local:

My friends know one thing about me and that one thing is that I. LOVE. MEAT. The beauty of the midwest is that so much food comes from right around the corner and I could not be happier about it. I screeched when my boyfriend's mother sent me home with two bags filled with local ground beef that came straight from a steer that she shared with a neighbor. I revel in all things local and my dinner last night was just that: Beef from Wisconsin, lettuce grown from a hydroponic garden that belongs to my boyfriend, enchilada sauce made by Chicago's own Rick Bayless and tortillas from El Milagro, a Chicago-based tortilla company. Bon Appetit!

steppin' to this:

Now I don't possess enough technical knowledge of theater and acting, so I won't even attempt to explain my cherry popping experience of theatre but in a simple way: AH-mazing. During the three and a half hour Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf play I most definitely cringed at the awkward moments and empathized with the sad ones. All I can say is kudos to the incredible actors who portray the story with such intensity and fervor. I am so lucky to live in a city that offers such awesome entertainment outlets. Bravissimo!

just breathe:

Is what I had to keep telling myself when I walked into the Luxury Garage sale this morning.

Hopes were low as the Cynthia Rowley Sample Sale earlier this week was more or less disappointing with prices that did not reflect standard sample sale standards. $150 for a $200 dress at a sample sale? No thank you. After the Steven Alan Sale that I attended a few weeks ago, where I purchased a blazer for $25, I have been determined to find other fun shopping events in Chicago. When I found information about the Luxury Garage Sale, the key words vintage, lavish and Chanel caught my eye, but by no means was I intending to see what was presented to me on the second floor of a Damen Ave. gallery: Louboutins, Fur coats, Jean Paul Gaultier, vintage Missoni, Alice+Olivia dresses and Chanel tweed suits. All priced to sell to your standard late 20s yuppie woman. I die, as RZ would say. Spoke briefly with one of the owners of the organization, who was ridiculously down to earth and sporting a fabulous tribal necklace and darling fur boots. She was very open about explaining how they started, which was basically by doing favors for their friends. If only my favors to friends came to fruition in the form of fabulous and timeless pieces that every girl would die for. My girlfriend walked away with a Burberry London Trench for $350 and a pair of J Brand Jeans for $20 and I only spent a total of $100 and came home with a pair of bellbottom jeans, a DVF blouse and a Vince silk blouse. Heaven in Chicago I tell ya.

ruxbin

So. Worth. The Wait. After the third attempt to get a table at ruxbin, without being slapped with an hour and a half wait, we finally got in. The bottles of wine were in my purse the first two times, but of course, the time that we did get a table, I left that sucker at home. God I love you my BYOB crazy city and promise I will be more diligent to take advantage of an $8.99 bottle of red that I stash in my purse. My yummy yummy meal consisted of Americanized Tonkatsu for an app and Hanger Steak with crispy Crispy Greens, and ohhh yeah, egg yolk makes everybody happy now doesn't it?

muffin top(s):

The great thing about moving to a new city is exploring it with visiting guests. I have attempted to save all touristy destinations just for these occasions. My dear friend told me that her and her hubby planned to visit over MLK weekend, and despite severe push backs from the boyfriend(who argued the weather would claim everything fun from us), they ended up coming and having a blast. Of course we did the typical Millennium Park, Art Institute hoopla, but the food was WHERE IT WAS at this weekend.


Bonsoiree. 'Nuff said. I couldn't bring myself to take pictures of the preceding six dishes as I was far too busy fantasizing about licking every drop of flavor off of each dish. Well, the restaurant was also very intimate, so I was a tad embarrassed to do so! My favorite dishes included an oil poached tako seaweed salad, porcini bisque topped with truffle oil and of course the 2"x2" square of pork belly. We also celebrated our mens' birthdays with a macha risotto, topped with banana bread (my man pushed half of his aside because he wanted it to be his very last bite of the seven courses) and sweet popcorn.


We went for the Pork Belly, but the Crab hot pot ended up being my favorite dish at MingHin's, a new spot, in China town. Pretty fancy decor for a China Town spot, I must say. Silly me, let me zoom out so the steam doesn't mess up my photo.


And what tour guide doesn't take their guests to Hot Doug's? We waited in the rain and arrived at 3:30. I prayed to the encased meat gods that they wouldn't close the doors on us by the time we made it to the front, but we weaseled our way in right at 4:00pm. I was rewarded for waiting with a Pork Creole sausage with Olive Pate and Swiss Cheese (cheese fries and muffin top not pictured).


Order your pizza ahead when you make your resos. They don't have a website, so make sure to visit Urban Spoon to find the PDF version of their menu. They'll have it ready when you arrive!


Quick beer from the vast selection of microbrews at Simone's in Pilsen.

Come visit me anytime, I have plenty of spots left in my tourist pipeline to go.

howlin' for 2011:

Okay, so we may be 21 days into January, and obviously I am a little late wishing everybody a Happy New Year. But hey, I have seen several, still lit, Christmas trees displayed in windows all over the city. I have to say I don't feel too badly wishing everybody a belated Happy New Year at this point.

Traditional Japanese dinner, Toshikoshi soba, symbolizing longevity with their long noodles. Swarovski crystal chopsticks from Tokyu Hands in Tokyo.

We celebrated NYE by ringing in the new year with the Black Keys at the Aragon Ballroom!
I was eyein' these babies from the moment we walked in.




The countdown begins.....three...

...two....

....one!! Happy New Year Chicago!


Cheers to a full year of exploring amazing food, people, music and culture in Chicago!

pickles and ornaments

The Christmas Markets are a tradition that originated in Germany, but have spread to other parts of the world. In Germany, attendees top 2 million, and date back to the 15th century.

I had the pleasure of attending Chicago's very own Christmas Market, located on Daley Plaza on Washington between Clark and Dearborn, which runs from November 24th to Christmas Eve. Potato Pancakes with sour cream and applesauce, fried donuts, and who can forget the meat...sausage!! I loved the exhibits of darling hand made gifts ranging from customized beer steins to wooden gifts for children; although who are we kidding, what child asks for building blocks when Santa might bring a PS3 instead?


My favorite part of the market was looking at the ornaments, not only because they were housed inside warm bungalows on a wet 10 degrees day, but for the stories each ornament represents to each and every family. Like the ninja ornament. Or how about the good ol' story about the pickle? The parents hide a pickle, the child who finds it receives an extra gift from St. Nick. Um, can't say I've ever played that game. What's your family's holiday tradition?