Francis Ford Coppola Winery

Hey there! It's been awhile. Last weekend my lovely sister was in town to help me kick off spring break. She's kinda awesome, and I realize how lucky I am to have a big sis who always knows how to cheer me up and give me great advice. So she got a Gilt deal for a three course meal and wine pairings at Francis Ford Coppola Winery so we thought we'd make a day of it! Little did we know it would be a long, longggg drive North in the pouring rain! It's ok. It was still super fun to spend some time together.

 Crazy drive through St.Helena and the country side. Note to self; see Napa in the summer time!

And the food...

The winery itself has Coppola's memorabilia for display and sits on land with a pool accessible for visitors. I wish it wasn't pouring, or freezing or else we would've come earlier in the day to enjoy the view. The prix fix menu was pretty good. We both got the steaks and zucchini fries to start. She had the Cesar salad and I had the house. The dessert was also lovely. The wine pairings were amazing and they didn't skimp on the pours. I really really enjoyed this meal. So fun!

Arami - Chicago

This is a late post - but I went to Arami for dinner with the bf when I was back over Valentine's Day. This place is so randomly hidden amongst the store front's on Chicago Avenue I realize I must have driven by it dozens of times without noticing. The interior is so cozy. There is a front bar area a middle dining area and a back atrium with more dinning space. Fireplaces and plants are all around, making for a cozy dinning experience. Here is what we got.

Mmm. So. Good. The noodles were bomb. And the sushi was to die for. Nom.

Picture{s} of the day...

Pics I took last weekend while my parent's were in town. They opted to stay at the Fairmont, SF in nob hill and the views were amazing.... <3

Why I love Manhattans

So this past weekend I went back to Chicago to visit bf. We had a lovely time with our families and even had time for date night and a lovely dinner at Arami for Valentine's day (pics to follow). After dinner we had an impromptu cocktail at the Violet Hour. Among the Chicago bars - this is one of our favorites. I'm kinda obsessed with our date nights because they start all prim and proper and end up with my cutting a line at some club so we can have a dance party. But it's the local, chill, neighborhood spots like Violet hour, Bangers and lace, the Bedford, Bar Deville, or the Burlington which have a special place in my heart. Usually this involves the two of us sitting at the bar and getting to know eachother again. No, we're not alcoholics. Yes, we enjoy a nice whiskey concoction once in awhile (Tipping my hat to the late, amazing mentor who taught Warren how to make a Manhattan on his porch in Wisconsin, T.). My favorite part of our date nights is not knowing where the night will lead us. ... whether it's trying to hit a club, walking into the Aviary with jeans and flip flops, making a pit stop for the DJ at Bar Deville, finding hidden doors to speakeasies in the Tenderloin, or ending the night in a hail storm. xoxo to my favorite guy. Happy 4 year love.