Never drink on an empty stomach…

For your own pleasure, I put together a couple of recent anecdotes and recommendations about food…

This week, I had a very special family lunch at Blackies’, on Clark and Polk, apparently the best burger place in Chicago (www.blackieschicago.com). The food was as good as cheap and quickly served + I got to spend time alone with my bro, talkin’ about priceless!

Then another special dude brought me the nicest chocolate cake: 7 layers of chocolate and whipped cream, coming straight from the Grand Lux Café, on Michigan Ave. Who said I needed to burn calories?

We also had the BEST brunch ever at the Sofitel, couple of steps from home, I never had free refill of both fresh orange juice and coffee couple with an overloaded basket of croissants/pains au chocolat/petits pains/baguette… before they bring the actual brunch!!

Friday night was special too: first house party of the summer. RED CUPSSSSS!! After having a crêpes-party, where I have been held hostage…

I got my first red-cup-party and met sooo many people, Anissa included…

… AND a special lady named Chartreuse. There definitely was a before/after Chartreuse party, I guess we ended up getting mojitoed!!

Finally, a special hangover breakfast was needed: 2 shots of coffee, orange juice… and couple of peanut butter toasts. See yourself:

Well, hopefully you’re not full, coz I’m not done investigating this weird food culture!

Bonne fin d’appétit! (Gad E.)

Mojito

ps: thanks everyone for your comments!

A long week-end and then some

A long week-end thanks to Memorial Day!

Starting with a party on Saturday night, in a random Irish pub on Division Street! My tip: when you have no clue why you chose this particular bar, and you’re surrounded with sluts and rednecks, grab your man and drink as much as you can… or at least until you’re drunk enough to cut loose and forget about who’s around!

What I wouldn’t advise is the place where we’ve been to have brunch the next day. Soooo nice to see good friends from London, but not so nice choice of place. Having a line on the street doesn’t mean you’re gonna have a great time/enjoy a great meal. At least not there: a buffet full of … of what? Crab, roastbeef, mac’n cheese, stuffed shells… + people drinking beers and shots at 11 am, loud music…

I felt like our night out had never finished… except that I wasn’t tipsy anymore. No, instead I enjoyed the nicest headache and nauseous feeling… mmmm still hungry?? My Benedict Eggs were okay and I was happy with my orange juice, no “mimosa” for me (mix of “champagne” and juice: sacrilège!!!). We stayed around 2 hours in that place (Duffy’s): I felt soooo relieved when we left. Then we headed back home, a niiiice 40min walk on the beach… that was needed!

The rest of the week-end? Well, a rest of a week-end:

doing laundry

enjoying home-cooked meals (yay sandwiches!)

watching movies

Defiance: a pretty sad, but really good movie based on a true story. Produced by Edward Zwick, the guy who made Blood Diamond (one of my faves), THAT should tell you about his talent!

The movie takes place in Poland, during the 2nd World War: 2 brothers are “designated” to take care of Jewish inhabitants of a village, which has been destroyed by the Nazis. They will follow a different path to fight against them: one will be engaged in the Red Army, the other stays and hide them, building a new “village” inside the forest.

The story is really interesting, and it tells you a lot about leadership and community. True, you sometimes expect Daniel Craig to take out his 007 gadgets and make the magic happen, yet he plays his character perfectly! Well, it might take some time before this James Bond impression disappears… but I really recommend this movie.

Click on the movie picture to see the trailer.

That’s all folks!

Momo

The return of sporty Mojito

Sporty Mojito is back!

After a long period of chilling, couch potatoing… I’m getting back to sport.

Looking for the volleyball nets, it started with a loooong walk on the beach in the evening…

Before hitting the volleyball game and… join the winning team, of course. Ya kno me!!

Winningly yours,

Mojito

(don’t mix alcohol and sport, not good)

Chicago by night (during the week)

Hey !

To start off, take a quick look at our view at night:

I have to say: I love taking walks downtown Chicago by night, especially during the week, when only a few people are walking around… and restaurants aren’t too crowded.

Looking for sushi, we ended up in a black and red place, two steps from Mariano Park, on State and Elm St: RA Sushi Restaurant.

I am not a big fan of sushi in the first place, but I have to say, these were amazingly AMAZING! No wonder they got so many awards (pretty much best sushi place everywhere they’re located). California Rolls were so tasty and I strongly recommend the Signature ones: Mango Lobster and Gojira Rolls (spicy).

Our waitress was the nicest and food was pretty affordable: we had 24 fine sushis for 45$ (tip included) + they deliver…

www.rasushi.com

Enjoy!

M.

Welcome to “Mojito in Chicago”!

Dear Readers,

You are about to follow the fantastic adventures of a unexpected frog in Chi-city.

3 months is all I have to live and share an unforgettable experience, so … bring it on!

- Enjoy the trip, save frogs, and drink with caution -

Mojito

Settling down

Sooo…

After a long trip thru water and land (I’m an amphibia, remember?), I finally got to my own place this week. I am living in a neatty neat studio, on the 26th floor, a leap from Lake Michigan. No need to say that I am delighted to climb such a ladder, feels like a barometer to me…

As you’ll see on the pics, I have a great view of the West side: sunny or stormy, day or night, I get to see a fantastic show on a daily basis.

- Please take a tour in my fab place -