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: 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.

Chicago: Cibo Matto

Earlier in the week Bob and Nan had dinner with our friends Haywood and Hassie Solomon, who live in Atlanta most of the year. They asked us to select the restaurant, and we picked Cibo Matto in the Wit Hotel on State and Lake.

We made a reservation for 8 p.m. but got there about 20 minutes early and decided to check out the rooftop bar. It is on the 21st floor and has great views of the city. It is very hip - it reminded us of a South Beach place. Haywood and Hassie were already there, finishing up a drink. We decided to head down to the restaurant since it was pretty loud in the bar.

The restaurant is beautifully designed. We got a semi-private booth, ordered our first of two bottles of delicious Pinot Grigio, and began to review the menu. The waiter recommended that we each have an appetizer and entree and split a pasta. We decided to take him up on his suggestion. Bob has grilled octopus, Nan a fresh mozzarella salad with lots of interesting greens and nuts. I don't recall what the Solomons had but they couldn't stop raving about their dishes. The "primi" was an amazing bucatini with egg, some wonderful cheese and bacon (which they cure on premise). The entrees were fabulous = halibut (Nan), short ribs (eaten with a fork by Bob), Kobe beef (which provided Hassie with a lunch the next day) and skate wing (I talked Haywood out of the whitefish, for which he will be eternally grateful). We actually had a bit of room for dessert (don't ask how) so we split a scoop of gelato and a chocolate tort.

The food, atmosphere (or ambience, as Nan likes to call it) and service couldn't be better. What a treat (and we were treated!)

Chicago: Black Dog Gelato

With minutes to spare...

This week's edition of Time Out, which came out today, had a rave review Black Dog, an artisan gelato shop in Ukrainian Village.

Jess and I both happened to read the review and almost simultaneously declared "we have to try it." We looked up their hours, which were liberal (they stayed open till 10). Normally we would easily be able to get with plenty of time to spare, but not tonight. Our plan was to eat dinner in Wicker Park and have dessert at Black Dog. We ended up having the longest dinner imaginable - Jess will supply details. So, we almost had to abort our mission but we did get to Black Dog at 9:57. It is on a nice quiet corner and the help encourages sampling. We, of course, took advantage of their generosity and decided on three flavors (we like the unique ones): goat cheese caramel cashew, malted vanilla, and salted peanut. The portions were liberal and the gelato superb. It's a definite repeat and worth all its favorable press.

Chicago: May Street Market

BYOB (no corkage fee) + Living Social coupon + excellent food = a wonderful Monday night dinner

Since our Living Social coupon ($25 for $50 worth of food) expires in three days, we decided to drive to May Street Market to use it up. The place was pretty empty when we walked in at 7:30 but the food and decor looked great.

For appetizers, Jess and Mike ordered the gazpacho (yum!). Nan and Bob ordered the grilled watermelon salad which came with a 'shooter' of watermelon juice (alcohol-free). We all thoroughly enjoyed our first dishes.

For the main course, Dad had the famous duck burger which came with perfectly crispy fries. We all had a bite and agree that it was one of the best 'burgers' in town. It came with figs and cheese and was served on a soft bun with a sweet taste. Jess ordered grilled tilapia with an olive tapenade and a summer squash salad. Mom ordered duck gnocchi and Mike enjoyed the smoked pork shoulder. We all loved our meal and our waiter was attentive and helpful.

Overall, we thought this place was a great value for the money and plan to return again.

*pictures taken from website