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?

star city:

The Second City. Since the 1890s, when Chicago was awarded the dramatic pleasure of hosting the World's Fair, struggling to prove it's place in the world, the city has long been the red headed step child of New York City. Fret no more. We are on the Michelin 2011 map! The Michelin Guide's ratings for the most scrumptious worldwide restaurants were leaked a day early and awarded stars to twenty-three very well-deserving Chicago restaurants. Three stars were awarded to L20, which was recently added to my Yelp bookmark list after watching a rerun of Anthony Bourdain's visit to Chicago, and Alinea, the creation of culinary artist Grant Achatz.

Two Stars were awarded to: Avenues at the Peninsula Hotel Chicago, Charlie Trotter's and RIA at the Elysian Hotel.

One Star to: Blackbird, Boka, Bonsoiree, Crofton on Wells, Everest, Graham Elliot, Longman & Eagle, Naha, NoMI, Schwa, Seasons, Sepia, Sixteen, Spiaggia, Takashi, Topolobampo, Tru and Vie.

I have a lot to learn about this city, but if learning requires checking off my Michelin Guide to do list, I think that I'm going to be juuust fine. Two down, twenty one to go. First up on my to do list consists of the $58 4 course dinner at Bonsoiree, a comfort food brunch at Longman & Eagle and Sunday noodle specials at Takashi.

Cheers to the creative genius of Grant Achatz and Laurent Gras!

helloooo chicago:

I arrived in my new home on a beautiful August day and, in preparation for staying in everyday during the frigid winter, spent as much time possible enjoying activities outside the house. I started this blog to work alongside one of my dearest friends at In Love With San Diego and share what Chicago has to offer this San Diego transplant. Today is one of the first of many cold days, so I thought I would snuggle up with a cup of my favorite local Intelligentsia coffee and sum up the last few months! Rooftop views of the city, mass hot dog consumption, a concert at the Aragon, Vintage shops on Milwaukee, relaxing in Millenium Park and tennis with a view. So much more to come!