Thursday, February 25, 2016

The Allis | Soho House Chicago

It was Valentine’s day and Blake and I had just finished walking through the Museum of Contemporary Photography. Outside the snow showed no signs of stopping; it had already been snowing for most of the morning and at this point at least two inches were on the ground. We didn’t let it stop us though. We were playing our day by ear and at that moment we decided it would be perfect to continue girl talk over some afternoon tea. I called every place on our list to check availability; everywhere was booked. It seems everyone and their Valentine were much more proactive than me and mine. We were just about to give up when I decided to call the last on our list, The Allis. They were also fully booked but had communal tables at first come first serve and currently there was no wait. Before I was even off the phone, Blake ordered an Uber and we were on our way to the West Loop.

I didn’t have any expectations of The Allis. So far every where I’ve ever gone for afternoon tea the champagne, tea and sandwiches have never disappointed me. I’ve filed afternoon tea as one of those places you can’t mess up such as brushing your teeth (I was going to say making toast but I’ve burnt that on several occasions so that would not be the best example).

Is it best to experience something with no expectations that way you’re more likely to be pleasantly surprised or am I a complete pessimist? (I like to think the former of myself). I found myself pleasantly surprised at how much I loved The Allis. From the big windows that helped draw in so much natural light to the unique sets of furniture and the floral tableware, this place was the perfect blend of traditional and modern in an industrial space.

We happily spent hours enjoying ourselves here as the snow continued to fall outside.


 -------------------- The Interior -------------------- 


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--------------------  Afternoon Tea --------------------


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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

A Saturday at the Market

Do you ever feel bad about spending your weekend doing nothing productive? By productive I'm referring to the list of things you've mentally built during the work week and looked forward to completing when the weekend finally arrived. On my list included tasks such as filing my taxes and other things I won't bore anyone with. Well the weekend came and I suddenly forgot about all the things I needed to do. Instead I found myself spending lots of time with my beau, my family and friends. My favorite part of it all was on Saturday when my beau and I had brunch in our neighborhood and then headed off to Pike Place Market to buy ingredients to make dinner later that evening.

I thought it would be fun to capture the details of our trip to the market documenting the things we typically buy and the random thoughts I have. So here we go...

1:45 pm //  The first stop is always a floral stand to pick up fresh flowers. On the corner of Pike and 1st is this cute floral boutique which I also love photographing while waiting for the light to cross the street...

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2 pm  // Over to my favorite speciality store in Seattle: DeLaurenti, where we like to buy cheese, fresh pasta noodles, canned tomatoes, all things to build a charcuterie plate and a bottle of wine. They offered wine tasting for $2 and Babe cannot pass this deal up so we quickly decide I'll do the shopping while he tastes.

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2:40 pm // Across from DeLaurenti is First & Pike News. Tangible reading material is a treat to me. I decide to spoil myself and grab some good reading materials.

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3 pm // Just walking by Pike Place Fish Market to see if I might see a flying fish. Nope, there's no show but man, those lobsters look delicious. I ask Babe if we should reconsider our Valentine's dinner plans and cook at home instead. He says no; reservations were made.

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3:20pm // There isn't a particular vender I buy produce from. It's usually any greens that look lush and of course photogenic. We also need fresh tomatoes for our dinner tonight. I am tasked with purchasing them.

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3:35pm // It's crowded! You can't tell from my great people dodging skills with these photos. Babe is across the walkway buying sausage for dinner. Team work is required to get through this crowd and out to the street. I photograph him while waiting for him to purchase spicy pork sausages. I'm easily distracted and consider making a seafood pasta dish as well. Focus! Babe is done and it's time to go!

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6pm // Dinner is made by yours truly, wine is opened and it's time to eat! (P.S. You can find my paperdelle recipe here.)

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Bon Appetit!