Lula Cafe

Earlier this week I went to Lula Cafe with my sister. This place is impossible to get into on a weekend so I was pleased to get a weekday reservation. Although this place has quite the reputation, it looks like a small neighborhood restaurant when first walking up, and you can tell it's been several storefronts combined into one. The inside is very cozy though, and almost has a homey feeling.

The food was phenomenal and I had the best pasta of my life, literally. I had never heard of bucatini, which is a thick spaghetti like pasta with a hole through the center of the noodle. The dish was called Pasta YiaYia and had bucatini with feta, brown butter and cinnamon. Those do not sounds like the usual suspects for a dinner pasta dish, but it was so amazing that I've been dreaming about it.

I did some googling, and found an adapted recipe. I am going to have to try to make this. Soon. Definitely come to this restaurant and order this dish, even if sharing with the table, it's a must.

¾ lb. bucatini
6 tablespoons butter
1 head garlic, each clove sliced very thinly crosswise (slices will be petal-shaped)
4-6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
½ teaspoon cinnamon (Café Lula uses Moroccan cinnamon, I only had regular cinnamon)

Boil pasta in salted water until al dente.
While pasta is cooking, heat butter over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Just as the butter turns to turn golden-brown, add the garlic slices. Continue to cook the garlic and the butter until the butter is browned and the garlic turns dark golden-brown and crispy. Remove from heat. Do not overcook the garlic or it will taste bitter.
With a slotted spoon, remove the garlic slices and set aside.
Drain the pasta and add to the butter.
Add the cinnamon to the noodles. Stir until noodles are coated with butter and cinnamon.
Plate the pasta on individual plates.
Divide the feta and the garlic slices evenly between the plates.
Sprinkle with additional cinnamon, if desired.

Guildhall

Last week I met up with a friend at Guildhall in Glencoe, which is a suburb on the north shore of Chicago. Although this place is in the burbs, its gotten some press and is clearly a hot place to be. You walk in and feel like you're in a restaurant that should be in the city. The crowd is very well dressed...I wanted every outfit that each woman was wearing.

The experience was great right off the bat. The ambiance is casual but chic, with the lighting set just right. Our server was so nice and split our shared meal onto two plates without us even asking. The food was very fresh and the prices are reasonable. You could easily order a burger and cocktail for under twenty five bucks, or splurge for a more pricey item. I also appreciated that we did not feel rushed through the restaurant. The staff was attentive, yet let us relax and enjoy our meal over the course of a couple of hours.

This restaurant was a fabulous experience with great food, and its worth it to come up to the northern suburbs for a day trip, and to dine at this restaurant.

GT Fish and Oyster

GT Fish and Oyster has been on my list of places to go forever, and I finally got to go last Wednesday. When you walk in, you feel like it's modern meets the cool neutrals of Nantucket, with a little bit of the darker RL feel because of the light fixtures. As their website says, "the restaurant will provide guests with the feeling that they've just stepped onto an elegant stateroom, while conveying the casual, relaxed atmosphere of the deck of a boat."

This place is a seafood restaurant in the heart of River North, that was opened in March of 2011. They have a michelin star and the chef was rated one of the Best New Chefs by Food and Wine magazine. The concept of GT Fish and Oyster focuses on small plates, which as you know, is my favorite style of eating because you get to try a lot of different things. My family ordered a combined eight small plates, which were all great...but if you go the Baja shrimp bruschetta, fish tacos and lobster mac and cheese are musts. They have an expansive cocktail and wine list, and a renowned mixologist on board. Be aware going into this place that you're going to have a hefty bill. The small plates are the prices of entrees at most restaurants, so it adds up quickly.

I highly recommend coming here to those living in Chicago...and if you're coming in for a visit from out of town, it should be top of your list.

Green Lake Girls Weekend

Last weekend a few of my girlfriends came up to my summer house in Green Lake, WI. We had an absolute blast going to the flea market and brunch, drinking margaritas and eating vodka gummy bears on the dock, playing corn hole at the local restaurant, and grilling out followed by a night of board games. We got so lucky with absolutely perfect weather. See below for a few pics from the weekend.

Beatrix

Today my mom and her boss/dear friend took me to lunch at Beatrix. As I am starting a new job in Lake Bluff, I am trying to check places off my list before the days of long commutes begin. And this place has been on my list of hot new places to try, and recently made Chicago Eater's Heatmap.

Beatrix is a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant with a unique twist, as they are open all day with a coffee bar, breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night drinks. The space is adjacent to the lobby of the Aloft Hotel in River North, and the decorating is very eclectic.  This place must be doing well because it was absolutely packed past the lunch hour on a weekday. The vibe right when you walk in is great - they have fun light hearted music playing and the staff was very friendly.

There is a very limited menu, but everything on it looked and was great. Because of the limited menu, I wouldn't recommend coming here for a huge meal...save this place for lunch or after drink cocktails. They could use some help with their service...although the staff was very nice our waitress wasn't on top of her game. She spilled coffee and then forgot to bring napkins to wipe it up, and it took way to long to get our glass of wine. Maybe a sign that we shouldn't have been ordering wine at lunch?

RM Champagne

This past Tuesday two of my girlfriends took me to RM Champagne for my birthday. This place is just off restaurant row on Green Street...more specifically, the entrance is in a cobblestone alley tucked behind Randolph Street. And there is hardly a sign, so sneaky. Think of  an interior courtyard that's inside one square block of buildings, and that's where the restaurant is.

This place is such a gem. You feel like you've escaped the city when you come here. They have an amazing outdoor space that is completely removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, including traffic. The cocktail menu is to die for because there are so many options for craft cocktails. The menu looks like a bingo sheet, in which there are three drink options for each kind of liquor, with the most expensive including champagne.

You should be aware though that the food menu is very limited, so I wouldn't recommend coming here when you're super hungry. That being said, we ordered some great nibbles...a four cheese flatbread, quinoa salad, and baked macaroni and cheese.

Overall, I highly recommend coming to this place. The ambiance and cocktails can't be beat, and if you want to grab a larger meal beforehand, there are plenty of restaurants a stones throw away.