(Pictured: Chicago skyline. Sunny day. So lovely.)
This past week, I had the pleasure of visiting the fine city of Chicago.
Sadly, I wasn’t there on vacation; rather, I was in town for work. But, I did manage to sneak in some sightseeing in my free time. And by sight seeing, I mean eating. I did a lot of eating in Chicago. (*Note: I do not adhere to my Lenten diet while traveling. Its just to complicated to try to stick to it while on the road. Plus, I travel on my own and its really nice to enjoy a lush meal and glass of wine after a 10 hour day. Just saying.)
During my 5 days and 4 nights in the windy city, I managed to dine at/partake of the following establishments:
Intelligentsia: The only coffee shop/roaster that gives Stumptown a run for its money. I made sure to get up early every morning to I could walk to Intelligentsia for a cup of delicious espresso goodness, and then go wander through Millennium Park.
Topolobampo: Rick Bayless’ praised high-end Mexican restaurant. I made reservations 3 months in advance and was stupidly giddy about eating here. Sadly, the food didn’t quite live up to the hype…It was good, but it wasn’t great. (Oh well, I still love him!)
Kramer’s Vegetarian Foods: Right next to my hotel, open only on weekdays. An amazing little health food store with a cafe. Fabulous and cheap vegetarian and vegan food. A real gem in the midst of chain establishments.
The Purple Pig: Recommended to me by the lovely CM at Burwell General Store, this was easily my favorite restaurant (and meal) of the whole trip. Their motto says it all: Cheese, Wine, and Swine. How can I argue with any of those things? Eating at The Purple Pig felt like coming home. Loved it.
Pizano’s: Pizzeria down the street from my hotel. I was feeling tired and crabby, so I ordered take out and enjoyed a single serving deep dish pizza in the quiet of my hotel room (with wine, of course). For it being takeout from a place I’d never heard of, it was shockingly good!
Blackbird: A Paul Kahan restaurant. High end, New American, with a focus on regional and seasonal cuisine. As far as I’m concerned, Chef Kahan can do no wrong. This is the second of his restaurants I’ve been lucky enough to dine in, and each experience was spectacular. I got the pork loin with black truffle creme, powdered leeks, baby turnips and braised kale. Unreal.
The Bongo Room: A number of Chicago residents told me that this is THE brunch spot. There was an hour wait to get in the place (and Chicago law prohibits bloody mary’s with brunch!), but once I got in the food was good (smoked duck benedict) and the service was fast. As good as it was…it doesn’t hold a candle to Portland brunch (Screen Door, Jam, Broder, etc)!
Here are a few random cell phone photos from the trip (as yours truly forgot to bring her camera. Oops!).
Scallop Ceviche from Topolobampo:
Individual Sized Deep Dish Chicago Pizza from Pizano’s (eaten in my hotel room!):
The obligatory self portrait taken in the giant reflective kidney bean in Millennium Park:
Overall, it was a lovely trip. I worked long days…and then rewarded myself with great meals. I made it a point to walk to all of my destinations, and this gave me a great feel for the city. I really love Chicago. But you know what? Chicago made me love Portland all that much more. We really have a good thing going here. I’ll gladly visit Chicago any day of the week (and eat at Purple Pig again and again and again…), but I’m glad I live where I do.