Tomorrow night I’m going to make gnocchi with vodka cream sauce for dinner. I want to make everything from scratch. Click the pic for the recipe I’ll be using!
Saturday afternoon: Whatever Mom feels up to getting (with friends)
Saturday dinner: Flatwater (with boyfriend)
Sunday brunch: Atwood Café
Sunday dinner: Jacky’s Bistro
That’s a relief.
(reblogged from my personal Tumblr)
Last Saturday, my boyfriend got up the courage to take me to brunch.
I should explain: I am hungry all the time. I have a bottomless iron stomach. My boyfriend likes certain meals at certain times. It often causes clashes, especially over the breakfast date.
We had seen Hotcakes several months ago in the fall. It looked like a cute café in the Wilmette area. I had passed it up then because I was in the mood for lunch rather than brunch. It never came up again, except when I would try to get my boyfriend to go on a breakfast date. I had thought we were driving to Walker Brothers, but I was pleasantly surprised when we drove past and ended up here instead.
The first thing I noticed about Hotcakes: we are not the target audience. A couple in their early twenties is not very likely to be found here. Everyone we saw was either an older couple with kids or an elderly group talking about their grandkids. Boy, did we ever stick out like a sore thumb.
The restaurant was pretty small, and mainly set up as booths. There is a counter that you can sit at. It’s got a very small town-y feel, but not in a bad way. Since I’m from a small town, I felt right at home. I thought the waitress was going to call me “darlin” or “sugar.” Hotcakes really isn’t the kind of place you go to for the scenery, anyway - although my boyfriend and I did love laughing at all the cute kids (the parents were clearly not threatened by us).
We both ordered hot chocolate to drink. I’m not a big fan of sweet drinks when I go out for brunch, but I couldn’t resist the promise of whipped cream and sprinkles. The waitress brought over two cups, and the toppings were as big as the mugs themselves. I ate the top part of my whipped cream off, leaving just enough to mix in with the hot chocolate. Delish.
For brunch, I got whole wheat pancakes and a side scrambled egg. The egg was a little cold when I got it. Luckily, the pancakes were too hot to eat, so I let the butter melt while I enjoyed my scrambled egg. I couldn’t finish my three pancakes - a rarity for the girl who can usually match her guy friends bite for bite. The pancakes were fluffy and perfectly light, and I look forward to going back in the future to try the buttermilk version.
Overall, I’d give Hotcakes a B+. It’s not the hippest brunch place in Chicagoland, but it satisfied us!
Tomorrow night I’m going to make gnocchi with vodka cream sauce for dinner. I want to make everything from scratch. Click the pic for the recipe I’ll be using!
Inside the Evanston location of Pete Miller’s. Don’t let the lighting fool you - it’s actually much darker on a Saturday night!
Pete Miller’s is one of the default places for “nice date in Evanston without much effort.” It’s also one of the default places to bring parents and friends, which is how my first experience at PM occurred. I went with three friends, my future roommate/suitemate (technically suitemate, more likely to serve as roommate), and her parents.
The first thing I noticed was how dark the restaurant is. I’m all for mood lighting, but there’s a limit as to just how dim you can go. Maybe that’s just a me thing. Otherwise, the decor was solid - brick and natural, calm colors. I wish I had seen the bar area.
Our server was very nice, professional, and approachable. She joked with us when we ordered Shirley Temples (five-year-old throwback) and made recommendations when we had questions. Everything was prompt, warm, and correct. She even brought out the steak plate so everyone could see the different cuts of meat.
The food was amazing. We ordered Warm Spinach and Artichoke Fondue and Pete’s Calamari as appetizers. I loved the fondue, and the calamari was great with just lemon juice. However, I will say that it’s not the best calamari I’ve ever had. My boyfriend and I always get a calamari appetizer, so I’ve become a faux expert on preparations and sauces. I would have prefered something a little crispier, is all I’m saying.
My friend’s father recommended that we all get the Lobster Bisque. It’s prepared tableside, which basically entails the bisque being poured over the lobster mixture and served. Six of the seven of us ordered it, and we all concurred that it was probably the best bisque we’ve ever had. For my main course, I opted for more seafood: Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops, served with butternut squash ravioli and gorgonzola sauce. The scallops were tender and tasted delicious with the gorgonzola, and the butternut squash ravioli had just the right al dente texture. I’m not really sure if the combination of the flavors was suited to my palate - I’m not the hugest fan of squash, but I gave it a try because sometimes the flavor doesn’t completely overwhelm me. Unfortunately, the combination of the scallops, the gorgonzola sauce, and the ravioli didn’t do me any favors. The ravioli was just too squash-y sweet for my tastes.
We were too full for dessert, and as we left I saw that the oft-toted live jazz would be starting at 9:00. I wish I had been able to have a live jazz dinner experience, but the conversation with friends made it all worthwhile.
Despite my positive dinner experience, I started feeling really sick a few hours later. The only explanation my boyfriend and friends could come up with? Food poisoning. I’m going to argue that I just had too many different seafood combinations and preparations at once, because I would hate to think that such a great restaurant made me feel so miserable.
Overall, I’m going to give Pete Miller’s the benefit of the doubt and assume it wasn’t the sole cause of my mystery plague last night. I’d give the restaurant a B+, and next time I’m trying the Chicken Parmesan with the bisque!
Last night I went to Cozy Noodles for my friend’s twenty-first birthday. We all got our “usual” dishes and drinks, but I decided to try a new kind of bubble tea. This plum flavor was light and creamy. It tasted just like heaven!
Parisian macarons from my favorite local bakery, Bennison’s. I got two raspberry ones and I cannot wait to try them!
Pic of the Day: Delicious macaroons from a local café!
To encourage children to eat “freaky foods,” some bento boxes are being made with “whimsical characters” like Mario. Click the pic for other examples.
