Mar 10, 2011
royal wedding
I know that this has NOTHING to do with Chicago.....However, I just got a sneak peek at Alexander McQueen's Fall/Winter line and I am officially in lala land far far away from Chicago. Sarah Burton, the new creative director, who is rumored to be the designer that will create Ms. Kate Middleton's wedding gown, has really put in some fantastic work with the feminine, but standard McQueen avant garde aesthetic. British Vogue editor-in-chief, Alexandra Shulman, has formally recommended the house of McQueen to Ms. Middleton. The British are stickin' together for this wedding! Is it April 29th yet?
Feb 20, 2011
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!
Feb 12, 2011
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.
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.
Jan 27, 2011
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?
Jan 22, 2011
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.
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. Jan 21, 2011
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!
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