some part of this chicago trip was actually business
singe: i eat this tonight
singe: The kobe beef burger is topped with Normandy goose foie gras and truffle mayo on a brioche bun. Duck fat frites with smoked sea salt make a rich accompaniment.
singe: it in wicker park
singe: maybe i eat half and bring you rest
my brother has been living it up ever since he started working on a project in chicago. well 2 weeks ago, i got sentenced to a business trip in nearby arlington heights, IL and so i decided to join him for the weekend. :p i tried dragging wes along, but he stayed at home to celebrate mother's day like a good only child should.
everything started out well enough. i flew out early saturday morning and arrived promptly dead on my feet, straight from chicago o'hare to the doorsteps of the bongo room in south loop. singe, wes, and i had tried the wicker park location last year and had been greatly pleased with the experience, unlike this contrasting sour review on the locale, and so we had decided to try the sister location this time around. i wonder if i'd ever agree with this reviewer's opinion on many restaurants since i thought bongo room was rather comfy, had friendly servers, great vibe, inexpensive, tasty, and a fun place to ppl watch. :p
overall i definitely enjoyed the wicker park location better. the south loop interior was a bit too new versus the worn in fuzz appeal of the flagship, plus they had this alarming infestation of tiny flies that clung to the top of the walls. crowd was similar, but not as boho. :p ahh, but yesu, the most important part was that the food was definitely presented better at wicker park AND also tastier. i had been preparing myself to order the duck breast eggs benedict, but a spring seasonal menu was tossed at me, and i ended up with the strawberry rhubarb french toast instead. only after eating half of it did i realize that there was no noticeable rhubarb action going on amongst the berries. :p
crab eggs benedict with pesto hollandaise sauce. was expecting much more from this special. the crab was straight out of the can and unseasoned, which left the entire dish under-flavored. the duck breast was so much better!
banana foster pancakes. the only complaint here was that the serving was too large. :p does that count? hmm...
my strawberry rhurbarb french toast with caramel icecream. i could only finish half. the portions are rather large here for the prices!
singe's philly coslave bobby and gf michelle had joined us for the brunch and promptly afterwards followed along while singe and i shopped a bit on rush street. i then realized that wes and i had been taking the long way to rush the last time we were in chicago, b/c singe's apt was actually a mere 3 blocks straight down from the damn place. :p after bobby and michelle split ways, singe and i embarked on a serious window shopping fest that spanned over 6 hours non-stop. we were both incredibly sleepy and exhausted, but we plowed forth, mostly singe trying on duds for fun while i sifted through the aisles. we both felt as if we had spent hundreds by the end of the day, but our empty hands relayed otherwise. that's right, we shopped for 6+ hours and bought not a single damned thing! XD
we finished out the day at rockit bar and grill for the rockit burger, the kobe beef burger topped with grilled fois gras and truffle french fries that singe had been ravings about for several weeks. unfortunately the restaurant had started paring down on their fois gras inventory for the impending chicago fois gras ban, and my slice of liver came half the size of what singe had been used to getting. bah. :p also the fois gras wasn't seared properly, the grill not being hot enough and allowing parts of the piece to melt haphazardly onto the side. they also didn't de-vein it, and a large sinew got stuck in my teeth while chopping down. nonetheless, it was a nice chunk for very little (this review says $20 but it had gone up several dollars since then) and the truffle fries were actually the best bit of the meal! again, MASSIVE portions, great ambiance and crowd, somewhere between a sports bar, brewery, and a man's man bar but with women. :p
we were supposed to work out, THEN swim, but i passed out as soon as we got home with singe soon to follow. :p sunday morning we walked to michigan ave and had mother's day brunch at bistro 110, a new orlean's themed psuedo brasserie with live jazz music. why is food so good in chicago? why is dc soooo not a city for good eats? :p
french onion soup. i've never been crazy about the scads of gruyer that traditionally comes with this, but i LOVE the soup itself. this was no exception, totally high on the umami scale. :p
singe is now determined to order eggs benedict whenever he sees it on the menu for brunch. this is voodoo eggs benedict with smoked pork loin and a nice ratatouille.
i like my quiche lorraine, that i do. :p
after brunch, we headed out towards the chicago field museum to visit sue. the last time i was there, sue was in the old school upright position. :p singe and i also scored free tickets in from this kind latino lady with two kids. "you want free tickets?" uhhh... wha? "here, come out of line, i give to you." uhh.... ok.
he was with me in spirit. :p :P :p :P :p
another long several hours were spent shopping in wicker park, but we actually got something this time. well.. ok actually singe did, a nice watch on sale for 50% off from $400!! wooo!! this area has such great consignment and boutique stores with super sexy clothes! wes would be here every weekend if we lived in chicago. :p lots of bits of amusement to be found.
my short weekend ended with a completely unnecessary dinner at nearby cafe iberico for spanish style tapas. so much better, cheaper, and more authetic tasting than what passes for tapas in dc. :( neither of us were hungry AT ALL and were full after our 2nd tapas. :p only 5 bites were taken out of the paella before going straight into a takeout box. it was damn dark, so here's the only shot that came out. :p
gambas al ajillo, grilled shrimp in olive oil, garlic, and wine. we also had white sangria (only 2.50 for a HUGE tumbler!!), a kick ass combination seafood paella, chicken and ham puffs, grilled chicken on a stick with aioli sauce, and cream of white asparagus soup.
then came an after dinner workout and a swim, then lights out. with monday came the start of the business portion of my trip, and i'll leave out all that drama. i will mention my infinite amusement in finding miso soup, umeboshi + other pickled veggies, furikake, and sticky rice served at the courtyard marriott breakfast buffet for the jpn businessmen. :p the business trip left me drained and out of commission for the weekend to follow, one that involved the coming of the grunters yet again as well as singe, who is also now my pseudo roommate. but that's all for another time and another post. :p