Recent Foodie Finds

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a fab start to the week. Can you believe it's already June?! Only a few weeks ago, I was staring down a seemingly never-ending pile of work (final portfolios, grades, special assessment projects); there were numerous moments in which I swore the month would go on and on forever (yes, I tend to get a tad bit melodramatic at the end of the semester). Then the moment finally came in which I gave my final presentation and submitted the last scrap of paperwork... and boom! It's June, the summer weather is here, cookout smells are permeating the neighborhood, and I am firmly settled into vacation mode.

I spent most of the first week of my break settled on the couch in a woozy fog (thanks to a nasty allergic reaction and some strong steroids), but I was finally able to get out and jump back into the world over the weekend. I paid a visit to Forno Rosso to check out their fab new brunch menu, as well as the Cherry Pit Cafe in Deerfield for an event hosted by the lovely Eat The Burbs. For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may have also seen my day spent eating my way through Huntley, via McHenry County Living - it was such a fun time and I can't wait to share all of my northwestern Illinois foodie finds with you!

Here are a few of my recent foodie finds (follow me on Instagram or Facebook for even more)...


Diana and I made our way out to the 'burbs to check out brunch at The Craftsman, a multi-level market café/farm-to-table tavern restaurant/cocktail bar located in the heart of downtown Naperville. As a hardcore lover of eggs benedict (it's my go-to brunch dish, along with chilaquiles), of course, I had to try the highly recommended Cuban Benedict with pork loin, city ham, poached eggs, Swiss cheese, and sherry mustard hollandaise. OMG, this benedict officially ruined all others for me - it's the perfect combination of salty, cheesy, rich, tart and oozy. So decadent and incredibly delicious!

One of the best bennies of my life was then followed by a plate of absolutely perfect Blueberry Lemon Pancakes with ricotta and lemon curd. Diana and I both loved the light and fluffy pancakes, along with the tart lemon curd. We literally cleaned the plate of every last drop of that curd!

Not only were the pancakes super fluffy, they were also stuffed with giant fresh blueberries!

Wild Orchid Hawaiian Martini at Bonefish Grill. Mario and I stopped by Bonefish to check out their summer Creole-inspired menu and we both fell hard for this sweet and refreshing cocktail made with Cruzan Guava rum, pineapple juice, and Zico coconut water, topped with an edible orchid.

Fresh Maryland Soft Shell Crab stuffed with a Maryland-style crab cake and topped with a lemon caper sauce, served with white truffle mac & cheese and garlic whipped mashed potatoes at Bonefish Grill. If you're a lover of crab, this dish is definitely a must-try! The soft shell crab is super delicate and pairs perfectly with the lemony sauce.

Creole-Style Redfish topped with crawfish and a Creole-style sauce served with sweet corn spoonbread and French green beans at Bonefish Grill. While the soft shell crab was my favorite dish from their new menu, I could not get enough of tangy, slightly spicy sauce on the redfish!

Gigi and I spent the afternoon dreaming of Paris at the adorable Patisserie Coralie in Evanston. Salmon and chive cream cheese on crusty French bread, sugar-crusted brioche filled with pastry cream, noix de pecan, almond-filled croissants, sablés breton... oui, oui! 👄 Also, how gorgeous is the table?! *swoon*

I stopped by Gayle's Best Ever Grilled Cheese to pick up two of her epic Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in honor of National Grilled Cheese Day (as I love a good food holiday!). Her sandwiches are always so fantastic (and photogenic) and definitely worth trying. The lobster is my all-time favorite, but I also love The Duke with cranberry mustard and The Southport.

Stuffed Beef Burger: 1/2 pound all-natural beef patty stuffed with BBQ sauce, Wisconsin cheddar, and smoked bacon at busyburger. Located in Little Italy, this tiny burger joint is serving up some solid hand-made, all-natural burgers, fresh-cut fries, and seriously addictive hand-spun milkshakes. Along with the burgers, I'm also a fan of their Busy Blob Fries topped with beef chili and Wisconsin cheddar, and the thick Spotted Cow Milkshake.

Red Sangria served in a cutoff bottle of Avión tequila at Federales. There's nothing like a good patio session filled with trays of tacos and the cutest cocktail glasses!

Kimchi Fries: caramelized kimchi, cheese sauce, bacon, scallions, sesame seeds, at truffle oil at bopNgrill. Out of all of our neighborhood spots that Mario and I frequent, bopNgrill is definitely our longtime favorite. I can never stop by without picking up an order of the kimchi fries - they are absolutely bursting with flavor and top my list as my favorite version in the city!

The Steak & Eggs over ciabatta with spinach and a rich red wine reduction at Dolce Italian is officially my new favorite version of the dish. Holy brunchy deliciousness! 🙌🙌

ETA: Dolce Italian and The Craftsman have closed.