Anteprima

Monday night my parents took me and my sister to Anteprima in the Andersonville neighborhood for a joint birthday dinner.  My sisters birthday is July 28 and my birthday is July 30, so July 29 naturally seemed like the reasonable day to celebrate together.

I found out about this restaurant because it was recently written up on Chicago Eater's Eater 38 list for July. We wanted something more north because we were meeting my dad in the middle, so it seemed like a good fit. And let me tell you, good choice it was. The menu has more traditional dishes, but also interesting combinations, such as citrus and olive ravioli. The service was phenomenal too. We had a really knowledgeable waiter who was very patient with our many questions about the menu and wines. Also, as Chicago Eater says, "they have an adorable back patio" that makes "this Andersonville spot one of the best Italian joints in the city." Although I love any restaurant with a good outdoor area, those that have their outdoor area in a backyard are particularly high on my list. I was so sad that it was winter in July here so we sat inside.

If you have  way to get to Andersonville, or are exploring up there, I'd definitely recommend popping into this place for a late lunch or dinner. Although the ambiance at this restaurant is fine, when I think of Italian I think of romantic restaurant. If this place wanted to give off that vibe, it needs to work on their lights and the number of candles they have at each table.

Tre Soldi

Last week my dear friend Laura took me and our friend Marin for an early birthday dinner at Tre Soldi, which just opened in late June. Marin and I share the same birthday, so this has become a fun tradition of celebrating together!

Tre Soldi was opened by the same man that owns Coco Pazzo and Coco Pazzo Cafe, which is just down the street in Streeterville. Coco Pazzo Cafe has long been one of my favorite restaurants in the city, so I was excited to check out their new concept. The idea of this place was to focus on Trattoria and Roman-inspired cuisine, such as pizzas and homemade pastas. They have an extensive cocktail and wine list, with over 20 wines by the glass.

They have perfected making this an easy place to come too. The vibe is not as upscale as Coco Pazzo or Coco Pazzo Cafe, but is still a very nice restaurant...cloth napkins and all. Although this place had a lot of older people, who were probably Coco Pazzo loyalists, I think this restaurant will appeal to the younger, after-work crowd. The food was absolutely amazing, and the prices are reasonable. This is also a place that is very easy to share dishes. The artichoke pizza we had was to die for.

Overall, we had a great experience here, and I would highly recommend coming to this place. This restaurant is versatile and could provide a good experience for an after work meet-up with the girls, or a date night on the weekend. You won't be disappointed.

Pump Room

This past Saturday my boyfriend took me to Pump Room for an early birthday dinner. We originally had reservations at Beatrix but last minute decided we didn't want to go downtown, and were able to snag a reservation at Pump Room. This place is three blocks from my apartment, and I walk by it almost nightly on my way home from work, wondering when I'll get to go. So glad the day finally came.

You walk in and immediately feel like you're somewhere cool. The ambiance is chic, with amazing light fixtures and to-die-for gold walls. There is a great cocktail area with loungers and group seating, and the more formal dining area. There are so many things to choose from on the menu starting with market table, whole wheat flatbreads, appetizers, homemade pastas, entrees, and sides. We had a late lunch on Saturday, so decided to share everything and got the heirloom tomato toast with basil (which was my favorite thing we ordered), black truffle and fontina cheese pizza, bowtie pasta with veal meatballs and smoked tomato sauce, and of course, a birthday dessert.  We did order one thing we could have done without, which was the roasted sweet corn with chili, lime and pecorino. Besides that, the food was absolutely phenomenal. They get everything locally, either at farmers markets or sourced from bordering states. And the pastas are homemade...enough said.

Also, the service at this place was phenomenal. The waiters were attentive without being annoying, and also gave really good suggestions as to what to order. They made me feel really special by writing Happy Birthday in chocolate on my dessert plate! Whether you live here or are coming in from out of town, or whether you want a full dinner or just cocktails at the bar, you MUST come to this place.

Belly Q

Last week my sister and I went to Belly Q, which is an Asian barbeque restaurant on restaurant row. This place was opened by the same group that owns Urban Belly and Belly Shack. This has been one of the places that has been top of my list for quite some time, so I was glad to finally go.

This restaurant has great ambiance and service - we truly were so impressed with our waitress. The food was so good but we were disappointed in the short ribs - they weren't as fall off the bone as we'd thought they'd be. You absolutely have to get one of the pancakes here, and I wish we'd tried a tofu pot. My favorite thing though was the desserts. I ordered the peanut butter and jelly dessert, which was coconut frozen yogurt with peanut butter and jelly, and peanut butter coated cookie clusters. Yum. The menu is fun because you can order several of the small plates and share an entree and be plenty full. I was not impressed by the cocktails. They sounded good in theory, but were way too sugary.

Overall, I would highly recommend coming to this place. The food was good, the ambiance was great, and I was very impressed by the service.

American Junkie

Last night I went to American Junkie with a girlfriend for an after work bite. This place is a chain started in California and they opened a location in River North. They are most well known for their retractable roof and having the largest TV in the midwest. So clearly a sports watchers paradise.

American Junkie was pretty much what I expected - very loud and more of a bar scene with lots of action. There was a musician playing that was so loud we literally had to ask if her amp could be turned down, we were those people. They do have an extensive food menu (printed with very cute fonts), mostly sandwiches and heavier items. My favorite thing we ordered were the pretzels with cheese, yum.

Overall, if you're short on time and are picking and choosing where to go, I don't think this place is a must. But if you want a place that will please both the guys and the gals, or there is a big sports game on, this is your best bet.

Bastille Day: French in Des Moines

This past weekend I was in Des Moines, and what better way to celebrate Bastille Day than with a visit to The Cheese Shop and La Mie. These are two places I've wanted to try forever.

The Cheese Shop offers over 100 artisan and farmhouse cheeses, and also has a cheese tasting bar, craft beers and wine, and cured meats. This made for a mighty tasty lunch. We couldn't hold back on ordering so got a charcuterie plate, cheese plate and a cheese souffle. Everything was absolutely delightful and coming here was such a fun way to spend an hour or two.

After stuffing ourselves at The Cheese Shop, we walked next door to La Mie, which is a well known bakery in Des Moines. Everything looked so delicious and fresh, but I had one things on my mind: French Maracons. This is my absolute favorite treat, and the lavendar with white chocolate blew me out of the water!

Although Des Moines is a small city, they do have some killer food. And now as I close my computer, I am realizing the weekend is officially over...ugh, sigh.

Plum Market

Plum Market just opened on Wells Street in the Old Town neighborhood. And let me tell you, I've never had more fun grocery shopping - this place is heaven on earth for grocery shopping. All of the staff are so nice and helpful. You feel like you've walked into a Whole Foods when coming into this place, but the prices are slightly more competitive - still expensive though. The whole store is very clean and sleek, taking a modern edge to grocery shopping.

I was extremely impressed by everything. The produce was fresh and you won't have to sort through a million pieces to find the one good apple. There were also samples of fruit - I don't know anyone who hasn't tried a grape or strawberries before, but a yummy snack as you walk around! They also have a great selection of meats and seafood and I've heard the quality is high. You can buy kabobs, a variety of sausages, and seasoned patties. And on the other side of the store there is the deli, cheese, bakery, prepared foods and salad bar. This is the place to come if you want to bring fresh bread or desserts to a dinner party, or specialty donuts home for breakfast. They actually have Glazed and Infused donuts - which I definitely purchase and sat outside on their patio to eat. And for the desserts, among other things, they have at least ten different kinds of french macarons. The salad bar and prepared meals will not disappoint - everything looks fresh and creative, and the selection is huge. There is also a section with flowers and cards. The flowers were beautiful and there was someone there to help you package them up nicely.

And for one of the most important parts about the store, there is a great wine selection and prices are incredibly reasonable. You can find tons of bottles under the 10 dollar mark, and bottles that are more expensive elsewhere are less expensive here. And for those of you that like the cheap stuff, they do have five dollar bottles.

Lastly, in the front of the store there is an Intelligentsia, a wine bar, and a frozen yogurt station. This creates a very social atmosphere to the store, and also allows for indoor and patio seating to enjoy your goodies. 

Overall, I highly recommend coming to this place if you don't mind spending a bit more to have an enjoyable shopping experience with high quality foods.

Fourth of July Treats

I had this entire past week off from work for the 4th of July and had a blast up at my family's summer house in Green Lake, Wisconsin. My cousin has the best view for the fireworks, so she invited us all over to her place. We were in charge of dessert and much to Pinterests credit, we brought some tasty and festive treats.

The first was an ice cream sandwich with red, white and blue sprinkles. These could not have been easier and took maybe five minutes to put together. The key with these was letting the ice cream get soft on the car ride home so the sprinkles stuck. And how cute is the result?

The second dessert was inspired by my sisters homemade strawberry jam, as one of the batches was more syrupy than the others. We baked dark chocolate brownies, poured some strawberry jam on top, then put fresh cut strawberries and blueberries, topped with whipped cream. These were such a treat and a huge hit. We did a few samples of layering to figure out how to make them look best, and I would definitely recommend putting any type of syrup on the bottom. Also, as you can see, since you're layering, I highly recommend separating out portions before putting everything in the cup - going back is much harder!

And how gorgeous is this view? So lucky to have such perfect weather the whole week!