In my third installment of What I've Been Eating, I am sharing what I ate at three Chicago restaurants: Green Zebra in West Town, Twisted Tapas in Rogers Park and Mercadito in River North. My favorite of the three is Mercadito, Mexican food restaurant. Green Zebra, West TownGreen Zebra is a vegetarian, tapas-style restaurant. I loved every dish that we chose, and my friends and I sampled ... Read more
Chicago Food: Clarke’s, Taverna 750 and Growling Rabbit
Welcome to my second edition of the food I've been eating at restaurants in Chicago. The first post covered Happy Camper, Toast and Asahi Roll. This time I dined in the Chicago neighborhoods of Rogers Park and Lakeview. I recommend any of these options if you're in town, though Taverna 750 was a bit pricey. This edition's restaurants: Clarke's, Rogers Park Clarke's recently opened by Loyola ... Read more
Taste of Chicago
I finally made it to Taste of Chicago (one of my Chicago summer bucket list items) over the weekend. I was dying to go last year but I had no one to go with. Womp, womp. Normally that doesn't stop me, but it's a huge festival that can be kind of intimidating to do alone. I was determined to try Taste after the SoFabU conference on Saturday, and I made it happen! I took the train to Grant Park ... Read more
July Goals
This summer is moving too quickly for me, and yet so slowly. When I'm waiting for certain things to happen, I want the time to pass quickly, but at the same time I am struggling to keep up with life lately. I'll survive, though, because I am a planner and goal setter.Before I get into July goals, let's check in with my June goals.June goal check-in:Prepare for a major life change that I'll share ... Read more
Brunch at Cafe Ba-Ba Reeba, Chicago
Choosing where to brunch is an extremely difficult decision. Chicago has countless options, and there's pressure (I put on myself) not to pick the wrong spot. Luckily my friends and I made the right choice this weekend by going to Cafe Ba-Ba Reeba in Lincoln Park. The tapas (small plates) are meant to be shared, so order a bunch of everything and try it all! What we ordered: Waffles with ... Read more
What I Ate in Costa Rica
If you're traveling to Costa Rica as a vegetarian, you better like fruit, assorted carbs, and rice and beans. I eat fish as well, so that gave me more options. Some places offered vegetarian options, but some smaller mom-and-pop restaurants didn't. Here's what I ate on our Costa Rica vacation: Day 1: For breakfast I had the Gallo Pinto (traditional black beans and rice) with cheese, a plantain, ... Read more
Phoenix Must-Try: Ocotillo PHX
One of the best things I've been able to do while visiting Phoenix for Christmas was try brunch at Ocotillo PHX on Third Street south of Osborn Road. I hadn't heard of this new restaurant (it opened in September), but a quick glance at the menu convinced me this place could be great. The restaurant had a Yard-like atmosphere. It has a separate little coffee house, and the patio had ample ... Read more
Eating, Seeing, Doing in Phoenix
Tomorrow I head back to Chicago to a winter storm. Before I return to reality, I'd like to share some of my favorite things in Phoenix this week:The avocado and kale dip at True Food Kitchen at Biltmore Fashion Park. It's delicious and comes with flax crackers instead of tortilla chips. I also had fish street tacos with beans paired with a honey lemonade. True Food is opening a location in Chicago ... Read more
Barley and Brass
I have a confession to make: I'm not into dressing up for Halloween. It's not that I hate it; it's just that I don't feel inspired to spend lots of time and money on a costume. This year I decided I didn't want to dress up. I had last-minute ideas in mind in case I had to wear a costume, but I was relieved to instead have low-key dinner plans with friends in Wicker Park. We checked out Barley and ... Read more
Pescatarian-Friendly Chicago Eats
One of my favorite things to do in Chicago is eat. You can find just about any type of food you're craving. If you're vegetarian or pescatarian, you don't have to worry about finding dining options that suit your diet. I have found plenty of tasty meals, many of them for cheap, on the North Side of Chicago.So what have I been eating?Veggie torta takeout from Vince's Pizzeria and Taqueria on ... Read more