Cancun, MX

Last month I was lucky enough to take a trip to Mexico. After a long winter and a cold Spring, I was ready to shake off the Chicago weather to kick back & relax. My idea of a successful vacation includes great company, hot weather, and cold drinks. I got all of that and much more. Since this is a food blog, I'm going to try to stick with my food experience.

Beyond eating my weights worth of chips and salsa, I indulged in:

The Westin's Pai Ai:A cocktail and breakfast. This funny pineapple drink with a face offered a fruity pink rum flavored smoothie of sorts. They whole out the pineapple, fill it with a frozen fruit cocktail, then pin fruit to the outside. A cocktail that's fun even before you start drinking it...


Habana Cigar Lounge: The best mojito ever. Sitting on a deck, amazing weather, and a perfect cocktail. It was also sunset which really set the mood. Not surprisingly, I couldn't stop at just one. I had to order a second one...which would have been fine if we hadn't followed it up with a tequila restaurant for dinner.


La Destileria: Amazing shrimp tacos and a delicious Margarita that was way too big. This restaurant specializes in tequila, they import hundreds of them and even have their own tequila museum.



Captain's Cove: This romantic bungalow of a restaurant sits on the water with an amazing deck to sit back and relax with your partner. The waiters were friendly and I thoroughly enjoyed the scallops that I ordered. A quirky aspect to the place is that an enormous alligator is lurking in the water below. The best part of this restaurant is that connected to it is a Karaoke Bar called Pancho Willie's. The boyfriend and I had a blast finalizing our night making a total fool of ourselves (well maybe just me).

Hacienda El Mortero: A little more lively than it's name translated into English "The cement building"... this local favorite did not disappoint. The restaurant served traditional Mexican fare in a welcoming and festive yet more upscale environment than some of its touristy neighbors.

Cambalache: An Argentinian steakhouse located inside a Mall. At first it sounded a little random, but once I bit into my deliciously juicy skirt steak and tasted the salt of the fluffy potato pillows (not a technical term) I knew that this place was special. The boyfriend ordered beef ribs that looked like Dinosaur ribs. Other than our distracted waiter, the dinner was a big win.

Oh, Cancun, you are so much better than I remembered you from my '99 Freshman year trip. This trip to Cancun was a vacation to remember...

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeda!, located on Halsted in Lincoln Park, has been a hot spot for years. Since I moved to Lincoln Park in 2002, I can't even count on my hand the number of times that I have been invited to meet friends to eat tapas and drink Sangria. It's a wonderful restaurant that offers great food and ambiance (they have a fantastic outdoor seating area that can fit a crowd).

With the above review, you would think that this is one of my favorite restaurants, but it hasn't been until recently. In 2001, I studied abroad in Seville, Spain. While in Spain, I lived with an older woman (my Senora) who fed me some of the worst food I have ever had in my life. From lentil beans to fried fish with the spine still in tact...I was put off my Spanish food. Over time, I have gotten over my distaste and have sampled tapas at several different restaurants across the globe (even Barcelona of late).

What really put me over the edge and pushed me into the camp of loving Spanish food is a result of Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! taking the time to create a Gluten-free menu. They have a full menu of cold tapas, hot tapas, brochetas, paella and even dessert. Some of my favorites include the roasted eggplant salad with goat cheese and the rioja short ribs w/ manchego mashed potatoes.

When a restaurant makes the extra effort, like a gluten-free menu, you can understand how they have become a neighborhood favorite.

The Cookie Bar

I'm often jealous of the bakeries that the Coasts have to offer (i.e. Babycakes NYC & LA)...but this year, Chicago was lucky enough to get an import. Two guys from LA decided to live their dream and open up a Cookie bakery in Chicago. I heard about the the Cookie Bar from Daily Candy and was at their door within a week.

They are located at the corner of Lincoln & Altgeld in Lincoln Park. The bakery literally offers just cookies. I hate to say "just" cookies though as they have 20+ flavors...a mix of daily flavors and specials. The obvious reason for my intrigue in this bakery is that they offer gluten free cookies.

During my visit to the Cookie Bar, I had some of the best "gluten-free" service I've ever had. The owners made sure that they changed gloves before grabbing my cookies. They also made a big fuss that since I had arrived at the first 5 minutes of opening they only had one flavor ready...but plan to always have up to 3 flavors every day. You could tell that the bakery had just opened it's doors...but that they had the heart and desire to make their customers satisfied.

Of course I have to mention the cookies. My family enjoyed the mix of "gluten-full" flavors I bought them and I had the gluten-free chocolate chip. Everyone has their own preference for cookies, so I'll describe these as thin cookies with a crisp exterior and slightly chewy middle with chocolate that melts in your mouth.

I'll be back to belly up to the Cookie Bar...I wish them great success.