Sunday, July 25, 2010

Club 32

Mike celebrated his 32nd bday on Friday! I decided to throw him a welcome to the club party since I have been here for a few months!

I started off by surprising my sweetie with homemade manhattans. I think he liked the surprise and liked that this gift will keep on giving, for a few weeks at least.






We had a few drinks while we waited out the Friday night storms, since we can't leave Finn alone when it's thundering, then headed to one of Mike's favs, the previously blogged about Revolution Brewery

We started with a few beers while we waited for a table. I had a Rosie, a brew that includes hibiscus flowers, and Mike had the Bottoms Up Wit. I really enjoyed mine and the interesting glass it was served in. Next we ordered up an appetizer and tried one of each of the bruchettas below, I did not go for the duck. My fav was the califlower variety.

Bruschetta (4 pieces, choose your own)
-Roasted cauliflower, white bean, arugula, lemon-infused oil
-Duck confit, cremni mushrooms & fontina cheese
-Roasted beet, belgian endive & goat cheese
-Plum tomato, red onion, basil, fresh mozzerella

Before ordering our entrees we got another beer. I was SO excited to see that they had Abita Satsuma, I read about this new brew recently and HAD to try it.



This Abita blend was a Harvest Wit, and um, DELICIOUS. I just kept looking at the bottle, something about the colors just made me happy! or maybe it was my buzz.

For our entrees the bday boy ordered the fish and chips, he splurged on the fat factor being that it was his day. I however, went the opposite route. I think I ordered the healthiest thing on the menu, not on purpose.

Beluga Lentils, Quinoa & Winter Vegetables
Sautéed asparagus, turnip, parsnip, roasted carrot ginger sauce, almonds

My entree was really, really good. I will definetely be going back for this one. I managed to balance out the healthiness by stealing a few of Mike's fries!

After a little debating on whether or not to go have another drink somewhere, I explained to Mike that Club 32 limits alcohol tolerance and intake even further and that it was best for us to go home. I had one more surprise waiting for him...get your minds out of the gutter, it did not require me "slipping into something a little more comfortable" lol!



I stopped at Bleeding Heart Bakery, another previously blogged about joint, and picked up some tasty little cupcakes. I like cupcakes because it eliminates having a giant cake around the house that I will inevitably overindulge in. I picked up the Chocolate Peanut Butter for Mike and the Veruca Salt for me. We ended up splitting these so we could each try both. They were amazing! The chocolate was rich and just the right amount of moistness and the Veruca Salt, well any salty caramel concoction can do no wrong in my book!

Eye think this is nuts

Last weekend Mike and I took the train downtown to check out "the eye" at Pritzker Park. The first time I read that "the eye" was coming I seriously thought it was a joke until a coworker of mine forwarded me an article in the Suntimes verifying that this was indeed no joke.

I snapped a couple photos as I gazed at "the eye". Odd, random, and pretty cool sums it up for me!


Monday, July 5, 2010

A Fantastic 4th!

After much debate Mike and decided to press our luck by leaving Finn unsupervised and headed up to see the fireworks in Evanston. I sort of have my own tradition which entails eating dinner at Davis Street Fish Market then walking to the fireworks along the lake.

We started off with some po-boys and long island ice teas. I had crawfish and Mike had shrimp, they were both so amazingly good! Then we stocked up on some snacks from Whole Foods to compliment our loaded beverages, walked to the lake and staked out our spot. After settling in and a few cocktails we enjoyed a spectacular display of fireworks set to some festive music, Abba's Dancing Queen was a highlight for me.

Here are a few pics!







When we got home Finn was a little shaken up. He rearranged some furniture in the living room and not only knocked the gate in front of our bedroom door down, but he opened the bedroom door! Him and Kira were lounging on the bed when we got home, jerks! O well, at least we were pee and poop free!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy 4th!

The 4th of July is such a great day, especially when the weather cooperates! Since I was a kid it's always been one of my favorite holidays. Probably because it was the one day of the year my parents were good for taking me out late and letting me stay up late.

Maybe it's self induced karma, but the 4th has remained and a great holiday for me! Four years ago, after months of looking, I finally made a connection with a pup and brought little Dixie home. I remember I had a 4 day weekend because of the holiday and figured it was a great time to try my luck with a new puppy.



Then, one year later, on July 5, 2007, Mike and I had our first date. We met at Ten Cat, a bar close to both of our places after learning that we lived less than a mile from each other. Little did I(or Mike I'm guessing) know then that 7 months later he would be proposing to me outside of the bar :) Apparently the 4th of July is a lucky holiday for me!



This is the earliest picture I have of me and Mike. It was taken on St. Patty Day night 2008. Unfortunately I lost a bunch of photos from 2006-2007 :(

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July! I'll report back if anything "lucky" happens this year!