Lately...

1. Pablo during the heat wave.

2. Linguine with Zucchini and Goat Cheese. Recipe here.

3. Strawberry-Flax Smoothie.

4. Avocado Lime Fruit Salad. Recipe here.

5-6. Breakfast at Cafe Selmarie.

7-8. Chicago as seen from the Renaissance Hotel.

Doughnut Vault

Earlier this week Talitha and I paid a visit to Doughnut Vault, a charming little doughnut shop on Franklin Street. And I mean "little"  literally, as you can see from the pictures above. Doughnuts are sold in limited supply starting at 8:30am until they run out. Unaware of the gigantic size of the glazed doughnuts, it seemed like a good idea to try one of each. One buttermilk old fashioned and two glazed doughnuts later we were regretting that decision. They were tasty though! My favorite was the buttermilk old fashioned and you can't beat $1 Metropolis coffee. We left feeling sticky and with a serious sugar high.

Riverwalk

Marilyn 360

The newly unveiled sculpture of icon, Marilyn Monroe, in Pioneer Plaza has been causing quite a stir. Several critics fail to see the artistic merit or the Chicago relevance of the sculpture, labeling it "beyond kitschy." Tourists, however, seem to love it as evidenced by the crowd of people posing with Marilyn and gawking up her skirt. Whether you love it or hate it, it's certainly garnered a lot of attention. One of the goals of public art is to get people talking, and in that respect I think it's definitely succeeded.

Scenes from Logan Square

Lula Cafe

Our latest breakfast adventure took us to Lula Cafe in Logan Square. It was a beautiful morning to eat alfresco. We enjoyed the french toast special along with a side of bacon and home fries...yum! After exploring the neighborhood a bit, we stopped in at New Wave Coffee so I could cross another coffee shop off my Tour de Cafe.

After breakfast, we stopped in Wicker Park to do some shopping. We wandered around Myopic Books, an awesome used book store with three floors full of  books. I easily could have lingered there all afternoon.



more beach photos

Lady Gregory's

E and I met up for dinner the other night at Lady Gregory's, a new Irish bar and restaurant in Andersonville. The opening of the restaurant was delayed when a massive fire destroyed the interior in early March. The restored interior is beautiful with lots of dark wood and warm lighting. I was a bit overwhelmed by the massive beer menu, so our waiter suggested the excellent Wells Banana Bread Beer, a perfect summer beer with a subtle hint of banana. We ordered the deviled eggs and blue chips for starters and both went with the classic Fish and Chips for our entrees.

A visit with the Meyers

Bonnie and her adorable family came to visit last Sunday. We went out to brunch at Marmalade, a newly opened breakfast spot in the neighborhood and then headed over to the park to hear some world music at the Folk and Roots Festival. The boys had a great time running around and making friends with the locals. Before they headed home we cooled off with some gelato in the square.

Thanks for a great visit guys!

*Photos 1-5 by Bonnie