On The Town: Chicago and An Update!

I have been totally giddy to write this post for AGES! AGES I tell you.

Not because I’m bursting at the seams to write about the latest deliciousness consumed while in Chicago.

Because I FINALLY get to share the hugest thing to happen to me in a while.  It also explains why I’ve sucked at posting for the past few months…

I’M GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!

Yes, at the ripe “old” age of 29 I’ve decided to forgo having an income for two years and go off to get my MBA so that I can have certified baller status upon completion.

And how does Chicago figure in all of this? Well I’ve been accepted at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL (just outside of Chicago) so after years of exploring my inner Canadian, New Yorker and Parisian, I’ll be saddling up and trying my best to be a Midwesterner.  For the record I will not lose my edge nor will I don a North Face jacket (seriously, is it just me or is North Face HUGE in the Chicago area?). I will however do my best to consume copious amounts of beer, beef and Wisconsin cheddar.

School starts in September and I’ll be taking the summer off to “get ready for the school”.  I’m planning on continuing to update the blog while I’m at school.  I’m excited for Midwestern food adventures and finding my new fave spots to acquire ingredients.  Plus being so close to Chicago, I’m excited to continue to eat my way through that city and hang with my sis.

Speaking of Chicago eats… I’ve had to visit Chicago a few times during this whole application thing.  Here are some of my highlights from the food scene (all photos taken via iPhone and occasionally filtered through Instagram)…

400 North Franklin Street
Chicago, IL 60654

I love doughnuts and on a trip to Chicago over a year ago decided to hit up the Doughnut Vault.  The thing about DV is that you have to line up when the shop opens and they often sell out EARLY.  Sadly when we went despite getting there at around 9am on a Saturday the doughnuts sold out not long after. Luckily this random guy on the street saw how sad we were and gave us one of his doughnuts so that we could experience the joy.

On this trip I just HAD to have me some doughnuts.  So much so that I literally took the El from the airport directly to the Doughnut Vault WITH ALL MY LUGGAGE to get doughnuts.  And even THEN they had sold out of some flavours.  Luckily I was able to snag a vanilla, a chocolate and a chestnut.  The doughnuts aren’t cheap (about $3) but they are HUGE and delicious.  I’m not sure what my fave was but they all made me happy.  I would recommend following them on Twitter on the day that you want to go in order to keep tabs on how many doughnuts they have.

Sable Kitchen & Bar
505 North State Street
Chicago, IL 60654

I decided to visit Sable on the recommendation of who had a great meal there while she was in Chicago.  Sadly Sable will always be cemented in my memory as the restaurant where I watched the events of Whitney Houston’s death unfold on my iPhone.  Le sigh.

Sable has a strong focus on cocktails but also offers a fairly  diverse menu featuring a wide variety of meats and some good vegetarian options as well.  They really had my heart when I saw that they offered half portions of a lot of their entrees.  I’m a sucker for wanting to try like 7 different things at dinner and this totally allowed me to explore that.

Dinner consisted of…

Chicken and waffles – mini waffles with little bites of chicken = totally delish

Pomegranate glazed spare ribs – good but a very large portion even at the half size

Duck fat steak fries – sprinkled with cheese and totally addictive

Sweet corn creme brulee – this is a side dish (think creamed corn but sweeter) and is most excellent

Sable is a great reasonably-priced option if you’re in the River North area.  Fun and busy vibe too!

Table Fifty-Two
52 West Elm Street
Chicago, IL 60610

My sis had been raving about brunch at Table 52 for ages so we finally decided to hit it up.  Art Smith is the chef and has some sort of association with Oprah.   The restaurant has a southern bent to it given Smith’s background which is a total win for me.  I opted for the shrimp and grits which were pretty good.  The shrimp were in a tomatoey sauce and the grits were creamy and delicious.  While the shrimp and grits were a hit what really had my heart was the chicken and waffles that my sister dined on.  Literally the best fried chicken I’ve ever had.  It even inspired me to recreate them at home.  This isn’t a cheap brunch (those chicken and waffles cost $24) but it was definitely worth it!

Pump Room
1301 North State Parkway
Chicago, IL 60610

Pump Room is a Jean Georges restaurant in the Public Hotel in Chicago.  It’s kind of like the sister restaurant to ABC Kitchen in New York (which I hope to visit this summer).    We had a hard time deciding what to eat.  The appetizers sounded interesting but when it came down to the mains nothing really jumped out at us.  So we opted to order a bunch of appetizers and forgo the mains.

We ended up going with a salad and the carrot and avocado salad. We also had a whole wheat flat bread with mushrooms and egg, calamari and for dessert this apple pie type thing.  The food was good but not fabulous.  We may have ordered poorly or visited on a day with a less than exciting menu. I’m open to giving it another chance and will definitely visit ABC Kitchen.