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.

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.