WINDY CITY FOOD

My family and I love food so much.  We love to cook, bake and of course, eat!  I have actually researched about Chi-town's local food before we actually set foot there.  I know that we just had to have the deep dish pizza and the famous Polish hotdogs.  Chicago did not disappoint when it comes to food.  There are lots of options and for me, everything tasted awesome or at least everything we have eaten.

The Nachos at Gino's East Pizza

Mozzarella sticks at Gino's East Pizza

Calamari at Gino's East Pizza

with my college friend Joe at Gino's East Pizza

we haven't seen each other for almost 10 years

eating the left over deep dish pizza from Gino's east at my hotel

Portillo's

interior is classic Italian eatery 

Mini-me's burger

my first try on the Maxwell street Polish hotdog and I fell in love with it.

the philly cheese steak sandwich at house of wings, North Clark

burger and chicken wings at house of wings, north clark

the celery sticks reminded me how much I love this snack.

my second polish hotdog sandwich at house of wings, north clark

the grilled beef set at Del Seoul, North clark

bibimbap at Del Seoul, North Clark

my family loves to eat late at night and Bockwinkel's deli was our saviour because it was opened 24 hours and just a few steps away from Hyatt Regency. 

a whole lot of selection

but we love their roasted chicken best!

OYSY SUSHI

My friend, Joe  who is based in Chicago, brought us into this lovely sushi place called OYSY sushi  at E. Grand Avenue.  He told us that it is one of his favorite sushi place  in Chi-town.  The place is very chic and contemporary and service is great too.  Our food came a little late though but we didn't really mind because we were busy catching up with chitchats and the place was full anyway.

with my college friend Joe

I am a sushi/sashimi believer so the moment I heard sushi, I was already sold to this place.  They also offer cocktail drinks which is good because it makes a great place to chill and hang-out without loud music blasting into your ears.  It is a nice place for conversations over some Japanese tamagoyaki or maki.  The price is also just right considering the ambiance and quality food you are getting.  We spent around 100 dollars for a 4 people meal.  If I go back to the Windy City, I will definitely go back to this place.

our group of 4

Joe,my daughter and I had the same order which is this rainbow dragon sushi.  It had bits of avocado in it which I really love.

My hubs had this grilled tuna steak and of course, with rice.  He actually really liked it and if he liked it, then it means it was really good because he is not easy to please with food being a great chef himself.

We also had this sashimi platter

while waiting for our food, no wonder we didn't get bored.

The quest for rice

I am not the type who can't go on from day to day without eating rice.  I am not really so fond of it.  I am perfectly fine with sandwiches or breads for lunch.  On the contrary, my family is a big rice eater; you know, us being Asians and all.  Rice is usually a vital staple during lunch or dinner or more, even breakfast.  So imagine my husband's dismay when he couldn't eat rice out there in the US.  He lasted for a night with only burgers and sandwiches but the next day, he insisted on going to the Chinese restaurant that we saw the night before.  Well, we went all the way to Chicago from China to eat Chinese food.

So we found our family's meal savior in a form of a striking red one storey building near our hotel called Ming hin Cuisine.  We already searched the menu online so we came in prepared.  We knew what we wanted.  



that red box out there

I was quite surprised to find it jampacked with both Asians and Americans.  It gave us a good sign that the food might be great.  The attendant was very warm and polite.  He attended to us immediately and pretty soon we were sat in a cozy booth spacious enough for the three of us.  I actually just went back to the hotel from the ASLA convention to have lunch with my family so I was really relieved when we got a table quite quick.

Their service was great.  Having spent more than five years in China, we know very well that restaurant hospitality is not their biggest strength; even in fine dining restaurants.  But out there in Ming hin, the staff were really nice to us, especially when we communicated with the little Chinese vocabulary that we had.

As for the food, everything we ordered were delicious and were just right for our palates.  Local food here in the Mainland tends to lean more on the bland side and being Filipinos, we likea little more richness on our food's taste.  We actually came back there thrice and I think if my hubs had his way, we would be eating there for every meal.  If my daughter has her Nando's and Shake Shack, my hubby has his Ming hin.

breaded pork



stir fried beef

steamed rice roll or lachang as we call it here



and my favorite, braised eggplant with salted fish

NANDO'S (DIVERSEY, CHICAGO)

As I have mentioned before in my previous blogs, mini-me and I are big fans of One Direction....stop rolling your eyes over the fact that an adult is head over heels for boys in skinny jeans!  They are actually good.(oh yeah I am hardcore!). Anyway, so imagine my daughter's delight when I told her that the windy city has Nando's which is Niall's favorite takeout.  She actually almost dragged us to the place and made us eat there more than twice.  But hey, I am not complaining because those peri-peri chickens won me over.  Those soft and juicy skins mixed with a tinge of spice that is just right to tickle your tounges with hotness.  The drink bar is also a plus as well as the nice interior decor.  Too bad I was not able to take pictures of the interior that much; well I was busy eating.

mine...all mine

peri-peri chicken

view from outside

a whole bunch of chicken

the first try

I think the second one

the sauce I prefer

we love Nando's

The brown line and a whole lot of parks

I am not a train person at all.  Whether I am here in China or in my home country, the Philippines, I seldom take the metro primarily because I don't like being squished by a large number of people.  However, when I was in Chicago, I tried taking the brown line from Diversey to the city.  My family and I enjoyed a walk along Arlington as well as Nando's, the home of Peri-peri Chicken.

with mini-me at the train station

I like the rustic feeling of the brown line train.  It was a different way of experiencing the city and of course, it was a plus that it was not crowded at all.  I got to pass by the old rails that entered the city.

a view of the city riverwalk

I went to several parks for my case study references (yeah, for work inspo right there!).  Maggie Daley and Grant Parks are just simply awesome.  It was quite a sunny day but don't be fooled by the brightness because it was cold that day.  The wind was relentless and unforgiving.

surreal clouds at Grant Park!

walking towards Millennium from  Grant Park

a panoramic shot of Maggie Daley Park

reminds me of the Lord of the Rings Trees

I had fun park hopping though in spite of the chilly weather that day.  I did not really mind it because the clouds and the sunlight are just great for my shots.

WHAT I WORE:

black and maroon bonnet hat from RALPH LAUREN

leather jacket from ZARA MENSWEAR

skinny jeans from FOREVER 21

knee high boots from ALDO

Pandora bag from GIVENCHY

posing under the sun for some warmth

with mini-me again

Majestic Oakpark

Being a Landscape Architect by profession, a visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's house is a must. So we traveled all the way to Oak Park Illinois to take a look at the renowned architect's home and early works.  Thanks to my good friend Joseph who made this trip possible.  It was about an hour long drive from Chicago but the trip was well worth it.

We were greeted by the commanding presence of a giant Ginkgo biloba tree.  The tree was beyond beautiful but the smell was actually revolting... the kind that sticks to your shoes and brings the smell inside the car.

The splendid Ginkgo tree

We had our house tour of the famous Architect's house and it was like a virtual playground  to me.  However, I still like the latter years of Wright's design more than these initial designs.

Frank Lloyd Wright's house

the kitchen with canvas walls and paper rice lights

 Below are some of his initial designs too near his home.

 and then here is moi...busy with my camera and information digestion.  I wanted to wear my comfy culottes in spite of the cold weather here.  I just made sure I was wearing a pair of leggings and knee-high boots underneath to keep myself warm.

busy photographer

and of course, my ootd shot

WHAT I WORE:
OUTER WEAR:  Navy blue coat bought from an online shop
TOP: black turtleneck from Uniqlo
BOTTOMS: Red Culottes from H&M
SHOES:Knee high boots from Aldo
BAG: Givenchy Pandora