Telegraph Wine Bar

2601 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647

Last night the fiance took me to Telegraph Wine Bar for my birthday dinner. Telegraph comes to us from the people who brought us Webster's Wine Bar (one of our favorite little spots). It's been on my list for a while and it certainly lived up to my excitement. Industrial, rustic atmosphere with an abundance of candlelight, a smaller seasonal menu with quality ingredients and a carefully chosen wine list. Great food and wine and some quality time with this guy. Perfect way to celebrate my 27th!

Quartino

Ahem... let's get something straight. I am all for eating good food and staying healthy and one of my nightly goals is not to end up falling asleep on the couch with a half eaten mango pop in my hand while the Real Housewives reruns auto pay on Netflix. (happened) But, sometimes when The Boy is busy and the girls are in town, it's appropriate to throw caution to the wind and get crazy.... but, where to get crazy? I can't just roll 5 deep over to the bar for a pitcher and a $1 veggie burger, especially when one of my 5 is prego and another recently swore off food that has too many letters in the name... she refers to them as "long foods".

Enter Quartino.

This place is consistently good. They practically give away wine by the liter and the food is just so yum.

Yes, we ended our meal of pizza with little Italian doughnuts dipped in a dark chocolate sauce. Don't judge.

Also, please no judgment on this bathroom photo taken on my phone. The chair was just too gorgeous.

And how about this bar??

GT Fish & Oyster

Before heading to the lake, we decided to kick off fourth of July weekend at the appropriately nautical-themed GT Fish and Oyster. Not only is the decor to die for, the food was INCREDIBLE. The menu is small plates, split into cold and hot - think tapas, Nantucket style. The lobster roll was unreal. Huge chunks of lobster in toasted brioche. Seriously, I have been craving this thing ever since.

Love this beach-house inspired chair.

The lighting was gorgeous throughout the restaurant. A mix between industrial and cottage-style.

Check out those fresh oysters! We got to watch the staff shuck oysters while sipping cocktails at the bar.

I highly recommend a visit.

So I sipped my way through the weekend...

This past weekend started with a chick flick {Something Borrowed} followed by wine flights at one of my favorite spots {Webster's Wine Bar} and ended with mimosa flights with Mom on Sunday. Somewhere in the middle was the first Green City Market of the season {my ultimate happy place} where I sipped coffee and discovered my new favorite flower - a mix between a tulip and a peony, crazy gorgeous. I also discovered a new favorite nail color for Spring {Essie Escapades} while treating my mom to a Mother's Day mani. Saturday night the boyfriend took me on a date to Big Jones in Andersonville, which I highly recommend. It's a upscale, local twist on coastal southern food with the most amazing red velvet I've ever experienced. Hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day Weekend!

The Doughnut Vault

This morning my work buddy, Grant brought doughnuts in for our little neighborhood here in the office. These are not just any doughnuts... they came from the Doughnut Vault. From the people who brought you Gilt Bar, the Doughnut Vault makes a limited amount of these melt in your mouth pieces of heaven per day, when they're gone they're gone. So, get there early to avoid long lines. It's worth it.

The Doughnut Vault serves up drool-inducing doughnuts Tuesday through Friday starting at 8:30am until they run out. And on Saturdays at 9:30am.

Doughnut chef, François works tirelessly to create fresh, small-batch homemade doughnuts. For updates on the Doughnut Vault, follow on Twitter @doughnutvault.

In the spirit of giving...

Last night I attended a round table discussion focused on making Team Veerasway more appealing to the ladies. It really is a great concept- a group of guys taking a rickshaw 2300 miles across Nepal & Northern India with a goal of raising large amounts of money for charity. Please stop by and check out the site. If you feel inspired to donate, go ahead and do that as well.

Veerasway restaurant is funding this expedition, so that all proceeds go to charity. We met at Veerasway, fresh take on modern Indian eats, and I may have found a fave new cocktail. Also, they had these great Moroccan-esque light fixtures that I can not stop thinking about. Can't wait to go back - perhaps a date night?

Via

Ginger-Cucumber Fizz: vodka . lemon . ginger . cucumber . soda

Chicago Q

Saturday night we dined at Chicago Q - an upscale BBQ spot we've heard so much about lately. Upon arrival the place was packed (to be expected at 8pm on a Saturday night). Once we spotted two seats at the bar up front and settled in with cocktails, we were prepared for our way-too-long wait. The mint juleps are their signature drink, and they come in the classically adorable silver julep cups {below}. Once we were lead to the spacious dining area, I was able to see the black and white banisters, reclaimed wood floors and soft leather seating. It feels like an old Southern plantation. And then the food came. Diners begin with homemade chips and bread and butter pickles. I literally could not stop eating these sweet and salty, crunchy, yummy pickles! We moved on to a green salad with smoked cherry tomatoes, Bob had the ribs with their signature rub. A selection of three barbecue sauces was served on the side so that the flavor of the meat can shine. I (being the pesco-vegetarian I am) ordered the lemon barbecue shrimp and was not disappointed. What would this Southern comfort meal be without a piece of cornbread as big as your head with honey butter and a side of bubbling mac and cheese served in a skillet? If you intend to eat here, I'd wouldn't advise any heavy activity directly following. We left very full and happy and headed to Bangers and Lace - a Wicker Park bar with a huge beer selection, where we met some friends to continue the birthday weekend celebration!

VOLO Wine Bar

Last night the boyfriend and I went to VOLO Wine Bar in Roscoe Village. We had been there before, but sat inside because it was winter. This time I made a point to sit out on their oh-so-romantic back patio. There were cabanas, white canvas curtains, lanterns, candles and exposed brick. The menu changes according to season (as it should). Go, you'll love it.