evening arrival warrented something walkable & easy.
We ended up at Wave, found just past the lobby of the ever-hip W hotel on Lake Shore. Aside from the pounding club beats and ultra-modern decor, it was quiet -- even for a Monday night -- but to our benefit as we dined on two long, plush couches with a gorgeous view of Navy Pier's glittering ferris wheel. We stuck to their tapas menu and eventually concluded the mezze platter was the overall winner thanks to the silky eggplant, with the scallops, gnocchi and beet salad hot on its trail. Overall, I'd head back for an easy meal assuming we were staying at the W, or perhaps try again on a Thursday or Friday evening.
http://www.waverestaurant.com/
After dropping Ry off (too) early the following morning, I started mine by indulging in a downtown Chicago favorite, West Egg. You just can't top those omelets -- and I'm not alone in my opinion, given the lines that snake down the hallway and out the door on any given weekend. :)
Spending the afternoon with Maki and baby Kai was a highlight of the trip -- oh, and the duck.
My first trip to Chicago's Chinatown was delightful. It's significantly smaller than NYC's and not as compact as Philly's, but packed with charm and hidden gems -- especially the unassuming restaurant we ended up in, Lee Wing Wah. The dumplings were dreamy, fried rice flavorful, spring rolls crispy, and I simply could not stop eating the barbecue duck. Seriously. The skin was paper thin and more crisp and flavorful than any preparation I've had. Ever. The meat was moist and didn't have a hint of the traditional barbecue flavor a Midwesterner would otherwise expect -- think roasted Peking duck. It was heaven... and at the end of the meal, it was very nearly gone.
 |
| Maki, the enormous spread, and napping Mr. Adorable. |
 |
| Our dining companion, post nap. I can't think of better company (not to mention hair). |
 |
| Lee Wing Wah's barbecue duck. Perfection. |
Shopping commenced post-lunch to work off a few calories and aside from the usual kitschy clutter and occasional diamond in the rough (who wouldn't want a lucky buddha?!), we stumbled upon a sake shop and each left with a few bottles.
Do I like sake? No. Did I like the salesperson, eagerly showing us the bottles of filtered, unfiltered, sparkling, and flavored sakes? Yes. I'll take three, thank you. MBA lesson in action: Products don't sell; people do.
Note about sake: Sake is typically thought of in most English-speaking countries as rice wine. However, sake is actually produced through a brewing process more like that of beer (wine is produced by fermenting sugar naturally present in grapes). Therefore, sake is technically a rice beer rather than rice wine. Who knew?!
I'm looking forward to our return trip already, whenever that might be. :)
