, Andy, was there. However, we were not disappointed by the food. For drinks to start, we got “Birdies”; made with prosecco, Absolut Pear vodka, and elderflower liqueur. Very refreshing and dangerously good. They threw in an amaretto cherry too!

Hi Andy!

The menu was honestly pretty tough to decide on. There were a ton of options and you couldn’t really go wrong. I ended up with the creole pasta – just the right amount of spice and the creaminess of it was so yummy. If I wasn’t so hungry that day, I probably would’ve taken part of it home. All the portions here are pretty big. As for the aesthetic, all around the bar you can see quotes and decor (note the plaid booths and 80s style fireplace) from the movie Caddyshack as well as posters from Bill Murray’s other movies like Ghost Busters and Space Jam (his jersey is framed). So if you’ve seen one or all of his movies, you’re bound to find a reference you’ll like. He also has his Cubs jersey from when he went to multiple 2016 World Series games framed as well as posters and signs for it along the walls.

Speaking of Cubs, we got to go to the Cubs vs Cardinals game at Wrigley the next day! Though I stay neutral since both have family connections (I know, I know, unpopular opinion), I always like to see them both regardless who wins. We stopped at the newly opened West Town Bakery to try one of the new treats. I got the Peanut Butter Mousse bar – holy yum! It was so fluffy and chocolate cake was centered in the middle of it topped with peanuts. Bonus – I could take it inside the park! The only bummer about the night was it was FREEZING. As one of the other attendees said, it was Ap-brr-ril.

Scarf: Target

Before saying bye to my friend, we stayed local and went to brunch at one of my favorites (you can read about them here and here): Holt’s. I’ll probably be doing a separate post on them soon because I’ve started to slowly but surely work through their entire menu 🙈. I’ve never had anything I didn’t like so that’s a good sign! So since it was a weekday, they didn’t have brunch when we went this time (whoops) so we got lunch instead. I tried the create your own burger because you could add cheese curds (duh) though I was kind of hoping I could just swap the fries with curds instead. Anyway, it was delicious. The patty was nice and juicy and I added lettuce, red onions, and mozzarella as well.

To our surprise, we got to try a newly added menu item courtesy of the restaurant, the Peanut Butter Mousse topped with whipped peanut butter and candied nuts. This was absolute heaven, y’all. I would 100% order this again. At first I wasn’t sure if one would be enough for both of us, but the richness of it gave us the clarity we needed. Definitely share it, there’s more than you think. I also think this mousse would be a great birthday treat for someone if you’re out too.

Down to the last three outings – are you still with me? Send me an emoji via Insta DM and I’ll be very happy to know you’re a trooper.

Anyway, I had the pleasure of seeing many blogger friends at the opening of Weihenstephaner & Sierra Nevada’s new collab beer, Braupakt. It was a light beer (more on the pale ale side) with notes of banana and stone fruit. Crazy that Weihenstephaner is literally the oldest brewery in the world (!) hailing from Germany. We even got to see a ceremonial beer tapping (see my highlights for the video) where you hammer the spout into the barrel and drink from it. Thanks to Chicagogrammers for the invite!

Katie and I clinking our brews!

 

Right after the beer event, I quickly stopped by at Alex (Sassy Confetti)’s Stella and Dot party to see cute items like tassel earrings and pom pom bags – everything was so cute! If you check her page you can see a recap. I also got to hang with Chloe of Chloe’s Cravings once again, she is a part of Shop Buzzed (here, here and here) which you guys have heard me talk about. I also got to meet Lexi of Lex and the City, who is hosting an Instagram workshop with Chloe about photography that I’m attending next week at the Acme Hotel. Sign up in their stories, I’m super excited! Both are so sweet.

The final outing of the week is with Emma and Hannah, who haven’t seen since Christmas time. They just launched a new insta for their blog and working on a relaunch (yay!). I had been meaning to try Brunch (yes that’s its name) since I heard so many good things so off we went.

We started out with the Make your Own Mimosa Kit which came with a bottle and your choice of 6 glasses of several juices from classic orange, to grapefruit to peach and then finally cranberry. We mostly wanted to stick to orange this time around so we just got that and one cranberry. The orange was freshly squeezed which really added to the experience.

As for the food, it took a while for us to decide (so many options – I want to go back to try more), so we ended up splitting everything. We got (in order of apperance) the Chicken and Waffle Bites with maple syrup, and the Cast Iron Cinnamon Roll appetizers, the Chilaquiles with over easy eggs, and finally, the insta-famous Flintstone French Toast topped with RumChata cream. The only one I wasn’t super crazy about was the Cinnamon Roll – it was a little too charred for my liking. Everything else was amazing though, I want to come again and try their Blueberry mimosas and some of their other menu items.

Local Spots I Checked Out: Yard House, The Fat Shallot, 3 Arts Cafe inside Restoration Hardware, Murray Brothers Caddy Shack, West Town Bakery in Wrigleyville, Holts, Brunch

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Do it for the ‘Gram Seminar with Chloe and Lexi, Meeting Nick Jonas at Nordstrom, Happy Hours at Five Roses Pub with Oak Street Social, Brunch at Baptiste & Bottle inside the Conrad Hotel with Nikki,

See you in the next post!

Weekly Wrap Up: April 2nd – April 8th

Hi guys!

I’m so excited for this week to start because I’m going to Nashville! Yay!! This will be my third time (!) and it’s honestly one of my favorite cities I’ve ever visited so I can’t wait to show you guys some of my favorite spots as well as a few new ones. I’ve been looking back at my old trips here trying to downsize my must-see list so if you have any recommendations – let me know!

..Back to last week, I tried out something new I’ve never made before – burgers! But not the kind you’re thinking of: a tuna burger. I got them from Trader Joe’s just to see how they’d go since I love fish and thought I could do a little “sushi” burger with them. I whipped up a little homemade sriracha aioli to drizzle on the buns and over the burger and also topped the burger with half of an avocado too. It was really tasty!! I would definitely make these again.

To all my fellow Chicagoans, there was a special day celebrating one of our favorites: the 55th anniversary of Portillo’s! To ring in the new year, the restaurant was offering .55 cent slices of chocolate cake so I had to partake along with a hot dog and some fries. Yum!

While doing some research for a future blog post, I ended up trying out 3 Greens Market (not to be confused with Green Street Smoked Meats) right across the street from one of my favorites, The Hampton Social. I had been meaning to check this place out and had no idea it was a coffee shop. They also have pastries, a hot bar & salad bar, and…wait for it…Small Cheval burgers!! I was so excited because I had never had one (nor Au Cheval’s) so of course I had to see what all the hype was about. I don’t really like burgers unless they have a lot of cool toppings on them like guacamole or something so I wasn’t sure how this was gonna go, however, I was pleasantly surprised. Not a drop of the sauce or grease even dropped on to the plate – it was probably the best burger I’ve ever had (I added bacon) and so yummy! Their sauce on top is what made it and I would definitely put it on my fries as well as chicken tenders or any other snack/sandwich so if anyone knows if I can buy that somewhere, help a girl out. As for the 3 Greens space itself, I really liked working here. The wifi had no issues, there were some groups who talked here and there but not noisy, and the music was really good as well. Highly recommend for those who can work anywhere.

In the theme of trying out things I wouldn’t normally go out of my way for, steak is another food that I don’t order often (can you tell I’m not a big red meat fan?). However, I did want to gain some knowledge on it and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try different kinds to find out which ones are worth it so I was super excited to try out Chicago Chop House, a 120-year-old steakhouse in the city for a steak education. I’ve been to Gibson’s once before but got the lobster (oops) so this will technically be my first steakhouse experience.

Before we dive in, here’s a little background on the restaurant.

As mentioned above, they are 120 years old – the third oldest steakhouse in the city behind Gene and Georgetti (1st) in the 1940s and Morton’s (2nd), though Morton’s is now a chain so it’s hard to control their quality. Chicago Chop House is the only Irish American steakhouse against its competitors and started by Henry Norton; before that, it was an apartment complex that hosted gypsy families and tarot card readers. There’s actually a little 8-year-old girl named Florence who died here so it’s a little haunted too.

There are 1400 photos on each floor including a wall of every single Chicago mayor in history minus Rahm Emanuel (they’re working on it) – not even museums have this many! They also have a wall of different retailers like Mr. Marshall Field as well as Sears and many others.

As for the meat, they cut it all in-house and only serve prime – the highest grade (top 2%). For those who don’t know, the levels in order from best to worst are prime (can’t buy at the grocery store, very expensive so only a select few restaurants actually serve it), choice (cheaper steakhouses and sometimes the store), and select (the most common one, can find it pretty much anywhere). We tried 4 different types of 28 days aged steak: dry, prime, wet, and wagyu (Mishima). The only one I wasn’t a huge fan of was the dry aged and my favorite was the wagyu since it was super juicy and tender.

 

Sweater: Nordstrom, Vest: TJ Maxx, Necklace: Panacea, Earrings: 2 Sisters Boutique

 

1. the brownest one is dry, 2. the one directly below it on the left is prime, 3. the next one is wagyu, and the final one right by the onion ring back at the top is wet

We were given all kinds of sides to go with the meat. My favorite was the truffle mac and cheese, which yes I love my truffle but not much of a mac and cheese fan so I was surprised that this was so good. The crust was the best part. The mushrooms and the potatoes were great as well and we capped it off with a slice of chocolate cake.

Something new that’s still under construction is their soon-to-be-opened roof top – such a great view of River North from here! They’re calling it the “steak speakeasy” and are opening a patio on the ground as a secret garden to get both levels too. I’ll be sure to head back when those are fully opened so stay tuned!

Just before we left, we got to tour their wine rooms – so cool to see their collections, some bottles were as old as 1975! That’s older than me!! We also got car service for the ride home, no Uber needed. So perfect!

You’ve heard me talk about this next spot before, and there’s a good reason why because it’s so good: Holt’s. Holt’s is a great little spot with amazing pizza, this time we kept it low key with some gooey cheese curds and cocktails. We tried one of the seasonal options, the Game of Throne themed “Jon Snow” an apple version of a Moscow Mule – yum! I can’t wait til their spring cocktail list comes out.

Last but not least, I had brunch with one of my besties, Maddie at Blue Door Kitchen and Garden. After checking out their other location in Lincoln Park, I had been meaning to give this one a go next.

The decor was very similar but the menu here was a little more inventive. Maddie and I had never had beignets before so we decided to try them – so delicious! No wonder everyone loves them. To pair with it, I got the Strawberry Rhubarb mimosa because why not. It was somewhere in between a bellini and a mimosa and how are these not an option everywhere?

I was having a tough time deciding on what to eat so the waiter offered the special: waffles with a blueberry mousse and blueberry compote on top. This was quite sweet so I wish I would have ordered a savory side along with it too.

Local Spots I Checked Out: Portillo’s, 3 Greens Market, Chicago Chop House, Holts, Blue Door Kitchen and Garden

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Yard House Happy Hour, Influencer Marketing Seminar with Oak Street Social, Nashville Trip, Sassy Confetti Jewelry Party with Stella & Dot, Exploring the Logan Square Bar Scene, Brunch Bites River North?

See you in the next post!

 

Weekly Wrap Up: March 26th – April 1st

Hi guys!

Before I start – how is it already April?? This year is flying by so quickly!

In another month, I will officially be one year out of school – what?! Crazy!

Another fun little fact is that I just joined Windy City Bloggers Collective, very similar to another group I’m apart of called Chicagogrammers – plus I got to meet new people too!

Alright, let’s get to it.

First up, I hosted my first giveaway on Instagram (yay!) with goGLOW which was pretty exciting. I’m hoping to do more of these in the future so stay tuned!

Next up, I took a quick stop into Small Cakes – a cupcakery known for their cupcake smashes (ice cream + cupcake). I got cookie dough for both and it was super sweet and creamy, definitely shareable though it’s quite tall and I didn’t finish all of mine. They had a lot of unique flavors too like a cookie monster looking cookies and cream as well as cannoli and tiramisu.

After that, I headed to my first Windy City Bloggers Event at DL Loft with Debi Lilly (the owner of the space) and Jewel-Osco. I had heard so much about this place – a lot of people like to do photo shoots here with its late 1800s history and charm. Such a fitting pairing with Jewel Osco given that the company started here in 1855 with two guys serving coffee and tea to people’s homes from a wagon. I was so excited to finally see it for myself. The entry with the chandelier was a great start – so gorgeous! Walking in, I was surrounded by treats, from cookies and candy to flowers and candles.

Upon arrival, I was immediately given with a choice of a cocktail: rosé fizz or a carrot bellini. I opted for the rosé fizz first with ingredients like grapefruit, starfruit, mint, citrus and mixed berries all in a punch-like form. The hors-d’oeuvres were super yummy as well with a prosciutto and brie option topped with a peach slice and a cheesy tomato and cucumber number in a crunchy shell.

The second drink option was surprisingly my favorite of the two, with peach apple juice and a topping off of champagne thrown in. You couldn’t even taste the carrot juice!

Once all the mingling started to die down, Debi Lilly showed us how to great the perfect bouquet for Easter. Debi couldn’t be nicer and she made sure to go around helping all of us after we started building our masterpieces. Three takeaways I learned: for tulips, leave the leaves on the stems so that the flowers don’t flop over; for hydrangeas, take the leaves off and cut above the node (little bumps where a leave would grow) on an angle so the flowers last longer. Cutting it at an angle gives the opening of the stem a larger shape so it can take in more water. Lastly, to make your flowers last longer, you need to trim all the stems a little each day and change the water daily to fresh room temperature. If you have plant food for them, spread that out between days as well too.

 

Broke out the new tassel heels from Altar’d State!

Top: Fab’rik, Jeans: The Impeccable Pig, Shoes: Altar’d State, Earrings: Flowers for Dreams, Necklace: Panacea, Bracelet: Lilly Pulitzer

 

I got to take home a couple of candles – both smell amazing with completely different scents, one is more flowery and the other is more fresh.

I got to try out a new workspace this week – I gotta say I’m liking this home office thing. I’ve never been to Goddess and the Grocer before but I’ve heard nothing but great things about it, especially since I’ve been seeing them pop up a lot recently.

There’s free wifi and lots of seating – not too noisy so you can focus on your work. They have plenty of food and drink options too – including a happy hour! I tried the avocado toast and honestly, this tasted even better than the one I make myself!! I’ll have to update my list of all the toasts I found in the city because a new winner has been crowned.

Later that day, I went to Petit Margeaux inside the Waldorf Astoria hotel to try their happy hour. Unfortunately, the only thing on the menu was rosé. It was good as was the price, but it would’ve been nice to include a snack or two as well. This hotel is gorgeous though so I’ll still be coming back – plus I do want to try their food even if it can’t come with a discount.

For the last event before the holiday, I went to my first members only event with Windy City Bloggers and Zapwater at Bitter Pops in Lakeview for a shopping tour of Southport. This spot was so trendy looking and cool with all different kinds of beer scattered around with labels big and small. I tried their 3 Floyds lighter beer on tap and it was a little hoppy but tasted refreshing.

After chatting a little bit and finishing our drinks, we ventured over to our first stop: Kendra Scott. I love this brand and all it embodies: family, friends, and philanthropy. Their product is always great quality and the price is decent for what you get. The earrings I have from Kendra Scott are one of my favorites plus they just launched their candle collection! We were treated to some champagne and desserts when we walked in and got to try some of the new candles too. My favorite is the Amethyst one – not too powerful but not subtle either.

We also got a gift from the staff which was super sweet – a pair of earrings from their new spring collection. I was very happy with the set I got, I don’t have a lot of rose gold jewelry. I wore these out and for Easter and I was shocked at how light they were in weight too. If you need a statement earring that would go with everything and won’t pull on your ears, this is it!

We also went to a really cool store that I had been meaning to make my way to, Lou & Grey. Originally a part of Ann Taylor, this brand got so big that it eventually became its own and started launching stores all over the country. Still small, I really loved that you could find unique pieces in here – plus that neon sign got me. 😉 I didn’t buy anything but they have a collection right now that features women-owned businesses which is really awesome so if you haven’t visited yet, go!

Top: American Eagle, Shawl: Old, Jeans: J Brand, Boots: Frye, Earrings: 2 Sisters Boutique, Necklace: Altar’d State

 

This weekend, I decided to switch up my usual avocado toast and give it an Italian twist. Instead of an egg like usual, I decided to throw on some fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, and a little drizzle of olive oil. This was so yummy!! I will definitely make a blog post for this so look for that one as well as that round up of ginger beer cocktails I mentioned I would work on.

And finally, Happy Easter (and Passover) to all my friends out there!! My siblings were all able to come in from school so it was really nice to have everyone together. We went all out on the food with avocado pomegranate salsa, deviled eggs, cheesy potatoes, holiday ham and more. As for dessert, we had a couple of pies and some cake pops made by my cousin – yum! As I mentioned above, I was able to test out my earrings for the holiday (and the night before while out for the Loyola game) and it’s safe to say you’ll be seeing a lot of these.

 

Dress: Edie Boutique, Shoes: TOMS, Earrings: Kendra Scott, Necklace: Panacea, Bracelet: Gift, Basket: Old favorite 😉

 

Local Spots I Checked Out: Small Cakes, DL Loft, Goddess and the Grocer, Petit Margeaux, Bitter Pops, Kendra Scott Southport, Lou & Grey

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Steak Education with Chicago Chop House, Jeni’s Opening in Wrigleyville (sadly can’t go but loved the Old Town Opening), Nashville Trip,

See you in the next post!

Weekly Wrap Up: March 19th – March 25th

Hi everyone!

The warm weather must be coming soon because this week was a little busier than most in a while. This is also my first full week at my new job and I couldn’t love it more. I love getting to use my creativity to help and also loving that I have weekends again (yay!). To start out strong, I caught up with Katie over happy hour at The Hampton Social. I haven’t tried any happy hours since moving back so I’m excited that this is my first one. With glasses of rosé and pizzas both half off from 3-6 during the week – we knew we had to try it! The rosé was a little on the dryer side so it was ok for me, there’s a whole menu to choose from though so I can grab a different one next time. I usually love the rosé I have there (and tend to pick bubbly ones) so I’ll just have to stick to what I like. Something to note too is that they also have $8 craft cocktails included as well so I could try that next – I had a really good gin-based cocktail there once so hopefully it’s available. Let’s get to what you really want to know though: the pizza. All options actually sounded really good and each had a unique twist which I appreciated. We opted for the Spicy BBQ Chicken and the Mushroom pizzas. For the BBQ, I had never seen a pizza like this before with toppings like bacon, goat & mozzarella cheese, and sun-dried tomato pesto for a kick. It was super flavorful and I loved the bacon for a nice crunch. As for the Mushroom, we had to get it because…wait for it…it has truffle in it. Are we surprised? No. Did it actually taste like it had truffle in it? Actually, yes! It wasn’t overwhelming (in a good way so it was real) and the rest of the pizza, mushrooms and all tasted really great. Would definitely order both again but the Spicy BBQ one had a slight edge over the Mushroom with it’s uniqueness.

After that awesome meal, I walked over to goGLOW – a somewhat new woman-owned startup tanning space in the area – to meet my cousin and test it out with Alex and Christine. They greeted me with some fun treats to start: cookies by Sugar Fan Club, a meat & cheese plate by Boars Head, and wine from Crazy Beautiful Wines – yum! Everything tasted good and looked so cute too. I will most definitely be picking up that sauvignon blanc because it was probably one of the best I’ve ever had. These wines are not crazy expensive plus they are a full liter so you get more bang for your buck too!

After taking in the libations and striking up some conversations, my cousin and I went in to get our tan on! I love that they ask you questions before you start to get a feel of what you’re looking for. It is air brush only (so real people!) and the formula itself is all natural – no parabens or sulfates so it won’t harm your skin at all. It also turns you brown and not orange, which I was happy about for it being my first spray tan (minus the gradual stuff). You have to keep it on for 24 hrs before washing it off so know that before booking your appointment. Not a ton came off in the shower and I saw hardly, if any, stains on my sheets the next day so I am super impressed with the results. I also really love that they are smaller scale (only 3 locations – the others are in Minnesota, where they started) and are woman-owned & take pride in that. The service was great and the ladies really knew a lot about the products too – I would definitely book this again. One last tip: book with a friend because it knocks $10 off the price! Look for a giveaway on Instagram soon to test it out yourself!

Look how dark I got! This was pre-shower.

Next up, I got to do my first photo shoot with work at Easy Street with Barritt’s Ginger Beer which was super fun – stay tuned for more pics in the future from that! I got some ginger beer to take home that I’m going to try with some cocktail recipes for an upcoming post too so look out for that as well. For now – here’s a few pics I shot at home for a little preview! Side note: I’m not a big pepperoni fan but this pizza was CRAZY good. I was shocked!

Coming toward the end of the week, I got to help on a fashion show at Macy’s which was super fun. The closest experience I had to fashion shows prior to this was my high school’s so you could say this was a bit of a step up. I got to help dress real models from an agency here in Chicago and assist in quick changes throughout the show – it went so fast! The ladies were all super sweet too – you never know if they’ll be high maintence or not because they do so many shows but happy to report that not all are the same. Afterwards, there was a cute balloon wall courtesy of Luft Balloon (local here) – once you see one of their installations you’ll recognize them everywhere since they do so many other events around the city. There was also a DIY tassel earrings station and flower lollipops from Flowers for Dreams – I loved that Macy’s went out of their way to pick local businesses to support for the event too.

Sweater: Nordstrom, Vest: Old, Jeans: Frame, Shoes: Target, Earrings: Old

For those who saw it, I made a few purchases around the mall afterwards at Lilly Pulitzer and Altar’d State. If you missed it you can catch up on my highlights! I loved the little decorations both stores had – even down to the dressing rooms! I’ll post outfit looks with everything soon so you can see it all!

Last but not least, I got to wish one of my best pals, Maddie, a happy birthday and a farewell from Chicago (tear) at Cafe-Ba-Ba-Reeba – a tapas/small plates style restaurant. I had heard great things about this restaurant and it did not disappoint. The sangria was perfect – we tried their monthly one which was Pear – sounds weird but I liked it better than the peach one. As for the plates – we got almost everything, from stuffed mushrooms, to cheese boards, to scallops, to bacon wrapped dates (don’t skip these). We even opted for some paella too and took some home. Maddie, if you’re reading this, please don’t leave – but also wishing you well on your next adventure!

Local Spots I Checked Out: The Hampton Social, goGLOW, Oakbrook Mall, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba

Events I’m Looking Forward To: (didn’t go to Drake Fest), DIY Spring Soiree with Windy City Bloggers Collective, Happy Hour at Petit Margeaux, Windy City Bloggers Lakeview Member Event, Easter with the Fam!

See you in the next post!

Throwback Thursday: Fun in the Sun – Florida Recap

Hi everyone! As promised, here’s the recap of the lovely Marco Island, Florida. For a little background – I’ve been coming here with my family for more than a decade now and we love it for it’s usual 80 degree weather, great restaurants, and that you can relax a bit since it’s quieter and smaller than most destinations around the state.

View from the room

Nothing like having drinks poolside! We love going to Stilts at the Marriott Vacation Club since it’s right by the pool – you can either eat/drink in the restaurant or have it delivered where you’re sitting. They also have a great happy hour too with bites like seared scallops, tuna tartare, mozzarella sticks, and more!

Top: Lilly Pulitzer, Jeans: Impeccable Pig, Sunnies: Ray-Ban, Necklace: Packed Party

 

When we’ve been coming, the Marriott Vacation Club always had two pools. However, they are currently expanding and are adding a third pool, as well as an Italian restaurant (music to my ears), a couple hot tubs, and more towers so that it’s easier to reserve a spot since it’s always such an ordeal to book with the former limited space. They also have a gym and a kid’s “clubhouse” with games for the littles! One of the big perks of staying here versus the JW is that this location has activities all day every day such as Beer Bocce or BINGO during the day and Wine & Cheese Happy Hour at night so there’s always something to do!

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer, Shoes: Target

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer, Earrings: SIC Couture, Necklace: Packed Party, Shoes: Target

BINGO and Mimosas

Wine & Cheese spread

In terms of where to go outside the hotel, we love going to DaVinci’s (near the fountain below) – a really nice Italian spot and not too far from where we stayed. If you want to check out the other Marriott (JW), their beach bar, Quinn’s is the perfect detour when walking on the beach. Great drinks and you can watch the sun set. Joey’s is a great pizza spot, especially for all you Chicago snowbirds out there! Nene’s Kitchen is a great breakfast diner that we love and the owners also hail from Chicago too. Our favorite place hands down though is Tokyo Inn, a Hibachi style Japanese steakhouse. This is where my love of seafood started. Snook Inn is another classic as it’s right on the docks and they have fresh fish daily. If you need something more casual, The Sand Bar is a cheap dive bar that has arcade games and TVs all around too.

Another fun thing to do in Marco is to rent a boat for the day and see all the little islands around since you’re close to the Keys. With this in mind, we like stopping at a couple other places that we can only get to with the boat like Stan’s in Goodland. Stan’s is crazy fun with all the servers dressed in crazy costumes and a quirky gift shop nearby. One last one we frequent is Capri Fish House in Naples (pictured below) – a cute little bar with its own mini beach with colorful chairs and a great patio. Get the fried lobster bites – trust me!

Fried Lobster with butter – yum!

Hoping to be back here sooner rather than later – I noticed a few new spots opened up that I want to try. Plus, I’m hoping to explore more of Naples soon since it has a little more of a “downtown” feel.

Have you ever been to Marco? What’s your favorite spot?

See you in the next post!

 

Weekly Wrap Up: March 5th – March 11th

Hi everyone!

You know what today is – another update for ya this week! This time I have quite a few events to recap – yay!!

First up, a luau-inspired cocktails for a cause event with Alex and Revae of Mahalo Vibes. We got to learn all kinds of tips and tricks like how to shake your cocktail properly (give it a whack on the side to tighten it and then again to loosen it), the difference between serrano peppers and jalapeños (serrano is spicier!), and that gin is actually…wait for it..juniper infused vodka. Yep! I was quite shocked too. Turns out the cheaper the gin, the more juniper there is (aka the “Christmas tree” flavor that most people hate) – so not all are created equal. Besides the fact that we got to learn a few yummy tiki drink recipes (shaken not stirred of course since there’s citrus in it – helps bring out the flavors), I was really happy to know that the proceeds were going to support cancer victims. I have a family history with it so if I can help in a small way here, I’m doing it. We also got to make flower crowns with Fleur – a local spot in Logan Square (that same place I visited a while back). The florist was so sweet and very knowledgable about all the flowers she brought – I could tell she loves what she does. Sadly I ran out of time on mine so there’s not much “flowers” on mine but hey I think it still looks ok! Aloha Bangtel, the space we were in, was a perfect fit for the theme. Neon palm trees, a pink shark, and even a pink flamingo inside a blue bathtub too – plenty of photo opportunities here!

Top: Fabr’ik, Jeans: J Brand

Next up, the opening of Punch Bowl Social in West Loop! I’m so excited about this because I’ve been to the one in Indianapolis and it was so much fun. Schamburg’s location was always so far for me so I’m glad it’s finally coming to the city. The first floor is a bit of a retro laundromat theme with a wall of colored machines and tables covered in old ads. The bar near the “Loads of Fun” (get it??) sign is pretty gorgeous too.

Jacket: Gap, Shirt: Nordstrom, Pants: Frame, Shoes: Target, Bag: Michael Kors, Choker: Nordstrom

To start off, we got some chips and French onion dip as it lined the tables – that dip was heaven. We tried the punch bowls first, because well it’s not called Punch Bowl Social for nothing! The Watermelon Polo, It’s A Mer-Man’s World, and Lord Stanley’s Cup (Blackhawks fans will love this 😉) were the contenders and it was clear who the winner was. Since Mer-Man and Stanley were bourbon and white rum focused and more bitter, the Watermelon soured with watermelon and strawberry and it wasn’t too sweet.

These freshly made daiquiris were one of my favorites of the night – super smooth & made with similar ingredients to the Watermelon Bowl instead. Plus these glasses are adorable, Claire and I approve!

These Mason Jar Mules were hard to mess up – I love me a mule so couldn’t go wrong here.

Tried a little quinoa salad before we got our final drink and it was pretty good – I wouldn’t normally go out of my way for something like this but it wasn’t bad.

This final drink was my favorite of them all: High Fashion – fitting right?? Usually I’m not a fan of Aperol (sorry Italy!) but you can’t even taste it in this! The grapefruit and lemon give it a nice zip.

On to the food – we took a few treats from the dessert bar and some cheese from the cheese boards, both were quite yummy! The marshmallow brownie was like a bite-size s’more – super gooey and chocolatey while the salted caramel cupcake was good as well. As for the cheese – well you can’t go wrong with one of those!!

The last two items were the Cubano Sandwich and the A la Bama Chicken Sandwich. I have never actually had a Cubano sandwich before and now I know why everyone loves them – this was so crispy yet juicy and just what we needed. As for the chicken sandwich, I love these and though it was crispy, it was a little dry. Both of these were served on platters so they might be a little different plated with the sides they come with when you order them for real.

We walked around a little and found the bowling alley as well as billards, bags, and a stage for bands and DJs to play on. You can’t be bored here!

Finally, last but not least, my cousin is officially moving here! Congrats lady!! You’ll be seeing her at a bunch of events with me soon.

Local Spots I Checked Out: Aloha Bangtel, Punch Bowl Social

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Drake Fest, St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl, Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt, Good & Sassy Tanning Event with GoGlow,

See you in the next post!

Chicago Restaurant Week – 1st Take

Hi all!

I was able to participate in Chicago Restaurant Week for the first time ever this year to check out different places around the city. For those who don’t know, Restaurant Week is a time in Chicago when different places have set menus you can try for a set price. Depending on where you go, you’ll find multiple choices of items for around 3-4 courses. Brunch and lunch menus are $22 while dinner is either $33 or $44. The first one I went to (plus had been meaning to check out anyway) was Barrio. Barrio is an upscale take on Mexican food with little twists thrown in. The head chef of the restaurant, Katsuji Tanabe, is a Top Chef alum and grew up in Mexico so he wanted to pay homage to his homeland with this beautiful chandelier clad restaurant (like the beams outside on the patio which are supposed to represent sun rays). Without further ado, let’s get into the food.

First up, the burrata. Now, I love burrata and have it often so I may be a little bias with this one, however, it offered an interesting take on your typical bread and cheese. This version also included mint and a very refreshing salsa verde sauce with it to add a little Mexican flair to an otherwise very Italian dish. There was also Michigan honey to sweeten it up plus the bread was made with polenta and had a nice crunch to it. This next one was my favorite of the courses and if you know me well, you’ll know why. Two words: truffle taco. Yeah that’s right – this taco had white truffle garlic crema in it and it was delish. Mushrooms were the “meat” of this taco, along with gruyere and cotija cheese and some crispy onions too. I would 100% order these again for the taste – plus look how cute they are in the pink shells (the corn ones are made in house)! To finish it out, I had the cocoa taco – see a theme here? 😉 This was pretty hard to mess up since it had chocolate ice cream, and brownies in it. The unique element of this dish was that it had coconut crema and coconut toffee on it (I’m not a big coconut person but I didn’t mind this at all) plus some guajillo caramel. The other option was a churro with different sauces which I almost went with but La Bodega Imports (the little churro shop next door) is owned by Barrio so I just ended up going there after.The food was great, however the service was slightly lackluster because of it being Restaurant Week. The manager was going from table to table asking how everyone’s meals were and ended up giving us a round of free drinks to compensate which was really sweet so we appreciated that very much. I got the Pantera Rosa which had cucumber-infused Effen vodka, watermelon, and lime. If you like tonics and vodka cranberries you’ll like this – sweet but fresh with the cucumber and lime. The manager told us that this drink is a very popular one. So though there was the whole service thing, I’d definitely still come here again because the food was great and they made sure to fix their mistakes right away which shows that they care. Besides dinner, I hear their brunch is pretty amazing too so definitely going back for that soon.

This next one you’ve definitely heard me mention before (remember that Chicagogrammers event I went to?): Yard House. I was shocked to see that they had a Restaurant Week menu since they are a chain so even though I wasn’t planning on it, I figured why not give it a try! Some differences I noticed from Barrio were that the portions were a bit larger (not that Barrio’s was small, this was a lot of food for one person) plus they gave you one drink (beer/wine) included which I thought was a nice touch. Most places during this week don’t have a drink to go with it. Since Yard House is more of a beer haus, you can try all kinds of beer before settling on the one you want. I tried two different ones: the one on the left is the House Honey Blonde and the one on the right is the Metropolitan Krankshaft Kölsch – both light beers. The honey one was light and crisp while the metro had a slight tickle to the tongue and tasted slightly more “beer like”. I opted for the Honey one since they mentioned it’s a crowd favorite plus I figured with all the food I was about to consumer, the lighter the better.

Before the Restaurant Week menu, I decided to take a leap of faith and try the Cauliflower Bites. I haven’t had cauliflower in decades because my childhood self was scarred from the texture and the lack of flavor from just regular steamed cauliflower – not to mention it’s in the broccoli family which I am still not a fan of (sorry mom)! So, Since these little snacks have been trending so much in the foodie world lately, I thought maybe I could give them another shot since they were fried this time and drizzled in buffalo sauce. I was actually very surprised that I liked these – I probably would’ve added just a little bit more buffalo sauce to drown out the cauliflower flavor a little more but otherwise these and the spicy tahini sauce with them were pretty good!Back to what you came for – so as you can see from the menu, there was quite a few options to choose from. The lunch version was on the back as well so I could have went that route but I thought better to try dinner since it came with the dessert. This was a tough decision but I ultimately went all out with the spinach dip and thought the dip was so cheesy and gooey, however the real winner was the chips. Freshly baked crispy pita doused in Parmesan cheese. I want to find a way to make these because they were perfect with the dip! Not too oily but not too dry either and the cheese added a little flavor while also mixing with the cheese already in the dip – perfect with a beer too.I decided to stay in the Parmesan theme and go with the Parmesan-crusted pork loin dressed in a bourbon sage-cheery shallot sauce along with sweet potato mashed potatoes and some broccolini.The sauce and the sweet potatoes went perfectly together since both had that woodsy sweetness with the syrup like sweetness of the sauce and the sweet potatoes tasted like pumpkin pie – yum! I am not really a sweet potato person but this was very good. The Parmesan added a nice crunch to the meat and thought the broccoli I was my least favorite part I did appreciate that they were salted and had some flavor to them instead of just the fresh-off-the-grill just oiled taste.The final course was my favorite one though because everything worked so well here. The chocolate soufflé tasted like a lava cake without the dramatic pour out of chocolate coming out: warm and moist yet you could still taste that chocolate ganache throughout it. The vanilla ice cream on top gave the dish a nice hot and cold pairing with it melting together with the cake. The mint leaf was a nice touch but didn’t offer much flavor so I think that was more intended for garnish instead. The size on this was great since it gave you the perfect amount without being too much. Overall, the portions for these were huge which was a nice change since I heard some of my friends saying that a lot of restaurants tend to skimp on the size of each dish during this week (whereas I had to take a lot of this home with me). I will most definitely be coming back here since the service was great as well – this showed me that you shouldn’t discount the chains during Restaurant Week!

I was originally supposed to go to Split-Rail for their Restaurant Week menu but sadly I never made it. I’ll be sure to go at some point though!

See you in the next post!

Weekly Wrap Up: Feb 12th-Feb 18th

Hi everyone!

This update is going to be super short since I kept my week pretty low key this week – I guess you could say cabin fever is real? Anyway, the main event that I went to this week was a pretty fun one: a happy hour at MM.La Fleur! Coming from NYC and built from one of Zac Posen’s former designers, MM.La Fleur is a company made for the working woman. All pieces are made for fit and quality as a way to give you basics that will keep your wardrobe modern and chic plus they’ll last forever.

With prosecco and a charcuterie board, this is how a party should be. I didn’t end up purchasing anything but I know a couple girls ended up with a dress or two. You can book a try on sesh (champagne and slippers included!) at their new River North location or order a “bento box” to try it on at home and send back what you don’t want. The difference between them and Trunk Club (local favorite) is that MM is not a subscription service, plus they make all their pieces instead of selling other brands you know and love. Think of it as an elevated shopping experience for when you need to update a few of your favorite items.

Christine of Momma Has You and Alex of Sassy Confetti

The lovely hosts for the evening: Christine of The Chicago Good Life & Alex of Sassy Confetti

Everybody cheesin’ plus Claire of Bumble and Bustle!

Also, can we talk about this space? So Instagrammable. It’s a pretty big showroom with the cute little green couch in the corner and the marble bar in the middle so I would definitely consider hosting another event here. Everyone was given a chance to try items on and mingle as they pleased, which was great to branch out and meet as many people as I could (and talk to my friends who I already know). Thank you so much to Alex and Christine of Sassy Confetti and The Chicago Good Life, the hosts of this lovely evening, as well as all my friends new and old that I met there!

Local Spots I Checked Out: MM.La Fleur

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Cousin Visit, Drake Fest, Birthday Celebrations, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Neighborhood Egg Hunt

That’s all for now, hope you learned a thing or two.

See you in the next post!