Tasty Travels: Chicago Edition, Part 2

Yesterday, I recapped my first 24 hours in Chicago. And a fun-filled 24 hours it was.

My second evening in Chicago, the girls had planned to try out a place called Benchmark for dinner. We arrived to find that it was pretty much packed wall-to-wall with 20-somethings that looked like they stepped out of an Abercrombie ad. {Not that I - a happily married woman - was looking or anything... but it was sort of hard not to notice.} The guy to girl ratio was way tilted in favor of the bachelorettes I happened to be dining with, so crowd watching was definitely entertaining.

When we finally managed to snag a table, we settled in and grabbed some drinks. Looking around, it was easy to see why the place was popular with it's open air seating {they have a retractable roof, which I imagine comes in handy during the blizzardy wintertime}and bustling bar scene. The Blackened Shrimp Wrap with orange, mango, & Asian pear and Sriracha-Citrus Vinaigrette I picked out for dinner was super flavorful {and I was semi-obsessed with the Sweet Potato Fries} and it went perfectly with the refreshing Summer Shandy I had to drink. Two thumbs up for Benchmark... one for the food & drinks, and one for the "scenery". ;)

After dinner, we wandered over to Old Town Social, a dimly lit restaurant and bar with tons of character. As I browsed the drink menu by candlelight, I could tell that they take their handcrafted cocktails and housemade cured meats seriously. {Um, take for example, the "Piggy Back"... a shot of Maker's Mark with a Bacon Consomme Back} I was sort of smitten with the brick walls, antique-ish decor, and how they managed to make the large space so cozy and comfortable. Definitely a place I'd want to visit again.

We were on a roll with picking fun spots, so we headed back towards Emily's neighborhood and stopped in at Galway Bay for a game of darts or two. Despite seeming like a hidden basement bar, I was surprised to find that it was buzzing with activity and full of young people. {Am I just used to going out in South Florida where the majority of the patrons are of Social Security check-receiving age??}

The girls showed me how it's done... and I almost got a bullseye! :)

Exhausted from all the fun, we called it a night and headed to bed since we had all of Sunday ahead of us.

The next morning, Emily took me to see the Wicker Park area, and we had brunch at a place called Feast. As much as we wanted to sit outside in the adorable patio area, we stuck with indoor seating since the temperatures were still on the warmer side. Luckily, the inside is just as charming as the outside, and we settled in to a corner booth in the back and enjoyed the air conditioning.

I ordered the Breakfast Croissant {egg, mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, prosciutto, and arugula on a buttery croissant} and it. was. awesome. So were the crispy "feast potatoes" that came alongside them. While I was most definitely satisfied with my meal {I actually only ate half & saved the rest for the next day's plane ride home}, I couldn't help but eye the stack of blueberry oatmeal pancakes on our neighbor's table and wonder if they were as delicious as they looked. Stuffed, we headed out to get our Sunday started.

{P.S. I did a TERRIBLE job taking food pics on this trip! I was just to eager to dive in, I guess!}

A few hours later, I was a little sorry I had taken Feast's name so literally, because as it turns out, I was about to embark on a foodie fantasy: A bakery tour of Chicago, hosted by Emily's good friend Alli. {P.S. Check out Alli's blog, Fetes, Food, & Fashion where she talks about... well... all three of those things!}

As fabulous as all of my meals had been during my trip so far, things were about to get taken up a notch and I was totally up for the challenge!

So... tomorrow, be prepared to drool a little bit as I share Chicago's sweetest stops. And, don't you worry, I definitely took some pics of all the goodies for you!

Tasty Travels: Key West Edition, Part 2

Guess what I did {or didn't do}? I wrote my Key West recap in one looooong post, then hit the "Cut" button to split the text into 2 separate posts {the first of which I shared yesterday}... and never "pasted" the second half onto anything. Nice job.

So, here I go again. Sigh.

I left off yesterday at the end of our first day of restaurant & bar hopping. We woke up bright and early the next morning hungry {how, I'll never know} for a tasty breakfast, and decided to rent some bicycles from the Bed & Breakfast we stayed at to get around since my feet took a beating the day before.

Not far from our B&B, we found just what we were looking for at Croissants de France, a little French cafe with a big selection of pastries. Steve and I split a Ham & Cheese Croissant {SO good}, and he also had a Guava Pastry. I kept my eye on a Nutella filled beignet that was taunting me through the glass counter, but alas, decided to save my calories for later. I'm still regretting it.

We did some more site seeing, biking, and browsing and before we knew it, we were hungry for lunch. {Are you really surprised?}

I had read some good reviews about a Cuban restaurant called El Siboney, so we biked our way there and each had a Cuban Sandwich for lunch {which was not 100% authentic, in my opinion, but was still very good!}. By the look of the lunchtime crowd, I'd say this spot is well loved by locals & tourists alike.

As the heat of the afternoon took it's toll, we decided to stop over at El Meson de Pepe, a charming vintage Cuba themed restaurant & bar, to continue with our Cuban lunch and cool down with some Mojitos... a must! They make them strong and delicious. {As is evident by our goofy behavior seen below. Sadly, I was too distracted by the fabulousness of the mojito to take a picture of it.}

Me: Standing out. Steve: Blending in.

I'll give you three guesses as to what we did next... That's right! More biking, more site seeing, more eating! You're so good.

Our next stop was obligatory, because you cannot come to Key West and not have a slice of Key Lime Pie. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's illegal. {Wouldn't that be funny considering all the other questionable behavior that is allowed in Key West?! Haha!}

So, we split a slice of KLP at Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe and did our civil duty. It was good... and gone too fast. :(

I was SO disgustingly sweaty here... bleh.

At this point, we had been biking the whole day. In the hot, humid Florida summer. And I didn't care where we went, but it needed to be indoors, air conditioned, and close by.

Sloppy Joe's Bar for a sweaty, sloppy couple, seemed very fitting.

Steve's "I'm sweaty & uncomfortable, please stop taking pictures" face.

Some live music, a snack, and a drink or two later...we hit the pavement again {not literally, the drinks weren't that strong}, and honestly, I can't remember what we did. {Ok, maybe they were.} But I know we wound up bar hopping and listening to a few live performances here and there...

At Willie T's {Tip: Try the Vanilla Mojito}...

Only in Key West does money grow on palm trees & line ceilings...

And finally, perched on the balcony of Whistle Bar with a birds eye view of Duval Street. {Fun fact: Whistle Bar is the 2nd floor of Bull Bar. Just above it is a clothing optional rooftop bar called Garden of Eden ... enter at your own risk.}

We got ice cream at Kilwin's {nothing like ice cream for dinner}, and headed back to the B&B for a good night's rest before the long drive home the next day.

The next morning, we {grudgingly} packed up our stuff, and considered our breakfast options before we hit the road. Steve was in the mood for diner food, and my only requirement was a cafe con leche. We found both at Harpoon Harry's, along with a really yummy egg & cheese breakfast sandwich served on Cuban bread. {Which I did not bother taking a picture of because I was in the mourning stages of dealing with our departure that day.} Another tip: Harpoon Harry's is cash only!

With only an hour or so left to spare, we biked off some breakfast calories around Mallory Square and made one final stop to pick up some souvenirs for the family. Even before we arrived in Key West, I knew what I as going to bring back for everyone... and no, it was not a trinket encrusted in seashells or a touristy t-shirt...

Because who would want one of those when you could have one of these:

These, my friends, are Mattheessen's half-pound cookies. These things are bigger than my head, no lie. I discovered them long ago and have been more enchanted by the thought of these magnificent creatures than I would have been if they sold unicorns and leprechauns.

Steve and I bought a big sugar cookie to share {I promise, one is enough} and nibbled on it all the way home... and still had some left over. If these don't say "I love you" as a souvenir, I just don't know what will.

Well, you can't say I didn't give you the lowdown on our trip. And that was just skimming the surface!

Sure, Key West is a great getaway if you're looking for sunsets and debauchery, but there's actually LOTS to do that doesn't involve eating and drinking, believe it or not. There's tons of shopping, museums {like the Ernest Hemingway House, which we didn't visit this time but did pass by and gawk at}, shows {if you are entertained by gentlmen who look better in a dress than most ladies}, water sports {if the weather cooperates}, and so much history.

If nothing else, you could spend hours just wandering up and down the streets looking at the beautiful cottages and eclectic inhabitants of this quirky island.

But until you can visit for yourself, make some Key Lime Pie and savor the flavor of Key West right from your kitchen. :)

Key Lime Pie

via Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe

9-inch graham cracker piecrust
2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
6 egg yolks {The egg whites can be saved to make a meringue topping, if desired.}
1/2-cup Kermit’s Key Lime Juice

Blend milk and egg yolks at slow speed until smooth. Add Key Lime juice and finish blending.
Pour into piecrust.

Bake in preheated 300-degree oven for 15 minutes.

Cool pie 20 minutes before refrigerating.

Serve chilled Key Lime pie with whipped cream topping or meringue.


Meringue Topping

6 egg whites
6 Tablespoons sugar
Pinch Cream of Tartar
1-teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat egg whites, sugar, vanilla extract, and Cream of Tartar at high speed.

Continue beating mixture until egg whites are stiff.

Top baked pie with the meringue. Bake an additional 10 minutes.

Cool pie.

Key Lime Pie Popcorn!

If you follow The Kitchen Prep on Facebook {Which you should! We have lots of fun over there!}, you probably saw my post about my husband & I spending last weekend in Key West celebrating our 3 year anniversary.

So, if rain on your wedding day is said to be good luck, can we just assume that cloudiness and storms on your anniversary getaway weekend are, too? Because if that's the case then chances are we are probably winning the lottery this week. The clouds never lifted for our entire 3 day stay.

The weather was not the prettiest, but that didn't stop us from enjoying island living to the fullest. And by "island living", I mean doing nothing particularly productive, wearing no watches to go by {when in doubt, it's happy hour}, and riding rented bicycles wherever the wind blew {in some cases, literally}.

Poor Steve was so looking forward to spending some time in the water, but with the way the skies were threatening, we {I} decided the last thing we needed was to end up washed out to sea. {All together now! "A three hour tooooooour..."}
 

Getting a bit wind blown at the Southernmost Point.
That gust of wind pushing my top forward is giving the illusion of a preggers belly...
I can assure you, it's just the wind!

So, instead, we spent a lot of time exploring the fine local establishments. Restaurants, bars {lots and lots of bars}, bakeries... you name it.

With the research done for you, I'm putting together a little foodie {drinkie?} recap of our weekend in Key West for you to use as a guide if you're ever in the area!  But, I'm saving that post for tomorrow, because today I want to get you in the right frame of mind.

What is this, you ask?

Oh, well, it's Key Lime Pie-pcorn. A sweet treat inspired by Key West's most famous dessert!

Even if you're not driving to Key West like we did, this popcorn makes a perfectly portable option when you need a KLP {Key Lime Pie} fix and can't have a slice of the real thing.  The white chocolate coating speckled with lime zest imitates the tart, creamy custard part of the pie. And for you pie crust-lovers, the graham cracker crumbs give you a little hint of that fabulous graham-y flavor.

Wouldn't this be a fun snack to package and have at a tropical themed party or cookout this summer? I think yes!

Whip up a batch of this stuff, sit back {preferably in a hammock}, and start getting into an island state of mind for tomorrow's Tasty Travels recap of Key West!

Key Lime Pie Popcorn

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, plus 2 teaspoons for thinning candy coating
1/3 cup {heaping} popcorn kernels
8 oz. white chocolate candy coating {you could also use white chocolate chips I'm guessing}
1 lime, finely zested* {about 1 heaping tablespoon zest}
5 graham crackers, crushed
Green food coloring, optional

Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet or other large pan by lining with foil. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a 3 quart {or larger} pot over high heat. Add popcorn kernels and cover immediately with lid. Carefully shake the pot over the burner until popcorn begins to pop {about 2 minutes}, and continue to shake until popping slows down significantly and pot is filled with popped corn.

Pour popcorn out onto lined baking sheet.

In a heat proof measuring cup, place about 6 oz. of white chocolate candy coating pieces. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stopping and stirring occassionally until completely melted and smooth. {Be careful not to scorch} Stir in lime zest and incorporate completely. If your coating is too thick, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of canola oil and stir until a smooth consisency is reached.

Pour or spoon candy mixture onto popcorn. With a silicone spatula {and your hands, which is easier if you're willing to get messy}, carefully toss popcorn with candy mixture, coating as much of the popcorn as possible.

Sprinkle crushed graham cracker crumbs over popcorn and gently toss to adhere crumbs to wet coating. Set aside to cool down.

{Optional} Melt the remaining 2 oz. of white chocolate candy coating until smooth, and add 1 drop of green food coloring. Mix to incorporate. Drizzle onto popcorn and allow to set until hardened and no longer sticky. {You can also refrigerate for 30 minutes or so to speed up the process.}

Break up popcorn and enjoy!

*To ensure that zest pieces weren't too big, I zested a lime using my microplane, then ran through zest with a knife to finely chop.