Well, I was a couple days late for Chicago’s infamous St. Patrick’s Day festivities but trust me, I’ve been to a Chicago Paddy’s Day parade and I’m glad I missed out! If you have never been it’s basically Armageddon in the streets once the clock hits 3 p.m.. People are hugging, fighting, crying and puking up beer that looks like the river that’s been dyed green! No thank you. Everybody knows I love a good time but I can’t handle when the whole city turns into a bar!
I got lucky and had my final flight early in the morning so I head straight to hotel and took a nice four hour nap before heading over to one of my favorite spots for nightlife in Chicago. There is a small little spot near downtown called Avec that has a fabulous drink menu and even better food! The restaurant is run by executive chef Paul Kahan and he creates a wonderful blend of classic Italian and new American food.
I started off with the oven-braised merluza with squid bouillabaisse, fregola pasta and fennel aioli which is basically this white fish in a red sauce. The merluza, which comes from the cod family, is incredibly flaky. I didn’t even know it was fish at first!
Next, I had my favorite dish from the restaurant which is their slow-roasted pork shoulder with chorizo, white beans, and apple. This dish is really, really tender just like pork shoulder should be! I washed all of this down with some Dogfish Head. I don’t usually drink beer, but Chicago has such a great brew culture.
After stuffing myself to the gills, I met up with my good friend Stacey to catch a show at Improv Olympic. Chicago has a killer comedy scene but most people only know about the Second City which was home to Jim Belushi, Chevy Chase and others. Improv Olympic has been around for a while and they tend to cater to a younger audience.
The show I caught was called Switch Committee, that Stacey recommended. The group consisted of about five guys and they were absolutely hilarious.
After the show I caught the red line back to my hotel and called it a night! Stay tuned for more updates on my Chicago adventure!
Categories: Chicago
