Entries Tagged as 'sola'

Sola Brunch

October 30th, 2010 · 1 Comment


Malasadas, Sola, North Center, Chicago

On the last day of our weekend together we all went out to drink my favorite drink at Sola. (According to the bachelorette quiz, Dallas thinks my favorite drink is coffee.) I insisted that we start off by sharing a couple plates of malasadas, a Portuguese doughnut that is popular in Hawaii. At Sola the malasadas are served with raspberry coulis and hot fudge. Awesome way to start off the day.


Rachelle

Jess B and I decided to indulge in a couple more drinks. Sola has a wasabi bloody mary but when I asked the waiter about it, he said he preferred the classic bloody mary and the wasabi one was more of a gimmick. I took his recommendation and it was great. Jess B got one of the mimosas, I believe.


Jess B

All of the brunch entrees on the Sola menu looked so delicious. I was sitting by Jill and Amanda and we all flip-flopped so much. In the end I got the kalua pork hash (poached eggs, pico de gallo, guacamole). It was good, but I’ve had a ton of kalua pig in Hawaii and it wasn’t as good as there. Jeannette also got the kalua pork hash.


Kalua Pork Hash (poached eggs, pico de gallo, guacamole)

Kristin got the classic eggs benedict (poached eggs, house made canadian bacon, hollandaise, english muffin), Amanda got the short rib benedict (poached eggs, cheddar biscuits, pesto, hollandaise), Jill got the ham and cheese french toast (mustard honey, plum preserves), Jess G shocked her system with vegetables by ordering the chicken salad (napa cabbage, carrots, snow peas, bean sprouts, miso vinaigrette, crisp wontons), and Jess B got the wild mushroom omelet (leeks, asparagus, prairie fruits farm goat cheese).


Wild Mushroom Omelet (leeks, asparagus, prairie fruits farm goat cheese)

After brunch we were all outside chatting. It was such a nice day. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. For some reason flashbulbs started going off on Jill and I.


Rachelle & Jill

Another angle!


Rachelle & Jill

Then someone suggested we all take a photo together.


Jess B, Jess G, Rachelle, Jill, Jeannette, Kristin, Amanda

What a fun way to end the weekend! Thanks to everyone for the planning they did and for the out-of-town guests for coming to Chicago to help me celebrate!

[Read more →]

Tags:··········

Last Meal at Singha

August 27th, 2010 · 1 Comment

I met up with Paul Baker and Jess today to have lunch at Singha. They are closing in a few days, and I’m sure this will be my last lunch there. Paul Baker loves Singha so much that he went to dinner there last night, lunch today and has plans to have at least one more lunch before they close.

I have mixed feelings. When I worked at FeedBurner we used to always have Singha ordered in for all of our “important” meetings. After we moved into the Google offices, Singha was just a block away. Even though we famously got free lunch at Google, we’d sometimes go out for lunch at Singha for old times sakes. Mostly just the old FeedBurner crew working at Google. Even now, Singha is still just a block from me so I get together with the old FeedBurners for lunch there. I’ve had so many countless crab rangoon and lunches from Singha. It’s very nostalgic for me.

On the otherhand…. who is moving into the Singha space? Sola. I love Sola, have met Chef Wallack, and have kept in occasional contact with her online. I love dinner and brunch at Sola. The cuisine is delicious, with the Asian and Hawaiian influences. Now that we’re not living nearby the Sola, it would be nice to have it nearby work so I could at least lunch there.

On the otherhand… Singhaaaaaaaa… oh such mixed feelings :) .

I guess we’re just going to have to try out Star of Siam after Singha closes and see if it’s as good. It could be the best Thai food in the world, though, and it still wouldn’t be Singha. One more note: The old Sola space will become Ohana, which means “family” in Hawaiian.

[Read more →]

Tags:··········

Wisconsin BBQ

June 29th, 2008 · 2 Comments


Rachelle & Charlotte, Oak Creek, WI


Rachelle & Stephanie, Oak Creek, WI


Back: Jacob, Tessa, Caitlin, Gavin, Brice. Front: Jessica, Kayla

My brother had a barbecue at his house on Saturday. I took the Amtrak up to attend. Amanda and maybe Richard (?) have done a lot of work on their yard these past few years and it’s looking great. They got some new patio furniture and we all sat outside while the kids played on their swing set and slide. The weather was great for a few hours. Then it rained and we ran around picking everything up and stayed inside for a while. And then it was beautiful out again and we played bocce ball for hours.

I was glad Kelly and Jeff made it down for the party because I’d never met Charlotte before. She’s about 2 months old now. We figured that was about how old Tessa was when I first met her out in Washington DC. Now, of course, she’s running around with the older kids and talking like crazy. All of the kids were having a great time chasing each other around and playing.

Saturday night mom and dad drove me back to Chicago and stayed overnight here. We went to brunch at Sola and ran a few errands on Sunday and then they start their drive home. It’s kind of windy and cloudy here now. Hopefully they didn’t catch any rain on the way.

[Read more →]

Tags:·················

Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro

May 7th, 2008 · 2 Comments

Chicken Salad
Grilled Chicken & Apple Salad :: Grilled chicken breast, apple, cashel blue cheese, walnuts, dried cherries, mixed greens, and bleu cheese dressing :: Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro, North Center, Chicago


Fish And Chips :: Kinsale battered cod and fresh cut chips. Served with tarter sauce, curried ketchup, & malt vinaigrette :: Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro, North Center, Chicago

On Saturday we took a break from shopping and planting to get some lunch. I decided just to get a casual lunch at Brownstone, but when we walked in they were like “Are you here for the crawfish boil ?” Uh. No. Dallas and I had just had crawfish in New Orleans, I wasn’t about to go and have it here. Besides that, my mom wasn’t into it. Plus, the regular menu was very limited if you weren’t having crawfish. Also, it really REEKED in there. So we left and walked down the street.

We came across Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro. I’d been meaning to try this restaurant for some time, but hadn’t, so we decided to go in. My mom and I split two things: the chicken salad and the fish & chips. The photos above are half portions because the restaurant was kind enough to split the food up for us in the kitchen. So, you can see that the portions are pretty huge. I had a full plate of salad and a pretty good serving size of fish & chips. Not only was it a good value (each of these huge portions was about $9), but I thought it tasted really good too. I especially liked the curried ketchup that came with the chips. If they bottled it, I’d for sure buy it. But they don’t. (My mom asked.)

While we were sitting at Mrs. Murphy’s we looked out the window and there was Sola. I usually go to Sola by way of Damen and then Byron. I wasn’t used to seeing it from Lincoln. Even though I really enjoyed our lunch at Mrs. Murphy’s I was kind of bummed I didn’t take my mom to Sola because I really like it there and they have a great brunch. Never fear! The next morning we made a quick Target run and then had breakfast at Sola before my mom had to head off to Wisconsin.

Also, Dale Levitski is still working at Sola even though his own restaurant is supposed to be opening soon.

[Read more →]

Tags:·········

Brunching

September 17th, 2007 · 1 Comment

Brunch at Sola
Black Forest Omelet (gruyere, crispy leeks, black forest ham, caramelized onions) with togarashi potatoes and whole wheat toast :: Sola, North Center, Chicago

This weekend I brunched at two of my favorite brunch places with two of my favorite brunch friends.

On Saturday I biked to Wicker Park and met Margaret at Milk & Honey. I had the panini with scrambled egg, bacon, cheddar and tomato and Margaret had the casserole-style huevos rancheros. We then went to Alliance and used the free wi-fi and drink more coffee and go over Chicagoist stuff. Afterwards, we walked through the Renegade Craft Fair, which was on the street right outside Milk & Honey, and I got a pair of earrings, two necklaces, and a cool tshirt. .. even though I told myself I couldn’t buy any tshirts. I had to have this one because it had fashion plates like I had when I was a little kid on it. I’ll have to take a photo the first time I wear it. After all that walking around at the fair (it stretched from Damen almost all the way to Ashland on Division), we stopped at Sweet Cakes for a sweet treat and more coffee. I don’t know why I drank so much coffee on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and Margaret came over to my birthday party last weekend, but it’d been a while since we’d hung out for the day, so it was great.

On Sunday I biked to the Chicago Photography Center to do some things for class this week, picked up some fruit at Whole Foods, dropped it off at home and then biked to Sola. Erin insisted on taking me to brunch of my choice since she was out of town and missed my birthday party and who am I to not milk my birthday out as long as I can? I chose Sola since I’d been there for brunch once earlier this summer and it was fantastic. We both had the Black Forest Omlette (gruyere, crispy leeks, black forest ham, caramelized onions with togarashi potatoes and whole wheat toast on the side) and coffee, which was delicious. I don’t think I’ve seen or talked much to Erin for 6 weeks or something so it was great to see her too and to sit outside and enjoy a nice sunny fall day.

Also, I was dogsitting this weekend for Jen and Chad, who were out of town at a wedding. So on Saturday I checked in Drake and Cortez in the afternoon and then hung out at the house Saturday night. On Sunday I got up early to take care of them in the morning and then was about to go over after the Packers kicked the Giant’s butts, but Jen and Chad were already back. Always nice to get a little Drake and Cortez time. They’re such nice dogs and so easy to take care of now that we’re only a block away. I didn’t take any photos of Drake and Cortez this time, but here are some photos from other times I’ve watched them: 1, 2, 3.

[Read more →]

Tags:··························