Chicago: Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery

#75 in the Nation

Ever since Bob saw that this brewery was rated 75th in the world, he knew he had to try it. Nan, Bob, and Jess drove to Flossmoor, IL to check out this brewery. Flossmoor is a lovely, quiet southern suburb with a few shops and restaurants. You would never guess that it would be home to such a highly-rated brew pub.

Floosmoor Station was offering two dollar 12 ounce beers. Bob tried two different kinds and said both were good (although not THE best he's ever had). Nan tried a light ale and enjoyed it as well. For lunch Nan and J had yummy (HUGE) salads with fruit, cheese and chicken. Bob ordered a sausage patty, which he said was also very good. The waitress was friendly and helpful and the prices were good.

After we left FS, we stopped at Jewel on the way home to pick up ingredients for dinner. Since it was J's last night in Chicago for the summer, she requested Nan's homemade pizza. If Floosmoor Station is ranked #75 in the world for beer, Nan's homemade pizza is ranked #1 in South Loop.

It tasted as good as it looks!

Chicago: Big Star

What a blast!

Barb was visiting us this weekend, and we decided to take her to Wicker Park/Bucktown. We figured we’d try to get into Big Star, but didn’t hold out much hope since it almost always a mob scene.

Perhaps it was due to the Air & Water show, but we actually got right in early Sunday night. We even got an inside table. Nan complained about the noise, but it was tolerable and there is a lot of energy in the place.

Big Star’s deal is great, cheap tacos and beer in a Texas road house sort of setting. The tacos (and tostadas) are $2 – 3 and the beer is equally cheap. We each ordered a few tacos and Bob quickly downed two beers since he was still sort of dehydrated from his long morning run in the heat. We tried the pork belly, pork shoulder, poblano pepper and fish tacos; Barb and Jess also had the special tostada with chorizo and potatoes.

The people watching can’t be beat at Big Star. There is every type of tattoo imaginable and lots of hipster types. Best of all, the bill came to $49.

No wonder this is one of Miguel’s favorite joints.

Chicago: Freddy's

This Italian deli located in the rather boring neighborhood of Cicero is a true gem. We never would have found this place in a million years. Thanks to Bob for recommending it. The joint is tiny--they have fresh pastas, sauces, bread, beverages, and other authentic Italian food on their shelves. The deli counter has tons of salads, rice balls, pizzas, sandwiches to order, etc.

Everything is so fresh, authentic and inexpensive. Nan, Bob, and J shared a large salad with artichokes, feta, tomatoes olives, one rice ball, one slice of artichoke pizza, and one tomato/mozz/prosciutto salad (oh, and two drinks) for under $20. You can't eat at subway for that price. Every bite we ate was outstanding. It reminded me of a place you'd see in a small town in Italy. Normally I (Jess) prefer thin crust and this pizza was a square pan pizza ('medium crust'). However, it was still very good--especially loaded with artichokes.

Bob thought the gelato was the best he's ever had. Chicago Magazine rated it the best in Chicago. It was creamy and rich. We tried limoncello, pistachio, and fruit of the forest.

This place gets 5 stars. We will return soon!

Chicago: Bonsoiree

Yet more celebrating for Nan's birthday......Bob and I went to Bon Soiree at 2728 W Armitage. What an amazing treat! It is a small, simply decorated room with subdued, tranquil lighting. One can order a 4, 7 or 12 course meal. Thankfully we picked the 4 course one. The food is French traditions with a Japanese flair. Each course is served in a very unique dish and the food is so creative and delish. We had a lobster/octopus salad, corn vichyssoise, pork chop replete with popcorn pesto and real pieces of popcorn, too. For dessert it was "Milk and Cookies" arranged beautifully with a incredible brownie, three cookies and a drink that reminded me of a Dreamsicle. Yum, Yum, Yum. They change the menu seasonally, so i will definitely return again. Having a $60.00 Groupon wasn't so bad either.

Chicago: The Purple Pig

Perfect late afternoon snack

After a few hours of shopping and walking around the city Bob and Jess stopped by The Purple Pig (cheese, swine, and wine!). Jess had wanted to try it ever since Nan pointed it out to her the day before. It is located on Michigan Ave. but luckily the outdoor seating is on a side street and not on the touristy Mag Mile.

The weather was absolutely perfect to eat outside. The outside area had big communal tables but Bob and J decided to sit at a table for two out of the sun. The inside reminded J of a Spanish tapas bar.

We started off the meal with a 'quartino' of Vino Verde (from Portugal) which totally hit the spot. We had a hard time deciding what to order because everything looked so good. We finally settled on: Salt-Roasted Beets with Whipped Goat Cheese & Pistachio Vinaigrette (J's favorite), Fried Manchego with Membrillo Vinaigrette, Greek sausage with grapes, and fried olives stuffed with Chorizo.

Since Bob was going out to dinner just four hours later, we decided four shared tapas would be best. If we were eating the meal as a dinner, I would suggest getting 5-6 tapas to share.

This place would be fun to come with a group after work.

Chicago: Cafe des Architectes

Nan's Birthday lunch with the Joes

In honor of Nan's birthday, Mike and Jess took her to Cafe des Architectes which is located in the modern Sofitel hotel downtown (E. Chestnut Street). Mike recommended that we should go there and we are all so glad we went. The meal was very special.

Before we ordered, we enjoyed a lovely assortment of fresh breads with delicious olive tapenade. Deciding what do order wasn't hard for us at all. We all knew we wanted to order from the 'executive lunch' which allowed us to get an appetizer, salad, entree, and two mini desserts for $22. Nan and Jess had identical meals: cold creamy tomato/roasted red pepper soup, a shaved fennel with shrimp salad, perfectly cooked halibut. Everything had such amazing flavors. Mike had the same salad but instead of fish, he had beef tenderloin and instead of soup he had a unique corn/oxtail salad. Our desserts were different: raspberry creme, raspberry 'jello', passion fruit tapioca, and chocolate mousse.

The most unique part of the meal was the presentation. All four courses were presented on four little white square plates which sat on top of one large plate. The portions were perfect too. None of us left hungry or too stuffed. We think more restaurants in America should serve like this place does!

Since it was Nan's birthday, she was surprised with blueberries on a plate with a French chocolate macaroon and fresh mint. Yum!

Overall, we all rate this place five stars for the service, food, ambiance, and presentation.