Weekend Update!

Hello and happy Monday!  Boy, am I tired.  It's been pretty frigid here in the Midwest, and I have not taken well to the change.  I love fall, but winter is definitely invading its' territory.  Oh, well.  Guess I better get used to it, because if history repeats itself, it's going to be a long, cold winter.

Anyway, on with the update!  Joel and I went to another concert that was a blast from the past.  Michael Bolton!  His show was great, and he sang for nearly two and a half hours.  He sang some Christmas songs, which even though I'm not a scrooge I hate Christmas music, but I guess they were tolerable in MB's voice.  Since it was a small-ish show, he agreed to stay after and sign some autographs, but he was a little Diva about the whole thing.  We waited over an hour for him to come out, and then when we got close (and 6ft was the closest we were allowed), we handed our CD to a security guard who handed it to MB, then back to a different security guard to hand to us.  He didn't talk a lot, but since I got him to at least acknowledge me, probably because I was one of the few women under 50 there.

This weekend, we made the drive up to Chicago to go to their annual Christkindel Markt, which is a traditional German Christmas Market.  I've been missing Germany quite a bit lately, so Joel and I, and a friend of ours, decided to check it out.  First off, we used AirBnB to book a room, which was an astounding success.  I mean, look at our view from our room!

Amazing.  Pugsley wasn't very excited about the room, though.  He was either afraid of heights or wanted out the whole time, because he just sat at the windows and cried.

Yes, that is a crap ton of snow, BTW.

Then, we set off for the market.  I'm glad we went early and bypassed the snow that the rest of the weekend had in store.  It was great!  It had gluhwein, stollen, gingerbread, and crepes.  It even had spaetzle and curry wurst!  I am so glad that we went.  It really did "scratch the German itch."  Well, for now at least.

I also have some food reviews!  We tried a new breakfast place in Streeterville that was amazing.  It's called Yolk, and it has a few different locations.  It was packed, and luckily we only had about a 30 minute wait because we went early.  When we left, it had to be up to at least an hour.  My advice?  Go early!  Here's the scoop on what we had.  Joel and I shared two savory items.  He had red velvet french toast, and I had the cinnamon bun french toast.  Both were divine, but I have to say I liked Joel's a little better.

Red Velvety goodness in the back.

Yum, yum...

We also ate at our favorite Italian spot in Lincoln Park.  It's called Sapori Trattoria, and they take reservations, which at least on the weekend are a must.  We both order the same thing: rigatoni bolognese.  It is a must try.  Best pasta we've had outside of Italy.  Their tiramisu is also pretty tasty.  They do valet for 10$, but we found street parking for 2$ an hour, and opted for that.  But believe me when I say if you like Italian food, eat here.

Bellisimo!

Our Chicago trip was amazing, and even though it was bitter cold and snowing, we enjoyed our big city life for the weekend.  Until next time, Chi-Town!

Chicago = Food Coma

I love St. Louis BBQ.  It is the best (save Kansas City), and I can't get enough of it.  When I lived in Germany, do you want to know what the only food I couldn't get was?  That's right, BBQ.  But, do you know what Southern Germany had plenty of (besides beer, schnitzel, and pretzels)?  Delicious Italian food.  The area I lived in had a large population of Italians, and there was definitely no shortage of tasty pasta places.  Do you want to know what kind of good food St. Louis doesn't have?  That's right, Italian.  (Following me here?)

When we moved here, we were informed of a neighborhood in St. Louis known as "The Hill" that supposedly had terrific, authentic Italian food.  Not to sound all fancypants, but living in Southern Germany I visited Italy many times.  The Italian food at The Hill tasted nothing like anything I had in Italy.  The sauce is super duper sweet (almost like they add sugar), whereas (for example) the bolognese I had in Italy had a nice salty taste to it.

So, whenever we make the trek up to Chicago, I bet you can already guess what type of food we go for.  Oh, yes.  Chicago knows how to do its' Italian right.

I decided to try a new restaurant called Scoozi.  I honestly just picked a place that received good reviews on Open Table and booked a reservation.  Open Table (so far) has not failed me, so off we went.  First impressions were great!  The hostess was super friendly, and we were seated right away.  We were immediately served water, fresh bread, and olive oil with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  Yum!

The waitress appeared shortly, and helped us pick out a wine to go with our meal.  It was delicious, so score one for her!  We then ordered, and I got the bolognese, which I always get.  I figure if they screw that up, there was no point in ordering something more expensive that won't be what I expected.

It was really good!  The meat sauce was very flavorful, with just a hint of spiciness.  It had carrots and celery (I think), which is typically find in a good bolognese.  I was super pleased with the whole experience, and would definitely recommend and return.

The second thing I always make sure to eat?  A good gourmet pancake house.  This time we tried the Wildberry Cafe.  We got there super early, so there was no wait.  (I'm talking 0800, people).  When we left, there were probably about 40 people waiting.  Yikes!

I ordered a vanilla latte to start, and got a huge, delicious mug of it.  I wanted to just order a coffee, but decided to go a little fancier.

They had a specialty menu, and I saw what I just knew I had to order.  White Chocolate and Raspberry pancakes.  That just combined most of my favorite sweet things.  When the pancakes arrived, they were so beautiful that I almost didn't want to eat them.  Almost...  The were pretty tasty, but I wish that had done a better job of layering with the white chocolate and raspberries.  There were some raspberries in the middle, but all of the white chocolate was on top.  Regardless, they were absolutely delicious.  It was definitely a gem of a breakfast place.

To Chicago, WIth Love

My friend T and her sweet daughter M and I drove to Chicago for the weekend for a little girls' getaway.  Our main purpose was to participate in the Shape Diva Dash, but I couldn't go to my favorite American city and not do it right, could I?  Of course not.

Me getting ready for the Dash.

The Diva Dash was an obstacle course 5K.  It wasn't a mud run (thank God!), but there were about 10 obstacles we had to conquer along the way.  It was great, and definitely broke up the monotony of just running the whole thing.  Costumes were encouraged, so my lovely friend made us some flashy wear to run in.

All finished!

After the race, we went to our hotel, showered, changed, and were ready to go out on the town!  I love anytime I can squeeze in some Chicago time, and I was glad to show the ladies my favorite way to enjoy the city.

I wish with all of my might that I could move to Chicago.  It is such a busy, bustling city.  I could be content being on the go or doing nothing at all.  We have at least a couple more trips planned, and I can't wait.  I haven't been able to see Chicago much in the summer, and it was absolutely a beautiful, perfect, but all too short, weekend.

Randoms

Umm...is it fall?  In July??  In the Midwest???  Well, whatever the case, I just want to say that I have loved having the AC off and the windows open.  We ate outside the other night, and I can say that I felt slightly chilly.  It was glorious.  Now all that I need is for Starbucks to get their delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte going and it'll be official.

In other news, my bathroom is finally completely finished, decorated, and clean!  It seems like it has been a long time coming, but feast your eyes on the end product.  I love it, and I have definitely been enjoying bath time without that terrible glass shower door.

The Before

The after!

This week I will be headed up to Chicago with a good friend and her daughter ti participate in the Diva Dash!  I've never done a race like this, and to be quite honest I don't think I'm prepared for it.  My running has been sporadic at best.  Hopefully I don't kill or embarrass myself in the process.  I am excited for a weekend with the girls.  Although, it will, of course, be too short.