chicago weekend in review

Me n my hubby Shawn hanging in Chicago......
My friend Julie and I enjoying the "Champagne Flirtinis"
My friend Ingrid and her oh so wonderful man....Ramone (who works at Club Lucky....how cute is he in his uniform!)

Ok so I had a great time in Chicago. It is one of my favorite cities! It has great life...food....and plenty of fun. Just a quick review of where we went......

Friday night:

Rockit Bar & Grille http://www.rockitbarandgrill.com/

22 W. Hubbard (in the cool River North neighborhood)

This place is cool and hip...and the food is nothing too elaborate....some good ol' favorites revived. For example they make a kobe burger with brie cheese...serve sweet potato fries and a really gooey and yummy side of mac n cheese. They had a Lobster Burger that I wanted to try but I got a couple apps instead which were good....but nothing to write about on my blog! After 11pm it seems to become a hip bar-club scene so if you just wanna eat and hang out....go early. The food is priced reasonably...I had pomegranate mojitos that were a bit pricey....but very good!

Saturday night:

Club Lucky http://www.clubluckychicago.com/

1824 W. Wabansia (in the very artsy and hip Bucktown/Wicker Park area)

My friend Ingrid's boyfriend Ramone works here so we went to support him and it's a fun place to hang out with it's great outdoor seating space and very cool bartenders. I started the night by ordering a bottle of champagne to have on hand so I could drizzle all my drinks with a bit of champagne. This caught the bartender off but as soon as my friend's and I were doing it...she realized that I had a great idea. It was a hit with all my friends and honestly....champagne does make everything so much better! I went with the Flirtini (it had vodka and that X-rated Fusion liqueur in it that is flavored with blood oranges, passion fruit and mangos...it's super yummy and just having a bottle around makes you wanna be bad) then to top it off with champagne...let's just say WOW!

Try this the next time you're out....you can either buy a small bottle of champagne or just a glass as you only need a bit to drizzle on top of your martinis...it's also oh so good drizzled on mojitos!

The food at Club Lucky....well....quite honestly...I didn't care about food much that night....though the calamari app was perfect and the veal meatballs were very flavorful and moist. It's a great place to go with a bunch of friends...share some good Italian food and drink lots of martinis!

Sunday lunch:

Gibson's Steakhouse http://www.gibsonssteakhouse.com/

1028 North Rush Street (corner of Bellevue and Rush) (downtown)

5464 North River Road Rosemont IL (near O'hare Airport)

I've been to both of these locations several times...this time I was near O'hare so we went to the Rosemont location. I have to tell you...Gibson's is one of my favorite steakhouses. The food was just perfect and if I could've eaten more.....I would've ordered more than the two apps and Filet Oscar (melt in your mouth...perfectly seasoned and cooked filet mignon served with lump crab meat, hollandaise and grilled asparagus) that I scarfed down by myself. For apps I got the Avocado Crab Salad and their Spicy Lobster Cocktail. Both were served with plenty of the crab and lobster meat and were served cold. The amount of big chunks of lobster in the cocktail was impressive...I thought the presentation could've been better on both...but hey...this is a steakhouse...they're not known for fancy looking food....just damn good food....which it damn well was! But make sure you're ready for a pricey lunch or dinner out when you go to Gibson's...after tax...tip and meal....I was down $100! In my mind....and belly....well worth it!

So here's my advice for the day....go to Chicago....eat and drink plenty.....and if you can't go to Chicago.....well then go out....buy a bottle of cheap champagne and some X-Rated Fusion Liqueur...make a pitcher of martinis and invite your best buddies over for some cocktails and fun!

Look to tomorrow's recipe.....I am giving out the famous Mom's Red Beans n Rice recipe that friends have been begging after for decades!