Chicago Part II

The third day of our Chicago vacation consisted of more good food.  We started off at the infamous Hot Doug's for lunch to kick start our day.

Foie Gras Duck Sausage, Ribeye Steak Sausage, Jack Daniels Pork Sausage, Merguez Lamb Sausage,  Chicago Dog, and Duck Fat Fries

All of this was split between 3 people and it was delicious.  I regret not getting the Foie Gras Duck Sausage for myself because it was the best dog I've ever had.  The duck fat fries were all right, but better with the cheese sauce.  Doug was even at the counter ready to take our order!

After lunch, we had a 1:30 reservation for the Wendella Boat Chicago River Architecture Tour.  It was neat to see all of the amazing buildings along the Chicago river. A ton of great views and information about Chicago itself.  

After the boat tour, we did tons of shopping on Miracle Mile.  I had to hunt down this watch that I've been wanting for a while...now it's all mine :)

After all the shopping, we were exhausted and headed back to my cousins for a late nap before walking to dinner.  We had dinner at Hot Chocolate and it has to be my top 5 meals.  

We started off with two appetizers that I unfortunately forgot to take a picture of.  We got the Pate and Shrimp&Grits. Both were really good. Then came my amazing meal.

Mac and Cheese to share: elbow macaroni and a creamy cheese sauce made with Rothkase gruyere and Carr Valley mammoth cheddar

Special of the day: mushroom risotto

Holy yum it was so good. I've never had a good mushroom risotto until Hot Chocolate.  The macaroni and cheese was one of the best I've ever had.  The cheese sauce was to die for.  Must go back again! We also had dessert and of course hot chocolate, but that went unpictured also.  

Saturday was Chicago Gourmet, the whole reason of our trip to Chicago.  I'll let the pictures tell it all

Met some celebrity chefs

Elliot Graham

Michelin Man (yes, he's a celebrity)

Cat Cora

Ted Allen

On top of all the food and celebrities, there were hundreds of wine, beer, and liquor tents.  I came for the food, so didn't indulge in too much alcohol. 

The last two days will be my last Chicago post. You'll have to wait for those because one of the restaurants fell into my top 3 places I've ever eaten at.

xox,

C