Black Lives Matter

This weekend, I went to Indianapolis to visit my sister! We visited the Black Lives Matter mural on Indiana Avenue and then we had lunch outside on the canal.  The mural on the street was so moving.  It's such a beautiful display of work by talented artists. I definitely recommend visiting if you have the chance. We also went for dessert at Gordon's Milkshakes on Mass Ave. I got the chocolate covered strawberry shake and it was so good! 

Chicago

Over the weekend, we went up for little weekend trip to Chicago for Wyatt's birthday! We had dinner reservations at Oriole and we stayed downtown at the Stay Pineapple hotel. I mean...a hotel with a pineapple theme? Yes, please. The best part is that we were able to stay in the heart of the city and not be in a high-rise building. The hotel is so charming.  The building is an historic building that they have tried to keep the charm of over the years.  It was said to be one of the precursors to the modern day skyscraper.  They have the cutest branded items and have thought of everything.

We drove up in the late afternoon on Saturday because we had a late reservation.  Once we checked in and got settled, we cracked open a bottle of wine from my bridal shower gift from Connie for our first Christmas as a married couple.  We got ready and then went to Oriole. It was probably the best dinner we've ever had! It was so good from start to finish.  I don't even think I can pick a favorite course...they were all just phenomenal. The restaurant itself felt cozy and the staff was all so friendly.  It was an A+ experience and I'm so glad we did it.

The next morning we met up with a friend to take her to the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Chicago Institute of Art.  Pro tip: become a member and skip the lines to get in the museum and into special exhibits. It makes return visits so much better and easier!  After the exhibit we hung out with our friends for a little before grabbing lunch at Pub Royale. Highly recommend the Gobi Manchurian for a snack! We loved it.  I also go fish and chips and Wyatt got the fried chicken sandwich. Everything on the menu looked so good that I hope we make it back there some time to try more.  We walked over to grab some pie to go from Hoosier Mama Pie Company before heading back to Lafayette. It was a quick trip but so good to see friends, eat good food, and explore Chicago a little bit.

Weekend in Chicago

Wyatt and I spent the weekend in Chicago. It was a weekend filled with food and visiting with our aunt and her friend who flew in for the weekend! On Friday we drove up and checked into our Air BnB. After we got settled, we walked to Thalia Hall to see a live show from the guys of the Football Ramble Daily Podcast. Though approximately 95% of the football references and information went right over my head, this was still such a fun show and I'm glad that Wyatt got to see it. After the show we ubered to avec to meet up with Tia and Martha. We shared some really delicious food there! We ordered the brussels sprouts panzanella, the charred beet salad (which I really liked and I typically DO NOT like beets), the lemon bucantini pasta, the chorizo-stuffed medjool dates, and the whole branzino. We also got the caramel cashew squares for dessert. It was all fantastic and the restaurant is this cute little space. We highly recommend stopping by if you're in the city!

On Saturday we met Tia for breakfast at the Little Goat Diner.  It was an adorably modern take on an old school diner.  I got the Spanish omelette and I'm still dreaming about it.  It had cheese and pickled peppers in it and was topped with the most delicious masa chips and salsa.  Yum! After breakfast we walked over to Millennium Park to show Tia the Bean and then made our way to the Chicago Institute of Art. It was cold but bright and sunny! We got to see the Andy Warhol special exhibit, the Impressionist exhibit (my fave) and a photography exhibit before calling it an day at the museum.  We went back to our Air BnB to freshen up and change for dinner after grabbing a quick lunch at Shake Shack.

After we freshened up, we met Tia and Martha at their hotel downtown and went to Alinea, the reason for our weekend meet up! We had reservations in the Salon and what a treat it was.  If you are a foodie and have Netflix, we definitely recommend watching the episode on Chef's Table about Grant Achatz, the chef and restaurateur who created Alinea.  It's an amazing episode.  We had so many great things, but my favorite of the night was probably either the osetra with blood orange and heart of palm foam or the ribeye. Or maybe the prawn soup that we drank from the shell dish.  It was all so good that it's hard to choose a favorite. The dessert was also such a fun treat.  They roll out a special cover on your table and have you all sit on one side.  Then they created a work of art with various different components. The toasted jasmine ice cream was my favorite part of that course. And after they create that masterpiece on your table and leave you with spoons to eat it, they present you with an edible balloon filled with helium.  You kiss the balloon and suck the helium out and then eat the taffy and apple. What an amazing experience that we are so thrilled and lucky to have been able to take in with Tia!

On Sunday, we picked Tia up and went to Owen and Engine for brunch.  It was the cutest British pub. After brunch, we took Tia back to her hotel and started home very full and content after a wonderful weekend! We can't wait to be able to meet up and spend more time with Tia again!