(I’m sorry, there is just no other term strong enough to describe the following!)
The famous chopped salad from Wildfire:
The famous cinnamon roll from Ann Sather:
…oozing with warm icing:
Frites and egg at the Publican:
…and their snap pea salad:
And this was just a small portion of my Wednesday through Sunday last week!
Chicago sure has been spoiling me on the food front. So much de-lish, so little time…
Rules:
1.) Get all your errands and “important” done in the morning.
2.) Get showered and dressed for the day by noon.
3.) Wear comfortable shoes.
4.) Leave your house and get on some sort of public transportation
5.) Plan on getting home at…???
Yep, that’s how you must do it. And you don’t even have to bring a ton of money either!
Last weekend a friend and I met up for free wine tasting. Wandered out of the building and into a guy who had some beer mugs, asked him where he got them and in a flash, we turned, walked up the street 4 blocks and voila! Maifest Chicago:
Singing, dancing, packed house and Mmm…pretzels and Hofbrau Haus beer. Prost!
It took me back to that summer in Germany when I was 15. That’s when nomad and adventurer Diane was born.
The marathoning of festivals and events continued as we walked and walked in the sunshine, hopped on a bus, got rained on a bit, walked some more, more wine tasting and then met up with some other friends at Big Star:
Yes, this is a veggie tostada, but I totally ate a pork taco, so broke my vegetarianism. The food at this place is smack yo mamma good, so when I saw the words “cilantro” and “grilled pineapple” in the description after the “marinated pork”, I had to. Oh was it so worth it. The vibe at this honkey-tonk-ish, tatted up joint was perfect, the place was slam-packed and people watching was a blast.
After Big Star we headed to Ukrainian where there was yet another festival. I went to bed so happy and exhausted that night I slept like a baby.
Yikes! It’s past the noon hour and I have a Saturday worth of festivals and friends to meet, so I’m off…
Can you tell I’m having a blast in Festival City, USA for a few months of good weather?
I was in produce heaven at Stanley’s this weekend. This place is the mecca for cheap, fresh fruits and veggies in Chicago:
There was a guy making fresh sweet potato chips, they’ve got a dairy section, nuts, a meat deli counter and more. Fantastic. Last night for dinner? I sliced some crispy cukes, made yummy bruschetta with the heirloom tomatoes I picked up, and whipped up some corn succotash too.
I love summer and all the fresh foods that come along with it.
A friend called last minute on Friday, was in town for work for the day, and said he wanted pizza. Of course! I’m in Chicago, so deep dish was a must.
We met at Gino’s East of course:
We had quite the lunch experience. First lets start with my pizza; Deep dish cheese with tomatoes. My own perfect little pie:
Perfect thick crust:
…and oh that cheese:
You all know me by now. You know I am a foodie, and that I think there is nothing more important than time with people you love, feasting and laughing. I’ve lunched with this particular friend bunches of times over the past 14 years, but this particular time was one of my all-time favorites because our waiter added the perfect entertainment value. He was sweet, polite, thorough and just an all around happy chatty guy. Meet Demi:
Demi is from Bulgaria. We chatted about his time in Chicago, how much he loved his job and the people he works with at Gino’s. When I asked him if I could take a picture of him, he replied “Only if you are with me!”
I often wish when I write, you all could’ve been there, because words on a computer screen can’t capture moments as well as if you were in person when scenes unfold. After we paid our bill, Demi cooly breezed by our table out of nowhere, dropped a bag in front of me with an enormous cookie in it and simply said “It’s sweet, it’s fresh, and it’s gonna send you to sugar heaven” with his fantastic accent as he waved and went back to work.
We all rolled with laughter, and left stuffed and smiling. A delicious lunch with friends and a quote I’m sure we will use for lots of years to come.
Thanks Demi, you totally made our day. How did you know I love hot, fresh chocolate chip cookies anyway?
Yesterdays brunch was at Nookies Too in Lincoln Park. I confess, this was my 3rd visit. Last time I was at Nookies it was my 31st birthday and that’s where I chose to have breakfast complete with a friend and mimosas. All three times I have been I’ve gotten the same thing; Crunchy French Toast:
My sister and I have even stolen the concept and made this at home, except I use Frosted Flakes instead of regular corn flakes. You can use Captain Crunch too- just crush it up and roll the egg soaked bread…voila! A sweet treat for a funky brunch.
I feasted yesterday and couldn’t resist taking lots of photos to capture in full the golden brown, crunchy, sweet, perfection:
What did I do after I finished on this sunny Sunday after my food coma set in? I walked it off course! About 10 miles to be exact; All through Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Roscoe Village and more. Nothing like a feast and earning it.
Stay tuned for next weeks brunch post #3…
How was brunch on Sunday? In a word: holyfreakingindulgentanddelicious. (Did you get that?) Ok, so that’s more than one word, but I had to blend them all together in attempt to describe the level of pancake euphoria my friend and I experienced at Bongo Room in Wicker Park the other day. I’m still floating with memories the warm white chocolate sauce on one of our stacks:
I’d been to Bongo room nearly 10 years ago and fell in love then. I’ve dreamt of the Oreo pancakes with vanilla sauce I scarfed down so long ago since that long ago visit. This time around when I saw some menu changes and no Oreo stack of any kind offered, surprisingly I wasn’t disappointed. How could I be with all offered on this springs menu?
This Sundays visit I was with a new friend, fellow foodie, and Bongo Room first-timer. Even though this was our first meal together, as soon as we looked at the menu, we looked at each other and yes, we would be ordering 2 things and splitting of course. The best friends are made over sharing food after all! We were on this same drooling page for sure. In addition to our choice of the White Chocolate & 4 Berry Flapjacks (graham cracker crusted flapjacks topped with warm white chocolate cream cheese sauce, four berry coulis & fresh berries) we chose the Banana Heath Bar Pancakes (banana pancaked with heath bat chips, topped with warm toffee-butter cream & fresh bananas.) Here’s what our stacks looked like before we started our feast:
Did I mentioned I had saved my appetite for 14 hours at this point? Yep, I was starving and ready to do some damage. If you know me, you know I don’t leave a bite on a plate of goodness. Well kids, you heard if here first; I just couldn’t finish. Neither of us could. Even starting with the most empty stomachs possible, the famous Bongo Room breakfast plates got the best of us. I still think we did some good damage though:
What a perfect mess we made. I’m proud of our accomplishment. This meal was like running a marathon; you work really hard, give it everything you have, it all seems a bit painful halfway through, near the finish line you think you could die, but after you’re done you’re so satisfied with good pain, feel pride like you have never felt before, and think: “I did it! I did it!”
I can’t wait to “run” my next marathon at Bongo Room. Until then, I will actually be running around my neighborhood so I can still fit into my jeans. Good thing the doctor called last week and told me my good cholesterol numbers were higher than she’d ever seen.
Man I could go for some pancakes right now…
Yes please.
The only good excuse for eating that giant white bread.
Mmmm…lunch in the northeast at old-school Mom and Pop joints.
…continued…
I arrived to table #18 full of welcoming strangers and attentive staff immediately at our service pouring bubbly for everyone. (You know how much I love bubbly, so I was in heaven.)
Our dinner feast started with soup; Roasted butternut squash bisque with cre’me fraiche:
Then salad. Butter lettuce; lolla rosa, radicchio, port wine poached pear, crumbled gorgonzola, candied walnuts, citrus vinaigrette:
For palate cleansing; Blood orange sorbet:
Between servings, beautiful bride Ginny perused the crowd and greeted the guests:
I will say here again, that she looked like the perfect bride. Of course her hair, jewelry, dress and all were gorgeous, but I really think it was the genuinely sweet and happy way Ginny had about her that made her look so perfect on her most important day. She was the vision of what all little girls dream about.
While Ginny made her way through the crowd, there was lots of dancing going on:
…and of course more eating:
I chose the entree of sauteed filet of beef; Duck fat fried potato dice, creamed salsify, roquefort red wine sauce. I nearly licked the plate. I still wonder how the Rittenhouse could possibly execute 200-plus plates of entrees, all piping hot at the same time. It was as good as if I were dining at a small exclusive restaurant with the chef cooking 10 feet away.
Just as I thought it couldn’t get any better, dessert arrived and cake. (I mean seriously, I was like in food coma, euphoria at this point it was all so incredible.) Dessert trio; Chocolate pate’, cre’me brule’e, coconut ice cream:
Those sweet treats stood no chance with me as I gobbled up everything. Thankfully we all burned off some calories by boogie-oogie-oogie-in to the fabulous band. I just love a wedding where the dance floor stays packed. The band at this one played from the moment we entered the room, through dinner and even extended their playing time beyond what was originally scheduled. Talk about perfectly executed! Eat, speech, dance, eat, chat, dance, eat, drink, speech, toast, dance, chat some more, dance some more, and eat some more.
As I thought the night was wrapping up, and that we could not have had any more fun, or eaten anything else, the groom announced the party was moving into another area down the hall. We had to laugh when he noted that there would be a Philly cheesesteak bar waiting for us:
We had barely finished dessert! Then again, who am I to stop eating when I was in Philadelphia and there was a dish of liquid cheese waiting to be drizzled over meats and veggies? I think I counted 3 mini cheesesteak I consumed in the 2 hours we were at the after party. We all had plenty of cocktails, stuffed ourselves silly and I’m sure looked like long lost friends after partaking in 12-plus hours of wedding festivities together. My friend Jocelyn (who was the reason I was at the wedding- a friend of bride Ginny for years) joked that I was like the roaming gnome from those travel commercials. The one that pops up in random places like photos of families on vacation. Maybe it was because by the end of the night I exclaimed; “Ginny! We have got to get a photo of you and I for Blue Lollipop Road!”…so we snapped this funny one:
As the full day of celebration was coming to a close and the Rittenhouse staff was cleaning up the cheesesteak bar, our table looked like a war zone:
I don’t know if groom Chris will remember this until he reads it here, but see that plate in the right corner? Those were Jocelyn’s leftovers that Chris snuck a few bites from as we were all gathered around the table starting to say our goodbye’s. I can’t paint the scene any better than to say what he asked me, was like when the record stops and the whole party’s eyes are on 1 person. (Remember, I had still not met this man but had been “crashing” his wedding all day and night.) Chris picked up the fork, leaned over the plate, took a bite, looked up at me and said: “Who are you?”
And scene.
Laughter erupted and there you have the perfect punchline that actually happened during the last moments of the wedding I crashed. It was a riot. That scene will no doubt go down in Blue Lollipop Road history.
Ginny and Chris~
As a perfect stranger coming in to your world, I appreciate your openness and generosity. Throughout the day it was easy to see why so many people came from far and wide to celebrate with you. Your love for each other was a treat to watch and something remarkable. I have no doubt that you will grow even happier together in the coming years.
Here’s to new beginnings, and new unexpected friends. Thank you so very much for inviting me to share your special day!