Bar Toma, 110 East Pearson. So firstly, I need to give them props because their location is huge (both in size and the perfectness of location) and if I were a tourist and stumbled in here, I would be very very happy. It’s casual. There’s a bar. And look…I ate some vegetables! We LOVED the charred carrots with Capriole goat cheese, almonds, and Acetaia San Giacomo balsamico. Also loved the beets and gorgonzola. Our pizza was just good, but we weren’t very creative. Just a Pizza Margherita. I tried to get my friend Aileen to have some Prosecco and she demurred. Who says no to Prosecco??? I think she’s preggars. The Verdict: Fun. Cheap. Casual.

Lula Cafe, 2357 N Kedzie: I dragged my friend Amy here one afternoon after New Year’s and I think she hates me now. Lula’s was packed. We got two seats at the bar and were promptly ignored by anyone and everyone. We eventually placed our order and we were promptly ignored again. And then we ate our food — my butternut squash soup and salad were good but not swoon-worthy — and we asked for our bill and (surprise!) we were both promptly (or impromptly) ignored again. It was all rather tiresome, and we left very tired and very grouchy. The Verdict: Hard to focus on the food when the service was so terribly terribly terribly abysmal. (You can imagine my Madonna accent — yes the UK one — as I’m saying that.) I liked the decor though.

The Southern Mac & Cheese Store, 60 East Lake Street. Even though my one and only experience at The Southern in Bucktown was nothing to write home about, I really liked my Artichoke Spinach Mac & Cheese at The Southern’s newish retail outlet. Crispy where it needed to be crispy, with plenty of artichoke and spinach, only two of my favorite things. I was surprised the shop wasn’t more crowded on the day we were there. Personally, I think they need to offer half portions because of the perception of mac & cheese alone. A lot of mac & cheese is NOT good for the waistline. Somehow a sandwich of the same caloric value doesn’t have the same perception. The Verdict: I liked this, but I can’t eat like this all the time. I’ll be back once a quarter.

I think I still have more to catch up. The more I eat, the less I write. I’m okay with that.

The post Yes, Occasionally I Do Eat in Chicago first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Perfection is when your friend Xavi comes to town, someone you haven’t seen since 2004. And you meet up at Eno at the Intercontinental because it’s convenient. And then you drink a lot of wine and reminisce about the past.

And then you order some chocolate.

And it arrives.

And it’s from Ecuador.

And so is Xavi.

Perfect.

The post Hola, Ecuador! first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

I can also tell I haven’t been traveling much because I’ve been eating out a lot more in Chicago lately. But there are some places that I just can’t get a full post out of. So here’s a round-up of some of the Chicago places I’ve visited lately.

Mercadito: I thought I’d written about Mercadito a few years ago but I can’t seem to find the post. My friend Chris was in town from London for the night and my colleague Mark was a bachelor for the week so we headed over to Mercadito to fulfill Chris’ request for Mexican. (I know, I know. We could have gone someplace more “authentic” but we needed to stay local for various reasons. And my guess is that a good portion of Mercadito’s kitchen staff is Mexican anyhow, so “authentic” is a non-starter.) The margaritas were great, our server was awesome, and Chris was extremely pleased with the tacos. The noise-level was deafening and the restaurant is too dark to take photos in, but this is a fun place with tasty food that I will gladly revisit.

 Bandera: I stopped in here around 2:45 pm on a Friday afternoon in the hopes of having a good lunch salad. (My employer very graciously grants summer hours between May and September, so you might notice I take myself out to eat a lot on Friday afternoons when I’m in town.) The “Hacked” chicken salad was really really good. Oddly — but this is America after all — after my first bite of salad, I thought to myself… “Oh, there’s real chicken in here.” None of those frozen chicken breasts. This was a real roast chicken hacked up into bits, and it was dark meat, my favorite. Loved the dressing, which was a bit of lime and a bit of peanut. I thought the service was a bit stand-offish, but for a salad, I’d go back here.

Emerald Loop: I dropped into Emerald Loop with a few colleagues to have lunch and watch the women’s US soccer team beat France in the women’s world cup. It was kinda exciting to see so many people out to watch the women. Sadly, my Southwestern Chicken salad was nowhere near as exciting. In fact, it was pretty bad. Frozen chicken breast that still tasted like refrigerator and an over-dressed salad. Meh. Not for me. Service was generally good though, but we did wait for ages for our food and the check.

 Coming up…Shaw’s Oyster Bar, Mana Food Bar, The Florentine, and Blue Star Wine Bar.  

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

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.

View from the John Hancock Building at Night, Southwards

The John Hancock Building at Night

This is Chicago at night, looking south from the 94th floor of the John Hancock Tower. Yes, 94th floor. There are higher floors in other buildings, but I like the 94th just fine. I like how you can see the grid of the city. This was a city destroyed by fire you know, and it’s been very neatly rebuilt. Ah, and that bit of darkness in the upper left of the photo? That’s the lake. Lake Michigan. It’s very large. And it’s freshwater, which is a very odd thing to this east-coast girl.

Now, let me give you a tour from the top of the John Hancock building at night. I’ve labeled the tallest buildings in the photo, along with where they stand on the List of Tallest Buildings IN THE WORLD . The Sears Tower is now called the Willis Tower and I seriously want to say “Whatcha talkin’ about Willis?” every time I see it. The John Hancock Tower, by the way, is the 30th tallest building in the world.

Visit the Observatory on the 94th Floor of the John Hancock Building

If you go to the Observatory on the 94th floor of The Hancock building, you can have yourself a cocktail at the bar. Bar 94 claims to be the highest bar in Chicago and is 1000 feet over Michigan Avenue. On Thursday nights, Bar 94 has drink specials, a live DJ and bar games. The bar specializes in local drinks — beer is from Revolution Brewery and spirits are from Koval. The Observation Deck closes at 11 pm. While you’re at the Observation Deck — but probably before you enjoy a cocktail — check out Chicago Tilt! Enter a glass box with 8 others and be prepared to be dangled over the city of Chicago. (Advance reservations are highly recommended.) Note that lines for the observation deck can be quite long so it’s a good idea to go very early or very late.

Visit the Signature Lounge on the 96th Floor

I find it funny that Bar 94 bills itself as the highest bar in Chicago because there’s another bar two floors up! If you want to skip the charge for the observation deck, go directly to The Signature Lounge at the top of the John Hancock Building. It’s open until 12:30 am Sunday through Thursday, and 1:30 am on Fridays and Saturdays. After 7 pm, you must be over 21 years old to be in the lounge. This is one of my absolute favorite things to do with out of town guests. After dinner downtown, I always take people to the John Hancock Building at night for drinks at the Signature Lounge. Check out the Signature Room Punch, made with Bacardi Black rum, Cruzan 151, fresh lime sour, pineapple juice, orange juice, grenadine, maraschino cherry, and a pineapple wedge. Sometimes the wait for the Signature Lounge can be quite lengthy, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, so make sure to go early to get the best seats.

The Verdict: Go. Of course. But to save money, try just going to the Signature Lounge! Spend your money on drinks instead of a visit to the Observation Deck!

The post Chicago from the John Hancock Building at Night first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

After being part of the awesome blog scene in London for so long, it’s a little bit disconcerting to be a nobody again. But really, I am starting completely over from scratch in terms of my blog and traffic and the people I know here and no one knows that better than me.  Trust me.

So I was pretty chuffed–as we say in the UK–when @ThePeninsulaChi invited me out to dinner AND ice skating at the top of the John Hancock Tower. (Yes, seriously. More to come on the 2nd half of the evening in a later post.) How they found me, I don’t know. But I’m glad they did. What follows is a write-up of an invite to review.

I already knew that The Peninsula does one thing I love above all others–and I am not normally a sweets person–macarons. And they do them very very well. So on that basis alone, I had to say yes.

I had been having a pretty tough week…all co-workers all the time. (Note to co-workers: I love you. Really. But I needed an escape.) Monday, dinner at Rockit on Hubbard. Tuesday, dinner at Moe’s Cantina. Wednesday, dinner at 33 Club on Wells. (As two out of the three were corporate buffet-types-of-events, I won’t be writing anything up.) So it was nice to escape into the calm chalet-like surrounds of The Peninsula’s Pierrot Gourmet with a bunch of people I’d never met before.

First up, a lovely green salad, which was just what I needed after three nights in a row of few to no vegetables. Seriously, I was having one of those “My kingdom for a salad” moments. Great dressing.

Next up a plate of pickled veg–which dare I say it–cried out for some vodka. Although I don’t love pickles themselves (although I do love those tiny gherkins), I do love any sort of pickled veg. Vinegar…yum.

Next up, a plate of juniper berry-smoked speck. Regular readers might recall that I was an exchange student in Innsbruck, Austria for a year back when I was in university in the 90s. This plate brought back happy memories, as Speck (pronounced Schpeck in Tirol) is very much a part of the regular diet. This version leaned more towards berry than smoke.

Next up was a pot of amazing three-cheese fondue, made with Gruyere, Appenzeller, and Fontina cheeses. I will admitting to losing my bread more than a few times in the cheese, but it was a fun and social way of dining. I would highly recommend this for a girls’ night out.

Next up, my favorite shot of the night. Macarons–again, only one of my most favorite things in the world–and social media. Combined. See the iPhone? See the dSLR? Awesome. As were the macarons.

The Verdict: An absolutely lovely way to spend an evening, and an evening I highly recommend. Chalet Nights at Pierrot Gourmet at The Peninsula run every Thursday evening through March 31st, 2011. Get a group of your friends together and go. Pierrot Gourmet is offering a special menu for $19 per person, for a minimum of two people; dinner includes the fondue with mountain bread, the speck, the pickled vegetables, the green salad, and a glass of eau-de-vie (pear brandy). This is, in this blogger’s opinion, an EXCELLENT value. Thank you to Chef de Cuisine and the PR team behind The Peninsula Chicago for such an amazingly lovely evening.

This was an “invite to review.” I roughly estimate the value of this evening to be $50, including the little bag of macarons I got to take home at the end of the evening.

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

Date of Last Visit: Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Victim: Me

The Damage: About $35

The Background: Another Saturday, another day of Retail Therapy. I have missed shopping in America.

Making my way down Michigan Ave in search of lunch, I debated my options. The Purple Pig was where I really wanted to go, but I did not want to wait or be strangled by too many Chicagoans in Michelin Man coats in too small of a space. So while I was debating The Purple Pig–and the protest in front of the Egyptian Consulate–I turned around and there it was. Eno, the wine bar in the Intercontinental.

The Entrance: The space has potential and probably looked great when it opened. Now it looks a bit dated and tired, and there are a few too many knick knacks on display in the center of the bar. Someone needs to come in and tidy this place up.

I take a seat at a high long table and proceed to wait. And wait some more. And wait. Until finally, a nice man–but very softly spoken–brings me a wine list and a food menu. You know I’m much more the sort to put myself in the hands of a knowledgeable server, so I wait for him to return so we can discuss the menu.

And I wait. And I wait some more. And even some more. And I notice that the ladies by the window have been waiting even longer than me. WTF is this guy doing? I watch him pick a few bottles up and smell them. I watch him walk into the back room and take a drink from something sitting on a shelf. I watch him walk around the bar area. I watch him avoid eye contact with pretty much everyone sitting in Eno. (Not many at this point. Me, the two ladies by the window, and a man by the other window.) We are all waiting.

Finally, he comes to take my order and I take all of his suggestions. I think you can see where this is going.

EONS later, and my food arrives. It’s very prettily arranged and for that I am grateful. I have to make him repeat the names of the two small dishes on the left side of the plate like 20 times because he is so soft spoken. I finally figure out that he is saying “moutarde” over and over again. “Ah, MUSTARD,” I announce. He looks at me funny. He is not French, as far as I can tell. Nor, I hope it is obvious, am I.

The cheese on my plate is Ocooch Mountain, and its nuttiness reminds me of my beloved Borough Cheese Company. (Although the Ocooch is a sheep’s cheese and the comte from Borough is a cow’s cheese.) I enjoyed this.

I did take notes somewhere about the meats but I seem to have misplaced them so I honestly I have no idea what they were. I can tell you I liked the little gherkins and the baguette was very competent. The olives were a nice touch too.

This was all washed down by a lovely sweet but spicy glass of Pinot Meunier from Domaine Chandon.

The Verdict: So I’m a sucker for an empty place with decent food. I hate crowds. So in that sense, there’s something nice about Eno. But the glacially slow service really bothered me, and the decor needs some fine-tuning. So in THAT sense, I can understand why they’re not packing them in. But I’d go back if I needed a break from Michigan Avenue. Great wine list, nice charcuterie. And sometimes, that’s all I need.

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

Date of Last Visit: Sunday, January  16, 2011

The Damage: $30ish

The Background: Retail therapy. Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. That’s what I was up to when hunger called. I had this idea in my head that the lounge at NoMi in the Park Hyatt would be the place to escape to, but I totally forgot they were closed for renovations. (Poor guys…they get a Michelin star. And close for renovations.) So RL Grill across the street it was. (RL as in Ralph Lauren, or Ralph Lifschitz as he used to be known back in The Bronx.)

The Entrance: I like the feel of the place. Clubby as in old mens’ club. Library-ish. Fireplace. I take a very small table in the bar and proceed to order my lunch. It’s a soup and sandwich sort of day.

I was kind of excited for my toasted cheese sandwich and tomato soup, mostly because of the weather. The tomato soup was lovely. But the cheese on my sandwich? Not really toasted. I was hoping for something hotter. Cheesier. Toastier.

I took a moment to admire the tilework in the bathroom. The Ladies’ room at RL Grill is perhaps the brightest ladies’ room I’ve ever been in in my entire life. Seriously, it’s time for botox.

I returned to my table and contemplated restaurant waste. How can one person possibly eat all this bread? Restaurants in America are out of control these days. I should have done what I saw a woman at The Union Square Cafe in NYC do last year: she asked for a take out bag and took all the bread home with her. Smart lady.

I also contemplated The Park Hyatt across the street and the meal that never was. And I wondered if anyone was making macarons while NoMi is shut. Because I could really go for some macarons right now.

The Verdict: Eh. RL Grill is good for a glass of wine. Tomato soup and toasted cheese is not a real test of a kitchen’s possibilities, but I’m not really dying to go back anytime soon. Mainly because I don’t own enough Burberry. Or Ralph Lauren.

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

Date of Last Visit: Saturday, November 6, 2010

The Victim: Me

The Damage: $30

The Background: The night before, my friend Renee had looked at me in my thinly-lined black raincoat and said, simply, “You know you’re going to need a new coat.”

She was right. I had forgotten. Chicago is cold. Cold cold. I would need all new winter everything. Not just a coat but a real hat and real gloves and a meaningful scarf. I am not joking when I say meaningful.

Renee recommended a down coat so this is what I had in my head when I woke up Saturday morning. Your mission today is to get a down coat.

The Journey: I had an awesome time getting to Michigan Avenue from my new place. I took the bus. The bus driver stopped at 7-11 to get two plain hot dogs along the way. I’m not kidding.

Welcome back to Chicago, huh?

But I eventually made my way to Filene’s and then to Loehmann’s and then to Nordstrom Rack, where I picked up everything I needed and now, I shall be impenetrable to the Chicago winter. (You may note that I do appreciate a bit of US discount shopping.)

I had this idea in my head that I would go to Davanti Enoteca for lunch after my shopping was complete, but then I stumbled past The Purple Pig on my way back up Michigan Avenue and thought…EVEN BETTER.

The Entrance: The Purple Pig is PACKED. I despair of ever getting a spot. (I felt awkward taking a photo of the packed space because there were just so many people crammed into it, and they wouldn’t have missed me, photographing them, the strangers.) Luckily I am by myself and there is exactly one free seat at the bar, waiting for me.

I order a quartino of Portugese red–Douro. It’s Veedha Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franc, and Tinta Barroca. And it’s lovely. Food-wise, despite the many temptations on the menu, I opt simply for some brussel sprouts with chili and lime, along with the pork shoulder and mashed potatoes.

The brussel sprouts arrive and they are not what I expected. They’re deconstructed and the leaves have been cooked to a crisp (in a good way). I like these. A lot. I consider ordering a second batch. But I figure it’s best to wait for my pork shoulder.

And I do wait for my pork shoulder. And wait. And wait some more. You know it’s bad when the staff keep coming back to you, letting you know that they haven’t forgotten you. (They save themselves by being so nice.) By the time the pork arrives, I am so hungry and desperate that I don’t even think to take a photo. I just dig right in.

And it’s good. I mean, it’s okay. But really, it’s just pork shoulder. And the mashed potatoes are almost too creamy for me. I like a bit of solidness and heft in my potatoes.

Which gets me thinking…if The Purple Pig is one of the 10 Best New Restaurants in America (as decided by Bon Appetit in August), America would go CRAZY if Fernandez & Wells opened here. Or Ottolenghi. Or The Providores. Or, well, I think they’d die if St. John were to open its doors. (Even if it was only the bar menu.)

So while I enjoyed my food at The Purple Pig and would certainly go back at some point early in the afternoon or evening before the hordes descend, I would not be all, “Oh my God, it is the most amazing place ever.” But I would tell you that you’ll enjoy yourself and that the menu is very interesting.

The Verdict: Worth a visit.

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

Billy Goat Tavern
430 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611

Date of Last Visit: Friday, July 24, 2009

The Victim: Me

The Damage: $4.50

The Background: I’ve spent ages trying to find you a video of Jim Belushi doing “Cheezeborger cheezeborger” on Saturday Night Live. But I can’t find anything. For most Americans of a certain age (read: mine) these days, that’s what Chicago’s subterranean Billy Goat is best known for. Although its history pre-Belushi is perhaps even more illustrious. I won’t go into details–you can Google those–but it’s all about a man, a goat, a curse, and a baseball team that never quite seems to get anywhere.

At the point of my visit, I’ve been in Chicago five full days and I’m still jet-lagged. So I drag my weary self over (under?) to the Billy Goat for breakfast, just after it’s opened at 7 a.m. And I’m not alone. The locals are pouring in and the accents are cracking me up.

The Billy Goat is old school. Check out the tables. Yes, that’s red-and-white checked formica. But look how neatly the bar stools are arranged!

Would you like a beer with your breakfast? Now seriously, Chicago liquor laws are quite strict so I’m sure they don’t serve beer in the morning. Maybe…

The Food: Bacon egg and cheese on a roll. The bacon is crispy. The roll is toasted. The bun is tasty. (Really. I walk away thinking, “Now that was a good bun.”) The locals are funny. (Guy walks in to the Billy Goat and says, “Two slices of wheat, toasted please.” The guy at the Billy Goat doesn’t even look up and shouts, “Wheat toast? What WRONG with you?”

The Verdict: I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been here. I’ve been here so many times I don’t even remember the first time anymore. Always fun. Always random. Always cheap. Always good times. And this, my friends, is my last Chicago post for another year or so. Thanks for reading.

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