#style lunch

[stylelunch]

MID-WEEK MARIAS

Besides running a bunch of errands on my mid-week day off, I obviously had to eat some dank food as well. My day started with an oil change in Highwood. Before even getting to my appointment, I naturally thought of where I would eat while I was waiting for my car. I stopped into Maria's Bakery across the street. As you would think, there are shelves piled high with Italian cookies with no shortage of sugary sprinkles. Since it was only 10:30, I decided to stray from sugar. I opted for a prosciutto and mozzarella panini instead. It's not any more brunch time appropriate than sugar cookies, but ya know. I sipped on an iced latte, which was kind of a fake iced latte because I think she (Maria?) poured a hot latte over ice, while I waited. Anyway, my panini arrived on a french roll, which is not typical panini attire, but who could complain about that kind of an alternative. The sandwich was dressed with arugula, tomatoes and oil. As I popped the last bite of crusty bread into my mouth, I wished I had ordered a full instead of a half. 

My errand-full day called for a comfy outfit, so here you have baggy jeans and a tank so terribly soft that I sometimes sleep in it and wear it the next day. I wore my studded and fake Birkenstocks yet again. #targetgoesitagain. I prance around in these so much that I should really consider getting another pair (real or asos), but I feel as though I may not be able to part with them come fall/winter/snow/ice. You will see me wearing them with scrunched-down socks once the temp falls below 60, but how will they survive below 30? I think about these things more often than not. 

Not pictured: Ikea-brand swedish meatballs. See my Instagram. 

[stylelunch]

SUMMER CAMP

No, I haven't been eating my heart out since the 4th of July. I've been busy, okay? For this fine American weekend, my camp friends and I traveled 5 hours north to the skinny-tree'd woods of quaint Minocqua, Wisconsin. We all used to attend overnight camp there until we were counselors/in need of real jobs. My foods pics are way more abundant than my fashion pics simply because this small Wisconsin town isn't really about style. Besides waterskiing, go-karting and fireworks, I'm not really sure what they're about. 

Throughout the weekend, we all came to realize that the food wasn't as good as we remembered, and it was probably because we were usually confined to camp food that was mass produced and dumbed down for the groups of picky north shore campers. Regardless, I was still able to find some blogable dishes. The first being the fruit filled yogurt and homemade granola bowl from our beloved Horhay's. Horhay's also has a delightful soy latte that I enjoyed every morning. My second favorite meal was at the Minocqua Brewery. My wrap was filled with only veggies and a veggie cream cheese spread. The side of avocado was absolutely necessary. Lastly, the hummus plate. I obviously finished it all. But again, it was not as I remembered. And this was eaten at the restaurant we were all looking forward to most: Island Cafe. If you ever find yourself in this typical Wisconsin town, beware of Island Cafe. The staff seems to dislike out-of-towners, they move extremely slow, and the menu is confusingly over-priced compared to every other restaurant there. 

[stylelunch]

PRIDE

You can all thank Mal for that sequence of me taking my hair out of a bun. And you can thank the Target kid's section for that tie dye skirt. There's fringe on the sides. Thank Jordyn for the mesh crop, and thank Chicago's gay population for a love and fun filled Sunday. I don't even think I saw five minutes of the parade. It was hella crowded, and I was busy watching the people watching the parade. Really entertaining.

Finally, the sun and the pre-gamed mimosas got to us. We pit-stopped at this random mexican restaurant on Clark and Belmont that probably isn't that random because that's a major intersection, but I just can't recall the name. If you happen to find this place, get their passion pomegranate margarita, frozen. Also, mini burritos. Have you ever? I haven't. That's why I got them. We ventured further into Lakeview for beer pong and such. Then, when Arielle and I were the only ones left, we made our way via the brown line to Plum Market's pizza counter. The End. 

[stylelunch]

I WENT TO WRIGLEYVILLE

That's right. I partied in Wrigleyville this past weekend. After filling up on all you can eat sushi at Sushi Para II in Lincoln Park (literally the best thing to ever be), my friends and I ventured to the land of the Cubs. Wrigleyville is like a college bar scene on steroids. But let me back up for a second. I love sushi way more than I love the Cubs. And if you feel the same, you need to make a rezzy at Sushi Para. I paid no more than $25 and I was literally drowning in sashimi nigiri (check my insta for proof). And it was actually really good quality. Please, trust me. I know my sushi grade fish. The best part is that it's BYOB. 

Moving along to my remarkably adaptable outfit. Sans blazer, I fit right in to the casual crowd at Cubby Bear. Once I put the blazer back on (after I cooled off from that jam-packed sweat box), I was ready to show face at Boardroom. Feel free to glaze over my Saturday brunch outfit. Think of it more as a pool cover-up. I was a little too "tired" to think of something both fashionable and appropriate for that brutally humid day, but I'm not complaining. 

I guess I couldn't think about a proper brunch meal either because I pathetically pieced together a few side dishes at Elly's Pancake House. I obviously topped my cream cheesed bagel with that rather delicious side of bacon. And that's a single plain crepe if you couldn't tell. I don't know why I always make this mistake (twice now), but I really need to realize that alcohol and Big & Littles do not mix well. After a shared brick of Bud Light at the pool, even a few bites of my samurai taco didn't sit well. Not to mention that soft shell crab po' boy. Umm, since when does a soft shell crab po' boy look like a literal crab that was dropped into a boiling pot of oil? Just the sight of that made me queasy. Thankfully, Arielle and I spit the deep fried grilled cheese. I HIGHly recommend. 

[stylelunch]

OLD TOWN ART 

This weekend was a busy one for Chicago. Besides Spring Awakening, there were many other, more important festivals going on in the city. One being the Old Town Art Fair. Arielle and Jordyn live in Old Town, so all the action was literally right outside the front door of their building. I had an 11 a.m. showing, got my vanilla latte, then spent the lazier part of the morning at Mal's pool. Don't tell anyone, but because I hadn't eaten a proper breakfast/brunch/meal and it was already past noon, I glided into the rock and roll McDonalds acting like I hadn't been there just 6 hours ago and stuffed a cheeseburger sans meat patty (you can do that) into my mouth. I'M SORRY. We finally settled into our lounge chairs and gossiped into a daze for the next 2? 3? hours. 

Post pool, i changed into a more art fair appropriate outfit. I really felt like I transformed my flannel plaid skirt from autumn/winter 13 to spring/summer 14 by adding those studded slip-ons. And aren't you just drooling over Jordyn's For Love And Lemons romper? If her fit doesn't say "I own this whole g*ddamn art fair," then I don't know what does.  We really looked like art collectors when we ate our curbside lunch on the corner of Schiller and Wells. We shared the polish sausage and a chicken kabob and washed everything down with sangria. 

[stylelunch]

BREAKFAST SLIDERS

This weekend's brunch had a slightly different game plan. Beth and I started out at Molly's Cupcakes in Lincoln Park where I was introduced to my first let down of the day: They were out of espresso. I cried to the girl behind the counter until the other girl behind the counter suggested I get a cafe au lait with vanilla instead. I was pleased. We waited for Alli to arrive and then we walked 2.5 seconds down and around the block to an apartment showing. Second let down of the day: The fully and newly renovated garden level apartment was still not up to our standards. The search continues. 

The rest of the day was clear of let downs. We had a beyond scrumptious brunch at Frances Deli. My breakfast sliders cured any leftover hangover feelings that my cafe au lait missed. Basically the only thing differentiating these breakfast sliders from regular sliders was the over-easy egg on each of them, which definitely makes a difference. We all felt at home at this casual deli/diner joint. Beth got an omelette per usual, Alli got a sandwich and I cannot recall what Jordyn got, but it's okay because she was wearing a full Lululemon/workout outfit. Kind of a brunch faux-pas when you dine with me. I let it go because I borrowing her T-shirt that morning. 

[stylelunch]

SUMMER IS BACK

I finally made it back to Summer House Santa Monica this past weekend. This time for brunch. The nourishment was still amazing, but the atmosphere was 100 times better. Can you say sunshine? I can. I'll scream it from the rooftops if it means it's here to stay. We sat at a half-inside-half-outside table with perfect views of the super trendy Lincoln Parkers. I'm not even kidding when I say I saw at least 15 cute fits from the moment I took my first sip of coffee (I wasn't a real person who could make valid conclusions about the seamless and chic pairings of clothing items before the caffeine) to the second we left the restaurant and were bombarded by paparazzi. Okay, it wasn't the pap. But we did get our picture taken by the lovely girls of PSTrulyYours. What I'm trying to say is we had a great table. 

What's more than the table is my perfectly crispy waffle. Just try to take your eyes off it. Even my routine pre-reservation menu study sessions couldn't prepare me for this mouth-watering display. The bacon was a little too sweet for my liking especially because my waffle was undoubtedly a treat, but I'm a tough bacon critic, so I let it slide. 

Just to clear things up, I did not carry a pink hat box as my purse Friday night. However, you have to admit it's a pretty cute box. Jordyn got it for some reason. No reason? Regardless, look at my outfit. The last time I wore that skort was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving with tights and thigh-high boots. Look how far we've come! Do not let the my shoes or any similar looking shoes for that matter fool you. They hurt like a betch. Beauty is pain, right? And it was all worth it for that majorly instagram-able brunch. 

[stylelunch]

LITTLE MARKET LAST WEEKEND

I apologize for this delayed post. It's probably because I was not that excited to share my munchie memories with you. Jordyn, Arielle and I went to Little Market on Delaware last Saturday. From my prior research I failed to realize the limiting menu. Nonetheless, my eyes were drawn to the single sugary yet heathy item: vanilla yogurt, granola and berries. I always want to order this combo at places, but it never wins. For this particular restaurant, the yogurt parfait came with a choice of two pastries and either coffee, tea or juice. It had all the winning components. The usual pressure was on and suddenly, the words grilled cheese came out of my mouth. Maybe next time. The sandwich included fried egg, avocado and bacon. No brainer. By the end of the meal I kind of regretted my decision. Their version of grilled cheese has too many flavors but enough to make it special. 

On our way home, we ran into an old acquaintance from high school. We talked about life and brunch. And he said that all the places start to taste the same after a while. I didn't realize it until that moment, but he was exactly right. I'll probably be stuck in my familiar ways for the next few brunch outings, but I'm definitely going to work on changing this monotonous food cycle, no matter how easy and good it is when I'm hot and hungover.

As for my outfits: Jordyn and I tried to match on Friday night in a very confused spring/winter color palette. My Saturday brunch outfit was even more confusing. I know it looks cute, but I was wearing a sweater and a fur-lined jacket in the middle of May. Sometimes, I hate Chicago.