Wanderlust Wednesday

One year ago I visited my favorite place in the world to date: Capri. There truly is something for everybody on the island, just off the coast of Naples. Luxury to bed and breakfast lodging, relaxing on the beach, high end shopping, amazing seafood, and even a bustling night life. Sean and I went to attend a wedding, but we had plenty of time to experience everything Capri has to offer. If I had to give one piece of advice it would be to all women: leave your heels at home-the cobblestone streets will kill you! I did wear heels a few of the nights but carried sandals in a stylish little sack. I cannot wait for my next trip to Capri!!

What we did during the day: Rented boats for an excursion all around the island, lounged after trekking our way to the Fontelina Beach Club, ate the freshest of the fresh at Fontelina Restaurant

What we did at night: Enjoyed some live music at Anema E Core, dined at the stunning STUNNING Da Paolino Lemon Trees Restaurant, enjoyed cocktails at Jacky, our hotel bar (term is used very loosely in this context), danced until an undisclosed hour at Bye Bye baby, attended a wedding at the breathtaking Il Riccio of the Capri Palace

Where we stayed: Capri Tiberio Palace. I believe I read the boutique hotel's style as "Mod Mediterranean" in a review and I just loved how the decor was not too beachy but rather chic.

How we got there: Chicago (ORD) flight -> Rome train -> Naples Ferry -> Capri

Getting around: lots of walking as many of the roads are too narrow and steep for cabs, cabs for main roads, cable car from the base of the island to the top

Juno

Some women like rich men, some are groupies, some are jersey chasers. I, however, consider myself a foodie groupie. I expected nothing less from Juno than perfection and not only did they deliver perfection, but BK Park took the time to chat with us and I had to contain myself from acting overly nerdy and excited. He gave us his business card to set up an Omakase reservation and I just told myself that we're the first he offered that to =) Back when he was at Arami he fed us one of the most delicious Omakase's ever and I was so excited to see his vision in his new restaurant, Juno. I swear that man could make dirt taste delicious. Anyway. Don't expect an Arami clone in this one. I do think that Juno is far more unique than Arami in it's food AND drink offerings. This was literally the first time I have eaten Chawanmushi, a traditional egg custard dish, outside my mothers house and I was pleased with the cold version of the dish. And the fish served was as fresh and as good as it gets. Our server/bartender served us some interesting tasting drinks and come to find out (after a few gratis shots) that his skills come from his Cicerone background.

Emailing BK as I speak.......

Chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard) as traditional as it can get

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO

Summertime BBQ

Pretty self explanatory. Rooftop & friends. And summertime, how I love summertime in this city.

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO

Mott St

Hellooooooo Mott St. I thought it was cute that Mott St., named after a street in New York, is indeed quite like a restaurant that you would see in New York. Small tables squished together, communal eating spaces, and of course, delicious. Ruxbin (see my old school post here), named one of the best new restaurants in America in 2011 by Bon Appetit, finally has expanded their family in Mott St. I actually went to the French/Vietnamese restaurant that Mott St. replaced and thank goodness they shut that old place down.

Mott St., unlike Ruxbin, is centered around Asian Street food, so more of a casual, hands-on, small plates experience, vs. a more intimate sit-down full-on entree experience. The tastes of Ruxbin are definitely apparent in the food but I thought everything at Mott St. was crazy spicy and crazy unique. The Korean exec chef Edward Kim, takes kimchi to the next level as it shows up in a large number of the dishes. Take the "stuffed cabbage" below, which took me by surprise as it came out looking like a lasagna dish. And the "egg drop soup", which we literally dropped the egg in to poach while we waited. I also noticed the mentaiko on the menu, which is roe of cod, and used in many Japanese dishes, so tons of other unique dishes to try in the future as well! We didn't get a chance to sit outside to have drinks, but also a super cute area to have drinks with friends.

We arrived around 6:30pm on a Friday and didn't have to wait, but if I had to guess since Mott St. has only been open for a month and a half, it's only a matter of time before it's right where Ruxbin is now in terms of at least an hour wait on any given weekend night. Yay to more Asian food in the city!

Kimchi and Oaxaca Spring Rolls  deep fried and served with chimichurri crème-fraiche

Everything Wings  crispy wings glazed with soy, jaggery and dried chilis, tossed with sesame, poppy seed, fried shallots and served with tzatziki

Oyster Mushrooms  pan seared and roasted with thyme and miso butter

Stuffed Cabbage  napa kimchi cabbage rolls stuffed with pork butt and sticky rice, pan seared and boiled in kimchi broth

Spicy Egg Drop  korean chili broth, chopped beef, snap peas and mussels

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO

Flashback Friday: Lolla

Lollapalooza starts today and I was just reminiscing on some memories from a few years back. 

Good times, good company. I'll cheers to that this Friday!

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO

West Loop/Town Neighborhood Roundup

A few new casual eateries in the neighborhood have opened up and I'm always happy to hear about the expansion of our neighborhood. And dessert. Always happy with dessert. Cone is an Irish-themed ice-cream shop on Madison & Shaman, a Mexican small plates BYOB, restaurant on Chicago Ave. 

Shaman is owned by Chilam Balam, who actually greeted us as soon as we walked in the door. Cute as a button. I vividly remembered the distinct taste of her tamale at Dose Market a few months ago and was just as satisfied with a full-on meal. She partners with local farmers, which are all listed on their website and the freshness of the food is Ah-Ma-Zing. And BYOB. Don't ever forget BYOB.

As for Cone, a friend and I were just strollin' along Madison and saw that every person walking by us had a cone of some colorful concoction and then we came across Cone. We both ordered a "soft serve",which as you can see from the photo below is nothing like the US version of it. The Cookie Monster ice cream is a blue-hued cookies and cream flavored treat and we brought it home for a little extra lovin'. Lots of flavors and lots of hot days left in summer to enjoy them! 

Chicken Sopes

Pork belly tacos

Mmmm mole

 

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO