A Weekend in Chicago Pt 2

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 

A Weekend in Chicago pt.1

Taken at Eataly Chicago

Hey everyone! Today's post is dedicated to the beautiful city of Chicago. This city always feels like home every time I visit. Though I don't live there, I invest a lot of time researching some of the best spots for when I visit. I also have some great resources from people who live there (shout out to Juan and Taylor).

Alright, so lets dive in. First and foremost, this city is a foodie's heaven. I am going to divide this topic into two different posts: breakfast/brunch and lunch spots being the first. Then stayed tuned next week for dinner, drinks, and fun treat spots.

seen above: Chilaquiles from Cindy's Rooftop and an old fashioned pistachio donut from Stans's

For breakfast some of my top sit down choices are Cindy's Rooftop, Beatrix, Bistronomic and Hutch.  As for a quick breakfast on the go, I recommend Stan's Donuts or Firecakes donuts.

Each had a great atmosphere, lots of options, and very tasty food, but my personal favorite was Cindy's rooftop. Their chilaquiles and hummingbird pecan glazed coffee cake was out of this world. Not to mention it has a great view of Millennium park and the lakefront.  I also recommend making reservations for this place due to its popularity and location within the Athletic Association Hotel.

View from the inside and rooftop view of Cindy's 

Moving on to lunch. Some of my favorite sit downs are the Hampton Social, The Copper Fox, Howels and Hoods, Eataly and the 3 Arts Café at Restoration Hardware.

picture taken at Hampton Social

Starting with the Hampton Social, located in River North, this place is a girl's dream.  It really does look like a little piece of the Hampton's was picked up and placed in Chicago. I would honestly say most people's main attraction to this nautical masterpiece is the rosé all day sign. What makes people keep coming back? The tasty specialty drinks, delicious food, and awesome atmosphere. It's the perfect place for a fun lunch spot in the summer. 

Howels and Hood has amazing burgers and is located right next to the Chicago River. It is the perfect place to catch a patio lunch in the spring and summer, but also was just as enjoyable while sitting inside in the colder months. 

The Copper Fox is another restaurant with a cute little outdoor patio, as well as an aesthetic inside that quite possibly has one of the best fried chicken sandwiches I've ever tried. Seriously, my sister and I raved about this sandwich for months after eating.

Moving on to my favorite, due to the amazing food and outstanding atmosphere, is 3 Arts Restoration Hardware.  Let me start off by saying this place is beautiful. The appeal is that as you wait for your table to be ready you get to browse multiple floors filled with gorgeous furniture while sipping on some wine. As if that isn't good enough, their food is just like their atmosphere: excellent. I highly recommend their lobster roll and shaved ribeye sandwich.  Expect to spend at least two hours here for the whole experience, but I promise it is well worth it.

Lastly, my staple of every Chicago trip is Eataly. This place is filled with every Italian food you can imagine. From pasta to pizza, gelato to a cannoli, and wine of every form, it truly has it all. They have multiple stations throughout to try a little of everything. The best part is that it is also a store where you can buy from a wide selection of drinks, cookware, treats, and food.

That's all from this portion of Chicago. Hope you all enjoyed and stay tuned for the next half!

xo H