Don't Judge This Book By It's Cover...

So if you happen to get lost while driving around northern Bucktown, or for some reason really want authentic, and I mean authentic Mexican food, you might wind up around the Armitage and Western area. The Mexican food is okay, but the real find is my favorite ice cream in Chicago: Margie's Candies. It's been around since 1921 and let's be honest, it looks as though they haven't changed the decor since. But that's just part of it's charm. They have over 50 sundaes that are presented in huge shell bowls with your choice of toppings warmed and waiting on the side for you to pour on at your discretion. Make sure not to leave without trying the boxed candies at the front counter. The chocolate turtles. Wow. Another highlight that I discovered while making a sad attempt at eating healthy and am now obsessed with: Diet Coke Floats. Bottom line: The ice cream and sundaes are so great you'll forget the tacky atmosphere and the dumpy neighborhood. Make the trek at least once!

Chocolate Raspberry- definitely in the Top 5.

---

Rob enjoying his Swiss Chocolate concoction and clearly loving

every minute of this touristy moment.

T-Minus 47 days until St. Pat's!

I understand this post is a little premature, but we're only a little over a month out from one of Chicago's most popular celebrations: St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick's Day is on Thursday, March 17, but the parades have been scheduled for the Saturday prior... including the dying of the river! (Great pics of the process) I'll post local bar specials and parties soon, but for now feel free to brush up on your green egg making skills. (Thanks for that one, Kristin!)

Celebrating with my college gals in 2008. I can't wait for them to come back again, with some new additions! I vow that this year will involve even more green.. if that is possible.

---

My favorite quote that you'll hear from at least a dozen people about our not-so-beautiful Chicago River, "If they can dye the river green, why don't they just dye it blue the rest of the time?" Seriously people.

TRU-ly Excited!

Just made reservations for Tru for my dad's 60th birthday bash, a restaurant I've been longing to go to since I moved here! Tru gets consistently amazing reviews as one of the best restaurants in Chicago, not to mention Rick Tramonto is a god in Chicago and the restaurant was featured on Top Chef. To top it all off, they have an original Warhol Marilyn (see below) in the dining room. So far, the review will be phenomenal. Stay tuned!

Cosmetics Settlement = Free Stuff

Head out to Neiman's, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Saks and more starting Tuesday, January 20th to get free handouts courtesy of a giant settlement with the Cosmetics Industry. Apparently as part of a class action suit, $175 million worth of free cosmetics products will be distributed one per person under January 27th or supplies last. All you have to do is sign your name - definitely worth waiting a while in line!

New Bar - Bar Crawl

I owe this idea to my wonderful roomies! Last Saturday night we had no plans and decided to go out and explore some new spots in our wonderful neighborhood Bucktown. First stop People, a Spanish tapas restaurant on Milwaukee. The interior is decorated in a modern Spanish style, and the entire front of the restaurant has long wooden lunchroom-type tables. They had an interesting selection of beers, wonderful Sangria, and the menu left us salivating. Will definitely be going back for food sometime soon.

The next stop was just a little walk South on Milwaukee: The Crocodile Lounge. Despite the fact they ran a little too far with the theme (all green interior, crocodile print lights, etc.), we really enjoyed the crowd and the vibe. STEAL ALERT: You get a free small pizza (that is actually very good) with any drink order over $5! There is more of a club-y club in the basement, but the ground floor is a really cool bar. Not to mention I had a rare CELEB SIGHTING! Anyone that isn't into Top Chef won't appreciate this, but Steph Izard, the winner of Season 4, was sitting at the bar with a friend. To top it off, when I yelled at my roommate Steph to close my tab, Top Chef Steph turned around and looked at me like I was a crazy person. So some might consider us friends now... moving on...

Last stop was Rodan. I know it's been around for a while, but this was my first (and definitely not last) time there. For a Saturday night, it wasn't too crowded but there was still a pretty good dance party going on in the back. Fun music and good drinks - Lychee & Champagne. Enough said.

Not your average chinese food!

My secret anniversary dinner wound up at China Grill, a spot I've been dying to try. And we were so glad we did - the food was amazing. China Grill is located in the Hard Rock Hotel, but don't worry, there isn't tacky Hollywood memorabilia anywhere to be found. The menu is served family style, and after blankly at the menu for a while, Rob and I decided to do the tasting menu so we could try some of everything.

Every course was phenomenal, and the majority of our favorites were dishes we never would've ordered! It's nice to see a tasting menu that takes some risks, and this one definitely did. The salads presented three ways were my favorite, but the lobster pancakes, crispy spinach and the garlic shrimp with tuna flakes (sounds crazy and it is... the heat from the food makes the flakes move and float around!) were the surprising highlights. Definitely a splurge spot (two tasting menus at $67 and a bottle of wine adds up) but you will not be disappointed!