...Lou Malnati's that is. I never knew thick crust pizza until ye, dear Lou Malnati's. You were my ascent into Chicago style pizza and my favorite of the bunch. Oh Lou's, how we will miss your spicy/vinegary giardenia toppings, thick buttery crust and perfectly roasted tomatoes.
That is the face of a happy man. This very well may have been our last Lou's here in Chicago until we move abroad, and we savoured the hell outta it. Well, maybe tomorrow night for one last slice...or two... :)
Well hello there! I'm just gonna put it out there, I'm feeling a little bummy today. Feeling very under the weather and that always depresses me because there's so many other things I'd rather be doing and exploring than lying in bed with a runny nose, drippy throat, and congested head, especially since we're in the final countdown of our days here in Chicago. I'm hoping that a day in bed full of hot earl grey tea and honey will get me better so I can resume my exploring and errand running tomorrow. Here's is my Thursday late edition of "Ode to..." with my Ode to Karyn's Cooked, an amazing vegan restaurant just off Chicago Ave. on Wells Street, just a few blocks from downtown Michigan Ave.
Look at all this food! All for under $14 with a coffee! (The mac 'n cheese was actually given to me free as a "sample" - how sweet is that?!) There's so many things I love about this place - first of all, it's super clean and super conscious. The staff are very nice and don't rush you out of the restaurant as soon as you've sat down. The desserts look great, though I've never had room left in my belly to try any. I've only ever come for lunch, however it looks like it'd be a really nice place to come to dinner as well. The beer and wine list is also very if not all organic and many of the drinks themselves are brewed/distilled locally. I also love that if I had not known that this was a vegan restaurant before eating the food, I wouldn't be able to tell after eating the food either. The mac 'n cheese tasted super cheesy (despite the lacking of cheese) and the chili was very hearty (despite the lacking of meat). They even offered me coffee to-go for free because "it's cold out there." All in all one of my favorite lunch spots here in the city, especially if you're downtown because a large majority of the food places that I've seen in that area are chains or pricey or both. Overall it was the start to a very lovely day in downtown Chicago! :)
This is our last full week in Chicago, and in honor of this great city I'd like to take the time this week to highlight a few of my favorite spots here in the city. I know I haven't spent as much time here as Dan, however I do have a profound respect and appreciation for this city. I've really enjoyed my time spent here over the last year and a half, both in being a tourist and now a (very) temporary resident. Today I'd like to say a big thank you to Star Lounge, an awesome coffee shop by our place.
I love love love this place. It's kind of been our home base for doing work, scheme-ing, and just relaxing. My favorite drink here is the Mayan Mocha - basically an awesomely made mocha with red pepper flakes in it. The loose teas are great too. Everything, including the pastries, is really fresh. They also know a lot about coffee and are very, very, very passionate about it. 
There's a great deck and yard outback for the warmer months...
I sit here now as numerous plans and schemes have evolved in this coffee shop, and I hope will continue to do so at a later date in the future and for the remainder of our time here in Chicago. I can't help but love a place like this that is so good at supporting the local arts and music scene, as well as being so environmentally conscious. If you come to visit this awesome city bypass the Starbucks and try to make a stop in for a Mayan Mocha, or a pastry. It's well worth the search. :) I'll miss you Star Lounge!!!
