Chicago Vacation: Part 4

Saturday, July 24, 2010:

Our last stop before leaving Chicago on our fourth morning there was brunch at Rick Bayless' famous Frontera Grill. I started my brunch with an enticing Grapefruit juice Mimosa (which was one of their specials that day). It was lovely I must say, if you can't tell from my face in the pic below.

For an appetizer we got the Sopes Rancheros: crispy corn masa boats with savory shredded beef, roasted tomatoes, avocado and homemade fresh cheese. Tom's main course was Sapitos: a trio of Xalapa-style gorditas (corn masa cakes) in chipotle-black bean sauce each with its own topping: scrambled eggs, grilled chicken, chorizo and plantains; homemade crema and queso fresco. For my main course I got the Hot Cakes Indgenas: Iroquois white corn pancakes with whipped goat cheese, piloncillo-agave syrup, grilled chorizo and two eggs sunny-side up. The grilled chorizo bacon was so good, I can't even describe it. It was like eating candy. I realize I blogged a lot about food over these past few Chicago Vacation posts, but one of the best parts about going on vacation is the food you get to try while you're visiting a new place!

Plus I'm a chubby kid who likes to eat!

Chicago Vacation: Part 3

Friday, July 23, 2010:

On our third day in the windy city we made our way to Wrigleyville to catch a Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals baseball game.

Here we are watching batting practice from the lower level seating.

Tom had to get a Chicago dog and an Old Style beer per Wrigley Field tradition.

The buildings across the street had stadium seating to view the game from.

Notice you can see Lake Michigan if you look really closely.

The Cubs won. After the win the stadium broke into their victory song: "Go, Cubs, Go! Go, Cubs, Go! Hey, Chicago, what do you say. The Cubs are gonna win today!" It was such a fun atmosphere.

After the game we traveled to Greek town and ate some authentic Greek food at Athena Greek Restaurant.

Chicago Vacation: Part 2

Thursday, July 22, 2010: We began our second day in Chicago with a boat tour on the Chicago River. The tour was given by an extremely knowledgable volunteer docent (tour guide) with the Chicago Architecture Foundation. It was so interesting and a great way to see parts of the city that we otherwise wouldn't have experienced. We really enjoyed learning about the architecture and the stories of those who designed the city.

After our boat tour we decided to go eat deep dish Chicago-style pizza at Giordano's Famous Stuffed Pizza. It. was. amazing!

Our next stop was the Art Institute of Chicago. Admission was free on Thursday evenings after 5pm, so we decided to take advantage of that deal. We were able to see many famous original works of art including several Monet pieces.

In front of the Art Insitute

This pic is blurry because we couldn't use the flash, but it is one of

my favorite works of Monet.

When we were done at the Art Institute we walked over to Millennium Park to check out the Bean.

Tom playing in the water area with the kids.

Outdoor theater where a Brazilian quartet was performing a free concert

while the onlookers relaxed on the lawn.

The Bean!

We capped the night off with some gelato at a cute little Italian place called Caffe Baci. Mmm!