Florio

Here's a scenario: an Italian Restaurant meets a French Bistro and the two decide to have a have a baby restaurant and raise this new gem, named Florio, in Pacific Heights. Oh wait, it's been done, and it's been done real well my friends. A combination of local, fresh, seasonal menu offerings with classics like delicious bread, pommes frites, roasted chicken, and fresh fish, Florio is a perfect spot for dinner for two.

prosciutto with burrata, apricot, and grilled batard 

sautéed Monterey Bay squid, black plum tomato, sea beans, sauce vierge, aged Balsamic 

Oven roasted Coho wild Salmon, fennel, zucchini, lemon cucumber, spicy pickled baby artichokes

Pan roasted white California Sea Bass with fennel and celery root puree with spinach, capers, and nicoise olives 

xx

"Foodporn"

The term "foodporn" has made a name for itself in our daily conversations with one another to describe a delicious meal we've recently enjoyed, and probably taken a photo of in order to post to Instagram. I'm very guilty of this habit seeing as I always have my camera or iPhone on me when I'm out to dinner. I am not pointing the finger at anyone, rather asking for your humble opinion: should food photography in restaurants be allowed? Some take a very negative stance on the issue and bring up good points, specifically about needing natural light and distracting you from who you're with. A handful of restaurants across the country have banned food photography in their restaurants, but others fully support it and even offer courses on how to photograph food, leaving me in an awkward predicament of wether to photograph my beautifully presented platter of sushi or a cone of strawberry balsamic ice cream from Bi-Rite. Where do you stand on this?

kalamata olive butter...say what! 

roasted beet salad accompanied by a warm puff pastry stuffed with goat cheese 

crispy veal sweet breads for my date (aka my father)

tender duck with snow peas + asparagus for padre

Wild Pacific salmon over a delicious bed of oyster mushroom Florentine & asparagus

and a warm brownie oozing with peanut butter + vanilla ice cream for dessert

After viewing these photographs, what's your take? 

To shoot foodporn or not to shoot foodporn?

xx

Pizzeria Delfina

Pizzeria Delfina's Mission location is simply one of the best for Neapolitan inspired pizzas in the city, not to mention, creative appetizers and awesome meatballs!

amazing Saffron Arancini – we could have had 3 more orders of these bad boys!

Atlantic King Salmon with crispy capers, potato, arugula, and watercress

Panna Pizza: tomato sauce, cream, fresh basil, shaved parmigiano 

six snaps

party nail & some Brandy Melville + World Market armswag

a colorful take on breakfast lox at The NoMad

heaven

beautiful canvas at Anthropologie 

gorgeous colored doors in Soho

new bracelets!

Quartino

For our last dinner in Chicago, Jaclyn, her mama, and I dined at Quartino, one of our favorite downtown restaurants. This was probably my fifth time enjoying dinner here and trust me, anything you order will not let you down. Their menu may seem overwhelming, but is heavenly if you appreciate delicious Italian food. 

Organic Tomatoes to start

Two Neopolitan Pizzas: Melanzane (grilled eggplant & grana) & Quattro Stagioni (artichokes, roasted peppers, grilled zucchini, Portobello mushrooms, and grana)  

Pappardelle al Sugo di Manzo 

(Tuscan pasta with braised beef tomato sauce) 

Salmon with roasted grape tomatoes and oil cured olives

Dessert was sent over accompanied by three flavors of house made limoncello. Out of orange, lemon, and grapefruit, the verdict was grapefruit- delicious!  

Gran Coppa Quartino

 (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry gelati, seasonal berries, whipped cream, biscotti, roasted hazelnuts) 

I'm in favor of having all desserts served in this metal martini glass! How about you? 

xx

Tuna, rice, and everything nice

After a delicious dinner at Nori last week, Jaclyn and I were inspired to learn how to make sushi. We share a mutual obsession with sushi, and it's safe to say I could have it at least twice a week. Nori has three restaurants in Chicago and at the one closest to us, a good portion of their menu is half off on Mondays! 

So the girls and I decided to sign up for a cooking class at Now We're Cookin' in Evanston to learn how to make one of our favorite things! The space at Now We're Cookin' is amazing and the fabulous hostesses were an absolute pleasure, as always. We Started with some delicious cups of miso soup. Yum!

Natalie & Sophie

Snacks & prep work

mangoooo!

patting down the rice is key for regular rolls and inside out rolls! (warning: inside out rolls are tricky at first, as are regular rolls, just practice and have fun with it! Make sure to keep a bowl of water near by to dip your fingers in before handling the sticky rice)

tuna, cucumber, avocado, and tons of wasabi

adding sesame seeds

time to roll!

finished product!

Jac & I

messy hands from sticky rice, but proud of our creations!

xx