Flower and Garden Show

Attending the Chicago Flower and Garden show is a family springtime tradition. This year I took along my newly gifted SLR camera to practice shooting in different modes. I still have a lot to learn but I've always loved photography so I'm looking forward to learning!

Festa Italiana

Sunday in Little Italy with Alex and Violet.

Happiness is...

...a Cubs win!

Lincoln Park Zoo

I spent an afternoon last week brunching at Nookies and exploring Lincoln Park Zoo with the lovely Meyer family. Those two cuddling monkeys were so sweet!

Shufflin'

The sun was shining and the temperature was in the 60s on Sunday, making it a beautiful day to run the Shamrock Shuffle 8k. It was a great way to kick off the running season and I'm looking forward to challenging myself to some longer races this year. The rest of the weekend flew by: Christine and I played at Julius Meinl and dreamed about future projects over a glass of wine, I played a wedding and grilled outside with Mark and Jen, and had a delicious post-race lunch. Best of all, I'm officially on spring break until next Tuesday!

Weekend snapshots

Christine and I did a lot o' fiddlin this weekend, performing at Julius Meinl on Friday and at Uncommon Ground on Saturday for St.Patty's Day.
Sunday was spent in Lincoln Square enjoying the amazing weather (80 degrees in March!) by having brunch al fresco at Fork and gelato in the square.

Fat Tuesday Paczki

Talitha and I snagged the last Chocolate mousse and banana paczki from Cafe Selmarie after a challenging yoga class on Tuesday. It was a delicious reward for surviving 15 minutes of sun salutations and downward dogs.

Spoon Thai

Last week, Talitha and I decided to shake things up a bit and meet for thai food instead of our normal breakfast. We headed to Spoon Thai and took advantage of the very affordable lunch specials. For the price of a value meal at McDonalds, we got a generous serving of yummy noodles and an appetizer of spring rolls. I think I'm partial to Opart Thai House just down the street, but some additional research may still be needed. Arroy Thai, also in Lincoln Square/Ravenswood, has become one of my favorite spots for take-out. Do you have any favorite Thai restaurants in Chicago? 

Dose Market

Christine and I spent last Sunday afternoon browsing the Dose Market at the beautiful River East Arts Center. The monthly market features a variety of fashion and artisan food vendors. The adventure continued with lunch at Grahamwich and dessert at Hub51. Another Sunday well spent!

Butcher and the Burger

Butcher and the Burger opened this Tuesday and Talitha and I planned to go there for breakfast. Unfortunately, when we got there, we were greeted with a sign that said they wouldn't open until 11am. Hungry and in need of coffee, we decided to grab bagel sandwiches down the street at Chicago Bagel Company and head back to Butcher and the Burger later for beignets. It was the worst bagel sandwich I've ever had. The cheese was unappetizing and I didn't care for the way they steamed the bagel instead of toasting it.

Back to Butcher and the Burger, we were the first official customers and ordered the beignets and Cafe du Monde, both of which were fantastic. We've already planned a trip back for burgers.