Food Adventures in Chicago

We spent the weekend in Chicago with my daughter and seemed to do nothing but eat. We were staying in the 2500 block of North Clark and were amazed at the number of restaurants in the same block. We started with Thursday dinner at Tarascas (Mexican) and a pitcher of Margaritas. For lunch downtown we ate at The Mambo Grill- they're famous for their mojitos and Caribbean style food. I had Cuban Black Bean Soup and Chipotle Pork Tenderloin with a Pineapple Salsa. For dinner we had carryout from a local Italian restaurant.

My favorite of the entire weekend was Molly's Cupcakes. You can see the variety and colorful appearance from the photo. My Chocolate Cupcake was delicate and moist with a deep rich chocolate flavor, topped off with Buttercream Frosting. Other popular choices were Turtle Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Cupcakes (with a peanut butter filling.

Saturday was an adventure. We visited several wholesalers including JP Graziano (901 W Randolph)for bulk Italian spices, fontinella cheese and sopprasotta. He directed us to BARI (1120 W Grand)where we purchased the "best Italian sausage" in the city and an Italian sub for lunch. We also discovered Terry's Toffee (1117 W Grand) across the street. Their homemade toffee and has been featured on Oprah and served to VIP's at the Academy Awards.

Dinner at Brasserie Jo in the near north was good typical French provincial food. I actually had Floating Island for dessert.

Earlier that afternoon we explored the 2500 block of north Clark further and were fascinated by the many pastries and cakes on display at the Austrian Bakery. For Sunday lunch during our drive home, we purchased empanadas from Lito's Empanadas. We tried Beef with Potato (and olives and raisins, seasoned with cumin), Beef with Rice and Chicken Barbecue(shredded chicken with BBQ sauce and potato). Yummy.