ABCdinners letter B

Letter B of our ABCdinners took us to a place called BIG and Little's. They have 3 locations now (River North, Lakeview, and Wicker Park) and all I can say is GO THERE!!

BYOB... Cash Only... Often have groupons... plenty of seating... awesome food!

(It has also been featured on Diners, Drive-in, and Dives)

They have so many different taco, po-boy, fry, etc options.

I recommend the soft shell crab po-boy. And an egg on your fries is never a bad choice! 

I've also heard good things about the Al Pastor taco and the fish tacos.

Other B options: Billy Goat Tavern, The Boarding House, Briciola, The Betty, Brunch



xoxo Jess xoxo

ABCdinners letter A

So my last post was like a year ago-ish when I decided to do the Alphabet Dinners!
Well it happened! And it was amazing!
We had so much fun that we already started challenges for 2016 including #brunchamonthclub and working through Liquor.com's Best Bars list (only Chicago ones)... but more of that later.

Thought I would give a quick recap of the Alphabet Dinners (as well as other Alphabet options we contemplated) in case anyone else wants to try out some!
Here we go!

A is for Au Cheval

Au Cheval is a restaurant on Randolph Street in the West Loop.  It has topped"best fries of America" and "best burger in America" lists- and the hour(s) wait to get in definitely supports that.  We went to Au Cheval on a Friday night and put our name in and enjoyed margaritas down the way at Hello Tacos! and then also standing outside the restaurant... so the wait really didn't seem bad at all!

Started with some bone marrow and beef cheek marmalade... sounds crazy... but was pretty darn good! Bone marrow tasted like some sort of butter.. Tim loved it, lets just say I tried it. ha But the beef cheek marmalade on their texas toast was yummy. Followed by, their famous burger and fries (get bacon on yours!!).. YUM! Still dreaming about it!

Other A options: Antique Taco, A Tavola, and Avec

ABC dinners

So many times the hubby and I stick with restaurants around us as well as tried and true good eats... we love our neighborhood and it has so many places we like. Done. Easy.

But I want to change that.

 I want to experience Chicago and its different neighborhoods and eateries.

Either with just the hubby or with friends, I want to set up a night or two each month in which we visit a new restaurant.

For fun, I thought it would be cool to go through the alphabet: 26 letters meaning 26 restaurants.

 Decisions are still flexible at this time, but I found this Dining Channel website makes things somewhat easy by providing Chicago restaurants alphabetically, what type of food it is, general location, and the link to the restaurant's website. 
Plus I am doing a little research with recommendations, Chicago's Best lists, and Food Network/Travel Channel. Easy to find a new place- practically just have to go and eat!!

Keep going back and forth on if I want to do it in order, or let it be more fluid.. but we
have already started! So excited!

#ABCdinnerproject

xo jess xo

It's on like Donkey Kong.

{{Note to self: I will not make myself feel bad/guilty by writing about the fact that I haven't wrote a post in over a month... I was busy and it's ok. ha}}

 Over the last month or so, I have been looking for a new coffee table to replace the cheap $20 ikea purchase when we had first moved to Chicago. 

Time for an update. Time for grown up furniture. 

When slowly updating our furniture/living area, seemed like a good place to start.

I have found I keep going back to the industrial style coffee tables. Very classic lines and I love wood tones. For example, my fave show Fixer Upper has used this coffee table in multiple homes and I love it!

 

Problem is I am having a hard time finding the exact one... and/or a similar one within my price range.  

I was going to take my time with this, but it seems like one Mr. accidentally put his foot through our current one... and covering it up with a cute tray can only last so long ;)

So I guess the search is on!

xo jess xo

OSCAR TIME

The Oscars were last night.

And they were pretty legit.

Here are my top highlights:

LOVE IT:

Dakota Johnson

Naomi Watts

Emma Stone

 

Jennifer Lopez

Anna Kendrick

Reese Witherspoon

Rosamund Pike

Jenna Dewan Tatum

Margot Robbie

LEAVE IT:

Julianne Moore

Jessica Chastain

Scarlett Johansson

Felicity Jones

Lupita Nyong'o

Georgina Chapman

Lady Gaga

Chrissy Teigen

Dapper Dudes:

Eddie Redmayne

Channing Tatum

Neil Patrick Harris

Michael Strahan

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Micheal Keaton

DUD:

John Travolta...

STATEMENT MOMENTS:

FAVE MOMENT:

Lady Gaga performing the tribute to Sound of Music. Perfect!

FOR A LIST OF THE WINNERS, click here. What did you guys think?

Happy Monday!

xo jess xo

LOVE actually is all around

It's coming... 

the holiday created by Hallmark to sell candy, flowers, and cards.

Or something like that they say.

PSSSHHH.

 While I agree that Valentine's Day can take on an over-the-top entity, 

I like the sentiment. 

My husband and I say I love you everyday... multiple times.

And we try to say "thank you" when one of us do something for the other.

But I like to take Valentine's Day as a chance to appreciate the people in my life.

Especially my hubby.

We have never spent a fortune on each other or the night out.

But we go on a special date night and get mushy-gushy with each other.

Here are some ideas for low-key everyday dates or Valentine's dates:

1. Drinks + an app or dessert
 Too often you go out for dinner and don't get a chance to enjoy the appetizers or desserts on the menu! Every once in awhile, switch it up and don't get an entree.

2. Bowling!
Shoe rentals, a couple games, maybe a few drinks... fun and doesn't break the bank.

3.  Coffee date and some exploration
Grab a coffee at a local cafe or Starbucks and take a walk or a drive. Literally anywhere. Nature walk, window shopping, or just looking at the sights. Use Valentine's Day to be a tourist in your own city!

4. Order take out and play a board game
Get the competition going with a friendly board/card game... or one that is not so friendly ;)

5. Movie time: Catch an afternoon matinee or rent something in your home.
Afternoon matinees are still cheaper than at night right? Go see a flick and relax! Or even have a day of snuggling with a movie marathon (or series binge) at home. Rent on-demand or with Redbox OR just check out Netflix.

6. Groupon
Don't have anything planned? Just check out Groupon in your area and go... get deals like a hotel room, dinner, drinks, or an activity for the two of you to do!

7. Brunch it up
Another opportunity to go out to eat on Valentine's Day that has the opportunity to be a little cheaper than the normal reservation and night on the town. Get a nice mimosa or bloody mary with breakfast and linger over brunch.

8.  Cook a fancy meal together
Cooking? Don't we already cook on the regular? Well we don't always cook together- we take turns. Or in the hustle and bustle, we tend to cook quicker or routine items. So plan together and cook something fancy.. drink a little wine... play some music... you get the idea... make your own romance.

Us? We are thinking of doing a combination of 3, 5, 7, and 8. 

Wake up and get get some brunch... wander around in the general area with a cup of coffee...  cook a fancy meal together with wine and some music... and end with a rented movie all snuggled on the couch. 

Happy Monday!

xo jess xo

"LAME" adult snow day

I remember when I was younger and there was snow in the forecast... unless it was cancelled the night before, I would wake up in the morning and crawl into my parents bed to watch the morning news. I would lay there forever it seemed while watching the scroll go by to see if my school would be cancelled. Sometimes it wouldn't and I would then have to rush to get ready, but sometimes.... it was. 

via mashables

Those days meant sleeping in, movies, junk food, and possibly hanging out and sledding with friends.  In college, it could mean the same thing with the possibility of alcohol.

But as an adult... well snow days are definitely different.

Don't get me wrong, a planned snow day where you can sleep in and do what you want... still amazing. This is not such a story.

We had a blizzard yesterday in Chicago that resulted in just a bit of snow... 10-16 in worth I believe. 

I was proactive in uncovering my car and running it for 5-10 minutes yesterday.

I go to my car today and start it to heat up while I scrape and dig myself out a bit to head to work.

CHECK TIRE PRESSURE. 

Crap. That's right, in the aftermath of the blizzard, I have a flat tire. 

via reaction gifs

 Now I KNOW how to change a tire, my daddy made sure. BUT in the past, I have had no luck doing it either by myself or with my husband. Had to call for some roadside assistance-

Which, remember, is crazy busy from the blizzard... on top of that dealt with some not so stellar customer service of a few companies... and eventually after 5-6 hrs, the tire got changed into the donut! So now, I have to go take my car in and get a) a new tire or b) this one patched or something.

Currently, the side streets are still not towed and when I see an SUV getting stuck in my street... well, just not sure how the donut will match up.

That is how my "snow day" started... mixed with and followed up by dishes, laundry, light cleaning, meal planning, and a call to Comcast. 

If it is gonna be a lame snow day, might as well make it a productive one, right?

Here is to a better week! Happy Monday!

xo jess xo