I took a brief trip this weekend to Chicago. The official reason was an interview in the city, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone that what I really did was eat my way through the greater metropolitan area. I keep flirting with the idea of a food blog, but in an effort to not eat any more than I already do, I’ll just show my 1.5 loyal readers here the good stuff.

Thursday:
Afternoon tea service at Russian Tea Time.
77 East Adams St, Chicago, IL

I got one of those towers with lots of little finger foods. Prettier to look at than to eat, unfortunately. Not terribly impressive, but still a cute little snack before hitting the CSO. As I was told previously, the Russians aren’t exactly known for their food, although I did like their potato dumplings.

Friday:
Dinner at Avec.
615 W. Randolph St, Chicago, IL

This cute little place serves Mediterranean-inspired new American food. Too hip to take reservations, Avec also doesn’t believe in purely savory or purely sweet concoctions and tends towards dishes that combine elements of both. Hints of citrus and mint found themselves everywhere and I started wondering if the head chef really loved mojitos.

But I really can’t complain. Everything was delicious, and the communal atmosphere made talking to one’s neighbors less awkward, which makes Avec the place to go to get additional recommendations for local foodies! I loved the stuffed Chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates.

Dessert from More Cupcakes.
1 E. Delaware Pl, Chicago, IL

Tons of delicious cupcakes. I liked the white chocolate (vanilla cupcake with buttercream frosting and white chocolate curls on top), but I ate it too quickly to take a picture.

Saturday:

Brunch at Richard Walker’s.
1300 N Roselle Rd, Schaumburg, IL

Known for their massive baked apple pancake, it puts IHOP to shame with its deliciousness. This pancake was about the size of a small pizza and around the same thickness. Filled with apples and covered with cinnamon sugar, it was love at first sight. But what was really unexpected was the excellent service we received. From the moment we walked in, the level of down-to-earth personal attention was incredible, and it never stopped. No wonder it’s such a local breakfast favorite.

Dinner at Emilio’s Sunflower Bistro.
30 S. LaGrange Rd, LaGrange, IL

A classy but cute restaurant in downtown LaGrange reminded me of what Main Street America is supposed to look like. Well, but a little too bourgeois to be truly Main Street. “See, if it weren’t for you, I would be way more blue collar,” T told his elder brother. “I’d be drinking beer and watching ESPN. Not sitting here having a cheese plate and pate.”

But to be fair, our cheese plate was fairly grounded in the Real America. It even included a Parmesan to ensure that there was something familiar. The garnish pairings were quite nice though. I was also happy to see a salad made of leaves other than iceberg. Plus, the cushy couch seating was great.

Dessert at Tru.
676 N. St. Clair St, Chicago, IL

The trick to trying some of the best restaurants without becoming immediately homeless afterwards is to go for dessert. And so we did. My favorites? The exploding truffles, which release a burst of cold caramel liqueur immediately upon entering the mouth, the apricot jelly, and the mini rootbeer float, which I again consumed so quickly, I forgot to photograph. You’ve got to love a serious restaurant that makes their own lollipops.

Sunday:

Dim sum at Happy Chef
2164 S. Archer Ave #A, Chicago, IL

Your typical dim sum place in the New Chinatown complex. Nothing terribly special that I could find, but a fun place to go with a big party. No photos of food as I was too busy talking with friends and scaring them by ordering internal organs.

Dessert at Leona’s.
1419 W Taylor, Chicago, IL

Enormous portions seem to be the norm at this Italian restaurant. We dropped by for desserts on a rainy Sunday and were treated to a pleasant surprise as the Kitchen Sink really was about the size of my sink. Don’t try to eat this by yourself unless you plan on visiting the nearby University of Illinois Medical Center for stomach surgery immediately afterwards.

Dinner at Twist: A Tapas Cafe.
3412 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL

After a long day of eating, we decided to eat some more. But since there wasn’t much room remaining, and we wanted to squeeze in as much variety as possible, we thought we’d try a tapas place. This isn’t really the authentic Spanish tapas experience, but its European fusion cuisine in tapas sizing was perfect. I wish there were more restaurants willing to try their hand at small plates. Don’t miss the poached pear in raspberry mascarpone sauce!