Before I catch you up on everything I have been up to lately, I need a second of your time. Please go here and vote for me to be the TODAY Show's Next Food Club Star - it would mean that I get to go on the show and do a cooking demo! Just click the link, find my entry, and click "Vote Up". Thanks so much!
Now on to a recap of everything I have been up to these past few weeks.
I attended a pasta making class and dinner at Nico Osteria. I don't know why I was so late to the game with this restaurant but the food was exceptional. You must go! And definitely order one of the pastas.
Jocelyn, Jenny, and I had tea at the Waldorf. They are offering a special Easter themed Afternoon Tea this week and it is a fun twist on traditional tea. The hot cross buns and mini quiches were very festive.
We celebrated Charles's birthday at his favorite restaurant, Bavette's, we have been about a dozen times and are impressed every time we dine there. Oh, and I gave him a subscription to a whiskey of the month club - it's that such a fun idea?!
My friend Maya and I went to the Art Institute's Art After Dark pajama party celebrating the Van Gogh Bedroom exhibition. The special exhibit centers around Van Gogh's series of three paintings of his bedroom in Arles, and it includes additional paintings, and a replica of the room. If you are a VVG fan, you absolutely must go!
I finally made it to Belly Q and absolutely loved every single bite.
I brunched at Latinicity with some of my girl friends, and as you can see, we tried a lot of the menu. I will be telling you more about it soon. They have almost 100 menu items at the food hall, and I especially love the empanadas.
My friend Emily hosted a party at Chicago Cyro Spa and it was so cool. You go into a huge tank where you are exposed to extremely cold temperatures for 2-3 minutes. Afterwards your feel refreshed and energized, and it helps to relieve muscle and joint pain. I also tried a CryoFacial where a wand blowing very cold air is used to treat your face. I thought it was very relaxing and it is supposed to help reduce fine lines.
Charles and I had dinner at Eataly's new pop up restaurant Ristorante Toscano, and it was excellent. The restaurant is only open until March 27th - so go this weekend! (I wish it would stick around permanently).
My friend Regan joined me for a leisurely lunch complete with rosé at Summer House Santa Monica. I had the avocado toast and Red Car Rosé, while Regan had Baja Tacos. And good news - the seasonal Rosé Cart is back! Warmer weather is on its way!
I went to the opening of the new massive/super cool Bub City/Joe's in Rosemont. They have the Bub City food that I love, along with country music concerts at the Joe's venue attached to the restaurant.
And the most fun thing that has happened recently was the Lambrusco and Prosciutto party some friends and I had at Stella Barra on Monday. My friend Ryan and I both have a strong appreciation for lambrusco and came up with the idea of throwing a little celebration of the wine and foods that pair well with it. We had fried chicken liver bruschetta, several pizzas, and a wonderful housemade pasta.
One of my favorite parts of the meal was the pork meatballs. You need to order them next time you go to Stella Barra (and get the burrata too!).
Happy Friday everyone! I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I have no plans - and I am really excited about it!
