I have been laying low and hitting the gym and attempting to eat healthy. Things were going well until I went to Salt Lake City last week… but I am back on track now. I told you about Salt Lake City earlier this week, so now let me tell you about the things I have been up to in Chicago.
I spent a cold cold Chicago night drinking wine and catching up with girlfriends at Kelly’s house. Plus I got to snuggle with Noodle.
I have been making it to a handful of workouts through Class Pass each week. I particularly like Flywheel, Pure Barre, and TRX at Atlas Performance. I went to a class at Engri in River North and my calves were so sore that I could barely walk for three days.
I have been cooking lots of healthy meals for myself at home (like this Zoodles alla Rustica), but also allowing myself a couple meals at restaurants each week.
We joined friends for a low key dinner at Frasca, a cozy neighborhood pizza and pasta joint in Roscoe Village.
I tried the new Tuesday night special at Allium at the Four Seasons. Not only was the German inspired menu delicious, it is only $58 for two! The meal starts with a green salad and an incredible taste flambe with bacon and gruyere. The second course is the Choucroute Garni for Two. It includes house made sausages, Berkshire Pork (I loved this), and new potatoes on a bed of kraut along with three mustards. Plus you get beers to wash it all down. I need to let you know that this meal was much better than any of the German food I tried in Munich – likely because all of the sausages are made in house that day.
I brunched with friends at Balena where I made up my own brunch concoction by combining cacio e pepe with eggs and bacon.
I grabbed lunch at Cochon Volant, it is my favorite place in the Loop for lunch. I love their burger and their rotisserie chicken caesar salad.
Charles and I had a lazy Sunday brunch at Le Pain Quotidian – we were super lame and both ordered the Goat Cheese and Oyster Mushroom Omelet. We always seem to order the same brunch, does anyone else have that problem?
I have also spent a chunk of time working on a special project. The Windy City Blogger Collective is hosting its first conference at the Dana Hotel on February 6th, and Erin and I have been busy finalizing the details. Hosting a conference was a goal when we founded WCBC and I am excited to see it come to life two years later. You can buy tickets to the conference here. Plus, the Windy City Blogger Collective has been hosting Twitter Chats about blogging on Monday nights at 7pm. You can join the fun by following #WCBCChat starting at 7pm CST.
Today I am heading to the Loews Hotel in Rosemont for a staycation with Charles. You can follow along the fun via instagram.