"You can resist good looks....but you can't resist charm...it's the lethal weapon," said Audrey Tatou in the French movie Priceless. Chicago has a lot of charm. With great food, friendly attitudes, and scores of architectural marvels and design centers, it's hard not to catch the spirit!
Chipotle held a Cultivate Festival for free to celebrate food, ideas, and music "that brings together farmers chefs, thought leaders, artists, musicians, and participants" to create a more sustainable food future. T-shirt painting (above), Demos by chefs like Amanda Freitag (below), farm stands, vendors, and Chipotle products were the most popular.
Here are some places you might went to check out on your next trip to the Windy City....
The view from the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building....You can go a few floors up and pay $15 a person to take photos from the "Observation Deck" or you can enjoy a great lunch for the same price from The Signature Room.
Start your day on N. Wabash Avenue which is walking distance from Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile. Explore the great designer home furnishing shops like Jonathan Adler's and Material Possessions....a distinctive collection of plates and table ware can be found at both.
A quick cappuccino and collection of Sicilian cookies will give you the sustenance you need to make it through your day. We stumbled on "L'appetito"...a Chicago institution which serves up Sicilian-American versions of cookies that my Calabrian family reserves for Christmas alone on a daily basis. Fig, chocolate spice, amaretti, butter sandwich cookies are just a few. In my opinion, one of these could tern even the worst of days into a holiday and make me yearn for the days when my Nonna and I would bake together. Interestingly, although these cookies look identical to the ones we make - their flavor was different. We use cloves, for example, in our chocolate cookies, where L'appetito clearly used nutmeg. Their fig cookies were missing my great grandmother's signature cherries and citrus zest. Overall, however, they were delicious and enjoying them reminded me once again how our recipes and culinary lineage influence our sense of taste and celebration.
It doesn't take a lot to make me cold - and a brisk, 50 degree rainy day makes me shiver. Luckily, Rick Bayless' XOCO serves up warm, hearty authentic Mexican street food. To wash it all down...sweet chocolate drinks made from freshly roasted and ground cocoa beans, almonds, and spices and a serving of Churros y Chocolate!
You can walk off the calories by heading down to the River Walk.
Serendipity stepped in once again when we decided to exit the metro at the Roosevelt Station instead of the Chicago stop due to a medical emergency causing major delays. The Bongo Room has the best breakfast I've had in a while. Served in a cute location with a good mix of locals and tourists, you can feast on things like Brioche French Toast with Strawberries and Vanilla Creme Anglaise or Citrus Ricotta Pancakes with Maple Butter. When I couldn't decide what to order - the waitress suggested both - fantastic!
Here are our nephew's Omar, Khalid, and Ali...future foodies who add to the city's charm factor!
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