One of my Favorite Things

"Cake and Shake" dessert at mk restaurant in Chicago, on Franklin.  It's a mini vanilla malt and three layer piece of chocolate cake with buttercream frosting.  

Last seen: January 21st, on its way down into my stomach.  Thanks Stacy for joining me!

Go there.  Sit in the bar area if you don't want to commit to a reservation.  Lots of street parking on Franklin, can't go wrong with anything on the dessert menu.  Or the regular menu, for that matter.

Fresh Corn Salad with Lime and Nectarines

This was one of those recipes that I attempted to throw together based on the memory of a salad I had long ago, at a party catered by A Movable Feast in Geneva.  It was fresh corn, diced cantaloupe (in theirs), basil I think and lots of fresh lime juice.  The combination of flavors at the height of summer was over the top with deliciousness.

Our salad last night easily rivaled it, enough so that I wanted to share.  You can add or subtract ingredients based on what you have on hand and what is ripe.  Here's what we used:

-4 ears of sweet corn, cooked but still crunchy, cut off the cob

-2 ripe nectarines, chopped small (I also had a ripe apricot that I threw in there, yum)

-1 red bell pepper, chopped small

-about 8 basil leaves, chiffonaded, more or less to taste

-salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

-the juice of one lime, or two if you want a stronger flavor, taste it before adding more

-a handful of feta cheese, to taste

-you could also add a splash of fruity olive oil, although I did not  

This would be the perfect dish to bring to a 4th of July barbecue, just about everything can be bought at Saturday's farmer's market, and it'll stand at room temperature really well.  Hope you enjoy!

A Ridiculously Amazing Weekend

I am hesitant to even talk about the pure bliss that we were able to experience last weekend, mostly for free, due to the generosity of one of the vendors Scott uses for his work.  They put us (and 250 of their other favorite independent financial advisors) up at the Peninsula Hotel for two nights.    

This was the same firm that I had worked for, years ago, as an inside wholesaler.  I was so young and obnoxious, full of blond, bubble-headed giddiness, that it made me slightly reticent to show my face as Scott's "guest."  Thankfully, everyone I ran into was nothing but gracious, and that made me realize how awesome those early years out of school really were, for many reasons.

The pool area on the 20th floor is one of the best spots in the city to nap, read a magazine, zone out, whatever.  Incredible views!

Friday morning Scott had meetings from 8:00am-2:15pm, so after joining him just for kicks for the first hour, I took the opportunity to spend time with a friend I don't see enough of, starting with a great breakfast at Pierrot Gourmet in the bottom of the hotel.  Besides the unparalleled lattes, it is a wonderful spot to pretend that you are in Paris, lolling the day away on their sidewalk cafe, chic black sunglasses come in handy.  I didn't have any, so they didn't let us sit outside.

Just kidding.  It's also a good stop for a bowl of homemade soup and good bread in the winter, really warm and cozy.  The almond croissant I tried left much to be desired, so I'd save your food calories for something else.  Or walk to Fox and Obel and get one of theirs instead.

One of the highlights of our time there was Scott's midday text to me, "I am eating lunch 8 feet from Tom Hanks.  Come to the lobby."

He took this grainy picture with his phone, under the guise of checking email, and caught poor Mr. Hanks eating something that looks delicious.  Steven Spielberg was sitting next to him, curly grey hair, wire rim glasses and a fedora on his head.  We thought they were in town to do publicity for the Larry Crowne release that weekend.

But perhaps my favorite moment of the weekend was walking to a spur of the moment dinner at Frontera Grill, just me and my best friend, a gorgeous night downtown in my favorite city.

Thanks for letting me be your "guest," honey.

The Chicago French Market!

So I was crazy enough yesterday to pack the kids into two separate strollers, transfer all their kid-crap into a backpack that felt like it weighed 40 lbs, (why is their stuff so heavy?!  I swear, the diaper bag weighs more then Charlotte and I don't know why) and jump on the 9:54 am train to Chicago in search of the supposedly fantastic indoor french market.

Thank goodness for Grandma.  My mom had the foresight to pull a brand-spanking-new Superman Comic book out of her purse for Sam to read five times in a row (out loud) on the train in.  He was enthralled.

Charlotte charmed everyone around us with continual "Hi's!" that sounded like a tiny kitten mewing over and over again.  She loved sitting like a big girl in the seat next to me, spilling crumbs from some contraband cheese-it's all over the chair, anything to keep her happy.

We pulled into Ogilvie train station and walked immediately down the steps that are out by the train tracks.  The Chicago French Market entrance is right off that main lobby there, along with the welcome addition of a great Lavazza coffee cafe.

There are about 30 vendors, each and every one legitimate in what they do.  An awesome artisanal cheese maker, several bakeries and patisseries, four large local produce stands with great looking fruits and veggies, a fishmonger with the biggest shrimp I'd ever seen, octopus and smelt, and best of all, the smell of freshly cut Belgian "chips" being fried to order.

They had something like 15 different dipping sauces for the fries.  Awesome.

Highlights included the fantastic sandwich made by Fumare Meats (their hot daily special, something like turkey, pastrami, provolone, dijon mustard and mayo on a challah bun, grilled until oozing and amazing); the eclair from Delightful Pastries; the rainbow of French macarons at Vanille Patisserie; the peanut butter chocolate chip bar, filled with raspberry jam; the croissants, also at Vanille; and the fries.

All in all, it was perfect.  We arrived at about 11am, and had time to wander through the nearly empty market and buy our lunch before the noon crowd rolled in.  Suddenly there were lines everywhere, people waiting for sandwiches and pasta/crepes/japanese noodles/juice made to order, with no tables or places to sit to be found.  I was glad that they were doing well, and SO jealous that this market didn't exist when we lived directly across the street on Canal, years ago.

My advice to you?  Go!  And as soon as possible.  Look for the free 30 minute parking on Canal Street, or take the train into Ogilvie.  Get there well before noon.  Keep your three year olds locked in their strollers, inhibiting the grabbing of pastries and knocking down of flower displays.  Definitely wait the four minutes for a "grande" order of Belgian fries.  Look for Fumare Meats and buy the hot sandwich of the day.  Before you leave, order a caramel latte from Lavazza coffee to enjoy on the train ride home.

And, finally, DON'T, under ANY circumstances, forget to grab your precious bag full of french macarons and a peanut butter raspberry jam chocolate chip bar and chocolate croissants and leftover sandwich, leaving it under your seat on the train.

The engine pulled away and I stared after it dejectedly, as my three year old cried and wanted to know where his "me-coons" were.

I hope somebody at least got to enjoy them.

Kicking off Christmas-Our First Family Vacation

Last weekend the four of us spent the night at the fabulous Trump Hotel downtown Chicago.  A few months ago I was filled with the desire to carve out a little time for our immediate family to be alone, just us, and see alittle of the city at the same time.  The internet was helpful in finding a dirt cheap rate on one night, and we figured out ahead of time where we wanted to park, and eat (always of utmost importance to me).

Timing things around the kid's naps was tricky, but the memories and time away were so worth the effort it took to pack and get there.  We left our house in the late morning and stopped first at the Macy's (it physically hurts me to say the store's name, I am still bitter about the Marshall Field's sell out) on State to shop for an ornament to help represent 2010.  No luck, even after scouring seven floors.  We did get to visit the three story Christmas tree in the Walnut Room, where I reminisced about eating pancakes with my cousins year after year until we got too old to want to crawl out of bed at 5 am to be the first ones in line for breakfast on a cold Saturday morning.

 Next was lunch at Rick Bayless's Frontera Fresco, also on the Seventh Floor of Macy's.  We got there right before the lunch rush, and only had to wait in line 10 minutes.  You pay at the cash register and stand there with your tray, watching the line cooks prepare your food.  The prices are unbeatable, $7 for two pulled pork tacos with pickled onion, fresh house made cheese and avocado, $4 for chips and fresh guac, a whole line of freshly squeezed sparkling juices (raspberry prickly pear, mango lime) and a mind boggling $3.50 for a VAT sized bowl of tortilla soup, $2 extra for chicken in it.  My favorite thing however was the corn and chevre tamale.  So so good.  I think all four of us ate to the gut-busting level for $32.  Not bad for Frontera Grill food.

 After lunch it was nearing Charlotte's naptime, so we drove a few blocks north and checked into our hotel room.  I was stunned to see the size of our room, truly one of the biggest I've ever seen in the city.  It even had it's own kitchenette, complete with silverware, cups, fridge and dishwasher.  Over the top.

We called down to request a pack and play, and within 5 minutes there was a knock on the door.  The guy brought up a beautiful wooden crib, filled with a mini terry cloth bathrobe, mini slippers, rubber ducks and bath toys, baby toiletries AND a diaper genie.  Seriously.  This hotel is so kid friendly, I'd almost leave my children there.

Charlotte fed and rolled around in her crib for an hour while I played in the gorgeous bathroom.  Scott took Sam down to the 14th floor to explore the pool and the $15,000 Kohler Shower in the lockeroom.  Not even kidding, it had somewhere around 10 spigots, changing colored lights and music.  It kept Sam busy for 45 minutes, chasing balls around in there and playing with the bath products.  They came upstairs and he fell sound asleep for an hour.

  Dinner was next.  Call us crazy, but we brought the kids to Ovengrinder's, notorious for no reservations, multiple hour waits, zero room for strollers and cash only.  But the food!!  The food!  We went early, around 4:45, and had no wait.  Scott found street parking, Charlotte's car seat propped up in the booth and Sam was happy to cozy up next to me in the corner, playing with my phone.  He ate the black olives off the salad, that was it.  Charlotte ate everything.  I think she liked it, judging by her smile, don't you think?

 After dinner, originally we were going to walk over to Zoo Lights at Lincoln Park Zoo.  However, the 10 degree temps and tired kids led us to decide otherwise.  We drove by it, sighed at how cool it looked and pulled up in front of Fox and Obel where I ran in to buy cookies, chocolate Oberweis milk bottles and gummy bears for our movie.  Santa had delivered a wrapped copy of Toy Story 3 to our hotel room for Sam, it was all he wanted to do/see after he opened it.  "Sam, do you want to go swimming?"  "No, can I watch Toy Story 3?"  "Sam, let's go to the zoo and see the animals!"  "Can we go back to our sleepover room and watch Toy Story 3?"  Remind me next time to not let him open something until right before he can enjoy it.  Stupid.

We got back to the hotel around 6:30 pm, ready to get cozy, and found these trays of hand crafted treats for the kids.  Are you kidding me?  Is that Sam's name scripted in chocolate??  Who are these people?  It was the cutest thing ever, I think I took more pictures of these bedtime treats then I did of our family.  So impressive and fun.

Tub time next, and after putting Charlotte down in her crib, where she peered at us through the slats for 90 minutes, we all cuddled up into one of the queen sized, incredibly cozy, covered-in-inches-of-down beds, surrounded ourselves with gummy's and cookies, and watched the movie.  Looking around at my little family, at Sam's rosy hot cheeks and the look of utter contentment on Scott's face, I felt happier then I think I've ever felt, aside from my wedding day and the births of our two children.  Such joy, to have it be just us, something we've never experienced before.  Lights out at 9:15pm and all's well.

Until 1:15 am when I awoke with a start and couldn't for the life of me fall back asleep.  Why is that?  Is it because you're in an unfamiliar place?  My children were sound asleep, the bed was comfy, I had no good reason.  Oh well, I laid there until 6 am when I couldn't take it anymore and whispered to Scott that it was my turn to enjoy the $15,000 Kohler Shower.  

60 minutes of pure joy, I think that was the most pampered I've ever felt in my life.  Aloe face mask on in the steam room?  Check.  Wash it off in the shower?  Check.  Hang out in the sauna?  Check.  Lovely exfoliating body scrub in the shower?  Check.  Little wooden bowl of extravagant body butter to smear on last?  Check.  And it was all "free!"  Well, included in the cost of the room at least.  People, you need to go to this hotel, Orbitz, Priceline, however you do it, GO THERE.

Kids were up when I got back so we dressed and headed out to breakfast at our favorite spot again, Fox and Obel.  We always make a point to stroll by their famous meat section, one of the few places in town that the retail person can buy prime, dry aged beef.  The butcher had a sense of humor today, someone took the time to sculpt a pig's head out of their house made sausage.  Ha. ha.  French toast, caramel lattes, double baked almond croissants and whoops, my pants suddenly felt tight and it was only 8:45 a.m.

Sam and I headed out into the cold, quiet city that Saturday morning, looking for something to do while Charlotte took her morning nap in the room, Scott reading the Wall Street Journal beside her.  Not much is open before 9 am in the Loop on a Saturday.  Borders was open though, and after a six block freezing walk where my 36 lb. toddler made me carry him most of the way (helping to burn off a croissant, hopefully), we holed up on the 2nd floor in the Children's section, reading books, playing with toys, and chasing each other through the empty store.

We waved at the Channel 7 News anchormen and women on the way back, one of the cameramen turned around and pointed to the ground where Sam had lost his mitten.  Maybe that's why my poor kid was so cold.  Oh well, he survived.

We packed it up, said goodbye to all the doormen who called to us by name and begged Sam for high fives, chose an ugly, bright green glass ornament with Donald Trump's name all over it to remember the trip by and headed home.

I told Charlotte not to get used to the high life, but she didn't listen to me.

Gibson's at Oakbrook

If you are looking to celebrate something or need a spot to meet friends for a great meal and drinks, check out the new Gibson's Steakhouse that opened a few months ago very near to The Oakbrook Mall.

It's literally next to the McDonald's, off Spring Road, adjacent to the mall. There's an amazing one story stone waterfall on the patio that covers the sound of passing cars and blocks the view of the road. Three sets of cozy couches surround modern glass fireplaces as you walk up to the patio, perfect for hanging with friends over pomegrante martinis and a plate of $12 beef filet "sliders" on buttered brioche rolls, accompanied by salty, thin french fries.

I won't lie, most of the menu ain't cheap, but there's a hefty selection (far heftier then the Chicago location) of entrees that include sides and are priced under $20.

We went to celebrate Scott's 35th birthday and our awesome waiter trotted out this massive piece of carrot cake, on the house. That alone was worth the trip, and ended up feeding 9 people later that night.

Tap House Grill in Glen Ellyn

Scott and I recently discovered this awesome little gem and have been four times in the last two months. I figured it was time to write about it. It is our favorite spot for a quiet date night together, and the menu is chock full delicious, well made, bar food.
Each month they run a drink, appetizer and meal special for an ungodly cheap price. The Berry Cosmo was last month's drink and it was delicious.

Don't be scared off as you enter in off Main Street, the first room is a dark bar with high tops. Check in with the hostess at the back of that area and keep walking back...further back...to the large, warmly lit room with booths. If you are really in the know, you'll as for a table out on the patio, under the massive flowering tree with twinkly lights in it. Can't beat the atmosphere on a warm summer's night.

Items that we've loved off their menu: Meatball panini
Mini bbq pork sliders
Mini kobe beef burger sliders
THE PORK NACHOS. Oh. My. Goodness.
Tater tots, tater tots, tater tots! Don't bother with the fries, they're pretty pedestrian
The warm chocolate cake is to die for, surprisingly.
The apple flatbread
And the carrot cake. You won't want to share any of that frosting but you should

Next on my list to try: the Homemade Kit Kat (homemade chocolate mousse layered with peanut butter wafer cookies)
The Adobo Chicken wrap with TOTS

Have a I sold you? Go enjoy a date with your someone for about $35- two meals and two drinks. Save room for dessert and ask early about the Kit Kat, they sell out quickly.

What I've Been Doing Lately

Watching a lot of Sesame Street, baking, and eating. Like this towering piece of carrot cake from Gibson's Steakhouse a couple weeks ago. The thing was seriously 9 inches tall.

And no, I did not eat it all by myself.

Who needs Krispy Kremes?

For the past two years, I have been mourning the loss of our local Krispy Kreme Donuts shop. Where's a girl to go for her hot, freshly made donut fix? You know, where your tongue tastes the remnants of the oil for the rest of the day?

Then, this morning, walking to the market with Scott and Sam, I smelled it. My pregnant nose picked up the scent of hot, sweet oil frying SOMETHING four blocks away. Something familiar. And friends, I have urgent, need-to-know information for you who live in and around my town.

There are three guys making donuts from scratch at the French Market this morning. First time ever. They bought the machine back in June and have been developing their recipe and techniques ever since, this week was the trial run. Unfortunately they haven't quite worked out the logistics yet, no on had thought to get change when the first lady handed them a $20 bill.

They looked at each other and said, "Wait, how are we going to do this?" One guy ran down to the Great Harvest Bread stand and came back with a stack of singles, luckily. The chocolate frosting wasn't melted enough to use yet, but none of that mattered in light of the sublime TASTE of freshly made donut about slide down my throat.
Friends, the smell alone is enough to draw you in. I'm assuming they'll be back next week, offering donuts by the dozen, half dozen and singles. We bought half a dozen for $4 and I'm afraid I'm going to eat them all myself. They dissolve away in your mouth, so so good.

A Place Where You Should Go...in Naples, FL

The second-to-last night of our two week vacation with family down in Naples, FL, Scott and I visited a magical little restaurant called Baleen's, in the La Playa Hotel.  We didn't feel up to ponying up for dinner, so our plan was to just have drinks and dessert and watch the sunset.

It was breathtakingly gorgeous and these sad little pictures I snapped with my phone don't near do it justice.
Every night when the sun goes down, they ring the big brass bell up on the porch and everyone claps.  The waiters light torches and heat lamps that lurk everywhere and the firepit is going to keep you cozy by the ocean, the sound of the waves in your ears.  
It was so fun to bury our toes in the sand, watch the sun slip into the Gulf and sip on pomegranate martinis as we fought over the last bite of homemade bananas foster ice cream over a moist dark chocolate cake, sitting on a bed of caramelized bananas, "Monkey in the Middle."  Scott had the White Chocolate Key Lime Tart, but I like mine better.  Good thing for him.

I highly recommend seeking out this spot if you're in the area, but prepare yourself for mediocre service if you sit in the bar section, as we did.  With only one waitress working the entire area it took an hour and half for us to order and receive one round of drinks and dessert. Worth it though...the drinks ended up being free.  Whoo hooo!

The perfect end to a wonderful vacation.

More Pictures from Morro Bay, CA

Incredible homemade ice cream at Hoppe's, a gem of a restaurant right on the ocean in Cayucos, CA.  Amy, Garett her husband and I had a wonderful meal my last day there.  What fun memories!  
The hot and sour soup Garett made on Valentine's day, I can still taste the ginger in that...awesome.
Amy on a walk down Morro Bay Beach.
Lunch at Rosie's, with sea lions swimming in the water down at our feet.  Great fish tacos and ohmygosh garlic fries.  Ohhhh.  Amy, Garett, their adorable son Wyatt (who is Sam's pen-pal, he just doesn't know it yet) and her dad, John.
Elephant seals sunning themselves, mating, and generally being huge and (the males at least) gross along Highway 1.
Morro Bay Rock.  Nothing like it.
Chefs in the kitchen on Valentine's Day.  Thanks again sweet friends!

Happy 16th Birthday Soph!

I've been meaning to post these forever, but am only now getting around to it.  As if you need to look at food after the past two days...

My favorite dessert in the world, mk's "Cake and Shake."  Three tiny layers (literally, it's about four bites) of moist rich chocolate cake sandwiched between three different types of chocolate frosting.  Served with a mini vanilla malt on the side.

This was called "Banana" and was a delicious bread pudding with homemade ice cream.  Good, but not as good as mine.  :)  
Happy Birthday dearie, hope you had as much fun as I did on our city day!

A Delicious Taste of Paris at the French Market

I bit into a pain au chocolat at the French Market on Saturday and was completely transported back to the streets of Paris.  This croissant was The. Same.  Just as good as anything we'd ever had in France, and loads better then any others here in the States.  Flakey, buttery layers that dissolve on your tongue and a fascinating chocolate "goo" in the inside that you just can't get enough of.
Ironically enough, it's one of the cheaper treats at the market, made by french nuns (not even kidding) at a bakery out of Elmhurst, I believe.  Only $2.35 for this baby.  Stop by their booth in the southern row of the French Market some Saturday morning and treat yourself to a taste of heaven.  

A Dream Night in the City

So how lucky were WE back in June when my husband's boss and friend asked us to join he and his wife for pizza, fireworks and a ride down the Chicago River on a private yacht back in June.  I can't believe it's taken me this long to write about it, because it ended up being one of the highlights of our summer.

It was the perfect night: cool and crisp, not a cloud in the sky.  I don't even think we hit traffic driving downtown, magical from the start.

It was a really fun group, three couples in all, dressed warmly in fleeces against the breeze from the lake.  This boat even came with it's own friendly captain, Dan.
For me, the ultimate highlight of the evening was when one of my husband's customers asked, "What's for dessert?"  None of us had thought to bring anything, but LUCKILY we just HAPPENED to be a few blocks from the most fabulous place in town for brownies, tarts, cookies, cakes and more...Fox and Obel.
I offered (of COURSE) to hop out (well, scramble up a wooden wall, totally undignified-like, was more like it...good thing I wore jeans) while they docked the boat illegally at Dick's Last Resort and waited for me to come back with a variety of desserts.  Scott's cash was burning a hole in my pocket and I literally had an adrenaline rush going as I surveyed the plethora of treats sitting in front of me at that amazing grocery store.  
We cruised up and down the river, gazing at the beautifully lit buildings.  I felt like a rock star, perched on the bow of the boat, watching the city slowly float by.

We ended the evening out on the lake, anchored for a perfect view of the skyline and then the fireworks that are shot off at Navy Pier every Wednesday and Saturday nights in the summertime.  

What a night.

The Reel Club

So last night I had the best meal I've eaten in months.  Four girlfriends (hi Patty!!) and I met up at a relatively new LEYE restaurant that opened in Oakbrook, right below Wildfire.

Reel Club calls itself a "steak and seafood concept place", and executes it well.  The waiter waved "red" King Crab legs in front of our faces that were longer then my own, with a good pound of meat hanging off each end.  Slightly disconcerting, if not delicious.  We were started off with complementary dishes of hot, cheesy popovers sprinkled with sea salt and fresh pepper.  Looking back, ONE of those would have been a wise and mature decision, not the THREE I inhaled over the course of the meal.  So good.  And free!  

Their signature drink is a $9 hibiscus martini, strong but delicious, as well as a ton of smartly priced wine options, the most fun being wine flights that range from $12-$14 for three, 3 oz. glasses.  

The menu has a wide range of options, most of us went for salads and sandwiches.  The fish sandwich, seen above, was to die for.  Flaky, fresh cod in a hot and crispy beer batter, accompanied by sweet pickles, a tangy lemon tarter sauce and homemade grilled brioche bun, had every detail done well.  Other items that went off well were the breaded scallops (the appetizer portion was plenty as an entree), fried calamari, clam chowder, and two salads.  I will say, the fries were different, more like crisp chips then soft french fries.  My two buddies enjoyed them, I would have opted for perhaps the truffled mac and cheese had I known.  And brought it home to Scott.  Maybe.  Ahem.

Dessert may have been the best part.  They make all their ice creams and sorbets in house and BOY, you could tell.  We tried the Taffy Apple, green apple sorbet perched on a bed of creamy, salty caramel ice cream with a homemade caramel sauce poured on top.  Phenomenal, refreshing and the perfect end to the meal.

Another nice touch was the "Just a Bite" option for a recession-friendly $1.  The waiter brought out little mounds of chocolate mousse on spoons, the offering changes nightly.

All in all I can't wait to go back.  The quiet, cool interior was well suited for a group that wanted to talk, and the quality of the food and service makes it a nice addition to Oak Brook Mall.