My expensive wine? a $24 buck GLASS of Domaine William Fevre Fourchaume Chablis, 1er Cru. $24 bucks for a freaking GLASS. I used the very excellent Wine Search app created by my London blogger pal Andy Hayler and learned that this stuff retails for $40 a BOTTLE. Now that’s depressing. (It was a large class though. 250 ml.)

We also split a caesar salad. And a margherita flatbread. There were tomatoes in the caesar salad (???) and the margherita was just okay. Not great. Certainly not worth the exorbitant price tags.

If I ever return — really just because the view is nice — I’ll order the cheap wine ($16 a glass) and just eat the complimentary nuts and the olives.

The Verdict: If you’re a kajillionaire.

P.S. I stole Destri’s photo. This is hers, not mine.

The post Chicago at Night first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

To subsidize my quick visit to Fort Lauderdale, I used Starwood points from my amazing Starwood American Express card and booked a night at the W Fort Lauderdale. This  is good because after staying one night, I don’t think I’d stay here again.

Let’s start with the positives. The view from my room was pretty great. Fort Lauderdale is a city right on the ocean, with a great beachfront path for running and biking. That’s nice. Also nice, the Bliss bath products, but I decided afterwards that I didn’t really like the Bliss shampoo and conditioner. I did like the body butter and the face wash though.

Now on to the negatives. First thing, my cousin and I saw a hooker on the side of the road when we got off the expressway earlier that morning. She turned up at the hotel!! I know they can’t control their guests, but I was seriously standing there, looking at this woman and thinking, “Seriously? Isn’t it a little early to be hooking? And two days after Christmas? Come on.” (But  as I’ve learned over time, the sex trade knows no time constraints, and I can tell you from experience that the holidays are the busiest time of the year. There are A LOT of lonely people out there.)

Then, the colors used in the hotel. Fort Lauderdale is a happy place. Colorful. This hotel was painted darker than battleship gray. This bothered me. Also, although my room in that picture looks nice, there was a bit of an IKEA feel to things that I can’t really explain. Also no free wifi and no slippers. And the slowest elevators in the world. In short, having stayed at many hotels in Fort Lauderdale over the years, I wouldn’t stay here again. Try the Hilton or The Ritz.

Now, to food…my dad took me to three different places while I was in Fort Lauderdale and while none of them are super-gourmet, two of the three might be worth a visit if you are ever in town and looking for something basic and local and not fussy.

Fort Lauderdale Ale House, 2861 N Federal Highway: Definitely a locals place, just because of its location on a busy commercial strip. This is an efficiently run sports bar with bar food to match. I had a grouper sandwich, sweet potato fries, and an Arnold Palmer (half lemonade, half iced tea). My dad swore that one of the cops from the TV Show “Cops” (The Broward County edition) was in the Ale House while we were there, but I have no idea. The Verdict: Perfectly acceptable, but probably not worth going out of your way.

The Lauderdale Grill, 1901 Cordova Road: The more I talked to our server/bartender here, the more I liked the place. They smoke their own meat on premises, and I enjoyed my 10 oz smoked prime rib. Also, the caesar salad I had to start was one of the best examples I’ve had since my repatriation, with just the right touch of creamy, salty, garlicky dressing. Lastly, we visited during happy hour so our drinks were half off! Can’t beat that! The Verdict: Good.  Go during happy hour.

Quarterdeck, 1541 Cordova Road: I’ve been going to this place since I was a teenager, so I’ll always have a soft spot for it. This time around, my dad and I split six of the biggest oysters I think I’ve ever had in my entire life. (They were the server’s recommendation. Our receipt said “Blu Point” but I know nothing else.) Our server was slow, but otherwise, my blackened grouper caesar salad was quite nice. (Sorry, when in South Florida, I’m a bit predictable with the grouper thing.) The Verdict: Good. Check their Web site first for specials, which can be quite a steal. My dad had a nice sandwich and side for $5.99, making up for the oyster purchase.

Random Fun Moment: While I was out to dinner with my dad, I saw on Twitter that my London blogging friend Mathilde (she, now of Paris) was in Fort Lauderdale! Where was she staying? Of course at The W! So we had a nice night catching up over champagne with her and her husband and their two friends. The world is a small place sometimes, for sure.

The post Sleeping & Eating in Fort Lauderdale, Florida first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Rootstock, Humboldt Park: I dropped into Rootstock with my friend Amy one drizzly Sunday a couple of weeks ago. I love it here, and I am mad at myself for not biking over more frequently over the summer. It’s a very low-fi place, and they serve brunch til 4 pm on Sundays, which is pretty awesome. My only complaint is that once 4 pm rolls around, they really really want you out.

Having been a Webster Wine Bar fan for many years, I can tell there’s a connection between the two places. The furniture, the wall color and decor…it’s all very similar. All I had here was a bowl of butternut squash soup, but it was very very nice and I would be pleased to go back to try more of the concise menu. I like concise menus.

Cantina Laredo, River North: Popped into here for a big work lunch a few weeks ago. Our group was big enough that we were given their private dining room, which is a very nice space with lots of natural light. My colleague Mark, who is from Texas, thought the food was the best Tex-Mex he’d had in Chicago. I thought my fish tacos were dry and flavorless. This place is HUGE so I’m sure it’s good for convention traffic and large groups on the weekends.

Rudy’s Bar & Grill, The Loop. “Home of the Milkshake Martini.” I don’t want a milkshake martini, and can’t imagine anyone else does either, but the burgers are okay. They toasted the bun, which always gets points in my book. They sat me next to the mop closet though, which subtracts points in my book. I liked the idea of my burger–a Mexican burger, with poblano strips, chorizo, pepperjack cheese, pico de gallo, serrano mayo and “avacado spread.” But all I tasted was avocado, and the burger was not medium–it was closer to medium-well. And the fries were soggy. Plenty of people would like it here, and the Christmas decor made for a happy environment. But I don’t know if I’d seek this place out again.

The post Where I’ve Been Eating, Chicago Edition first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Date of Last Visit: The day after the Snowpocolypse.

The Damage: About $15 a person

The Victim: Timo, the 16-year old German exchange student I adopted at O’Hare on February 1st when our flight to Frankfurt was cancelled. Yes.

The Background: Sometimes I find photos on my phone or on my hard drive and wonder, “Where the heck was that?”  (One of my favorite posts ever where I’ve forgotten where and what I’ve eaten is over here. I remember this guy complimenting my soup description, in particular. I live to entertain.)

The only thing that saved the photo of these fish tacos was the date on the photo: February 2nd. The day after the massive blizzard hit Chicago. How could I forget?

See, I was supposed to fly to Tel Aviv via Frankfurt on February 1st for work. I totally thought Lufthansa would cancel my flight. But they didn’t. At least, they didn’t until we were actually on the plane and getting ready to push back at 3:45 pm. Uggh.

With waiting for rebooking instructions and luggage and all, I didn’t get out of the airport until after 6:30 pm that night. And in the process, I somehow managed to come home with an extra person and two extra suitcases. (I couldn’t let the poor kid sleep at the airport for two nights with no money on his phone and no way to pay for Internet access.)

The second night, his parents told him to take me out to dinner. There wasn’t much to choose from what with two feet of snow everywhere, so after walking up and down Division for a bit, Moonshine it was.

We were not alone in our bid to get out of the house. Moonshine was PACKED. We were given a toasty table (not) right by the front door and settled in to order our food.

I ordered the fish tacos. And they were pretty blah. Dry, unseasoned mahi-mahi and pickled veg. Pickled veg, in a taco? I used a lot of lime.

This picture cracks me up every time. This is what the 16-year old wanted for dinner. Cheese nachos, WITH A SIDE OF CHEESE. Seriously. Oh, to be 16 again.

The Verdict: I forgot my ID so I didn’t tap into the beer list. Moonshine brews its own beers, so it would have been nice to try one. That does give me a reason to go back and to redeem those fish tacos. Let’s just hope it’s not during a blizzard next time.

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The Gage
24 S Michigan
Chicago

Date of Last Visit: Saturday, 12 March 2011

The Victims: Aileen, Christina, Kent

The Damage: $25 each

The Background: It’s been a long time since I’ve seen THIS. The green river. Yes, the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day, Chicago dies the Chicago River green. It’s a sight to behold. So the other weekend, I decided to organize the troops and make a plan for the big day. I was able to snag a table at The Gage, a classier Irish-run restaurant and bar on South Michigan Avenue that wouldn’t just be a den of beer. I actually couldn’t believe my luck. I mean…seriously? I was able to book at table at The Gage, in the middle of the St. Patrick’s Day parade? Wow.

I hope no one who reads my blog is a Scientologist. Because I thought these guys protesting on Michigan Ave were awesome.

So too was my corned beef and cole slaw sandwich. And I DON’T EVEN LIKE COLE SLAW. (Or raw tomatoes. I pushed them aside.) But the sandwich? And the pumpernickel bread? AWESOME. (You might remember that pumpernickel made my list of things I missed most about America.)

The fries, on the other hand, were just okay. There was something different about them that I can’t put my finger on. Maybe it was the oil they were cooked in? Oh and also, the cup of potato soup that I started with? Infinitely forgettable. Thin. Bummer.

Service: Our server was really perky. That’s the only way I can describe her. And I mean that in the best possible way. She was great.

The Loos: Hello, Penhaligon products in the ladies’. Nice.

The Verdict: Pleasantly surprisingly nice. I’d go back here. Without any Scientologists of course.

The post The Gage, Michigan Avenue first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Everyone loves the Hopleaf. I love the Hopleaf. I remember in the old days, we would trek up Clark Street in the dead of winter, when the snow was more than a foot deep–and the Blizzard of ’99? Let’s talk two feet of snow with drifts of three to four–and we’d have a couple of Chimays at Hopleaf and then some glögg at Simon’s to warm ourselves up for the trek all the way home again after waiting in vain for the 22 bus. It was always so cold. So cold.

And the guy behind the bar at the Hopleaf? He was not a people person. We would bet on who could get him to be nicest to us. No one ever won that contest.

The Hopleaf had the best juke box. It only played 45s and it was old 45s at that. If it wasn’t Ella or Louis (Jordan), it didn’t get played. (Sadly, the old juke box has since been removed.)

When I used to go to the Hopleaf, it was just one tiny front room. Many many beers, but just one tiny room. Now it’s huge. Cavernous even. Last Friday night, we sat upstairs in the back, looking down at the main floor, wondering where the space had come from. Had all this space existed in the old days, but was used for some other purpose? Was this newly built space? Questions. Many questions.

Now the Hopleaf serves food, although I vaguely remember them introducing food not too long before I left for London so it’s not like this is a brand new thing. I remember people telling me about the mussels and the frites.

I didn’t have the mussels last Friday. I had a ham sandwich. With some fries.

And it was just a ham sandwich. Bar food. Bar food always has its place. I’m not saying it doesn’t. I like bar food. A lot. (Officially, the ham sandwich was toasted Nueske ham on pumpernickel, gruyere cheese and apple-tarragon coleslaw.) But a Bib Gourmand for a ham sandwich? Of that, I am not certain. (Actually, I am certain. That’s crap.)

The Verdict: Beer (many, many beers) and bar food.

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Date of Last Visit: Thursday, Nov 4, 2010

The Victim: Me

The Damage: $25

The Background: I cannot lie. Read my tag line. I don’t cook. I defrost. I zap. I boil. I refrigerate. I unwrap.

I do not cook.

So when I read that Bangers & Lace was opening up very close to one of my El stops–the “El” being the underground/subway for my British readers–I thought “Perfect! Dinner on my way home!”

So tonight I stopped in. It’s a pleasant, spacious space and I imagine it will remain so…when it’s empty. I liked the tin ceiling and the lighting and the bar stools. Ah…and the hooks under the bar for your belongings! Bangers & Lace is not a bad place for the solo diner. But I imagine this place on a Friday or Saturday night and I get a little worried about its level of packedness. (But then, I’d be happy for the owners and their success.)

Bangers & Lace if chock full of staff when I enter. I can’t even tell who’s talking to me, there are so many people behind the bar and around the bar. They are all looking at me expectantly. I hope I did not disappoint.

My server at the bar is Eldridge and he’s fantastic. I miss American servers. Yes, chatty servers. I miss them. Because tonight I am here by myself and later is starts to pour rain and it’s nice to be able to exchange idle chit chat with someone, while you’re waiting to pass the time.

Bangers & Lace is a bar menu, for the most part. Full of, well, bangers. I opted for the Sheboygan (as in Wisconsin) veal bratwurst which included melted gouda, sauerkraut, black currants, and house-made beer mustard. I liked the mustard. I didn’t notice he currants until I went back and read the menu online later, but that doesn’t bother me. I liked the sauerkraut, but wondered if they made it themselves or if it came from a bucket because the mustard was described as house-made but the sauerkraut was not. (Yes, in America, you can buy buckets of sauerkraut. Big buckets. As if you’re paving your driveway.) The sandwich all came together very nicely with that melted gouda, and it was a good manageable size too…not a huge American honker of a sandwich. The veal sausage–perhaps the most important part–was tender and mild and had nice occasional snap. In short, for $8, I was pleased. (In fact, nearly everything on the menu is under $10…very pleasing.)

The disappointment? The tiny gherkins. Not vinegar-y enough for me! Not snappy enough either.

Now on the side, I did ask for the ham roasted peanuts. I thought they’d arrive first, but they came with my meal. That was fine because I was by myself and didn’t really care. I had nowhere to be. The peanuts are like honey roasted peanuts…but only they’re ham roasted, with a dusty hammy crust. Yes. You read that right. The first few were very good. They were warm. Warm peanuts and ham dust are good. But after about a dozen or so…I was tired. I concentrated on my brat instead.

The Beers: With this all, I tried two beers from Bangers’ very impressive beer selection; I tried the Allagash White, which very much reminded me of a Hoegaarden, and the Widdershins, which was hoppy and citrusy and reminded me of one of the higher in alcohol Chimays. (But don’t quote me on that because my Chimay memory is fuzzy.) I don’t think I’d do the Widdershins again because it was a bit too much for me, but I would definitely try the Allagash again. In summer. When it feels more right.

Throughout it all, bar staff were attentive and friendly. It was only their third night. Let’s hope they keep it up.

The Verdict: Fun. Nice. A good value. I’d go back.

P.S. Don’t forget! I’m giving away a $75 voucher to Cookware.com! Read more and it could be yours!

The post Bangers & Lace, Wicker Park first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Liberty Champagne & Oyster Bar
Great Marlborough Street
W1R 6AH 

The Victims: Feathers (you should follow her…she's pretty entertaining), Jen

The Damage: About £20 each

The Background: I had somehow got invited to a party at Movida. You know, the footballers nightclub. It's not really my sort of place, but there were free drinks involved. I was hoping that meant free champagne, but instead it meant lychee cocktails. I don't really like lychee. So the whole freebie thing was a bit of a bust.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. At the point where I was still thinking there'd be free champagne involved, we decided to pay for some champers. At Liberty. In the basement. At the oyster bar.

The Entrance: The basement of Liberty is a dark and quiet place. It seems a bit dank. And damp. But there's money in the room. We can smell it.

The Food: We all order the langoustine and chablis soup. I have no expectations. And it's fantastic. I honestly haven't stopped thinking about this soup for quite some time. It's smoky…languorous, dark. Langoustines are delicate things and this is not a delicate soup. Maybe a little bitter, but in the best possible way. It's different. We didn't check the menu at the time and I can't read the ingredients from my photos, which is a shame. I want to know what the magic ingredient is. Ah, and the brown bread is great too. 

The Verdict: OK, so I liked the soup. But I didn't like eating in the basement. The ceiling felt too close to my head and I am not a tall person. So we shall see.

The post Liberty Champagne & Oyster Bar first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

The Westbridge
74-76 Battersea Bridge Road
SW11 3AG

Date of Last Visit: Monday, March 2nd, 2009

The Victims: Many

The Damage: Free. This was a freebie.

The Background: After our tour of Sambrook's, we head over to The Westbridge for pints of prawns and platters of oysters. Oh yes, and six different beers. (1/3 pours. Don't panic. It's only Monday after all.)

The Food: My photos of the prawns didn't pan out so well. But they oysters look luscious, don't they? I ate a lot of oysters that night. And Lizzie, Niamh and I cleaned up all the prawns that went uneaten as well.

The Beers: Adnams Best Bitter, Porterhouse Red, Thwaite's Nutty Black (my favorite), Oyster Stout (I took off after this one), Draft Guinness and a choice of either Sleemans I.P.A, Maredsous, or Duvel Green.

Funny: He-Man Wallpaper on the way down to the loos.

The Verdict: We thought the prawns were really fresh (smallish though, but you did get a very generous pint of them) and we loved the oysters. I also liked the big table we sat at at the back of the pub. If I were in the area again, I'd go back here.

The post The Westbridge first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Woolpack
98 Bermondsey St
SE1 3UB

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, January 4, 2008

The Victims: Matt, Carolyn, Gerry, Ben

The Damage: Cheap. Probably £10 each? We were buying rounds so I lost track.

The Background: We were having one of those lovely random London days. We'd met at 2 p.m. on the South Bank to watch a man covered in Holly climb out of the Thames. We raced the crowds to The George Inn, where we enjoyed some drinks and talked to some Italians. Eventually, it was time for a change of venue, and some of us (uh, me) hadn't eaten all day. So it was time to get fed and potato chips/crisps weren't cutting it.

The Entrance: The Woolpack is nothing special from the outside. On the inside, it's this odd mixture of old and new. I dig the tilework though. Big time. I just wish people wouldn't try to hang things on tiles. It really ruins the effect.

The Beer: There's only Green King. Well, let me rephrase. There are a lot of beers, but there's only one ale. Green King. That's fine. We load up. And we get some hummus and pita too. And some fries/chips. They're all fine.

The Garden: Hey, there's a beer garden! With crazy London transport signs as tables. I'm a sucker for this sort of stuff. I would come back here in the summer. I miss beer gardens.

The Loo: I bit confusing, that one. I almost got lost. Before I even got there.

The Verdict: This was fine. Just fine. I'd go back for the garden.

The post Woolpack first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

The Pembury Tavern
90 Amhurst Road, Hackney, E8 1JH
http://www.individualpubs.co.uk/pembury/

Date of Last Visit: Wednesday, December 17th

The Victims: Gerry, Ben, Matt, Carolyn

The Damage: £10

The Background: I've been wanting to go to The Pembury for ages. Because they have a lot of beer at The Pembury. Stonch has written about beer at The Pembury a number of times.

Luckily for me, Gerry has organized tickets for a Christmas pantomime at The Hackney Empire and The Pembury is a convenient meeting place beforehand.

The Entrance: The Pembury is large. It's a solid sort of place. There's nothing dainty here. There's also no one in the place at 6:30 on a Wednesday night, and for that, I'm grateful. As soon as the kitchen opens, we put in our food orders. We've already started making our way through their beer list.

The Service: The food takes FOREVER to arrive. This is bad. Because we seriously have to scarf it and run. We make it to the theatre with about three minutes to spare.

The Food: Parsnip soup for me. It's okay. It's very plain. I think it was advertised as being "spiced" parsnip soup. I can't taste much of anything. Eh.

The Verdict: I like The Pembury. I'm not so sure about the food, however.

The post The Pembury Tavern first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, July 6, 2008

The Victim: Louise

The Damage: £14 each. I owe Louise though because I only had £8 with me.

The Background: Louise and I have just completed the British 10k. She in pretty much exactly an hour, me in 1 hour and 8 minutes. This is quite a bit off from the 8 minute mile I used to run, so I’ve signed up for the Nike Human Race on August 31st in Wembley to force me to get back into fighting shape.

After the race, we really want a beer. Or maybe it’s just me that really wants a beer, because I drink my beer pretty quickly while Louise nurses hers.

The Entrance: We’re at The Lowlander in Covent Garden, which is empty for 12 noon on a Sunday. It’s so empty, and so is the service. We ask for tap water. They forget. We ask for ketchup. They forget. We ask for the bill. They forget. Come on people!!!

The Food: My burger is pretty decent. The bun too–it’s not one of those doughy piles of nothingness. The chips are just chips though.

My Legs: Are killing me. Really. I’m dying. I need a massage.

The Loos: Surprisingly clean and tidy for a place I’d imagine is pretty high mileage in the evenings.

The Verdict: Well, don’t go expecting anything fantastic. There’s a huge beer menu. And a decent selection of food. The service just needs to be a little bit more with it.

The post Another Pub with Food: The Lowlander first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.