The neighborhood of Bucktown is growing on me. I say “growing on me” because the first time I went there, it took me an hour and a half via bus and it’s only 1.5 miles away from my apartment. I was late for a meeting and cursed Bucktown for not having a good, fast, public transportation way to get there. This time, I took cabs and I must say, the absence of struggle to get there really improved my opinion of this charming area.
Bucktown is just east of the Kennedy Expressway and apparently, gets its name from the many goats that were raised there in the early 19th century. While I did not see any goats during my 3 days in Bucktown, I did see lots of high end shopping, eclectic art galleries, gourmet groceries, cool bars and trendy restaurants. A colleague brought me to Olivia’s Market where I was greeted by this:
These fresh cut flowers were just as fragrant as they were visually beautiful. Olivia’s Market was wonderful little specialty food store, filled with a great wine selection, made-to-order sandwiches, cheese, an olive bar AND 10 cent candy. Everyone working in the store knew my co-worker which reminded me of what it was like to go to the market in Italy, where everyone knows each other and it’s just a big social event. I left with a 7-grain salad, guava Kombucha, 2 Swedish Fish, a peanut butter cup and very, very happy.
Mid-afternoon, I was in dire need of caffeine so I schlepped across the street (which technically brought me into Wicker Park, just so no one tries to beat me up for saying it’s still Bucktown) to Buzz: Killer Espresso. I don’t claim to be a coffee connoisseur but if I was, Buzz: Killer Espresso would be my regular haunt. Everything is custom made (i.e. no coffee poured from a vat that has been sitting there for hours) and I had the most lovely chat with owner Stefan about the book “Pour Your Heart Into It” and to be really great in business, you need to figure out what is it you do best in the world. I can’t wait to come back in the summer when the outside patio is open–I envision lots of lattes and people watching. 1644 N. Damen–check it out.
Finally, I checked out Coast Sushi Bar.
I have been hearing about this place since I moved to Chicago and I must say, it did not disappoint. BYOB, minimalistic but lively atmosphere, and the quality of the sashimi and make rolls were excellent. The White Dragon Roll was amazing! Being there with co-workers I can also call my friends didn’t hurt either. Did I mention it was BYOB? Can’t wait to go back.
High Five of the Day: Waking up to Luna Bell asleep on my stomach. She is such a sweet kitty, I don’t know what people without pets do. If you don’t have one, I suggest immediately going to PAWS Chicago to get one. Awesome organization and really, how can you say no to this little face?
We quickly perused the FoodNetwork.com and came up with a game plan: Cut apples. Add sugar, cinnamon, and more sugar. Put in crust. Simple and easy but since it was the first thing we did this morning, it made Holly and I feel super domestic and productive.
We pushed our culinary pie prowess a bit and got creative with the crust, going with a lattice crust on one pie and cut out hearts and stars for the other.
30 minutes in the oven and an almond glaze later, we were ready for Friend-Family Thanksgiving.
