Stumptown in Our Town

Most would agree that there is no better way to start a morning then with a fresh cup of coffee. Actually, it is not only pleasant, but absolutely necessary. Finally, there is a quality spot for us all to indulge on caffeine, and some stellar decor in Midtown-West. Ace Hotel recently opened their own Stumptown coffee shop (from Portland with love) where one can sip a latte, munch on a buttered pretzel pastry, all while being served by Newsies. It's my kind of place.

Ace Hotel
18 West 29th Street
New York, NY 10001

Bongo Brunch

I LOVE BRUNCH. It's my absolute most favorite. I can go into great detail about the delightful brunch that I had at The Bongo Room in Wicker Park. I could talk about the dill hashbrowns, or the eggs benedict, or the bellini (which were all amazing) but I want to focus on the pancake. Between my friend and I we decided to be the most gluttonous of people that afternoon and on top of our savory meals we split a single pancake as well. This was the best pancake I have had. Each bite got better, and my only regret was not getting a full stack of three. It was probably for the best though seeing as I only average about one trip to the gym a week now-a-days. All I am going to say is if you are ever at The Bongo Room, please order the lemon ricotta and toasted coconut pancake. Pictured I only have the eggs benedict seeing as I couldn't even muster a thought to photograph the pancake while in awe of its flavor.

The Bongo Room
1470 N Milwaukee
Chicago, IL 60622
773.489.0690

Hot Chocolate: #1

My first official food post for the blog, just so happens to not be for a meal I had in NYC, but in another wonderful city, Chicago. Over Labor Day weekend I made a trip out to the windy city to visit a close friend and on Saturday night we followed dinner with a most exquisite dessert spot, Hot Chocolate. Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate in Wicker Park was nominated for the 2007-2008 James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef, and boy was that deserved. After much debate, and with the help of our waiter, my friend, Jessica, ordered the creme brulee and I ordered the Chocolate #1. Our very friendly waiter even comped us with a dessert of his choosing, a blueberry mousse, which was his seasonal favorite. The desserts were so delicious and presentation was impecable. The Chocolate #1 featured a chocolate ganache tart stuffed with a chocolate souffle and served with a salted caramel ice cream and a homemade pretzel. Need I say more? The slight salty flavor of the ice cream and pretzel were a delightful touch to the very decadant chocolate. The ambience in this darkly lite restaurant was very romantic and modern and I was pleased to hear that beyond their extensive dessert menu was also a dinner, lunch, brunch, and cocktail menu. Oh, and did I mention there is hot chocolate on the menu as well?

Mindy's Hot Chocolate
1747 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
773.489.1747