View of the city through our champagne at the Ace Hotel
My hubby planned a wonderful birthday bash weekend in the city. We got in around 9:30am and went to a MUST-try, Hi-Vibe Superfood Juicery. I had the BP sludge (made with upgraded coffee, brain octane, turmeric, among many other tasty things!) and hubs got a Golden Mylk. We checked into our hotel...which was AMAZING! Okay, okay I'll share about the hotel now and food excursions later...
It's a beautiful, rustic, charming hotel with the friendliest staff. They open doors, remember your name, and most importantly...greet you with a SMILE! The portal of entry to your room is just a key card tap---like those autopay credit cards (so cool!) The room with a great view was minimalistic, but had all of the essentials including organic cotton robes <--- the ones they have are made exclusively for them, the link is comparable a mon avis! And I know this is weird, but the toilet seat was so comfy...all I needed was my Squatty Potty! The shower was spacious, the bed was soft (but not too soft), anddddd there was a record player! Also, the minibar (which included local favorites like BESK from the Letherbee Distillery) and accompanying snacks were extremely well curated, offering Rishi tea and Publican Quality Meats beef jerky. They also delivered champagne since we were celebrating our anniversary and my birthday (to which I often confuse the dates)! The gym is well equipped with free weights, yoga mats, and foam rollers! They have an awesome rooftop, and a coffee bar by Stumptown Coffee Roasters (which in my experience, tend to carry MAST Brothers Chocolate! mmm!). It is a great place for vacationing in downtown Chicago, to stay for business, or if you live within driving distance and just want an awesome place to stay for a fun night on the town. Click through the slideshow for a closer look!
This is the hotel's restaurant--we had breakfast and second dinner here (haha, yes, it is true). My breakfast was fine, hard to go wrong with bacon and eggs. My husband's was amazing! But, I have to say the cocktail I had (yes, me having one is rare in and of itself, let alone for breakfast) ....wait, let me correct myself. I recently heard that a drink before 11am is called a libation! Anyways, it is called the "breakfast martini" and I cannot get it out of my head!!! You'll have to check their menu to find out all the ingredients, but I have to say they had me at turmeric & seaweed!!!
Dare I say it is one of my most favorite cocktails...ever?!
Make-up: Living Libations
Nail polish: Piggy Paint
For dinner at City Mouse, we sampled a few delicious items and we found room to eat them all, even though we had just walked back from our main meal (see next). The ambiance on their fire-pit patio was a perfect way to end our night. OH! I almost forgot, this is where I got introduced to my favorite sparkling mineral water!!! I love this stuff!!!
This wasn't my first time at Maude's and it won't be my last. The atmosphere, great service, and amazing food are hard to come by. I was only disappointed my favorite cocktail was off the menu, Small's gin smash...but only because that gin has been discontinued, so it is understandable. However, my next pick is the chartreuse smash. Any of their smashes are great though: herbs, what I like to call "hospital ice," & liquor!
Chartreuse smash
We had brunch here the next day. I had an amazing sausage dish...it's like a love hate relationship with an ever-changing menu. When I have something I love, I stick with it. But, they are committed to fresh ingredients and change their menu daily, which is also a plus...I just want to have that breakfast sausage dish again! So I ordered some of my new favorite breakfast sausage to make it myself at home! Oh, and the coffee at Publican is stellar. They have their own blend/roast. This area in the city has quite a few good java options; click here for my current favorite local coffee.
My brunch part one
We have dined here before, but I wanted to share a new favorite tea drink! The Little Goat has a cafe, so if you want tea, cold brew coffee on draft, or anything like that, you can pop in and out relatively quickly. What makes them unique is that they offer goat milk---so you can have a splash of goat milk in your latte or coffee. The drink I discovered was an earl grey goat milk latte!!! I pop in and get one every time I am in the area...I just can't control myself! The baristas are super friendly and they use loose leaf Rishi tea (which you probably know by now, is also a fave of mine). They make their drinks with love and it makes me so happy!
Well, that's all for part two...but this is a never-ending saga! Let me know if you try any of the places I have shared! The ACE Hotel Chicago just had its grand opening, check them out now! Catch me on instagram for more memorable moments in the city, and join me on my quest to #GetSatiated!
