We made a quick trip to Chicago last weekend to see Charles. He’s doing great in his new house and is loving his new recliner. We picked up Candy Days packets while we were there. Be sure to stop by the shop this month. We’ll swap your spare change for a sweet treat from Jelly Belly. All proceeds benefit the 600+ children and adults that are served by Misericordia!
We also brought home some stunning accessories for spring, including some of the prettiest scarves we’ve ever had in the shop.
The rest of our time in the Windy City was spent eating. Emily and Matt met us there from Iowa and we decided that instead of picking one place for dinner we would just jump into restaurants as we passed them and grab small bites! What a way to explore Lincoln Park/Lakeview.
5411 Empanadas
Emily found this restaurant a few weeks ago while we were planning our trip and we knew it was going to be the first stop. So good. I’m requesting one of these in Hartville ASAP.
Aside from tasting awesome the empanadas gave us a bit of a game to play. Each of the 5 flavors we ordered was crimped shut differently. In order to figure out which was which, we had to hold them up to the menu. A puzzle with delicious food= perfect!
Pizza and Gelato
I think there’s a rule that if you pass a gelato place you must go in plus it’s a yummy way to cleanse the palette between courses! We tried 5 different flavors and the passion fruit was my fave.
The by the slice wording on Renaldi’s Pizza Pub sign drew us in. Excellent thin crust pizza and in place of bar peanuts they had nuggets of crust covered in powdered sugar. Would definitely go back and try their Chicago style pizza.
Panaderia
We brought pastry for Charles to share with his housemates and staff. La Baguette is a Mexican bakery in Andersonville. What a treat! You are given a large tray and tongs and walk around the shop selecting pastry. So many choices and they had beautiful cakes too! The pink one and the turtle shaped one were favorites in Charles’ house. I tried the half moon shaped one on the bottom left side of the tray. It was filled with a Boston Cream type of filling and was awesome. Frugal girls out there will love that this entire tray + a couple more small pastries added was under $10!
Farm to Table
We stopped for lunch before heading home at one of our favorite Wrigleyville spots- Uncommon Ground. Everything I’ve tried here has been wonderful. They are all about supporting local farms, the community, and the arts.
Mom and dad both had a burger. You know when dad describes his meal as “rather extraordinary” it’s a winner. Mom chose a salad as her side, beautiful greens with the lightest dressing. We think it was oil/lemon juice/garlic and will definitely be mimicked as soon as the lettuce in our garden is ready.
Emily opted for the spicy black bean burger. There are lots of vegan/vegetarian options on the menu! Matt had pollock tacos and topped them with a locally made hot sauce. I took advantage of the breakfast menu being served all afternoon and tried the breakfast burrito with their housemade chorizo.
Uncommon Ground also has a coffee bar (excellent hot cocoa!), serves local craft beers (see pic below), has live music in the evenings, and walls filled with art exhibits. It’s a great foil to the sports bars surrounding Wrigley Field and highly recommend!
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