Mother's Day

After calling my own lovely mama on Mother's Day, I spent the day with Sean’s mother for some Dose Market and dinner time fun. The Dose market is a year-round food, fashion and tsoktske-filled good time at the River East Art Center, just east of Navy Pier. I went once last year, but this time around the vendors were all new, which made for a completely different experience. And the people are always good looking at these things, so that makes it real easy to enjoy yourself. I preordered our tickets for only $8 a pop and that even came with a free pickle back shot. Well you had your choice of bottled water or whiskey.  So you know.

As for dinner, this was my first time at Green Zebra, James Beard winner Shawn McClain’s vegetarian eatery in West Town. Yeah I said it, vegetarian. The word makes me shutter, but after my first bite I stopped caring that meat wasn’t incorporated in the meal.  Although I did order the Carbonara that came with Shiitake “bacon”.  Satisfied with the substitution. We also ordered an incredibly rich Hen of The Woods Mushroom Pâté with Vidalia onion marmalade, Grilled Werp Farm Baby Lettuce with a ‘perfect’ farm egg, crispy potato tot, Roasted Sweet Potato Crepes with Saigon cinnamon, seared Halloumi, parsley and brown butter and some Foraged Maitake Mushrooms, housemade kimchi .  No rabbit food here!

 XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO

Warby Parker

I've been out of town all week for work and was so happy to come home to this package! 

New spectacles! 

Warby Parker is my new favorite company. Started by a few smarty pants Wharton graduates, Warby Parker delivers a great product at a low price and even has a "buy a pair, give a pair" program. For every pair of Warby Parker glasses that are purchased, a pair is distributed to someone in need. They skip over the middlemen that typically make glasses so expensive and are able to pass on the savings to their customers. The glasses even are made from an Italian supplier and made in the Chinese factories where most other glasses are made. I do have to say that there isn't much anti-glare in the lenses, but in my 20 years of wearing glasses, I would say that's par for the course.

And $95!! Ok, I actually bought mine for $120, because I had to get special super-blind person lenses, but was able to redeem a $5 coupon that I got from Apartment Number 9, where I was able to physically try on all the styles in one of ten showrooms across the country. 

Another reason to love the Chicago shopping experience. Check out the screen shots from their website for a little more info about the company.

 XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO

Antique-ing Part 1: Lincoln Antique Mall

I 'm a sucker for a good deal.

  

And the greater Chicago area is home to many of the best and largest antique markets; so I continue to luck out in my quests for unique things to do in the city. My mother heard of this fact and when she was in town made it a priority for me to take her to each of the top places in the city. So we started at the Lincoln Antique Mall. 

The Lincoln Antique Mall is nestled into a pretty random neighborhood in Irving Park, pretty standard Chicago practice, and also is Chicago native, Nate Berkus', fave antique spot in the city. Chicago Home Magazine and Architectural Digest have also given their stamps of approval. I'll take that. They house their goodies in a 7000 square foot store, so if you're into this kind of thing, I would be shocked if you left empty handed. And they proclaim their prices are the best in the city, so what more can you really ask for?

If you're not in the neighborhood or looking for something specific, check out their website, which actually has a huge variety of items listed for sale. French-style furniture, yes! WWII Gas mask, why not? 

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO

Grant-ed!

Alinea.

Year after year Alinea continues to earn the world's top restaurant industry honors. Restaurant wizard Grant Achatz has breezed his way to the top of tons of lists including being the only restaurant in Chicago with 3 Michelin Stars, #7 on last years' San Pellegrino top 50 Restaurants in the World and even Bon Appetit named it one of the 20 most important restaurants in America. And James Beard awards. Lots of those. Best Chef: Great Lakes, Outstanding Chef, his cookbook won for Cooking from a Professional Point of View and Outstanding Service awards. I mean really the list going on and on. And onnnnnn.

As for our experience, I wanted to do something special for Sean for his 30th birthday in January (#superlatepost) so I started planning a few months in advance as a meal like this requires. January tickets, yep I said tickets, went for sale the first week of November, so I anxiously set a reminder in my phone, logged onto their ticketing website and purchased two tickets for the first week of January. Cost of the ticket includes the service charge, so if you decide to not add the wine tasting or a glass of wine during dinner, then you are all in at the time you book your tickets. Alinea also has a facebook page where they sell last minute tickets, so that's also an option if booking in advance is not a possibility for some folks. And if throwing down a ton of cash, last minute is your style, then lucky you!

I think I will let the photos speak for themselves here, but to sum it up Alinea, the experience, is the adult version of Disney World. The restaurant is undetectable from the street and as you walk in to the door of a house, that pretty much looks like a regular brownstone residence, you would have no idea what you were getting into. Because we went right after the holidays the hallway was piled up with multiple Christmas trees. I was confused as I stepped over them thinking I literally walked into an apartment that was occupied by lazy 20 somethings. Silly me. As soon as we walked in we were greeted with hot chocolate, while exposed to the kitchen, which was wide open for us to gawk at. We walked upstairs to our seats when all the fun began. The presentation for each dish was so unique and even breath taking at times using ice, fire, foam, straws, balloons. Good ol' Molecular gastronomy.

If you look at the menu below you'll see LAMB...........????????..........!!!!!!!!!!! Mind you we were given the menus after the meal, so we had no idea what to expect. So this special dish was lamb served with 86 different ingredients. I mean my mind was blown. BLOWN.

It was a simply amazing experience that I hope every food lover can enjoy some day. So come visit Chicago!

 

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO