Frank Lloyd Wright lived in Chicago for a large portion of his life. Last weekend, we toured his home and studio in Oak Park. In a great piece of fortune, the tour landed on the absolute best day of the year so far. The weather was beautiful and spring was sprung (unlike this weekend where we are back to cold/rainy weather). We met up with some friends and took the home and studio tour and then walked around the neighborhood to look at some of his other houses in the area. Here are a few pictures:

Next to the house, FLW built a studio which served as his professional office where he saw clients as well as drafted plans.

The walk around the neighborhood was so nice. The flowers were blooming and the sky was cloudless.

We had a great afternoon of drinks and food on the patio of a restaurant and then at another friends house in Oak Park. I just wish the weather this weekend was going to be as nice

My best friend Elena, of 18 (!!) years got married last weekend. It was such a great weekend of friends, fun, and sun. I arrived in Sarasota on Wednesday along with the bride and groom and Elena’s other bestie Angela. We immediately went poolside and spent the next day sitting on the beach and of course eating amazing Yugoslavian food made by Elena’s mom.

We also got to meet and spend time with some of Elena’s relatives from Macedonia (but now live in New Zealand).

More people arrived Thursday and Friday and of course we spent more time at the pool and beach!

Friday evening there was a get together at a salsa club in St. Armands Circle. We met up with some friends for a quick dinner before meeting the happy couple!

Before the wedding on Saturday Hillary, Elena and I got to spend some quality time walking on the beach.

We tried to take a picture with a timer but I ended up falling! We spent some more time on the beach and buried Gabe in the sand, its kind of a tradition

After the beach, Elena and I got our hair done, got dressed, and headed back to the beach for the ceremony! Here are a few pics of my high school besties and the bride and groom (the next three pics were taken by Kara Petraglia):

The bride and groom:

The ceremony was beautiful. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather!

The hand binding ceremony

Signing the marriage license

The reception was at a really cool wine bar in Sarasota called Michael’s on East. It was a great site for an intimate reception but still had room for us to dance it up!

The food was served as three buffets with each one based on the bride and groom’s travels; Cuba, Thailand, and Egypt. I tried EVERY SINGLE ITEM they served:

The picture doesn’t do the food justice. It was really amazing! I couldn’t even pick a favorite until…

this chocolate peanut butter cake was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. LOVE!

We had a really great night of dancing and limbo

Of course the limbo happened

It was a really wonderful trip and a great wedding!! We all had an amazing time and won’t ever forget it!

I’m a little bit amazed that we’ve been here for almost 7 months already! The time has really flown by. I thought I would do a brief recap of how our lives are going my favorite things about living in Chicago.

My favorite things: 

1. The food - There are so many restaurants in Chicago that we have barely been anywhere twice. We have had some amazing meals from Indian, Deep dish pizza, Mexican, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Irish, Greek, Sushi, Thai, etc. etc. I really love being able to always try new restaurants and this is the perfect place to do it. Chicago is one of the three cities in the United States with Michelin rated restaurants (New York and San Francisco being the other two) and the quality of food here is really wonderful.

2. The sights - We lived in the Twin Cities for so long (I was there over ten years) that we didn’t really do most of the touristy things and had only been to a lot of the museums once or sometimes not at all! In Chicago we were determined to do the opposite. We have continued to try to be tourists in our city and see all of the wonderful sights Chicago has to offer. We have been to Navy Pier, the top of the Sears Tower, on the Architecture tour twice, a boat tour of Lake Michigan, the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, the top of the Hancock building, the Art Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo, North Ave beach, a White Sox games (the Twins won!) and many other places. On our list of places/things we still want to see are: Frank Lloyd Wright studio and Robie house, Chinatown, a Cubs game and Bears game (preferably where the Vikings win), a mobster tour, and tons of others (feel free to give us more suggestions!).

3. Public transportation - In the Twin Cities we both had ~45-60 minute commutes (me on the bus and Gabe driving) but now, I have a 15 minute train ride and Gabe has a two block walk to get to work. It allows us to spend so much more time together in the evenings. Its also great to live in the loop and feel like you can always reach almost anyplace in the city very quickly. Overall, I’ve felt very safe on the trains and they have tended to be pretty prompt for me.

4. The people - We had an amazing group of friends in the Twin Cities that we were very sad to leave. We came here not really knowing anyone but I’m happy to say we have definitely made friends. I’ve found that Chicagoans are very friendly and I still get a nice Midwestern vibe from most people which makes it feel a little more like home.

5. My job - I really love my job. The people I work with are really great and the research is interesting. My experiments even seem to be working more than half the time which is always exciting! I found out recently that I get to attend a scientific conference this summer in ITALY which will be amazing! Here is a picture of the lab from when I started last August:

Gabe is also really enjoying his job and LOVING his 2 block commute.

6. The weather - I know a lot of people think I’m crazy but I would have been sad to move out of the Midwest and not have the extremes of winter and summer. This winter we haven’t gotten as much snow as I would have liked but the weather extremes in Chicago are what I’m used to so it definitely makes the city feel more comfortable.

7. Visitors - Because Chicago is such a fun city, we’ve been lucky enough to convince some friends and family to come visit us! Its so much fun showing people around the city and I’m glad Chicago is a nice hub for people to easily travel to and from. Here are some shots from the visitors we’ve had in the last few months:

8. Our apartment – Our apartment has a lot of pluses and a few of minuses. We had to go down about 400 sq. feet from the size of our old place, the rent seems astronomical, and there is only one drawer in the kitchen (I really can’t get over that) but overall I really love our apartment. I’ve always dreamed of living in a high rise right in the middle of a huge city and that’s exactly what I got! Its in a great location just 2 blocks from almost every train and bus line that goes through the city, convenient from both airports and train stations, and within walking distance of every thing from Museum Campus to River North. Although we had to downsize, I think its been totally worth it for the experience of living right in the bustling center of everything. Besides the location, my favorite thing about our place is the view. Although we face south so we don’t get to see the Sears tower and much of the skyline, we can see the lake from our balcony. Here are a few pictures of our place:

Our building is the one on the right with the large white rectangle across the top. The Sears Tower in the background makes the 47 story building look tiny!

Below is the view from our balcony looking left to right. The lake is far out to the left although its a little hard to see in this picture

The sunrises over the lake have been really beautiful.

So although we miss our friends and family a lot, we’ve adjusted to living in Chicago and are really enjoying our time here. We always love recommendations for things to do and places to eat so send them our way if you have favorites!

February 1-10 was Restaurant Week in Chicago this year. If you haven’t heard of RW before, its a week where a bunch of restaurants participate in providing tasting menus for either $33 or $44. Its a great opportunity to try restaurants that might otherwise be too pricey or where you want to try a lot of dishes. Gabe and I booked 3 reservations at restaurants we chose somewhat at random (and that still had reservations available!). We went with three different groups of friends had had a great time at each one trying lots of different food.

I decided that in the past Food Reviews blog posts, I’ve been a little lenient with my rating. From now on, I’m going to be a little more picky on the 1-10 scale. 10 will be reserved for the absolute best meals I’ve ever had in my life and 1 the absolute worst. 5 will be food that was fine but nothing great or particularly bad. So if the scores seem low, remember you can’t compare them to my previous reviews!

Here are my opinions of the three restaurants we tried for RW:

Cafe Spiaggia – 980 N Michigan Ave

Cafe Spiaggia was the first stop on our food tour of the week. Cafe Spiaggia is the sister restaurant to Spiaggia and they are located in the same building right next to each other. Spiaggia is well known as a favorite of President Obama and currently has one Michelin star rating so we were very excited to try the (slightly) less expensive version.

What we had: The tasting menu didn’t include a few things we wanted to try so the four of us decided to order a cheese plate and meatballs for appetizers. For the first course, Gabe tried the Rucola salad (arugula, pear, parmesan, radish and balsamic) and I got the Bocconcini (buffalo mozzarella with apple mostarda, baby arugula and thyme). For the main course I tried the Gnocchi with wild boar ragu and Gabe ordered the Salmon with fingerling potatoes. For dessert we ordered the Sorbet and the Bomboloni (italian doughnuts).

The pros: Overall, the food was very good. I really enjoyed the Bocconcini (buffalo mozzarella). I’m not sure what it was about the really simple flavors but they went together very well. The salmon was also very light tasting and the fennel provided some interest. 

The cons: Nothing was terrible but there was also nothing I thought was incredibly amazing. I had very high expectations and I don’t think the food generally lived up to them. The gnocchi was very good but not amazing, the doughnuts were great but I’ve had the same great doughnuts at the state fair. Gabe’s salad was fine but completely unremarkable. I think I’ve had that salad at least five times before at other places. The cheese plate was also very good but the amount of cheese you get to sample was very tiny. Finally, the price. For the tasting menu the prices were fine but would I come back to try more items at full price (>$20/entree), unfortunately I wouldn’t.

Final scores (on a scale of 1-10):

Food: 7 Different food items ranged from about a 5 (salad) to maybe an 8 (Bocconcini)

Service: 7 Good but nothing especially worth noting

Ambiance: 5 The place itself is incredibly small and felt pretty cramped

Price: 4 The food was good but not worth the very hefty price tag

Overall average score: 5.75

Bottom line: The food was good but I won’t remember this meal for a long time which is what I would hope at this price range. I wouldn’t go back but I would still like to try Spiaggia.

g.e.b. (Graham Elliot Bistro) – 841 W Randolph St

Our second stop for the week was g.e.b. Chef Graham Elliot, known for appearing on MasterChefs, Top Chef All Stars and Iron Chef America, opened g.e.b. as a less expensive alternative to his pricey (and two star Michelin rated) restaurant Graham Elliot. We went on a Saturday night with some friends of ours and the six of us got seated in a great booth in the back of the restaurant.

What we had: Appetizers: Spiced pakora with apricot chutney, Ceasar salad with anchovies Main course: Whitefish on a bed of roasted potatoes and onions, Pot roast with spaghetti sausage and yorkshire pudding. Dessert: Milk and cookies, Salted caramel banana split

The pros: The food was very good. I particularly enjoyed our entrees and the desserts. The pot roast was cooked perfectly with a thick rich sauce that made the meat just melt in your mouth. My mouth is actually watering right now just thinking of it! The fish I also thought was very good, perfectly cooked, and not overly seasoned. The desserts were also wonderful. Even though milk and cookies might sound like a pretty average dessert, they were warm from the oven and a perfect way to end the meal. The custom cocktails were also very good as was the interesting wine selection.

The cons: I didn’t get particularly excited for my ceasar salad. The lettuce tasted a bit like a chuck of iceberg. The dressing was good but nothing special. I think if we hadn’t been seated in the great “chef’s table” type booth in the back, the noise level would have been way to high to have an actual conversation.

Final scores (on a scale of 1-10):

Food: 8 (ranged from maybe 6-9)

Service: 8

Ambiance: 6 (nice but so loud)

Price: 7 (the main entrees are pretty pricey ($20-40) but the appetizers and pizzas (which we didn’t try) were very reasonably priced with fair sized portions

Overall average score: 7.25

Bottom line: Really good food. I would love to go there again for a drink and some appetizers (and probably desserts) to try a few more things on the menu but it would have to be a special occasion to go back for entrees because of the price.

Piccolo Sogno - 464 N Halsted

Our final RW restaurant was the one I had heard the least about but was still excited to try. A disclaimer for this restaurant, we had just been to g.e.b. the night before and were a little worn out and not necessarily excited for more wine so that may have colored our experience a bit. We went with a couple we know and were seated in the outdoor patio area (covered for the winter of course).

What we had: Appetizers: Coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew) and Ribolitta. Ribolitta is somewhat hard to describe but basically it is a rich vegetable soup. After the soup is finished, bread is added to soak up all of the liquid and the mixture is then baked so you eat it with a fork. Dinner: Pappardelle con cinghiale (Pasta with spiced boar ragu) and Polletto alla griglia (flattened and grilled cornish game hen with broccoli rapini). Dessert: Panna cotta, Mille foglie (light pastry filled with vanilla bean chantilly cream), gelatto, and Ricotta cheesecake with fresh berries.

Ribolitta – Not the best picture, but you get the idea of how it turns out

The pros: The ambiance of the restaurant was really great. It was small but not too cramped. I would love to go back when the patio is open in the summer. The food was also really wonderful. The Ribolitta was really interesting and different than anything I’ve ever had before. Comparing this wild boar ragu with the one from Cafe Spiaggia, I definitely preferred this one. The pasta was homemade and the sauce was hearty but not too heavy. The desserts were amazing! The Mille foglie wouldn’t have been something I probably would have ordered but it was so amazing. The homemade vanilla cream was so light and fluffly and went perfectly with the crispy buttery crust. Overall, great food for a decent price.

The cons: The oxtail stew was good but a little bit fatty (which is as expected with oxtail). The cornish hen was good but I think if I went back I would have to stick with the pasta options.

Final scores (on a scale of 1-10):

Food: 8

Service: 7 (good if a touch overbearing)

Ambiance: 7 (very cute and fairly quiet)

Price: 8 (really good value for the price)

Overall average score: 7.5

Bottom line: Great little Italian restaurant that I will definitely try again. I wanted to sample every one of the pasta dishes!

So our first RW in Chicago is over (luckily for my waistline) and it was a lot of fun. I’m already looking forward to next year when we can try some more!

During November we had a few visitors and went to a few restaurants. Within two weeks we tried two new restaurants on my list that I would categorize as “small plate” restaurants. One of them was a bit more like Spanish Tapas and the other was a little more like European pub-type tapas. I’ll just get right into it:

The Purple Pig - 500 N Michigan Ave

We headed to the purple pig with my parents and Gabe’s stepdad after a cold boat tour on the lake!

What we got: An insane amount of food!! The menu was very big and we just couldn’t decide what to get so we asked the waiter to just bring us out his favorites and boy did we get some amazing choices! Here’s the full list: pork fried almonds, cauliflower with toasted breadcrumbs, salt-roasted beets with whipped goat cheese, pig’s ear with crispy kale and a fried egg, pig’s tail braised in balsamic and grated egg, turkey leg confit, manila clams with merguez sausage and finally, salted caramel ice cream. Disclaimer – its possible I forgot some dishes in there, we really had a lot!

Pig’s ears

Turkey leg

Pig’s tail

The pros: The food was absolutely wonderful. Its really hard for me to pick out a favorite dish. Starting off right away with the pork fried almonds was perfect. They had just the right amount of salt, rosemary, and grease. Another highlight was the turkey leg. It was huge and perfectly cooked, tender on the inside and crispy outside. The pig’s tail was not something I would have ordered on my own but was wonderful! It was fairly fatty but if you could find the meat on it, it pulled apart perfectly and just melted in your mouth. Another great high point was the service! Our server didn’t bat an eye when we asked him to pick out everything and he did a great job describing every dish. Overall, a wonderful experience. 

The cons: Not many. We went on a Sunday afternoon around 4:30 so we were able to get into the restaurant quickly. We have tried on several previous occasions and there have been waits of about an hour so its not an easy place to stop and grab a bite. It was pretty packed and a little loud. There was not much negative to say about the food although for me it was just a bit too “fried” occasionally. The pig’s ears were good but felt just like a piece of fried…oil. I really enjoyed the other parts of that dish but for me I needed a bit more of the meat and maybe a little less grease.

Final scores (on a scale of 1-10):

Food: 9

Service: 10 (great friendly and knowledgeable staff)

Ambience: 8 (enjoyed the look of the restaurant a lot but would have preferred a little bit more space, it was pretty tight)

Price:  7 (the dishes on their own weren’t expensive but they definitely added up by the end)

Overall average score: 8.5

Bottom line: Great food, fun menu and definitely worth stopping by…if you can get in!

Cafe Iberico - 737 N LaSalle Blvd

A couple of our friends came into town and we decided to try some Spanish tapas.

What we got: Ensalada mixta (mixed spanish style salad, Jamon Iberico (spanish cured ham with manchego cheese and tomato bread), Patatas Braves (spicy potatoes with tomato sauce), Queso de cabra (baked goat cheese with fresh tomato sauce), Lomo de buey a la brasa (beef tenderloin with potatoes and vegetables), Filloa de helado y crema (strawberry stuffed crepes)

Queso de Cabra

Jamon Iberico

Lomo de buey

Filloa de helado y crema

The pros: After we put in our order, our waiter suggested we add the Lomo de buey a la brasa and it was absolutely the highlight of the meal for me. Amazing beef that just fell apart in your mouth. The thickened sauce was so flavorful without being overly salty. The vegetables were perfectly cooked. If you ever want a hearty meal on a cold day, I highly recommend this dish! I also loved both the goat cheese and the manchego cheese dishes. 

The cons: I thought the atmosphere of the restaurant was a little bit lacking. It felt a little bit more like a chain restaurant which it definitely was not. I was also not incredibly impressed with the salad. It wasn’t bad but with the other options there, I wouldn’t probably order it again.

Final scores (on a scale of 1-10):

Food: 8

Service: 9

Ambience: 6

Price: 8 (great price for what you get)

Overall average score: 7.75

Bottom line: Head over to Cafe Iberico if you’re in the River North neighborhood and looking to split some fairly priced tapas and hearty meats and vegetables.