Food. Chicago. July.

Lets seen now.  Where did we eat?

I'll go in order.

1. Cheesecake Factory

Day One

For fun we decided to take the Hop on Hop Off  Double Decker bus tour.  (I'll tell you more about this tomorrow.)  Let's just say for now...we got hungry and hopped of the bus at Water Tower Place and walked over to the John Hancock for lunch.  Cheesecake Factory is in the 'basement' of the John Hancock.  No one was super happy with their food.  Except me.  I had Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp.  It is peanutty and coconutty.  I do love it.  Emma's burger was bland.  Patrick had fish...which he did like I think and Katie had....fettuccine with chicken.  She ate so very little.  That child.  She drinks she beloved soda and never has room for food.

2. Beach Stand at fireworks in Evanston

I did not eat.  I was not hungry for dinner.  Emma had a hot dog and Katie had a Popsicle.  The girls bought chips and salsa to snack on during the fireworks.


Day Two. Friday.

Gosh the city was busy on Friday.
We were staying near Andersonville and I saw a bakery in Andersonville I wanted to visit.  (Best thing I ever ate: Marzipan)  Emma and I went to the bakery early Friday.  It was closed for the WHOLE weekend.  We went down the street to get bagels at Einstiens bagels.  Apparently they do not know how to butter a bagel before you put cream cheese on it.  So weird.  The butter was blobbed in ther with the cream cheese.  Come on.
We also got Starbucks.

So I guess that is 1. and 2.

3. Big Star

Big Star is in Wicker Park.   Out of all the places Emma's has been in Chicago...this is the one she longs to go back to.  The food: Tacos
For me, the drink: Limeade
For the girls: Coke

My Limeade was the best drink I had in Chicago.  Get one at Big Star.




We all liked it very much.  Delicious ingredients.  My pork taco had pineapple on it.  Katie just got plain chicken and she thought it was the best thing she ate all weekend.




Try this place.  Plan to wait a while.
Bring Cash.




4.  The Weiner Circle






We saw this spot on the Conan O'Brien show.  We all like hot dogs so we thought we'd give it a shot.
I had the Chicago dog, Katie had a plain 'red hot' and Emma ate french fries.  She was still full from lunch I think.

On the Conan show the people who work at The Wiener Circle yell and scream at the costumers.  I was afraid.  But they were nice to me.
I also saw Ted Allen visit The Wiener Circle on Best Thing I ever ate.  His hot dog snapped.  Mine did not but Katie's did.  (The casing, you know)




If you want a Chicago dog.  This was good.  The french fries were very good too.
Bring Cash.  It's on Clark.


Day Three. Saturday.

5. Nookies. Edgewater.

Emma and I had a taste for salads so we went to Nookies.
I got a Cobb salad and Emma got a salad with goat cheese and chicken and balsamic dressing.  Katie got chocolate chip pancakes and barely at any.  Oh yes.  She drank all of her chocolate milk first.

My salad was perfect.  You know how sometimes you have to hunt for the avocado?  Not on this salad.  There was a half of an avocado sliced right there and sitting on top of the lettuce.  So good.
Emma liked her salad as well but I don't think she loved it as much as I loved mine.

When Emma was a little girl she played waitress a lot.  She would come to me almost every day to take my order.  I would always order a Cobb Salad and a Diet Dr. Pepper.

It makes me smile to be able to really order a Cobb Salad.


6.  Lovely

A bakery.  We went in to say hello to Emma's friend. She was not there but we bought a glazed donut with chocolate on top for later.  It was very good.


7. Kuma's Corner





This is a rock and roll hamburger place way out in the middle of the city.  We learned of this place from Guy on Diner's Drive In's and Dives.  We have wanted to come here since 2009.

It was too hot and smokey to eat inside so we ate on the patio.  Which was kind of nice but really I was too hot.  The girls were fine.  The hamburgers had good flavor.  Katie got macaroni and cheese.
My hamburger had a bourbon pear, brie, and sauteed onions.  Emma's had horseradish sauce, two cheeses and lettuce and tomato.  She got fries and I got home make chips.  I liked my chips.  The buns were pretzel buns.  I did not eat mine.  Not that I don't like them...it was just too much food.  I ate my burger with a knife and fork. The flavors were delicious.  My burger was over cooked tho.  I ordered medium rare and it was not.

We all liked our cute server. She had lots of tattoos.  One of Stimpy.  She was impressed I knew who it was.

I'm glad we went.  Not sure if we will ever go back.

8. Hilltop

For breakfast we stopped at a 'mom and pop' place.  The eggs were good.
The price was right.  The owners, Greek.
You get the picture.
Our kind of place.



So that's what we ate on our summer vacation.


Where would you choose to go out of this list?


Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment...it makes my day!
Katie is at theater camp all week with her friend Carrie so it's just me and Ginny....and she has not learned to talk yet.  But I am working on it.

Love ya!

Encourage one another,
Donna