December 9, 2016

Eats: Saved by the Max

As a child of the ’90s, I grew up watching reruns of classic TV shows like Saved by the Bell. Even now, the big hair, DayGlo colors, and sitcom cheesiness is fun to rewatch.

Earlier this year, my equally ’90s-loving best friend sent me an article about Saved by the Max, a Saved by the Bell-themed pop-up restaurant in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. So obviously when we learned they’d added additional dates to the restaurant’s sold-out calendar, we jumped at the chance to enjoy a throwback dinner there together.Continue Reading…

January 5, 2015

Eats: A Trip to Eataly

Eataly Chicago has been on my food bucket list for quite some time now. And during a trip to the city to visit family for the holidays, I was finally able to check it off.

While the two-story Italian mecca—the brainchild of Oscar Farinetti—is admittedly a little bit overwhelming upon first stepping inside the doors, I promise you won’t leave disappointed. Continue Reading…

December 29, 2014

David Bowie Is… worth experiencing

Last week, as part of an early Christmas present, my mom and I took advantage of the 50-degree Chicago weather and headed into the city to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago to see David Bowie Is.

The exhibition is the first Bowie career retrospective of its kind and Chicago is the only U.S. city where you can catch a glimpse. The exhibit is amazingly large and, even more amazingly, the vast majority of which comes from Bowie’s personal archives (I’m convinced he’s got a climate-controlled vault of some sort under his house).Continue Reading…

September 4, 2014

My must-see vendors at Renegade Craft Fair Chicago

I’ve written about my love for Renegade Craft Fair before, and this weekend I’m headed east for a quick stop in Chicago before heading on toward Connecticut. Coincidentally, Renegade’s September market will be taking over Division this Saturday and Sunday so it only makes sense to make a trip before I leave town.

While I’m a sucker for Black Dog Gelato, there’s also quite a few vendors on Renegade’s fall roster whose work makes me swoon. Before I hit the streets to (most likely) spend any of the money I managed to save over the summer, here’s a look at a few of the vendors I’m most excited to see:

1. Alisa Bobzien

I’ve loved Alisa Bobzien’s works since I bought one of her Ruth Bader Ginsburg Valentine’s Day cards for a friend earlier this year. Did I mention she also has Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman cards? Yeah, pretty fantastic.Continue Reading…

May 30, 2014

The Week: May 30, 2014

This weekend I’m headed home to Chicago for my baby brother’s high school graduation. It seems crazy that he’s already old enough to be headed off to college but somehow that’s the case. So while I’m off spending time with family and catching up with some old friends (and eating here and here), here are my favorite bits of Internet from this week:

I’m hopelessly in love with this song by Sam Smith. Push play. Repeat.

I’ve been trying to read one of these every night before bed. Here’s to the next 100+ days.

So inspired by the women of Passion Projects.Continue Reading…

January 13, 2014

Chicago Tour de Pizza

Chicago may be known for its deep dish, but for a family of transplants (particularly mine) from the East Coast, the search for good New York style pizza is a serious and often tedious one. So when I was home for the holidays my father laid out his latest plan—a pizza crawl, similar to a pub crawl but with slices of pizza from different restaurants across the city.

Naturally score cards were drawn up—judging things like “sauce-to-cheese ratio,” crust density and “drippiness factor”—and our route was mapped. On the day of our crawl we piled in the car (paper plates, scissors, bottled water and napkins in hand) and set out in search of the perfect New York slice.

Stop #1: Slices (inside New York Bagel Deli)

While there are numerous New York Bagel Delis around the city we visited the one on North Dearborn just behind the Merchandise Mart. Not the drippiest slice I’ve ever had but the cheese on this pizza was absolutely incredible.Continue Reading…

December 23, 2013

Eats: Doughnut Vault

It’s really no secret that I love donuts (I’ve blogged about them before too). So it’s not surprising that a number of friends passed along articles about and gave their hearty recommendations of one of Chicago’s newest donut eateries—the Doughnut Vault. While working from the city a few days last week, I took the opportunity to indulge in an early morning donut run. While the Doughnut Vault truck I passed on Wacker was already sold out—in under 20 minutes, people!—I made my way to their Franklin Street location. The storefront is small and almost missable, if not for it’s blue door and vintage inspired mural advertising the shop’s sweets.

Inside the shop is charming—albeit only being about 4 feet by 12 feet—and decorated with gilded mirrors, art deco tiling and the most beautiful gold cash register. Like all delicious things, Doughnut Vault’s sweets generally sell out within an hour or so of them opening.

Luckily I was able to nab a chestnut glazed donut before they ran out entirely. But be warned: the glazed donuts are huge—not that I’m complaining. My giant donut was only $3, but be advised if you’re planning a visit, Doughnut Vault only accepts cash. After ordering a steaming latte from Intelligentsia I settled in for the morning with my coffee and the most wonderful donut I’ve ever had. Best Thursday ever.

Doughnut Vault, 401 N. Franklin Street in Chicago, IL

December 2, 2013

Eats: Toni Patisserie

During my semester in Spain, a good friend and I stumbled upon Demasié, an adorable café not far from where we were both attending school. The tiny restaurant quickly became one of our favorites and we spent countless hours there chatting over café con leches. Since then, its become one of the Spanish routines I miss most.

So when we made plans to reunite in Chicago over the long weekend, my friend suggested Toni Patisserie as a nostalgic pick, slightly reminiscent of our time in Europe. Thinking back I realized that I had actually briefly stopped into the shop last year during a Chicago cupcake tour, but was excited to return.

We caught up over fruit tarts and lattes and for just an hour or two, we could have been back in Barcelona. While we opted for coffee and sweets, Toni Patisserie also serves a pretty wide variety of entrees and gourmet desserts, making it perfect for a stop next time you’re in the Loop.

Toni Patisserie, 65 E. Washington Street in Chicago

September 10, 2013

Eats: Glazed & Infused

If there are two things I truly love in this world, it’s puns and donuts.

Ever since I learned of Glazed & Infused a few months back I’ve been on a quest to try their unconventional donuts. I was back in Chicago last weekend, spending some time with my family and wrapping up a few things so naturally a trip downtown was on the agenda.

After an afternoon at Renegade Craft Fair, my mom and I stopped by Wicker Park location—located just off the Damen Blue line stop—for a sugary pick-me-up. I opted for the lemon love while my mom chose the Bismark Special (fun fact: I’m not a huge fan of jelly filling, my apologies donut enthusiasts). Our picks were absolutely delicious and I would highly recommend stopping by one of their many Chicago locations next time a donut craving strikes.

Glazed & Infused, 1576 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago

September 9, 2013

Renegade Craft Fair Chicago

It’s literally been years since I first wanted to attend Renegade Craft Fair Chicago . I visited their Wicker Park shop—now closed—a few times but had never been able to make it back to the city for their September street fair. So when I had a few other obligations in Chicago last weekend, I jumped at the chance to head to Wicker Park with my mom to attend Renegade’s summer street fair.

With over 300 vendors, sprawling down Division Street between Damen and Paulina, Renegade is a lot to take in. We made sure to get there early—public transportation will be your friend because parking is very limited—and have cash on hand (though there are ATMs and many vendors do take credit cards).

For lunch we grabbed some delicious shrimp tacos and guacamole from Antique Taco and a refreshing watermelon soda from Seasons Soda. We also couldn’t pass on the raspberry apple cider sorbet from Black Dog Gelato—my sweet tooth must be hereditary.

While there was no shortage of treasures to take home, a number of my favorites included: a dinosaur toy turned succulent planter from the Plaid Pigeon to brighten up my desk, an adorable typewriter print to add to my gallery wall from Jodi Lynn’s Emporium of Doodles and the perfect light scent for fall from Sweet Anthem.

To see when Renegade will be in your neighborhood, check out their website. I’m already planning for their Chicago winter market in December.