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MK
Category:
Food & Dining
Chicago, Illinois 60601
(312) 842-9179
Fantastic, although expensive. The space is an old renovated paint factory, so don't expect much from the outside - but the inside is lovely, with a bar at the front and awesome tables on 2 floors...
Fantastic, although expensive. The space is an old renovated paint factory, so don't expect much from the outside - but the inside is lovely, with a bar at the front and awesome tables on 2 floors (the second gives a view of the entire restaurant).
I had salmon, the best I ever had! The mashed potatoes (you have to order sides separately, but whatever) were - wow - liquid. Not what I expected, but still good.
The tartare appetizer wasn't too great, but mostly because I didn't like the herbs in it. Amuse-bouche was fun - greens and sauces, and we didn't expect it :)
The waiters were ultra-attentive, it was literally enought to think of calling one - and they were right there! (a great contrast with 160 blue, where you have to get up in order to flag one down!).
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Bea One has been a consistently good sushi place since it's opening, and they have recently started a lounge on Friday and Saturday nights. The cover is $5, but they have sushi specials then, so...
Bea One has been a consistently good sushi place since it's opening, and they have recently started a lounge on Friday and Saturday nights. The cover is $5, but they have sushi specials then, so that makes is worth it!
For the usual evening fare, sushi parfait is the most remarkable choice (with 3 colors of roe, seaweed and diced sashimi). Otherwise, everything is consistently good. One word of warning: cocktails are amazingly inconsistent - one days it's pure alcohol, the other - too watered down.
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Sephora
Category:
Personal Care
520 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, Illinois 60611
(312) 494-9598
I promised myself that IFFFF I ever encounter a genuinely NICE staffer at Sephora, I'll buy everything that I like there!
So far my paycheck has been safe, though. The staff varies from snobby to...
I promised myself that IFFFF I ever encounter a genuinely NICE staffer at Sephora, I'll buy everything that I like there!
So far my paycheck has been safe, though. The staff varies from snobby to pushy, and I just tell them what I want to sample, and get out of the store. For any real shopping, I use Sephora.com, especially since they introduced the new card for Chicago area. In April, there was a gift with every order just for having a Sephora beauty insider card! And, of course, the samples with every order, and promo codes that come on those printed books are all fantastic...
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There are 2 Body Shop products I find are to die for: Satsuma home fragrance (it's a kind of tangerine, and that's what you smell every time you walk past The Body Shop - they always feature it,...
There are 2 Body Shop products I find are to die for: Satsuma home fragrance (it's a kind of tangerine, and that's what you smell every time you walk past The Body Shop - they always feature it, sometimes mixed with a little bit of smth else) and Tea Tree oil. The latter does wonders for acne, and doesn't bother skin at all.
Otherwise - overpriced place! Even the tea oil burners are wildly priced at $16... I walked over to Crate and Barrel, got their 'butterwarmer' (the same exact thing, if you ask me) for $4 - Now I burn Satsuma all want at home!
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Vosges
Category:
Chocolate & Cocoa
520 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, Illinois 60611
(312) 644-9450
I really enjoyed their Woolloomooloo (with hemp seed) bar, and Naga (with sweet curry and coconut flakes) as well. My favourite truffle is the Black Pearl, with wasabi and sesame seed. I'd also...
I really enjoyed their Woolloomooloo (with hemp seed) bar, and Naga (with sweet curry and coconut flakes) as well. My favourite truffle is the Black Pearl, with wasabi and sesame seed. I'd also tried the truffles with cheese, but they weren't too impressive - it's as if you made chocolat-ey cottage cheese (?).
It's kind of funny that Vosges is right above Ethel's chocolate bar in the Northbridge Mall in Chicago - Vosges chocolate is much better quality, but I love Ethel's lounge! So, I get chocolate at Vosges, then get a hot tea ("for here" - then you get all the tea-things) at Ethel's and watch the sunset over Michigan Avenue. What can beat that? :)
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Very, very good smoked salmon linguine! The service is somewhat slow, and noone in the place is actually Italian (we found it out after trying to speak Italian to the servers and the owner - well,...
Very, very good smoked salmon linguine! The service is somewhat slow, and noone in the place is actually Italian (we found it out after trying to speak Italian to the servers and the owner - well, turns out they are all from Chile!), but the ambiance is home-like, the food excellent, and the crowd relaxed and loud - which is what I like about low-key Italian restaurants :) We didn't drink much at all (none to one glass per person), but by the end of the dinner we were acting like we did - which is a sign of a good place to meet up :) The subway stop is 2 blocks from this place around the corner - a real plus on a chilly day in early spring :)
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I really loved our stay in this hotel. The location is fantastic, right off Columbia University campus and on the bus/subway stops. Upper West Side is FULL of cafes and little shops, and there's a...
I really loved our stay in this hotel. The location is fantastic, right off Columbia University campus and on the bus/subway stops. Upper West Side is FULL of cafes and little shops, and there's a Starbucks right across the street, too :)
We did have minor problems, like our reservation was made to a previous month by mistake :), but we had a printout of our online order, and everything was resolved. Staff are very friendly. The lines for registration/checking out are really long though - they are friendly to everyone there, so it takes forever to go through... Also, no extra blankets if the weather is cold :(
Otherwise, fantastic experience. The doorman in black is a fun touch for a student hostel :) The lobby is very well decorated and pretty - you forget you're in a hostel! The rooms are fine, and they are cleaned every day - also a great touch.
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We ate there twice during our New York stay. The first time, we were lured in by a $10 combo lunches. Those were huge! Humongous sandwiches, grapes and soup in mini-tourines... Before the meal, they...
We ate there twice during our New York stay. The first time, we were lured in by a $10 combo lunches. Those were huge! Humongous sandwiches, grapes and soup in mini-tourines... Before the meal, they brought out fresh bread, butter, olive oil, and warmed olives - you could get full just on that! So, we had to come again - this time, for the mussels (both the white wine ones and the tomato ones are excellent). Also got desserts: the chocolate mousee is RICH (consider yourself warned, took 2 of us to finish it), the flourless chocolate cake is nice, though the orange sauce for it is really weak.
Service is very attentive and chatty, we became good friends with the waiter by the time we left :)
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We went in to wait for our party to assemble before a Saturday Broadway matinée - we just sneaked right in after having bought tix on Times Square. The place was awesome! Healthy selections (got my...
We went in to wait for our party to assemble before a Saturday Broadway matinée - we just sneaked right in after having bought tix on Times Square. The place was awesome! Healthy selections (got my carrot juice! Yeay!), FREE tea/coffee AND juice or cocktail after 11 am; excellent bread! If you are careful about menu selections, you can't beat their prices! I mean, my friend got fresh coffee, a Bloody Mary, and a fancy clam chowder (clams come on a plate, and the waiters pour bouillon over it at the table) - all for $8 total! Omelets are fantastic, too. I can't believe that price/quality in the middle of Manhattan!
The waiters were nice, if a bit hassled - but then, the place was overcrowded the entire 2.5 hours we spent there.
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I'm pretty picky about hotels. So, when I got on this promo as a part of BzzAgent campaign, I was sceptical. Don't blame me - too many bad hotel experiences.
No, I don't want 4 stars from a...
I'm pretty picky about hotels. So, when I got on this promo as a part of BzzAgent campaign, I was sceptical. Don't blame me - too many bad hotel experiences.
No, I don't want 4 stars from a hotel, but I expect the hotel to deliver up to a promise. This one does!
First, I like the idea of a suite. I just like having 2 rooms instead of one - feels more comfortable that way.
Second - the bathroom is huge. No, HUGE. It's great. You could dance in there. I love that.
Third - free breakfast. It's actually healthy, with make-your-own-waffles, boiled eggs, juices-tea-coffee, whole grain bread, Raisin Bran - none of that sticky sugar-ey stuff they usually feed you at hotels.
Price? At TrySpringHillSuites, when booking Friday-to-Satruday stay - $55 a night. Yes, it's a promo and it won't last. But seriously - you can't get any more for the money!
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