It's ok to take your baby to a bar... if you order a burger

As we near March, an exciting and stressful time of year for my husband (a severe college basketball fan), Saturday had left us in a bit of a lurch as we had intentions of lunching somewhere new. Then, Brian realized he couldn't get the Arizona game on television so he left for the nearest watering hole while Nelson and I went to explore the streets - a house divided.

Currently, we are renting in River North so we can easily get to the heart of the loop in an easy 15 minute walk. I headed to Hannah's Bretzel for a quick sandwich, which deserves a post of its very own so I'll get back to you on that soon. Post lunch I was in close proximity to the Bull and Bear where Brian was watching his Cats pull one over on the Bruins. We met up and began to stroll. We headed down Hubbard towards Michigan to attempt a visit to The Purple Pig. Don't know much about this joint, but I passed it on a run and it looked interesting. I fear due to its proximity to Michigan, it may be a bit touristy. It was packed, so we continued on winding our way through the side streets headed northwest.

Did I mention we had a stroller and a 10 month old? Our quest to find an appropriate venue to have a cocktail and not ruin someone's urban vacation was becoming quite a challenge. We walked through a few doors and quickly u-turned. Just as we were about to throw in the towel, we thought we'd give Clark Street Ale House a try, because I've been admiring its neon-lit sign and its simply stated directness "Stop and Drink". Unfortunately, it couldn't be camouflaged as anything other than a bar. So, we went a few doors down to 25 Degrees where they advertise the slogan - not just another spot to grab an ordinary burger. We stuck our head in and it fit the bill. At 4:00 the restaurant/bar, more of a bar was not too crowded, had ample TV real estate to watch my alma mater the Missouri Tigers vs. the Kansas Jayhawks in their last conference game, and they even had a high-chair. This was meant to be. We sat in a circle booth, checked out the cocktail menu and placed our orders.

One of these things is not like the other.

Brian and I have been very much into whiskey this winter, probably a tad too much. I quickly made dibs on the Kentucky Brunch which includes egg whites, apricot marmalade, and R-1 Rye. It did not disappoint. It was a pure cup of frothy, refreshing goodness. The Tigers were up 15 before the half. Nelson was enjoying the modern vintage decor, and our server was polite, willing to please and ready to take our food order.  That is until we told him, "oh no thanks, we're just here for cocktails".

It didn't take long to change our mind as we watched burger after burger pass us by. Brian always says, "a bun makes the burger". This burger was indeed good. We got the #3 with mezzo secco jack, hatch green chili, chipotle and avocado - a little bit of Texas on a burger. We shared fries and the chopped salad, an interesting combination of avocado, grapes, tomatoes, beets, pine nuts, white beans, parmesan reggiano and buttermilk vinaigrette. I'm not sure who came up with that colorful combination, but it was a nice surprise that even Nelson could appreciate.

Well the game went into overtime, ended on a sour note and the bar was filling up fast. We considered ourselves lucky that Nelson had more than cooperated in our afternoon adventure so we decided to get out on a good note. A perfect unplanned, surprisingly pleasant afternoon, except for that Tiger loss. In bed by 8 o'clock feeling accomplished we had found our burger joint just a skip, hop and a jump away from our new place.

The Inspirational Pancakes

So, here it is, the meal that inspired the blog. Well, not the only meal, but the crux. This was the one that put me over the edge, that had us brainstorming and googling available blog names on our stroll home. And, the winner is the lemon pancakes with fresh blueberries, crème anglaise & lemon sauce, a.k.a. dessert for breakfast. My apologies for not having a photo, but have no fear, we will return and post, although I can tell you the photo will not do them justice. You'll have to try them yourself.

We had our eye on the Kingsbury Street Cafe for a while, as it is directly across from our neighborhood Whole Foods and has a nice visual appeal from the street. Less than a mile from our home and conveniently located to our new church, we decided to take advantage of the lovely sunny morning and walk to brunch. Ta dah! We have our new Sunday morning tradition!

Meringues, the size of your face

Upon entry, it was crowded, but the hostess eagerly approached us, took our names and kindly guided us to where we could park the stroller, a plus when you have a small child. Next my eyes immediately noticed the beautifully designed space and were then drawn to the marble enclosed glass case of pastries, which encompassed meringues like I have never seen before, meringues the size of your face!

We waited and watched as the stylish Chicagoers (is that what you call them?) came and went. One plus of winter is all the cool coats. Must take note to find something a little more stylish than my black puffy Patagonia. Soon, we arrived at our maple wood lined table, placed our orders and watched as the plated items came and went from the open kitchen. Our server was very pleasant and even offered Nelson a plate. I assume he doesn't have children and hope he wasn't offended by us putting Nelson's food directly on the table or the fact that I told him he could get him a plate, but he would simply throw it across the restaurant. Brian ordered a bloody mary that had a kick with a cayenne lined rim. I settled for a mimosa and we decided to share the lemon pancakes and the kingsbury cafe breakfast which includes 2 farm fresh eggs cooked over medium to perfection, roasted tomato (could have done without it), herb potatoes, cheddar scone (to die for) and the house made turkey breakfast patties. The pancakes and the cheddar scone were enough to put us over the edge and everything else was cooked to perfection. All in all, this meal led to a memorable Sunday morning with the family after a hectic start when the church nursery was full! Next stop was Whole Foods for groceries to make our own memorable meal while we watch the Oscars.

Kingsbury Street Cafe is definitely a good find. Open for just six months, the owners have years of experience in baking and making pastries which have been rumored to be the food in waiting at the old Harpo green rooms. If it's good enough for Oprah, it's good enough for me. Next time I think I'll try the quiche.

Welcome (and a little background)...

I arrived for good in the Windy City the first week of January 2012, what I've been told is a great time of year to move to Chicago. Thankfully the winter has been more than manageable which has been a nice welcome to the city. But, back to my original purpose in writing - food!

My husband Brian and I really enjoy food and the experience of trying new things. Before our 10 month old son Nelson arrived, we were always planning the next vacation which typically centered around food, and of course wine. While Nelson has slowed us down a little, we aren't completely out of the race. Did I mention Nelson got his first passport at 2 weeks and had his first fine dining experience at Carolina, a Triple AAA Five Star Diamond restaurant at the St. Regis Punta Mita at 2 months old? We get a little panicked locked up in the house for too long and we don't do chains, so we are on the hunt for new haunts in our new town.

While we have been here for almost two months, we have already found some incredible finds. In fact, every time I finish a meal, I keep telling Brian that I wished I would have started a blog chronicling our fabulous finds. He kept insisting that it's not too late, but I resisted and said that I don't have the photos and I'd need to start all over. Well, after sampling some of the best pancakes we've ever eaten (more on that in a later post), I'm going to do it. So, stay tuned and bear with me as I learn to blog, brush up my writing skills and share my experiences with you.