Recent Foodie Finds

Happy July! Wow, June really flew by... can you believe that we're rolling up on the 4th already?! Oy. June was crazy busy, but super fun - the month started with my last minute trip to Madison and ended with an unexpected ticket to Cirque Du Soleil (and there were so many birthdays & festivals in between!). My awesome friend, Jen, won a ticket package (complete with Cirque goodie bags for everyone!) and generously invited me to come along. It was my first Cirque show... and yes, it was amazing! I was even pulled out of the audience and forced into treated to a whirlwind wedding to Giovanni the clown (the little one on the left). ;-)

July is already shaping up to be just as fun with more birthday celebrations, a few backyard BBQs and visits to some awesome restaurants, and two amazing concerts (Fiona Apple and Seal/Macy Gray). I also have some very! exciting! life changing! news, but unfortunately, I can't say anything about it quite yet. Trust me - it's a very, very good thing. :-)

A few food highlights from June...

Open-Faced Omelet at BRAVO!: Turkey & avocado egg white omelet with housemade fire-roasted tomato relish, and feta, served with fresh fruit. I LOVED this omelet - in fact, I loved it so much that I had it twice in the same month (the restaurant is right next to the movie theater, so it's perfect for a brunch & movie date). I also made my own version of it at home yesterday. I don't know why I never thought to make an open-faced omelet before - it's so much better than the traditional version!

Chicken Shawarma Pita at Naf Naf Grill: Thinly sliced marinated chicken with hummus, Israeli salad, and tahini sauce. This was my first visit to Naf Naf Grill and I must say that I was really impressed. The chicken was nicely seasoned and the tahini sauce really pulled it all together. I think next time I'll get it on a plate, rather than in a pita just because there was so much pita left at the end (it was too filling). I'm also glad to see more of these Mediterranean fast food places popping up - they open up so many more options!

Chocolate Banana Banana Cupcake at Sugar Bliss: Oh, SB, you did it again. You took one of my favorite cupcakes (banana with banana frosting) and made it even better by adding a layer of chocolate. I am a sucker for the banana/chocolate combo and this cupcake definitely did not disappoint!

Artisan Banana Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream at Starved Rock Lodge: Yes, again with the banana/chocolate combo. :-) This ice cream was phenomenal - it was handmade and stuffed with chunks of bananas, banana chips, chocolate chunks, and walnuts. I would even venture to say it was some of the best ice cream I've ever had!

Vanilla Cupcakes from Tag's Bakery: Tie-dye cupcakes for a tie-dye themed birthday party (for this awesome little girl). While I've never been to Tag's on my own, I've had their cake & cupcakes on several occasions (it's a popular place to go for b-day cakes) and I've loved everything. They also do some really cool customized designs.

Chocolate Cupcakes from Tag's Bakery: I didn't try the chocolate cupcakes (I'm very firmly in the vanilla camp), but they did get rave reviews from everyone else (especially the six-year-old and under crowd!).

Homemade Sangria: It was hot and there were twenty or so sugared up kids running around... this was exactly what every adult at the party needed/wanted. ;-)

ETA: BRAVO! has closed.