Although I’ve tasted many churros throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Spanish-speaking countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, I’ve never experienced the making of the churro….until San Antonio. This experience added to the excitement of enjoying the delicious treat.

Churros are typically fried until they become crunchy, and may be sprinkled with sugar. The dough is a mixture of flour, water and salt. The surface of a churro is ridged due to having been piped from a churrera, a syringe with a star-shaped nozzle. Churros are generally prisms in shape, and may be straight, curled or spirally twisted.

We bought our churros from a churrería (churro stand/churro maker) on the street overlooking the beautiful Port Magnus. We knew the churros had to be good here since all the locals seemed to be flocking here. The cutest husband and wife team owned this stand. We watched with excitement and anticipation for our churros to be made by the husband. We ordered a “wheel” thinking we would get 2-4 churros to share, but to our delight wound up with like 10 individual churros once the wheel was cut in pieces.

It was a delicious and memorable experience in Ibiza and best of all we got to enjoy our churros (maybe a little too much) along the harbor. The pictures say it all!!!

If you can’t get to San Antonio, the next best option in Chicago is at XOCO. You can get them for  $1.50 each or $3.75 for 3. Get them with along with hot chocolate! You can’t go wrong!

Needless to say after that experience I was completely hooked & haven’t stopped recommending Chi Cafe since! It’s also become one of my family’s favorite spots to dine on Sunday afternoons for family day or simply as a great place to take guests for a taste of Chinatown. It’s kid and family friendly and an awesome late night eats kind of place for when you’re starving after a night of partying and have no where else to eat at that time of the late night…or should I say early morning? (LOL)

Chi Cafe is open from Sunday-Thursday 8am to 2am and Friday-Saturday 8am-5am and they even deliver. In times where I’m starving after a long business or personal trip and I’m craving good yummy food that hits the spot, I can always count on Chi Cafe to deliver straight to my door.

Not only is service prompt and the modern decor amazing, the food is out of this world! There’s a wide selection of dishes to choose from, but my favorite dish, hands down, is the sizzling beef tenderloin in sweet Saki sauce. I always get that along with vegetables called “pea pod leaves” & rice (pictured below). There’s a more technical Chinese name for “pea pod leaves” but if you refer to it as that they will understand what you mean.

Rice is unlimited and so is tea. Family style sharing is encouraged and they will be more than happy to accommodate you if you come with a large group like we have SEVERAL times!

They also have happy hour specials and breakfast specials where you can get an actual entrée for less than $5…now that’s recession friendly pricing if you ask me! No matter what you chose to order, what time you go or who you go with to Chi Cafe, just make sure you GO! You won’t regret you did…and neither will your wallet or tummy!

Chi Cafe is located at: 2160-A S Archer Avenue (between S Princeton & Wentworth Avenue in the new Chinatown square) with easy access from the Red line; (312) 842-9993

Pictured below from top to bottom:

-Sizzling beef tenderloin

-Congee

-Vegetable tofu

-Happy Hour Special: beef short ribs, soup & tea

-Seafood Udon noodle soup

Pin It]]> http://miainstyle.com/dining/chi-cafe/feed/ 0 http://miainstyle.com/travel/cafe-del-mar-ibiza-espana/ http://miainstyle.com/travel/cafe-del-mar-ibiza-espana/#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:50:43 +0000 Mia http://miainstyle.com/?p=1508 By far one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen in my life was at Café del Mar in Ibiza, Spain. Café del Mar is a bar located in Sant Antoni de Portmany, Ibiza. It has become renowned for its breath-taking sunset and chill-out music CD compilations.

Here’s your special glimpse of what Café del Mar is all about brought to you direct and live from Mia In Style TV! Enjoy…or as they say in Spain…”disfruta”!!!!

As you watch the sunset and listen to the chill-out music as you sip your sangria, you’ll soon understand what makes this an unforgettable experience and why so many have flocked here just to get a taste! If you plan on going to Ibiza and want to take a break from the club and party scene and are ready to relax and CHILL OUT be sure to stop by Café del Mar! You won’t regret you did!!!

I’m a huge fan of colors in my wardrobe, but anything black will always be a classic fashion staple! Black is super versatile and can be paired up with awesome accessories to complete any look. You can literally transform your wardrobe in multiple ways…glam it up, pair it down for a more casual look…anything goes with black!

This winter I did a fun photo shoot around town with my talented friend and photographer Elaine Villaflores. Here’s a sampling of how great black can be! ENJOY!!!!

Special thanks to Elaine for the great pics and a fun day even despite the cold! Check out some of Elaine’s other great work on her page.

Sweater: Banana Republic

Vest: Miss Match-San Diego

Pants: Bebe

Boots: BCBG

Purse: Gucci

Scarf: Tiara Love

Sunglasses: Channel

Wrap: BCBG

Boots: BCBG

Earrings: Tiara Love

Dress: Bebe

Shoes: Enzo Angiolini

Since I found out about the Blue Lagoon excursion on our second to last day in the Bahamas, I wound up going later in the morning than I originally would have had I known about it sooner. I just wanted to get there as soon as possible and enjoy the day.

There are a couple different excursion packages available for a trip to the Blue Lagoon. The Dolphin Encounters program allows you to swim with the dolphins and  gives you an opportunity  to kiss, hug, dance, and play with them. This package is about $100.

The other package is a “beach day package” (about $50) that allows you to still experience the dolphins and sea lions from an observation deck, gives you access to the beach and water sports. Both programs include lunch.

Boats depart about every hour and a half to two hours from Paradise Island to get to the Blue Lagoon and the boat ride is a mere 30 minutes.

The  movies “Splash” and the “Perfect Storm” were filmed at the Blue Lagoon. The Perfect Storm depicted how in 1991, a storm cut the island in two at the northwestern corner of the lagoon where the current bridge is located.

If you plan on visiting the Bahamas, don’t miss out on this awesome excursion! You may just regret it if you don’t, MON!

Usually when I come back from work trips, I like to take a rest from eating out, but I’m so glad I took the opportunity to dine at GT Fish & Oyster. After my experience now I wish I didn’t wait this long to indulge in this awesome seafood venue located right in the heart of River North, my own neighborhood!

The $22 pre-fix lunch menu is as follows pictured below:

Since there was three of us dining, we ordered everything on the menu and got to try a little bit more of the extra portion of the dishes we ordered two of. EVERYTHING was amazing!

Appetizers:

The Tuna Poke was my favorite of the two appetizers for its presentation, taste and originality. I loved the unique combination of the cucumber, two different types of mango and black sesame along with the fresh tuna. It was a refreshing and light and left me wanting more.

We ordered two servings of the clam chowder thinking that we would enjoy more of this than the Tuna Poke, but I really wish we would have selected the Tuna Poke instead. Bacon was used as an ingredient to give the clam chowder a unique spin on a classic dish, but I wish they would have stuck to the traditional heavier, thicker New England clam chowder that I’m accustomed to. My mom also mentioned that she found the clam chowder to be “too salty” to her liking.

Entrees:

My favorite of the two entrees was the Walleye black garlic gnocchi. It was one of the best fish and pasta combinations I’ve had thus far. All the ingredients (spinach, orange marmalade along with the black gnocchi) worked well with one another and the Walleye was a delicious fish that didn’t give you that “fishy” taste. The portion size was more than adequate although I could have easily ate a few more bites of this dish had we ordered an extra serving of this. Kudos to Chef Giuseppe Tentori’s for his ability to turn this fish and pasta dish into magic for your mouth!

The lobster roll was another winning dish filled with hearty chunks of scrumptious lobster served on bread. I liked how onion strings and a salad were offered along with this dish and that you were given the option to combine it in your roll or eat it separately.

Desserts:

The Chocolate Stout Mousse was my favorite among the desserts. I’m a big chocolate fan so you can’t really go wrong with chocolate most of the time in my opinion, but I do have to say that not all chocolate desserts are made the same. The Chocolate Stout Mousse was heaven to my palate! The chocolate goodness combined with the peanut brittle just gave it that additional dimension and made this dessert unbelieveable! Talk about a “foodgasm” to end the meal with a bang!

The Sherry Triffle was another amazing dessert on the lighter but refreshing side. The raspberries were fresh and delectable.

All in all I absolutely LOVED GT Fish and Oyster and am kicking myself in the foot for not coming here sooner especially when it’s right in my neighborhood! I think I’ll be coming here a lot more now or at least finding an excuse to come more often. I give it a 5 out of 5 for outstanding service, food, flavor, originality and ambiance.

Special thanks to Trevor our very knowledgeable, attentive and friendly server! See you all very soon!

Hand drawn art work from chalk at GT Fish and Oyster

After researching numerous excursion packages, we decided that Flying Cloud had the best deal out there and fit our exact needs for what we wanted to do and how much time we wanted to spend snorkeling and sailing.

We jumped aboard the Flying Cloud  for a day of sailing, snorkeling and some pure enjoyment on the beach at Rose Island.

Along the way we passed beautiful multi-million dollar homes on Paradise Island and took in as much sun as possible.

When we arrived to our snorkeling destination, I just could not wait to jump into the crystal clear stunning blue waters.

Although this was only my second time snorkeling ever, I had somewhat high expectations since my very first experience in Barbados was a good one. Let me just say this experience totally topped my first one! Since I was more accustomed to the snorkeling gear, knowing how to clear my mask and breathe under water, there was no stopping me from snorkeling all day long!

The best part of snorkeling this time was feeding the fish Funyuns, yes FUNYUNS!!! Kye, the Captain of Flying Cloud, supplied me with three bags full of Fuyuns to enhance my snorkeling experience!!! At one point, I almost felt like I became one of the fish since I was swimming so close to them and they completely surrounded me since I had their food.

I forgot to bring an underwater camera (which I completely regret), but I was still able to get plenty of great pictures through the help of the Flying Cloud crew who so generously offered to take pictures from the 57′ Catamaran.

After that awesome experience of feeding the fish and admiring all the gorgeous corral, the Flying Cloud crew had a really hard time getting me to come back on board to continue our excursion…of course I was the very last person!!!

Our 5 hour cruise included a delicious BBQ rib and chicken buffet with salads, Bahamian peas ‘n rice and fruits all catered by Anthony’s Grill. We had the option to eat it on board or at Rose Island.

Lunch was also served with Bahamian Rum Punch….but of course!!!!

Finally when we arrived to Rose Island, it was everything everyone said it would be plus more!!! The water was amazing and it felt like we seriously just landed in PARADISE!!!

If you plan on going to Bahamas do yourself a favor and don’t miss out on a trip to Rose Island or you may just regret it, MON!!!

Check out the Gallery for more pics of our awesome island get away!!!

I first discovered Cups cupcakes this past summer while in La Jolla San Diego and they keep me coming back for more every time I’m there visiting. In fact, I make a special trip just to fit it into my schedule! 

At first it may make you second guess and wonder “how good can this cupcake be if it’s organic”? Well, I’m telling you can’t even taste the difference! They feature vegan, low glycemic, dairy free and gluten-free cupcake options. How’s that for your health?!

I sampled the PB cup, Not so red velvet, Brulee-J, Chocoholic, Hazed and Confused and Caramel Macchiato during my last visit. All were amazing, but if I had to pick a winner, it would have to go to the Brulee-J! Tastes just like a creme brulee, but even better! It just melts in your mouth.

The next runner-up would be the Not so red velvet. All the cupcakes were fresh, moist and left you wanting more minus the guilt!

On top of the cupcakes they also have an all-organic, grind-to-order espresso drinks, cupcake-infused ice cream and shakes and local organic tea.

They have a comfy indoor lounge and cute outdoor patio. They were awarded 3-Star Green Restaurant Certification® for their earth-friendly use of sustainable materials for their lounge and bakery.

Their clean bathrooms even have a cupcake theme sign on the outside of the door! I always love places where the themes are so well thought out from even the simplest details like this!

They feature happy hour specials from 9-11 am 20% off coffee drinks & 5-7 pm 20% off cupcakes (dine in only); 10% off for students & military (ID required); Free drip coffee with purchase of re-usable eco-mug.

Lastly, as if yummy organic cupcakes and a chic lounge weren’t enough, they even sell cupcake shirts with cute designs of a head-phone wearing cupcake among others!

I was told they have also have an on site DJ playing some tunes on select days. Next time hopefully I’ll get to experience it!

Cups Cupcakes is located at:  7857 Girard Avenue La Jolla, CA 92037 Phone: 858.459.CUPS (2877)

Hours are:  Mon-Thurs 10am – 7pm; Fri-Sun 10am - 9pm

FEATURED CUPCAKES:

PB Cup: Rich chocolate cup topped with creamy peanut butter frosting in a chocolate shell

Not So Red Velvet: Southern style chocolate buttermilk cup topped with sweet cream cheese frosting

Brûlée-J: Vanilla cup filled with sweet custard and topped with caramelized sugar

Hazed and Confused: Rich chocolate cup topped with creamy chocolate hazelnut frosting

To see the full array of yummy cupcakes from Cups visit the gallery

The buzz around town is that seems to draw people to the Bedford in the first place is the massive bank vault (complete with safety deposit boxes) that serves as the restaurant’s lounge. Located in the basement of the former MB Financial Bank at the corner of Ashland, Division and Milwaukee right in the heart of Wicker Park, it’s a great spot to grab dinner, a drink or both.

Although the restaurant week menu was short and somewhat limited, it was the “experience” I was going for in the first place. On the plus side, at least we got to try everything on the dinner menu. We decided to share everything family style.

Bedford menu for Restaurant Week:

Course One:

Seasonal soup selection of the day: puree of granny smith apples and parsnip

That evening’s selection was the puree of granny smith apples and parsnip.  I found it to be a very interesting combination. I liked the creamy texture of the soup and enjoyed the hints walnuts and cilantro that added a different dimension.

Duck liver mousse: whole grain mustard, pickles, caper berries and walnut baguette

My one friend decided to get this just for the sake of saying she had tried duck liver. We gladly encouraged her so that we could sample off her plate, but not have to eat it if we didn’t like it. She happened to really enjoy the appetizer and couldn’t stop eating it especially without the mousse topping. My other friend was convinced that the whole grain mustard really helped make the dish. My opinion: combine all the ingredients together to make it work.

Course Two:

Chicken: cornbread stuffing, glazed root vegetables, maple and cider chicken jus

Although I usually don’t order chicken when dining out since I prefer to get other more unique dishes I wouldn’t normally cook at home, the cornbread stuffing was drawing me to the dish. I’m a big fan of cornbread. Let me tell you, this was one hefty portion of chicken! I felt like I was de-constructing it after a while since the portion size was so huge. The chicken was juicy and the veggies were filling.

Roasted squash risotto: arborio rice, pecorino, toasted walnut, cider gastrique

Between the two entrees, this was the dish we all liked the most. The risotto was soft and savory, but a bit on the salty side for me. My friends were anxiously waiting for the other person to finish eating their portion so they could snag another taste of the risotto we were all sharing.

Course Three:

cider doughnut holes: cinnamon sugar, dipping glaze

This was the winning dish of the night!  These weren’t your ordinary Dunkin’ Donunts munchkins here! The donuts were a Bedford specialty made by hand and crafted to perfection! I loved sinking my teeth into them and just letting the donut perfectly collapse and ooze with yummy goodness. The dipping glaze was so good I was practically drinking it like cough syrup. I would make a special trip back to Bedford just to have more of these donuts any day!

All in all the food was good, but the ambiance of the space made it even better. I liked how there was a clear distinction between the restaurant, bar and lounge so that for those that wanted to dine could enjoy it without being crowded by the bar goers with their cocktails and fancy beers. The huge bar in front was clearly packed. The lounge seating inside the vault was cozy and allowed you to have more audible conversations as you’re surrounded by fancy chandeliers and cooper safe-deposit boxes along the walls.

Of course there’s no way we could leave without taking numerous pictures in front of the famous bank vault. Everyone wanted their picture in front of it, even to the point that we had to start taking turns with other groups for space like this was some sort of national monument.

We had a great diner experience at the Bedford and can’t wait to come back for drinks and lounge some more. Ironically I’ll be coming back over the weekend again to celebrate another friend’s birthday here! Looks like I’m already starting to become a regular!

For more pictures at the Bedford visit the Gallery.

Spiaggia has a fine dining restaurant and a charming cafe (Cafe Spiaggia). Both deliver impeccable cuisine, with the Cafe being the less pricey option of the two.

Situated right in the heart of the Magnificent Mile overlooking Lake Michigan and glamorous shops, it’s no wonder that 2012 Michelin starred Spiaggia has hosted all types from celebrities with discerning palates including President and Mrs. Barack Obama, Sir Elton John, the late Princess Diana, Sir Mick Jagger, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Joel, Paul Newman. We were fortunate enough to have a prime seat right in front of the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the spectacular view of Michigan Avenue.

Known for its upscale, world-class, authentic Italian-cuisine, Spiaggia always delivers. The restaurant week lunch menu that they offer can’t get any better.

Executive Chef Sarah Grueneberg

Here is what we had:

Starters:

Olive-Cerignola, Gaeta, Alfonso, Torremaggiore, orange zest, pickled fennel

Popcorn-Nichols Farm popcorn, ricotta salata, lemon, controne pepper, rosemary

Patatine-house made potato chips, Pecorino Romano, black pepper, Sicilian sea salt

Since I’m not an olive fan, I opted to skip this since I knew we would be filling up on so many delicious dishes soon. The popcorn was airy, fresh and tasty, although my friend thought it was a bit salty. The potato chips had a nice texture to it without being too heavy or greasy. You could definitely tell the difference between these and your regular store-bought chips.

Freddo (Cold):

Bocconcini-mozzarella di bufala, apple mostarda, thyme, lemon zest

Rucola-arugula, Capriole Farm goat cheese, balsamico

Bocconcini-mozzarella di bufala, apple mostarda, thyme, lemon zest

The Bocconcini was a tantalizing sweet treat and was well balanced with the mozzarella and other flavorful ingredients. This is definitely something you will not get anywhere else.

The Rucola was light, flavorful and garnished with the just the right amount of balamico and paired well with the pasta dishes.

Caldo (Hot):

Polpette-meatballs, tomato sauce, Pecorino Romano, creamy polenta

Cappellacci-butternut squash, sage, Parmigiano Reggiano, brown butter

Cappellacci-butternut squash, sage, Parmigiano Reggiano, brown butter

The Polpette was a nice hearty meat dish without being too heavy.

The Cappellacci was my favorite out of the two. I absolutely love butternut squash in any pasta dish! The blend of brown butter, squash, Parmigiano and sage make for an out of this world experience.

Kudos to the chefs for incorporating the sage in the dish to help balance the sweetness of the other ingredients. Sage is one of those spices that when done properly help compliment the flavor of the dish so it’s important to incorporate just the right amount otherwise it’ll wind up tasting sour.

Dolci (Dessert):

Tiramisu-ladyfingers, mascarpone, cocoa, amaretto, Illy espresso

Hand made assorted sorbetti

The tiramisu was just the icing on the cake to the meal! What more can I say, but pure indulgence! It’s soft texture and creamy goodness just awaken your palate. By far, the BEST tiramisu I’ve ever had.

Although the Sorbetti was also wonderful, the tiramisu outshined it by far. The sorbetti was refreshing and a great light option to end the meal.

On top of the superb dining experience, what topped off my Restaurant Week experience here at Cafe Spiaggia was the opportunity to meet Top Chef Texas Final 3 contestant and Executive Chef Sarah Grueneberg.

Not only is Sarah very talented in the kitchen, she was very sweet and down to earth and even entertained my photo-taking antics. She took time to chat personally with me as well as the many other guest diners who were just as excited as I was to meet her. She shared with us some of personal experiences on the Bravo TV show and commented just how grueling it is that they shoot for days just to capture enough footage for the show.

Overall, my rating of Cafe Spiaggia is a 5 out of 5. Service, quality, ambiance and mostly important the food were as good as you can get for fine, gourmet Italian dining in Chicago and the surrounding area. I can’t wait to come back again as soon as possible.

Special thanks to Jason Goldsmith (Cafe Spiaggia Dining Manager), the dining staff and of course Chef Sarah Grueneberg for your warm hospitality!!! Tutto era grande!!! Mille grazie!!!

Stay tuned for the next edition of my Cafe Spiaggia review on the rest of their amazing cuisine!

Cafe Spiaggia Lunch Menu

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