Rock, Bubble, Cupcakes

adminChampgane, date night, Japonais, made up words, More cupcakes, Uncategorized, Valentinversary, Veuve Clicquot%s Comments

A lot of big decisions in my life are made with a quick round of RPS (Rock, Paper, Scissors).  Sometimes, all you need are some fast acting hand gestures.  Saturday night, however, was all about a Rock, some Bubbles and More Cupcakes.

Continuing the Valentinversary (new word, just made it up), we had dinner at Japonais.  After an enjoyable Restaurant Week experience last year, we decided it was time to go back to try “The Rock”.  1 rock, heated to 500 degrees, served on top of rock salt alongside thin slices of raw New York Strip.  5-6 seconds on top of the rock later and you have…perfection.  To be clear, I do NOT eat beef.  Ever.  But this, this wasn’t beef.  It was culinary innovation and I’ll be darned if Ryan is going to bogart the fancy on our Valentinversary.

It. Was. Amazing.  The entire meal was fantastic.  The Rock, sushi, raw oysters, salmon, short ribs topped off with Manhattans (for him) and Floating Orchid Martinis (for me).

Rewind to pre-dinner festivities at our apartment.  A bottle of Veuve and a box of More Cupcakes.  I’ve been on a champagne kick and my love affair with More Cupcakes is well documented so the combo was just right up my alley.  Throw in a card from Ryan with the David on the front, a nod to our recent decision to go to Italy in September (!!!) and the evening was perfect before it even started.

Sometimes, you just need some special.  This weekend delivered, in abundance- a highly successful Valentinversary, indeed!

Happy Birthday: Ryan Edition

adminbirthdays, Chicago, foodie, Happy Birthday, More cupcakes, Ryan, Uncategorized, Wow Bao%s Comments

Dear Ryan,

It’s your birthday and as you enter your 27th year, I wanted to let you know how much fun I had with you as a 26 year old and how great I think 27 is going to be.

In the last year, we’ve been on 3 planes together, road tripped to 3 weddings and explored the heck out of this city we live in.  We moved in together (!) which means we combined all of our “stuff”, painted walls and moved furniture around 50 times until our new apartment felt like home.  Remember coming home from vacation in Florida and how we realized that this place is home simply because we’re in it together?  Looks like we didn’t need to care about where the furniture was so much.

You, birthday boy, may be the funniest person I have ever met.  Thanks for making me laugh until my sides hurt.  Despite the fact that the Chicago Marathon filled up before you could register, you did every single long training run with me.  Thanks for being my biggest cheerleader- I couldn’t have done those 26.2 miles without you!

You love Wow Bao, More Cupcakes, and Luna Bell, all things that I adore.  You also love numbers, finance and leaving wet towels on the bed, all things I do not adore.  But I couldn’t have a better person in my life right now and I am super grateful to have you as my partner-in-Chicago, someone who is as big of a foodie as I am and will wander around this city with me for hours, just enjoying being somewhere we love with someone we love.

So, happy birthday, baby!  I hope you enjoyed your Bacon-Maple Cupcake.

Love,

Nina

Cupcakes and Champagne

adminbelly laughs, best friends, birthdays, champagne, cheers, free samples, More cupcakes, thimbles, Tomasello Fruit Wine, Uncategorized, Whole Foods%s Comments

Last night, my dinner was comprised of Champagne Cocktails and Cupcakes.

More Cupcakes is the best cupcake boutique in Chicago.

Yeah, I said it.

More is the BEST.  Perfect ratio of frosting to cake, perfect size, perfect level of moistness, perfect abundance of flavors…sheer perfection.  When I first moved to Chicago, I was taken aback by the amount of cupcake shops there were so I took it upon myself to try them all.  Hey, it’s hard work but someone had to roll up their sleeves (you don’t want them getting in the frosting after all!).  More and it’s Black and White cupcake emerged victorious.  With Molly’s in a close’ish second.

Anyways.

The Champagne Cocktail was a splash of Tomasello Blackberry Wine topped with some bubbly.  Ryan and I came across the Blackberry Wine one wine tasting Saturday at Whole Foods.  “Free Samples” always end up not being so free for us because we end up with a bottle or 3 after we are given multiple thimble-sized cups of samples.

As delish as this birthday meal sounds (and as selfish as I get with my cupcakes), I did actually share it with others.  A few dear friends whom I have been celebrating birthdays with for over 14 years came over to clink glasses and indulge in some sweets.  As it always does with best friends, the evening turned from one of those “I’m just going to stop by” sort of things into 3 hours, 4 bottles of champagne & wine and countless belly laughs.  In essence, the best birthday I could have hoped for.

I know every night can’t be filled with Cupcakes and Champagne but last night it was.  And that combination are the things happy birthdays are made of.