Hi everyone! Welcome back for part two of a weekend in Chicago. As I mentioned in the last post, this one will include my favorite places for dinner, drinks and fun treats. We will begin with my top recommendations for dinner.
The first place I want to mention is Fig and Olive. As you might have picked up from my last post, good food is not the only thing that peaks my attention when looking for a new place to try, but atmosphere as well. Fig and Olive succeeded on both grounds.
I mean just look at how cozy and elegant this place is. I went here with my boyfriend for our one year anniversary and it was a perfect place to celebrate. Their menu is seasonal, so it does change, but I would recommend to try their signature crostinis which are always available on their menu. On top of having a delicious meal, we also had excellent service. I would go back without hesitation.
signature crostinis and shrimp pasta
Next is Nico Osteria. Which is coincidentally a block or so from Fig and Olive. Both of these restaurants are within the high end shopping district, so the food is not the only temptation in the area.
Nico Osteria was this year's anniversary dinner (I think you can sense a theme for how we celebrate the years we've shared together). This place was specifically located within the Thompson Hotel and is known for their Italian food and seafood. To say we were impressed is an understatement.
We tried their cacio e pepe and pan seared gnocchi and we could not have ate it any quicker. We sat and tried to decide which we liked more and could not even come up with an answer. The meal ended on a sweet note, because of all food things in this world...I live for dessert.
The dessert we picked was the Cheesecake Semifreddo. This was a combination of apple cake, whiskey apples, honey, apple mousse, & salt and pepper almonds. JUST WOW. The term cheesecake was very misleading, but they led us down a delicious path that was excellent. We also tried a sweet cocktail which tasted like a better version of a dirty monkey that you would find at an all inclusive resort. Anyways, 20/10 for Nico Osteria.
The last restaurant I want to touch on is Girl and the Goat. How many times can you say you love a place, because I absolutely loved Girl and the Goat. This location is nowhere near Nico Osteria and Fig & Olive, but still brings an excellent atmosphere and remarkable food. It's tapas themed, so it is designed for you to get multiple small plates for sharing. I went with my boyfriend and we split the goat ricotta blintzes, seared scallops, and wood fired lamb ribs. They recommend up to 4-5 plates for two people, but you can add on food as you please throughout your meal so we started with three and it ended up being a perfect amount.
scallops, lamb, and goat ricotta blintzes
All in all it was simply amazing and I would live in their back room if I could. To those of you who made it this far, congrats I know this is already lengthy. I am going to lightly touch on some fun bars and then the best part... the sweets. If you are in the area of fig and olive and Nico Osteria, Luxbar and Maple and Ash are within the same area and provide excellent specialty drinks, good atmosphere, and a good vibe. These places are also worthy of dining at, I just personally haven't yet.
Bar Sienna and Rm Champagne are both located within a block of Girl and the Goat. I highly recommend checking out RM Champagne on a nice summer day where you can sit in their cute alleyway patio while drinking some of their signature frozé.
If you are thinking of going real fancy, I invite you to the thought of drinking 96 stories up overlooking all of Chicago in the Signature room. The signature room is located in the John Hancock tower, where you can dine in the clouds. I only went for drinks, but it was a great experience.
Finally, my favorite subject of the post, the sweets. For a quick pick me up, I recommend Sprinkles Cupcakes or Magnolias Bakery. They are on opposite ends from each other, so depending on what side of the bridge you are on could help determine which to try. Sprinkles also has their "attraction" of the cupcake ATM which saves you from the lines inside. Both very delicious, and I judge cupcakes quite seriously(like I said, I live for dessert).
My two top worthy dessert picks are BomboBar (connected to Bar Sienna) and the Public House (located next door to the Kinzie Hotel).
BomboBar is known for their bombolinis, which essentially are stuffed fried donuts filled with the flavor of your choice and their specialty hot chocolate. Both are tasty and fun to try. I tasted the s'mores bombolini and confetti hot chocolate.
The last place I am going to mention is Public House for their famous alcoholic cake shake. That's right people, dessert and booze all in one. They have a few classic flavors that stay consistent on their menu and also make one to match the time of year. For example, pumpkin pie in the fall and peppermint bark in the winter. I tried their.. wait for it.. funfetti cake shake. Are we surprised after my selection at BomboBar?
Oh, and did I mention its topped with an entire piece of cake? I recommend bringing a friend or four to take this down with you. Or not, no judgement here. Well guys, that's it for Chicago. I hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for more travel and their best eats. Until then.
xo H
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