A Chicago Weekend

Early in October we took two days off work to run the Chicago marathon, and then eat our way around the city. Well, not really around the city: before the marathon we didn't want to move our legs and after the marathon we couldn't move our legs, so our eating was restricted to places we could easily get to from our AirBnb in the Loop.

When not running, napping, or stretching, we squeezed in many meals and some touristing. Here were our faves:

Lunch/Dinner

Au Cheval: Yes, there's a wait. Yes, the burgers are amazing. But also, the mille-feuille was the best thing we ate all weekend.

Crisp: Awesome fried chicken. Awesome bibimbap bowls. Perfect post-race nourishment. (Would also be good for a hangover. The feelings are similar.)

Cruz Blanca Brewery & Taquería: We went here while we waited for our table at Au Cheval (perks of marathoning = 2 lunches). The tacos were great, the beer was enjoyed by the boys, and the Bloody María was perfection.

Little Goat: This was my favorite place. The bakery is incredible and lunch here was perfect whether you want mac and cheese, a reuben, or kale salad (or all of the above).

Pacific Standard Time: A super elegant, chic, California-style restaurant. Wonderful pizza, beautiful veggies, and a beautifully designed space.

Sweets

Bobtail Ice Cream: Peanut butter and cookie dough in a cone please.

Stan's Donuts: Go for breakfast or second breakfast. And then go again the next day. The doughnuts are awesome.

We tried to go to Doughnut Vault but they'd sold out by the time we hobbled over there. However, it looked adorable and if the sold out sign is anything to go by, worth visiting early!

Culture

Architecture Tour: I generally hate tours (or any kind of organized touristing/activity), but this was great. It's a boat tour along the river which is beautiful, super informative, and a wonderful way to spend the morning and learn a little about the city.

The Art Institute of Chicago: Whatever you want to see, they've got it. The museum is huge. I loved Chicago's America Windows.

The Bean: Obvs. Anish Kapoor's Bean deserves the attention it gets.

And if you want to run a marathon, the Chicago marathon really was great. Well, I didn't think the last few miles were so great, but I think that's more the fault of marathons than Chicago...

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Tabor Bread

After a super early morning flight, we were greeted at the airport by mum and dad, large coffees, and spectacular muffins. The muffins were from, we were told, this amazing, amazing bakery just round the corner from where we would be staying. The sandwiches we devoured after a snowy hike (pictures to come, promise), were also from this magical bakery. So, obviously, for breakfast the next morning, we headed straight to said bakery.

Tabor Bread is a quiet, unassuming little spot. Wafts of freshly baked bread greet you as you approach, hinting at the wondrous treats inside. They mill their own flours, use local, organic grains, ferment everything for ages with wild yeast, and bake in wood-fired ovens. These kind of descriptors aren't unusual for Portland. Just one of many reasons why we fell in love with the city.

If we'd stayed for longer, I'd have spent a day at a baking class, but, with the four days we had, breakfast and plenty of snacks had to suffice. Rhubarb muffins, cinnamon sugar babka, coconut banana bread, and sweet scones are what mine and maman's dreams are made of. Dark, nutty flours, soft, moist crumbs, and a balance of sweetness from seasonal (obviously) fresh fruit or spiced sugars. The boys, meanwhile, dug into Breakfast Biscuit Sandwiches, piled high with bacon, egg, cheddar, and garlic aioli.

We always said that when we move away from were we currently live, one thing we'll miss is Bien Cuit. However, Tabor Bread would be a more than satisfactory substitute.

Tabor Bread, 5051 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215.

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The City Bakery's Hot Chocolate

As soon as the temperature drops in NYC, the line at City Bakery grows. All for one very good reason: the hot chocolate. Often voted the best in the city (I haven't tried enough other places to confirm this), on a cold, snowy December day, the queue snakes round the counter, and the man whizzing up the hot chocolate to order is getting messier and more hectic as the bundled up customers continue to stream in.

Never order anything bigger than a small — you really won't be able to finish it. And always pay the extra dollars for the marshmallow. It may seem excessive to pay that much for some spongey sugar to sit on top of your liquid chocolate, but it's totally not. The chocolate is rich, sweet, thick, and luxuriously smooth. The icing sugar coated marshmallow floats like the lightest, fluffiest snowball on the dense drink. It melts slowly, quickly covering you in a light dusting of sugar, and testing your hot chocolate drinking abilities as you try to eat it and drink the molten chocolate on the New York streets. On a cold East Coast winter day, this hot chocolate really is the best medicine.

The City Bakery, 3 W 18th Street, New York, NY 10011

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