Weekly Wrap Up: March 12th – March 18th

Hi everyone!

This week was a special week (especially for my fellow Chicagoans) – St. Patrick’s Day weekend. To start out, I got to see one of my best friends, Anna, while she was in town (signing a lease to move here – yay!) so we went to one of our favorite places: The Hampton Social. Funny enough, I hadn’t been back since the same time last year and I didn’t realize how much I missed it! Believe me when I say that this is not one of those places that just looks pretty and then the food/drinks are just ok. I started out with the Frosé since I had never had it here before and it tasted like a frozen Bellini – yum! The Hampton Social is known for their rosé menu plus it’s oh-so-Instagrammable sign for a reason.

For the main course, I opted for the Mahi-Mahi tacos – very different from my usual Lobster Roll. The crema on these was so decadent and added just the right amount of flavor that it didn’t take over the dish. I will definitely be back soon to try out their happy hour menu – they have half off pizzas so what’s not to love?

Next up, following the River North theme, I went to Ramen-san with a future co-worker (Hi Katie!) for a little “welcome lunch”. They have a great lunch deal here with tons of food that Katie got, while I opted to try their Mantou Bun sandwiches. I got the fried chicken one first – this was a cool twist on a classic chicken sandwich however, that’s basically what it tasted like so not very “unique” per se.

I opted for the pork belly next and that one took the cake. With spicy mayo and cucumbers – they added a nice contrast to the crunchy fried pork belly. I’ll have to try the mushroom one next time! The buns were so doughy and melted in your mouth – if you need a quick snack, these guys will do the trick.

And now, the most wonderful time of the year in Chicago – St. Patrick’s Day!! This was my first official bar crawl I’ve ever done in the city so it was really special ringing it in with all my sorority sisters too (did you know it’s our Founder’s Day??). I picked up this perfect green shirt at Target (though I am actually Irish, not just “Chicago Irish” 😉) before meeting everyone and heading over to our first stop: Deuces & the Diamond Club, a two floor bar in Wrigleyville. Last time I was here in the summer, it was sort of empty. This time – packed with people and a sea of green as far as the eye could see. Thanks to our tickets, we got a breakfast buffet to carb load for our long day – complete with sausage links, eggs, french toast, and potatoes, yum! We also got a voucher for our first drink too – had to start off right with a green beer. We went to Sluggers next – a staple for us since it’s an IU bar (go Hoosiers) and multiple rooms to get lost in. A lot of Cubs fans like to stop in here to watch games too so good to know come opening day! Our final stop was Roadhouse – not as crowded as the others and much smaller, but a perfect way to end the day. Plus – they have a cute Chicago flag wall nearby for a photo op! Though I didn’t see the River Dyeing this year, this was such a fun day – I’d do it again next year.

My twin in my sorority fam – hi Gaby!

All the gals at Deuces

Last but not least, I had a nice relaxing Sunday watching some kids hunt for Easter eggs and basked in the sun (hopefully it stays!). Today starts my new venture career-wise and I’m so happy to start this new chapter. I’ve also got a ton of events this week that I am excited to attend so stay tuned for updates and follow in real time on Instagram!

Local Spots I Checked Out: The Hampton Social, Ramen-san, Wrigleyville: Deuces and the Diamond Club, Sluggers, Roadhouse

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Drake Fest, Good & Sassy Tanning Event with GoGlow, Blogger shoots, Sip & Shop with Social Chicagoan

See you in the next post!

Weekly Wrap Up: Feb 19th – Feb 25th

Hi everyone!

This week was filled with so many celebrations – such a great one to talk about.

But before I get to those, I gotta talk about the awesome experience I had at Ranalli’s in Lincoln Park. Alex and Claire (who I talked about last roundup) both invited me to the restaurant’s The Bachelor watch party – and needless to say, it was all decked out! Roses lined the tables, The Bachelor branded wines (yeah, that’s a thing – who knew??) were being served, and they had heart-shaped pizzas. Swoon. The atmosphere felt like sports fan watching a game at a bar – everyone reacted at the same time when drama would happen and people gasped when Arie sent *spoiler* home. It was hilarious and so fun meeting a few new girls too. I got the rosé instead (oops) but I did try someone else’s cabernet..I mean Fantasy Suite..wine and it tasted pretty good, not overly sweet so I might brave that and One on One (chardonnay) next time I go. You know I had to get the pizza – I got sausage and onion, which was pretty good and the sauce was relatively sweet. However, when you order pepperoni, they cut them like little hearts so maybe I should have went that route (though I’m not a pepperoni fan)! The pizza size was definitely bigger than I thought so I was able to split it with another person. I would love to go back for the finale and continue to come for (hopefully) Bachelor in Paradise and the rest of the franchise as well. Such a great idea and pricing wasn’t bad either – as for the crowds, it’s not that crowded but you still need a reservation just in case. This week was the most people that Alex and Claire had seen. You can also earn points every time you come into the restaurant with their app AND earn double on Bachelor night toward food and drinks!

Ok, back to the celebrations part. I was so happy to have my cousin come and visit me this week while in for a job interview – thankfully, she got it!! Yay! We went to The Godfrey Hotel in River North to grab a drink before she headed back home and their raspberry moscow mules were so good! Can we talk about how swanky this place is?? The lobby is so chic with its sleek couches and chrome details, plus all the pretty lights everywhere. Not pictured is the wine rack arch ways leading to the first floor bar/restaurant where you could walk under all these perfectly displayed bottles. As we made our way to the rooftop, there were more pretty lights and a really cool fountain with their logo lit up on top. I liked how you could choose to be inside or outside for the rooftop because it was pouring HARD. In the winter, you can rent out igloos though so even with rain you’d be ok. There’s also a ton of fire pits outside too which is a nice touch when it’s a little chillier out. Definitely coming on my next sunny day off!

I also got to celebrate a former co-worker’s birthday at Howl at the Moon (happy birthday Mary!) – a piano bar known for their “bucket drinks”. I had a sip of one and WOW they are super potent! Next time I go, maybe I’ll take the plunge since there were so many different ones to try. It was such a fun time – all the requests were older songs and one that made the night was “Let it Go” from Frozen at the end of the night! Ha! It was a little bit of an older crowd but you could dance on stage and we closed it down so I would go again!

Last thing real quick: my promised champagne gummy bear recipe is coming up on the blog soon! They tasted so good (though I found out the hard way that they are only meant to taste like champagne and rosé, not actually get you drunk) so I knew I had to craft a cocktail with them somehow!

Local Spots I Checked Out: Ranalli’s, Howl at the Moon, The Godfrey Hotel

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Flower Crowns & Cocktails with Alex, Drake Fest, Oscar Parties, St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl, Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

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: Jan 22nd-28th

Hi friends!

This week was pretty busy with work so this round up is going to be pretty short. First up, I tested out the famed cauliflower crust from Trader Joe’s (blog post to come). I must say I was pretty surprised, I didn’t miss regular crust so that’s a win!

Next up, a slew of makeovers from Amanda Farmer, who I met at the first event. Katie got invited to this Estée Lauder VIP event at Nordstrom downtown and Amanda, our artist, couldn’t be nicer. She was very informative with her tips and tricks she used on us as well as her product knowledge. It was also humbling to hear that some of the products she used were ones she had been using even before working for the company – passed down from her mom and grandma. It showed she actually genuinely believed in these products, regardless if she got a sale out of it or not – which I really respect coming from a retail background myself. The end result was definitely different from my normal day to day look (peep the bright lip) but I liked it! After getting a few samples of the products I enjoyed, I was off to celebrate my grandma’s birthday with the rest of the family (happy birthday Grandma!).

So after a couple more days, Amanda and I met again – this time at the Boss Babe Pop Up Shop going away party complete with cookies and champagne! It was so funny that she ended up being the featured makeup artist for the event. She remembered me and it was so nice talking to her and getting to know her more – too sweet! She was also very gentle on my face and very attentive with a few more tips and tricks. This time I went with a more natural look. Check us out below!

After that, I went home to watch the Grammys and LOVED everyone’s outfits. From Lady Gaga’s weaved hair and angelic look to Beyoncé’s beret – everyone really gave it their all this year. Which look was your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Local Spots I Checked Out: Nordstrom Michigan Ave, Boss Babe Pop Up Old Orchard Center

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Chicago Restaurant Week at Barrio with Jackson, Super Bowl Parties, Chicagogrammers Happy Hour

See you in the next post!

The Blog is 2!

Wait what?? I was just as shocked as you guys were! I can’t believe it’s been another year already. This day is very special because this time last year I was about to cross off a lot of things on the bucket list: going on a plane by myself for the first time, traveling outside the US for the first time, and living in a foreign country completely outside my comfort zone. I was a mix of terrified and excited. I was traveling to NYC for the second time but this time on my own with school, only to be shipped off again to Italy a couple weeks after. I didn’t speak a lick of Italian, I was the pickiest eater on the planet (hard to tell now), and I was having a hard time with school. I needed an outlet, an escape of sorts – so in comes the blog! I had been meaning to start one (that I would actually keep up with) for a LONG time. What do I mean by that? Well, for those of you who’ve know me for decades know this already but I actually had several “outlets” before this; I had not one, but two YouTube channels thinking I could do makeup tutorials. I was too shy at the time for that plus high school so those fizzled quick. Shortly afterwards, I had another blog before I, again, quit too early because of school and also putting too much pressure on myself to do all these things for it that I thought I “had” to do in order to make it great. Fast forward to junior year of college; more mature, knew more about my passions (with one yet to come – food!), and I was about to really push my limits. I wanted to do this right this time, like really do it. Plus, I don’t know about you but I feel like everyone and their mother starts a blog when they go abroad so everyone can see how they’re doing. So off I went and write I did. I kept it up for a while – at least once a week or two weeks. Then it started to level off; I was traveling a bunch and really wanted to enjoy my time there. Though it wasn’t a good idea from a blog perspective – I don’t regret it. I was able to live in the moment and really take in the culture of Florence, especially with the classes I took like wine pairing and cooking. That was a turning point for me; I had expanded my palate 10 times over and every meal that I tried during them I loved – a first for me! I was very inspired by it all and it’s how I started wanting to go to different restaurants all around the city back home. After I got back, school took over again but this time I knew that after school was done I would be able to take this to the next level. After starting work and being back home, I got my groove back and started meeting people through Instagram – fueling my creativity that much more. I went to events all over the place, meeting great connections along the way. This has been my favorite part right here. Making friends after college is hard and kinda scary, but so far I’m loving all the awesome people I’ve gotten to meet thus far with similar passions that I have (you know who you are). If I didn’t have the cheerleaders that I do, I think I would have quit on this again. This was the difference from all my other prior attempts: people. All of you help me stay motivated and reassure me that what I do is a good thing and honestly, sometimes I need to hear that (remember, the pressures I mentioned earlier?). So thank you, I love you and cheers to another year on my little piece of the internet. I have a lot of goals this year for it so stay tuned for more announcements and keep on reading!  

See you in the next post!

Weekly Wrap Ups: Jan 15th – Jan 21st

Hi everyone! So happy to be done with my cold finally, so with that comes another week of adventures. I decided to pay The Allis another visit – I had only been once and it was a little too quick to judge. Look at how gorgeous it is!! Chandeliers all around, the decor is so fancy yet approachable, and turns out you can buy the tea sets they sell! I sat upstairs last time so it was nice to see it from this angle. This time I met up with a new friend this time, Alyssa, to test out the tea service. We went the a la carte route (I’ll be back for the full service soon though!) and she got coffee with me trying the Canadian Ice Wine tea. I regret to inform you that this tea does not, in fact, have wine in it (aww) but it’s called that because it is processed like wine is. I don’t really drink tea a lot but this tasted pretty good to me! It’s black tea and it had a bit of sweetness to it. My only thing I would change for next time is maybe add a little honey to it. As for meals, I went for the famed avocado toast. Y’all – the avocado to toast ratio is ON POINT. There is so much and I was so happy with that. It was very similar to the way I make my own avo toast at home except the secret weapon for theirs is basil. It was very strong here – not in a bad way per se, just unexpected. I can’t wait to come again – the vibes and the food thus far are tempting me to make this my spot.

Next up, I got to go to another event at Pogo Boutique again (yay!) and got to meet up with Katie again for some free prosecco, makeovers and also bags with calligraphy by Ashlee Stewack. Isn’t she good?? If only my penmanship were that good! I had to rush back to the ‘burbs to meet up with some high school friends to a new-to-me place: Beacon Tap. It was so cute with all the little Christmas lights around! The best part was the specials/food – each day had a different special for food and drink. We got lucky enough to have the special be martinis that night – they were…wait for it…$4.00!! …And they were good! I opted for an appletini while my friends with with French ones. As for food, I got the polish sausage with tots – I skipped the ‘kraut and it was delicious. The buttery brioche toast topped it perfectly! My friends’ got the pretzel bites and the cheese curds – both pretty hard to mess up but also did not disappoint. I want to come back for trivia next!

Last but not least, Maddie and I got to check out Blue Door Farm Stand in Lincoln Park for a little brunch. Turns out there’s a few of these restaurants around the city (with slightly different names) in Gold Coast and a to-go one not far from the one we went to. First off, SUCH a cute spot! The decor was beautiful with all the rustic chandeliers and the marquee with the open kitchen. I hear the Gold Coast one has a patio – hitting that up come summer! I got the grapefuit mimosa to start (yum!), and they also can be made with OJ or cranberry juice too. It was very smooth with just the right amount of sweetness. After catching up a bit, we both decided on the diner classic. You definitely can’t go wrong with this! You get a choice of pancakes or toast, hashbrowns, bacon or sausage, and eggs your way – perfect! Needless to say, we will be back. Lastly, I did a little mini photoshoot around the area, because why knot! Perfect end to the week 😌.

Sweater: A&F, Vest & Bracelets: Marley Lilly, Jeans: J Brand, Boots: L.L.Bean

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cal Spots I Checked Out: The Allis, Pogo Boutique, Beacon Tap, Blue Door Farm Stand

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Chicago Restaurant Week – is it bad I haven't made a rez yet?? (so many options it's hard to choose!), Makeup Party at Nordstrom with Katie, Super Bowl Parties, Chicagogrammers Happy Hour

See you in the next post!

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Jeni’s Old Town Grand Opening

Hi everyone! I had the pleasure of attending the new location of Jeni’s in the city and it was so delicious!! We got there about an hour or so early and there was already a crazy line – so biggie though, there was plenty of free ice cream to go around.

Jeni, herself, made an appearance at the opening too – it was so cool to talk to her about her unique flavors like Brambleberry Crisp. She told me that she gets her inspiration from her travels, from restaurants, movies and above all: literature. Jeni actually has a journal where she writes every flavor idea down. Another great fact about her business is that all ingredients are locally sourced including certain flavors like Hard Cider Sorbet, which has Granny Smith apples inside as well as locally brewed hard cider from a Chicago brewery in all the Jeni’s shops in the area (same process goes for other local flavors in other states). This is why Jeni’s stores have seasonal menus (though there are a few mainstay flavors that are available all year round.

I ended up trying the Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Flecks as well as the Brambleberry Crisp on a freshly made waffle cone – yum!! The first one was so nutty and mixed well with the chocolate so I knew that one had to be chosen. The brambleberry one was a bit more unique, kind of tasted like a fruit tart since it was fruity with some crust inside. If I’m not mistaken, I believe both these flavors are available year round so whenever you go in, I recommend these!! The flavors weren’t bland and tasted very fresh, I want to try the Lemon & Blueberries one next!

That’s all I got for now – see you in the next post!

ShopBuzzed Round 2

Hi everyone! I am so excited that I got to hang out with these lovely ladies again!! Kristi and Chloe have hosted another Shop Buzzed event  – this time with Rockit Bar, Deep Eddy Vodka, Meraki Room, as well as many others. First, I have to introduce these lovely ladies again: Chloe (of Chloe’s Cravings) on the left and Kristi of Windy City Kristi. Both ladies run blogs as well as have full time businesses! Chloe has a t-shirt line while Kristi owns a boutique – can you say boss ladies??

Once the event kicked off, we scoped out the drinks. We couldn’t pass up some free Deep Eddy so we first tried the grapefruit vodka concoction. Next we got the sweet tea with fresh lemonade – that was the winner for the rest of the night. It ended up running out toward the end it was so good! You could also get $5 wine specials from the regular bar which was pretty sweet as well – plus they had a charcuterie board waiting to be tasted too!

Just next to the bar area was a braid bar thanks to Meraki Room loaded with girls waiting to get their hair done for the night. My friend and I stepped right up and I LOVED MINE. My hair is very thick so braid usually don’t work for me but this was so intricate. It was all different ones leading into a half up knot – so cute! We also got a $20 off coupon to use the next time we come in; definitely saving mine for my birthday coming up in the next couple months.

We shopped around a little bit, as there was different local vendor tables set up with clothes, shoes, jewelry, bath and candles – plus much more. It was so cool to see them all come together and collaborate for this event. They even raffled off some of the merchandise and a certificate to Rockit Bar. Guess who won it??

You got it! It was a total surprise and I didn’t know until days later but I can’t wait to go back again and use it!! As always I had a great time at this event and am patiently waiting for the next. See you all next post!