Feasting on Eataly-ian Pizza!

Work travels recently brought me out to Chicago again — for my shortest work trip ever (1.5 days), I might add — and since I was in need of a quick meal for lunch in between working hours, I stopped by the local Eataly* to grab some good eats, since it was nearby my “office” for the day.

I dined at Eataly’s La Pizza & La Pasta station again, since I had a decent experience there last time a year and a half ago.   This time, I wasn’t terribly hungry, so decided to order an appetizer instead of an entree.  I ordered La Stella, described as pizza with cherry tomato, arugula, shaved grana padano, fresh basil, and extra virgin olive oil from Sorrento.  Sounds delicious, right?!  Just reading the description made my mouth water, and I had no regrets at all about ordering it once it came to the table fresh from the coal-fired oven!

It had just the kind of crust I like… thin, yet crispy and chewy.  The vibrantly-colored veggies piled high atop it also looked and tasted very fresh, and even though I’m not a big fan of arugula, the combination of the greens and the rest of the pizza was really quite tolerable!  The overall presentation of the pie was very nice, and the pizza was a good-sized portion as well.  Clearly no complaints here — and can’t wait to go back and try the desserts next time!  🙂

*Location:
43 E Ohio St
Chicago, IL 60611

Chips at Caffé Oliva on Ohio Street Beach

Today’s dreary, gloomy, and rainy weather made me long for sunshine… and that brought back memories of a month ago when I was visiting Chicago, enjoying the gorgeous weather at the “beach.”  (FYI, a Floridian like myself would naturally laugh at the thought of referring to “land by the water, with sand and rocks” as a beach.  Real beaches don’t exist in Chicago!)

Caffé Oliva*, located right along Lake Michigan, is an outdoor beach-side restaurant, set up on Ohio Street Beach.  With tables for two and wooden cabanas (among other seating arrangements), this somewhat-out-of-the-way cafe is perfect for soaking up the sun and people watching, while eating a meal or even just snacking.  (The restaurant also serves a short and sweet brunch menu on the weekends!)

Since my friends and I were headed to a BBQ later in the day, we just ordered some chips and dip.  Kettle chips, sumac aioli, and hummus, to be exact.  The combination was fine!

*Location:
E Ohio St
Chicago, IL 60611

BBQ at Lillie’s Q

Thanks to the rain — and the World Cup on TV — I didn’t actually make it out to have lunch on a cruise ship this weekend, as I had originally planned.  Bummer, since that was going to be the content for this next post, but alas life moves on…  Since it’s Independence Day weekend, I think I’ll blog about something BBQ-y, perhaps another one of my culinary adventures in Chicago.  Lille’s Q* it is.

Lillie’s Q is an American Southern Comfort BBQ restaurant in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago.  It first opened it’s doors to the public in 2010 and is known for its award-winning BBQ sauces and smoked meats.  (Oh, and another cool thing about the restaurant is that they pour you water in small mason jars.)  When I used to live in Chicago, my friends and co-workers told me it was a must-visit, but unfortunately I left town before giving it a try, so thought I’d stop by this time around for lunch.