Summer Balcony

This summer I wanted to decorate my balcony so it felt like an extension of my living space. I purchased an outdoor rug, Sunbrella cushions for my existing patio set, and a planter with some flowers. I have the most phenomenal unobstructed view of Lake Michigan and North Avenue Beach (although it looks like a black abyss in this picture), so it'll be fun to enjoy this space with one too many glasses of wine.

Green Lake: Memorial Day

To kick off summer, my family went up to our lake house in Green Lake, Wisconsin. I was bummed at first because the weather forecast was a bit colder, however the rain held off so we had fun doing activities we normally wouldn't. I discovered mushroom hunting and the frisbee golf course, there was lots of playing frisbee with Travi, fishing with Jeff off our dock, and Jeff was introduced by my little cousins to the game sardines.

Jeff has a love of mushroom hunting, so we went on a search for morels. These are so hard to find, and therefore very valuable and pricey. We ended up finding a jackpot and brought home about 70 morels over the course of two days. 

Overall such a fun weekend...and I've learned I can enjoy Green Lake when the weather is a little colder, too!

Geja's Cafe

Last week I went to Geja's Cafe with a girlfriend. This fondue restaurant is in the Lincoln Park neighborhood and has been around for over 50 years. If you live in Chicago and haven't been here, you must go. It is known as a romantic place, so much so that they have a tab on their website for engagements. The restaurant is on the basement level of a building and the lighting is so dark that most servers carry mini flashlights with them. You will never leave this restaurant feeling hungry. When ordering a premiere dinner, you get a salad, meat and vegetables fondue with eight dipping sauces, dessert fondue and the most delicious coffee.

They also have a good pre-dinner bar that seats only about six people, but has the most amazing cheese and crackers. And the bartender is training to be a sommelier, so it was fun to chat with him about wines and hear his recommendations.

Also, they have amazing events and specials, so I highly recommend getting on their email list.

RL Restaurant

Tonight I went to RL with my little cousin and sister. RL is the restaurant connected to the Ralph Lauren store, and is a Chicago staple for a classic meal. Both the menu and the ambiance are very rich. The waiters are dressed to the nines and everything feels very formal. The decor has a stylish old club feel without being stuffy. I would love to mimic their use of leather, oriental rugs, dark paint colors, and all of the art on the walls. I was trying to be healthy so ordered the salmon, but if you come here I would recommend getting one of the more decadent items...the fish was pretty boring. The asparagus soup with creme fraiche made up for the boring entree though.

And after dinner we had to stop across the street for some Forever Yogurt. Yum! This kid is always making silly faces...

The Boarding House

Last weekend my family went to The Boarding House to celebrate both my mom's birthday and Mother's Day. I have been wanting to go to this place since it opened, and we made the reservation a while back, so this was a long time coming.

The Boarding House was opened last December by Alpana Singh, who is a Master Sommelier, therefore a wine expert. She was also host of Check, Please! for nine seasons. My parents love that show, so I thought this would be the perfect way to celebrate my mom. The restaurant has a wine bar on the first floor, a private event space (for up to 100 people!) on the second floor, dining on the third floor and the cellar on the basement level, which is more for the late night crowd. Both the wine bar and the dining level have the most amazing lighting fixtures made out of almost 10,000 wine glass or 10,000 wine bottles. There are also huge windows in the dining room, which makes the space feel very grand. The service and food was phenomenal, although the menu is very sophisticated so I wouldn't recommend bringing a picky eater here. This restaurant is also expensive and the bottles of wine start at sixty bucks a pop, so be prepared to spend some money.

Although this place got off to a rough start with mixed reviews, the change in chefs must have done something for them, because I would highly recommend coming here!

Homeslice

Last night I went to Homeslice for dinner, which is in the heart of Lincoln Park. This place opened recently and is clearly doing well because during the dinner rush there wasn't a seat open, and it stayed pretty packed until we left around 10pm. As for decor, there is no other place like this in the city. The guys who opened Homeslice wanted a log cabin feel to reflect their roots in Oregon. The walls are made out of logs and the tables are slices of a tree. The bathroom walls and floors are completely covered in pennies. This place also has perfect appeal for both ladies and gents. You could either grab pizza and craft beer with the guys while watching a game on one of their two huge tv's, or you could get a cocktail for the ladies and enjoy the ambiance. They have perfected the ambiance, making it clear that this is not just another sports bar. And whoever is selecting the music is doing a phenomenal job - we had so much fun that we didn't want to leave, and posted up at the bar for an after dinner cocktail. To make me love this place even more, they have copper cups and serve moscow mules.

As for the food, the breadsticks were amazing. They were cooked one or two minutes short so were nice and doughy, and they also have a whole wheat option (which we ordered). There are about 20+ varieties of artisan pizza to choose from, so you won't be disappointed. I can't wait to eat my leftovers today!

Convito Cafe & Market

Last night I met up with my grandparents for a family dinner at Convito Cafe & Market (formerly Convito Italiano) in Plaza del Lago in Wilmette. This is my absolute favorite restaurant on the North Shore. They opened in 1980, and have moved several locations since so they can grow with their expanding customer base.

My favorite dish is the penne rigate with four cheese sauce, which is a cream sauce with peas, prosciutto, and sauteed mushrooms. They make a killer cream sauce, and you can't go wrong with any of their desserts. They also have a food and wine market, which is fabulous for picking up hostess gifts or some food to bring to a party. During the summer there is outdoor seating, which is especially fun since the restaurant is across from the beach.

Going Back to Cali

This past weekend was my five year reunion at Scripps College. My girlfriends and I decided to go back to campus and celebrate together. And now begins my weekend in pictures.

My dear friend Laura and I both live in Chicago so we flew together.

Laura and I spent Thursday night at her aunt and uncles house before the rest of our crew got to town on Friday. Laura's aunt and uncle live only a short distance from our campus and became my second family during college. This weekend they spoiled us rotten and gave us their fancy convertible, set us up to sleep in their RV (which is in the backyard), and took us to In n Out. The combination of all of these things made it a wonderful first night in California!

On Friday we met up with our best girlfriends at Patty's, which was THE burrito place in Claremont. I think the colleges have kept this place alive.

After lunch we went to campus to explore. The pool is like a resort and I could spend the rest of my days walking around that campus. 

After exploring the campus we went to a Friday night wine tasting that the college hosted. The wines were from vineyards of Claremont College families. They also gave us these adorable wine glasses.

After the wine tasting, we went into town for a cocktail and dinner. We went to Casa 425 for a cocktail and they have a fabulous outdoor space with lights wrapped around the trees - I was in heaven. 

Saturday Laura and I started the day with a 5k. This was my first organized race and Laura was such a goody buddy to go along with me.

After the race, we went to meet up with the rest of the girls and spent the day lounging by the hotel pool, and on campus having lunch, walking through the dorms, buying Scripps gear, getting 21 Choices frozen yogurt (which is a Claremont favorite), and having a champagne toast.

Sadly Sunday came around and it was time to go  home. We were sent off with a mariachi brunch, as it was Cinco de Mayo. 

As always, it is very hard to say good bye to these dear friends. So thankful that I met all of them in college.