Doughnut Vault

Seriously the best donuts that I have ever had in my life. Best. If you don't feel like waiting in line, get there well before the 9:30am opening time on Saturday's or else you WILL wait in line.

You know I'm cute

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO

MCA First Fridays

Jeff Wall In front of a nightclub, 2006

Alexander Calder

Stan Shellabarger & Dutes Miller

Had lots of fun last Friday night at the Museum of Contemporary Art's First Fridays. Music by the former Das Racist, Himanshu Suri (Heems) and Ashok Kondabolu (Dapwell), and Chicago artists Traxman and Supreme Cuts. 

The event occurs every first Friday of every month (shocker) and all tickets include museum admission, artist projects, and live performance. Doors are open from 6 to 10 pm with a cash bar and food for purchase. Love this city!

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO

Noodle Time

I am a BIG soup fan. Surprised? For as much as I love eating big meals with lots of substance, there really is nothing that replaces the comfort of soup and noodles. I feel as though this applies to so many different cultures. You've got ramen, wonton soup, chicken noodle soup, matzah ball soup. See, we're all just the same =) and the list goes on and on. And it's getting cold out so what better time?

Recently I've paid visits to Oiistar, the Bucktown newbie, Cocoro Sushi, the loop spot frequented by Japanese businessmen, Arami, West Town's favorite sushi spot and last, but not least Michelin winner Takashi's Slurping Turtle, which started as a Sunday noodle dinner special at his restaurant Takashi and is now a full blown River North ramen hot spot.

Slurp up!

 

The interior at Oiistar

Katsu bun

The "Oiimen" ramen

The menu at Cocoro

Champon, a Nagasaki-region special seafood noodle

One of my besties from out of town enjoys Arami

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO

Halloween 2013

PUBLIC Chicago

To say that Chicago is full of so many amazing spaces with incredible design is truly an understatement. What does it even more for me though is the rich history behind these spaces. Case in point: The PUBLIC Hotel, formerly known as the historic Ambassador East Hotel. The hotel is one that celebrities of the past frequented, made a cameo in an Alfred Hitchcock movie and even referenced in a Frank Sinatra song.  Fast forward 70 some years and enter Ian Schrager, the king of the boutique hotel (Gramercy Park, Studio 54, Mondrian anyone?) who bought, renovated and reopened the swanky new spot. Easy. Peasy. The classic bones of the property, with the simple, but luxurious design, just really transformed it into a pretty damn cool place to hang out.

When the property re-opened in 2011 as the PUBLIC hotel, so did the restaurant the Pump Room, Pump Room Bar, and Hotel Coffee Bar/Library. According to a New York Times article, which references the days of the past, very well apply today:

“A lot of visiting celebrities liked to go there and the next day you would read about them in the gossip columns,” said Tim Samuelson, the City of Chicago’s cultural historian. “The Pump Room always had an edge of coolness to it.” 

I've been wanting to make it in forever, so I bought a Gilt City deal for $40, which covered $40 in food and two cocktails, and mosied my way over to the Gold Coast when my mom was in town. We enjoyed some delicious cocktails, dinner from a very simple, but well done menu, and of course topped it off with dessert. It definitely doesn't hurt that the menu was conceptualized by Mr. Jean-Georges Vongerichten himself. *Muah* Absolutely exceeded the $40 to use towards food, but the menu was definitely appropriately priced for what we ate.

A perfect spot for a girls night, date night or to host an event!

XOXO, IN LOVE WITH CHICAGO