Several restaurants were recommended to us, like Girl and the Goat, RPM Italian, Rosebud, and Del Frisco’s. With only one more night for dinner, we opted for The Purple Pig, which was recommended highly. We will just have to come back soon to try those others!
The Purple Pig was totally our speed: a tapas-style restaurant that was heavy on the pork, with a Mediterranean influence. We started with the Housemade Morcilla Sausage, Poached Lobster Tail, Grilled Asparagus with Rhubarb & Spring Pea. I thought it was funny that the server said “you know morcilla is blood sausage, right?” as a disclaimer. Oh, we know. And yes, we definitely still want it. It was amazing.
The server recommended we try the Pork Belly Rillons, Honey Mead Glaze, which we did, and really enjoyed. We also tried one of their “smears.”
For dessert we were told that the house favorite was the way to go. We got the Sicilian Iris (Ricotta & Chocolate Chip Filled Fried Brioche), along with some ouzo (reminding us of our time on Mediterranean Delights Fitness Voyage this summer). This was definitely the way to go!
After dinner we caught a great improv comedy performance at The Second City. The kids were so talented! A very fun night, and at only $5 per person, worth every penny. To pass the time before the show and after dinner, we did a little shopping on State Street, then found this fabulous champagne bar called Pops for Champagne. We sampled an amazing cuvee and a blanc de noir, along with a few more appetizers. I can never resist a good tuna tartare, and was so happy I ordered it. Pops had one of the better tuna tartares that I have had in a long time. Made with ahi tuna and black tobikko caviar, it was bound to be good. The hubs got the Tempura Wisconsin Cheese Curds, which were decadent and delicious.
Last Day: Lou Malnati’s
Another thing you must eat when in Chicago is Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. After receiving various recommendations, we opted for Lou Malnati’s. Now, admittedly, we are more of a New York-style pizza couple. We love the thinner crust. That being said, the pizza at Lou Malnati’s blew us away. You can’t really compare it to NY-style pizza, as it is a different gastronomic experience altogether. We thoroughly enjoyed this cheesy, saucy pie. Note that your pizza takes a good amount of time to bake, so plan to go when you have some time.
I am sure we barely scratched the surface of dining in Chicago, which seems to be a foodie’s delight of a city. Where should we go next time? Let me know in the comments!
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