Margie's Candies

While a friend was visiting Chicago from St. Louis this weekend, we decided to finally go to Margie's Candies in Bucktown for "lunch" since we had both heard of it and never been. It's a super old fashioned ice cream and candy shop, and was totally delicious.

Sundaes are around $5-$7 and are ENORMOUS. We both got our own, and thank god had not eaten lunch, because neither of us finished them. "Two scoops" is really more like three, and you get an entire side of fudge with your sundae in most cases.



I got the Grandpa's Turtle Sundae, which has two scoops of ice cream (flavors of your choice- I did Chocolate and Praline), caramel, a side of fudge, whipped cream, a wafer cookie, peanuts, a cherry, and a turtle (the candy) on top. It was kind of funny because a family sitting behind us must have ordered one of the turtle sundaes and upon receiving it loudly proclaimed "WELL THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A TURTLE AT ALL!" It might not have looked like a turtle, but it was really good.

"Sooooo full!"

If you're looking for ice cream in Chicago, a fun family outing, or just have an incredible sweet tooth, definitely check this place out.

Restaurant Review: FARMbloomington

Back from another round of laptop problems with a review of a restaurant from Bloomington, IN that I somehow JUST managed to try. FARMbloomington, located on Kirkwood Avenue just off the square, which focuses on using "local foods with global flavors". According to the website, the menu changes seasonally and based on the Chef's inspirations, and from what I experienced it is a pretty diverse menu.

Prices can range from $13.50 for a pizza to $30+ for an entree (though most are in the $20 range), but it is all well worth it! A current summer menu can be found HERE.

We started with the FARMfamous Garlic Fries as an appetizer. I first became totally obsessed with garlic fries when visiting San Francisco, and let me tell you: these garlic fries would make SF proud. They are perfectly crisp, covered in garlic, parmesan, chili flakes, and a Turmeric Aioli and come with a side of garlic mayonnaise for dipping. DELICIOUS! For $8 you can get a large bowl big enough for plenty of people to share!


For dinner I had the Jim Fiedler's Spicy Chorizo Sausage pizza ($13.50). Thin crust, woodstone oven baked with chorizo, jalapenos, grilled onions, spinach, and garlic... also delicious! The flavor combination was really good, and the crispy crust melded with the cheese and was perfectly accented with the little kick of jalapenos. It is definitely not for anyone who doesn't like a little spice! The pizza took up a large plate, but as I said was a very thin crust. I ended up taking about half of it home after the garlic fries, but without an appetizer it is a pretty good sized portion.


My brother had the FARMbeef Burger ($15) which was truly the largest burger I have ever seen! It was served on what looked like French Bread and with a red-potato salad. He added Goat Cheese and Bacon, and the flavor combination was fantastic... I know because I might have snuck a little bite ;-)! My dad did the Thai-Tamarind Grilled Pork Chop ($22), pictured below, which can be found on the menu linked above, and absolutely raved about it.


If you're ever in Bloomington and looking for a unique, nice, and absolutely delicious restaurant I highly recommend giving FARMbloomington a try. FARM also has a market & cafe and a bar on top of the restaurant. Find out more HERE. I only wish I had caught a picture of the inside of the restaurant, as it is done in a very homey but open "farm house" feel. I guess you'll just have to check it out for yourself!

Restaurant Review: N9NE Steakhouse

Last week while in Chicago for some relaxation and job-search related meetings, my dad and I went to dinner at N9NE Steakhouse in West Loop. I may not be the best person to "review" a steakhouse because as a total carnivore, it's not really THAT hard to please me. I will, however, say that the food was AMAZING, the ambiance was great, our server was the perfect balance of attentive-out of the way-fun to talk to, and I would DEFINITELY go back.

I started with the Love Potion No. 9 martini: Orange Juice, Absolut, and Alize. Mmmm!


For dinner I had the bone in ribeye with the Truffle Hollandaise, and it was cooked perfectly to order and as delicious as expected. Not to mention it was enough that it also made for a good lunch the next day. We split a side of the lobster mashed potatoes, and I am still in awe at what a great idea those are. Big high five to whoever came up with THAT concept.




The lovely waitress brought us a sorbet sampler to celebrate my graduation, and though I'm still not completely sure what the flavors were (We're thinking coconut, passionfruit, and mango), they were all really good! What we thought was the passionfruit was really tangy, almost similar to orange juice in a way, and was my favorite! The coconut/mango flavors were a little more subtle.


Overall, I don't know that there was anything I could personally complain about! Well, that is with the exception of all the bridge construction leading to a little bit of difficulty getting there, but let's be honest here: that has nothing to do with the restaurant itself and it was totally worth the trouble of getting there. They also have a location in Las Vegas (and I believe Dallas), and if you're looking for something upscale and AMAZING, I would completely recommend it.

Check out the menu/pricing here.

Restaurant Review: Le Colonial, Chicago

Le Colonial is a French Vietnamese restaurant located on Rush Street in Chicago with other locations in NYC and San Francisco, and is a must for anyone looking to try new upscale dining locales in the area. It's a little bit pricier but really not too extreme, making it a great but reasonable place to celebrate various occasions. We got reservations at 7:00 on a Friday night a couple of days in advance, but I don't think they are too difficult to get. (Click here for Le Colonial's website, Menus, pricing and online reservation booking available)

The atmosphere was really neat, as seen in the picture below, and the restaurant has an upstairs bar with couches and chairs for enjoying a before or after dinner drink (or two).

The menu has a great selection, and we started off with the Shrimp/Pork Spring Rolls and Chicken Mushroom Ravioli. The Spring Rolls were the table favorite: perfectly crispy, they are served with lettuce to wrap them in and a chili lime sauce for dipping.


For dinner I went with the Tom Xao Sate, which is Jumbo Shrimp with asparagus, onions, and scallions in a Sate/Chili/Garlic sauce. The flavor was excellent and not overwhelming, and the shrimp had the perfect crisp to the outside.


Others at the table had the Ga Xao Xa Ot (A Lemongrass Chicken dish) and Vit Quay (A Ginger marinated duck) and both were fantastic. The flavors were all really interesting with a little bit of spice, and everyone enjoyed sampling off all of the plates!!!

If you're looking for a new, unique, and DELICIOUS upscale but reasonable dining experience in Chicago, Le Colonial is the place to go.

Restaurant Review: Flo & Santos (Chicago)

I decided to supplement this blog a little bit with a Restaurant Review feature (What with my running around all summer and not doing very good work with DOCUMENTING the recipes of what I make). I've eaten at SO many good places in Chicago this summer, and I know there are plenty elsewhere that are worthy of a good review, so I might as well share them. This also gives me an outlet for the many pictures I take every time we eat anywhere. Many of the first posts in this section will be Chicago locales, so bare with me if you don't live near, and be sure to make note if you do, or plan on visiting anytime soon!

It's only appropriate to start this feature with Flo & Santos... what has become our new South Loop favorite. This "Pizza & Pierogies" joint is located in Chicago's South Loop on 1310 S. Wabash, and every single thing I've tasted has been delicious!!!

Their thin crust pizzas are truly some of the best pizza I have ever had... not too thin and crispy but without too much dough, featuring thick cut pepperoni, giant chunks of sausage, and all sorts of delicious vegetables and cheeses. Best of all is that, as my dad puts it, "This pizza reheated in the oven is better than most of the pizza I've ever had fresh out of the oven!"



They also have AMAZING waffle fries hovering perfectly between crispy and "squishy", as well as "Flying Pork Wings" which are similar to a cross between ribs and buffalo wings with an abundance of tender, fall of the bone meat. An order of five was more than enough for an appetizer for three of us! Our family recommends going with the barbeque... Dad and brother tried the Teriyaki and thought it was a little too salty.

Last, but certainly not least, is one of the most delicious Grilled Chicken sandwiches that I have ever had in my life. The Grilled Chicken on Ciabatta is topped with provolone, a layer of roasted red pepper, pesto mayo, and then the typical toppings of lettuce, red onion, and tomato. The chicken was wonderfully juicy and tender and nearly melts in your mouth with the provolone, pesto mayo, and ciabatta. I will definitely be going back for this one!!!



Prices are fairly decent (Especially for Chicago restaurants), with an average meal price of a little under $10. You can view the full menu here. If you are anywhere CLOSE to the South Loop and hungry for pizza or an amazing chicken sandwich along with a cold beer, you'd be crazy not to drop by! They also feature varying drink specials on different days of the week such as half price bottles of wine and $5 Svedka cocktails.