April Brunch: Restaurant Beatrix

For our April brunch segment, we decided to go to Lettuce Entertain You's new Restaurant Beatrix. There has been a lot of buzz lately about the trendy vibes and healthy eats at Beatrix, so naturally we had to give it a try! Beatrix is located beneath the Aloft hotel on a trendy corner in River North, and as you can see the exterior is extremely chic. The interior is extremely expansive with a full bar, seating, and coffee bar! As soon as you walk in, you are immersed in the hip music, interesting furniture, and awesome artwork (props to the poster of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on the back wall!). One of our favorite aspects of the restaurant were the lighting fixtures. The ceiling was adorned in various different bulbs and lights that gave the entire place a very funky vibe. However, the restaurant was packed with families enjoying Saturday brunch, so the vibe was not overwhelmingly "hip" or pretentious. 

Chicago Chef Week at Sophie's Saks Fifth Avenue

In the week of March 16th-21st, Chicago celebrated Chicago Chef Week! Each year, a group of restaurants are selected to showcase their chefs' talent by offering three-course lunches at a fixed price of $22, and three-course dinners at a fixed price of $44. Chicago Chef Week is an excellent opportunity to enjoy a full meal at one of Chicago's trendiest restaurants at a reasonable price! Naturally, we had to partake in this week. We decided to make lunch reservations at Sophie's Saks Fifth Avenue, a trendy, brand new restaurant that sits on the 7th floor of Saks Fifth Avenue on Michigan. The week celebrated Sophie's Chef Aleman, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu and previous overseer at Fairmont Chicago Millenium Park. One of the aspects of Sophie's that intrigued us the most was the fact that the restaurant was inspired by Sophie Gimbel, an American designer and trendsetter in the 1950s. Sophie Gimbel was the first American designer to be featured on the cover of TIME magazine, and continues to be one of the most influential fashion designers in history. 

                              Image of bar at Sophie's courtesy of sophies.com

From the moment you step into Sak's Fifth Avenue, your experience at Sophie's is nothing short of regal. The express elevator takes you directly to the bright and chic 7th floor where Sophie's sits. The 7th floor is a men's floor, and we were slightly surprised to see that the restaurant is literally smack-dab in the middle of the clothes. Unlike most department store restaurants that have more of an "entrance" and divide from the rest of the store, the bar at Sophie's is within fifteen feet of the merchandise. While this was a tad off-putting, the restaurant is still very chic and brightly decorated. The mood is mainly set with black and white, which is definitely reminiscent of the classic Sophie Gimbel. For a restaurant at peak lunchtime (12:45 PM) during Chicago Chef Week, Sophie's was rather empty. Granted, it did only open a few months ago, it does only serve food for breakfast and lunch so the lack of crowd is not the greatest sign. They sat us at a booth-like table along one of the walls, and we noticed that the entire room behind us was completely empty. Despite the miserable rainy weather in Chicago, the view of Michigan Avenue was lovely. It was mesmerizing to watch the taxi cabs bustle by on the Magnificent Mile. 

 

Complimentary bread service and spreads

At  the beginning of the meal, the servers come around with a complimentary bread service that includes offerings of multi-grain bread, french bread, and crackers. They also bring three spreads: an olive tapenade with pomegranate juice, a rosemary butter spread, and a fig spread. We tried the multi-grain bread and crackers, which were both tasty. The olive tapenade spread was nice, especially with the hint of pomegranate juice, but if you are not a fan of olives this spread is definitely not for you as it had a strong taste of olives. Similarly, if you are not a fan of raisins, the fig spread was not for you. It was nicely put together, but basically just tasted like mashed raisins. We both agreed that the rosemary butter spread was the best. It was creamy and had a nice hint of rosemary. Our only true complaint about the bread service is that it was not nearly frequent enough. They only let us try one type of bread at a time, and only offered us more once. WE NEED OUR BREAD! 

Complimentary multi-grain bread

Megan's Beet Salad and Risotto:

Roasted baby beets salad ($11 on regular menu)

I had read that the roasted baby beets salad was the signature dish to try at Sophie's, and now that I've tried it I would not argue with that statement. The entire salad is plated very elegantly, and the salad includes an assortment of beets of all colors, shapes, and sizes, giving a great variety. My favorite part of the salad was the burrata cheese that was dolloped throughout the plate. It added a creamy texture to the greens and gave tartness to an otherwise sweet salad. The walnuts also provided the perfect amount of crunch. 

Asparagus and black truffle risotto ($19 on the regular menu)

I am a complete sucker for risotto, so as soon as I saw it on the Chef Week menu at Sophie's I knew I had to give it a try. Chef Aleman's take on risotto involves arborio rice, parmagiano reggiano, and crispy oats. The plate was very nicely put together, and despite the smaller size due to it being a Chicago Chef Week menu item, the portion size was very generous (I had leftovers!). Risotto is not an easy dish to pull off, and I do have to say it was very tasty. The risotto was nice and velvety and the parmagiano added just the right amount of creaminess. The slices of asparagus were also a nice accompaniment to the risotto. They provided the right amount of crunch, while still being fully cooked. My favorite part of the dish was the crispy oats. I've never had a risotto that included oats before, but they added great crunch and flavor to the dish. I do have to say the dish was very garlic-y. This is not a complaint on my part because I absolutely love garlic, but if garlic bothers you this might not be the dish for you.

Caitlin's Crab Soup and Salmon:

Roasted Red Pepper Soup ($11 regular lunch menu)

Looking at the chefs week menu, Megan and I knew that we wanted to try a variety of apps and entrees to get the full experience. I ordered the roasted red pepper soup as my appetizer, which was topped with both jumbo lump crab and melted leeks. I just about licked the whole cup! The soup had a velvety-smooth consistency with very pronounced flavors of roasted red peppers. Roasting the red peppers gave the soup a sweeter flavor with the illusion of heat from the char achieved by roasting them. I was sad to only get two "jumbo" pieces of crab meat in my soup, but for this contemporary dining experience I would not expect anything less, seeing as Sophie's has a high emphasis on the appearance of each dish compliment the seasonal flavors. The jumbo lump crab added a perfect addition of texture to the dish with a hint of sweetness, followed by the earthy melted leeks. On a cooler day, I would highly recommend this soup!

North Atlantic Salmon ($25 regular menu)

As an avid salmon eater, I knew that once I saw the salmon on the menu at Sophie's I was more than likely to try it! This entree on the standard lunch menu at Sophie's is more than the Chef's Week experience, which was only $22 for an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Definitely a bargain! After finishing our appetizers, the server brought the next course to us shortly after. The presentations once again were perfect. The stylish influence of Sophie Gimbel again was reflected by this dish and the flavors, using minimal ingredients of cumin-scented heirloom carrots, cress, and carrot-mascarpone sauce and presenting a perfect entree with close attention to every detail. Despite the smaller portions of the dish, the simplicity of ingredients all complimented the salmon, only further highlighting the quality of the pan-seared fish. 

Triple chocolate cake ($8 on the regular menu)

Overall, our experience at Sophie's Saks Fifth Avenue was an enjoyable experience that I'm not sure I would go for again. The decor was nice and the service was fine, but for what you receive it was not necessarily worth the steep price. Granted, the portion sizes were smaller as we were participating in Chicago Chef Week, but for $22 I would have expected to receive a little bit more. As soon as you step into the restaurant, there is a certain level of "pretentiousness" that makes everyone talk in a very hushed tone and completely alters the entire vibe of the restaurant. While it is classy, it was a bit much for two college students. Perhaps this will be more our cup of tea in our later years! That being said, the view of Michigan Avenue is excellent and Chef Aleman is a very talented chef. If you are shopping along Michigan Avenue and in the mood for a lunch splurge, don't rule out Sophie's! Check out their website for the menu and other information!

Lunch at Native Foods Cafe

In order to start the week off right and cure our Monday blues, Caitlin and I decided to try out Native Foods Cafe for lunch on Monday! Native Foods is an all-vegan restaurant that serves everything from wraps to burgers to salads to desserts to beer! We went to the loop location on Clark Street, but there are a couple different Native Foods Cafe locations around Chicago as well as other cities. We went right during the lunch rush, so it was very crowded but it was definitely worth the wait!

Caribbean Jerk Kale Salad ($9.95)

For my entree, I ordered the Caribbean Jerk Kale Salad. The menu's description is a "Jerk seasoned Native Tempeh, avocado, chopped mango, red peppers and onion tossed with crunchy kale in a creamy jalapeño cilantro dressing. Garnished with green onion and shredded coconut." This salad was absolutely DELICIOUS. I'm not normally a fan of imitation meats, but the Native Tempeh was absolutely delightful. It was perfectly seasoned and even though it sits atop the salad almost like croutons, it had the consistency of a crumbly cheese. The salad was also wonderfully dressed. The dressing was creamy but not too overpowering. I happen to like cilantro, but I know a lot of people who don't and I can honestly say that there was not an overpowering taste of cilantro in the dressing. The chopped bits of mango were a little underripe, but that is actually how I prefer mango. They had a wonderful crunch and added a fruity flavor to the dish. I'm generally not the biggest fan of coconut, but surprisingly I didn't really taste the shredded coconut on top. It might have just blended in with the tempeh, but if you're a big coconut fan you might be disappointed here. The portion was enormous but I still managed to completely polish off my entire bowl. I also had an unsweetened blueberry hibiscus iced tea which was extremely refreshing.

Carrot Cream Cheese Cupcake ($2.95)

I was craving dessert and had heard that their cupcakes were to-die-for, so I decided to order the carrot cake cupcake. Despite being an all vegan cupcake, the cupcake was surprisingly moist! This was a pleasant surprise because in my experience, vegan desserts can have a tendency to be rather dry. The cake was quite delicious and had a nice citrus flavor to it alongside the carrot. The "cream cheese" frosting was plentiful but not overly sweet, as I was able to eat some of it on its own without the cake. It tasted very much like real cream cheese and I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference if I didn't know this was a vegan cupcake! My only complaint is that the entire dessert was extremely cold when it was served to me. This made the frosting stiffer and I feel like it may have muted some of the flavors in the cupcake, making it slightly bland. It might have been better if the cupcake were kept at room temperature and served with slightly less frosting on top. All in all, a nice treat! 

Our trip to Native Foods Cafe was extremely enjoyable and we definitely plan on going back. I'm dying to try some of their wraps and get a little more adventurous with their vegan chicken, and I know Caitlin was eyeing their sweet potato fries! I definitely recommend the Caribbean Jerk Salad if you are looking for something healthy and light. As a whole the restaurant is a little on the pricier side for a quick lunch, but can you really put a price on fresh, natural, vegan ingredients? ;)

Sunday Grocery Segment: Soul Foods Mac and Cheese

Being college students who are constantly on the lookout for the healthiest, cheapest, and (most importantly) yummiest groceries, Caitlin and I thought it would be a good idea to do a segment on Sundays about our favorite grocery finds! This week I've decided to tell you guys about Soul Vegan Macaroni and Cheese. About a week ago, my parents and I were at Whole Foods and were offered samples of this scrumptious mac and cheese. It was one of those fateful grocery store samples where as soon as you get the tiniest taste, you are immediately grabbing armfuls of boxes and putting them in your cart to buy. This mac and cheese is 100% vegan and 100% delicious. 

It comes from a sustainable Chicago-based company that makes all vegan dishes known as Soul Vegan. Whole Foods is currently offering their BBQ Delights rib tips, macaroni and cheese, and lasagna. These dishes all contain no animal products and a list of ingredients that you can actually read in one breath and understand! This is a company that I am proud to support.

The other night I made my macaroni and cheese in the oven with some steamed butternut squash on the side that I had on hand. The macaroni and cheese holds together like a casserole and smells absolutely delicious. When I took the first bite I was completely intoxicated. The macaroni was perfectly tender, and the "cheese" was creamy and flavorful. If you blind-folded me and force fed me this dish, I would not in a MILLION years be able to tell that there is no cheese present in this dish whatsoever. Being a non-vegan, I love cheese as much as the next person but it is always very exciting to find healthy, environmentally conscious dishes that don't sacrifice their deliciousness!

Here you can see just how gooey and hearty this entree is! It is extremely healthy with 9 g of protein per serving and no cholesterol! After this I am definitely going to be trying the BBQ Delights (which my mom says are equally as delicious) and the lasagna dish. If you are interested in checking out Soul Vegan products, stop at your local Whole Foods store and definitely do not pass up the samples if they have them! You can also visit their website here to learn more about their products and values. Stay tuned for more Sunday grocery articles and be sure to comment with all of your thoughts and suggestions for other yummy foods! -Megan

Megan's Foodie Adventures in Montreal

For spring break, I had the absolute pleasure of spending five days in Montreal with my good friend Madi. While it may not have been the most typical college spring break venture, it was absolutely incredible. One of the best aspects of the trip was the food, so naturally I thought I'd write about it on the blog! Fun fact: Montreal has the most restaurants per capita of any city in North America, so there was not shortage of amazing food to find. This fact was evident as soon as we stepped off the plane, as I have never seen that many different restaurants of that many different cuisines and cultures in such a short distance. Our hotel was situated on a quaint street in Old Montreal that was relatively deserted in Montreal's off-season, but there were still restaurants every couple of feet just waiting to serve us delicious food. Madi and I couldn't believe the various different types of cuisines that could be found all over Montreal. Naturally, we expected to see many French bistros and cafes. However, there was also a number of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and even Portuguese restaurants all over the city! I had never seen a Portuguese restaurant before! One of the most interesting aspects of the trip was all the different kinds of foods that we got to eat. While we did spend plenty of time in cute French cafes and indulging in poutine, I also experienced delicious foods of cultures that were not even remotely Canadian! Below I will post some of the highlights of my wonderful culinary experience in French Canada! Enjoy!

This photo is from our first meal at an adorable cafe in Old Montreal called Olive et Gourmando. All of the travel books and websites say that you simply must get Le Cubain, a cuban sandwich that the cafe is known for. So, of course I did! It was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. The bread was ridiculously soft and the ham was perfectly tender. Definitely a must-go in Montreal.

This right here is "The Chocolate Medley," a brownie a la mode with rich chocolate sauce on the side for pouring that I got at an adorable chocolate cafe known as Juliette et Chocolat. This was, hands down, the best brownie I have ever tasted in my entire life. As both a foodie and an intense chocolate lover, understand that I do not say these things lightly. The brownie was perfectly soft and each bite was exploding with chocolatey flavor. The most impressive part of the dessert was the ice cream. Even though it was sitting atop a hot brownie, not to mention the hot chocolate sauce that I poured over it, it didn't melt into a puddle of muck! I have never seen ice cream hold its own like this, and it was absolutely delicious. The fact that the ice cream didn't immediately melt gave me extra time to enjoy the whole dish. Hands down the best dessert spot in Montreal.

Pictured here is the London Fog and blueberry scone that I had at the adorable Le Salon Cardinal, a tea shop on Saint-Laurent. Being a major Earl Grey enthusiast, I cannot believe this was my first experience with a London Fog! The drink is essentially a hot Earl Grey latte, with steamed milk and a little bit of vanilla syrup. I am addicted, and now on the search for a comparable London Fog in Chicago. The blueberry scone was also one of the best scones I have ever had, with a perfect dusting of sugar on the outer crust.

Before our trip, Madi and I came across a coupon for a four-course meal and belly dance show at a North African restaurant in the Latin Quarter. The dinner and entertainment ended up being absolutely excellent and one of the highlights of my trip to Montreal. One of the best parts was the baklava dessert, which was the best baklava I have ever had. I have been to numerous Moroccan restaurants that serve baklava, but this was without a doubt the champion. The outer crust was perfectly flaky and the inner filling was exploding with sweet flavor. An excellent random find! 

On Sunday, after a long morning of hiking up Mont Royal, Madi and I opted for some cheap and authentic Middle-Eastern food near McGill University's campus. The place was the perfect family-owned hole-in-the-wall and totally hit the spot after an active morning. I ordered the falafel wrap and potatoes with garlic sauce. The falafel was extremely flavorful and the wrap was perfectly filling. The potatoes were good on their own but after you added the garlic dipping sauce: game over. So delicious. By the time the meal was over I felt completely replenished. It might not have been even remotely French or Canadian, but it was definitely one of my favorite meals in Montreal.

Finally, last but CERTAINLY not least... Montreal's greatest delicacy, poutine. Montreal is known for this amazing dish that traditionally includes a plate of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy, so Madi and I were determined to find the best poutine around. Most of the tourist blogs seem to agree that La Banquise is the best place for traditional poutine in Montreal, so we decided to go with that. My extremely high expectations were exceeded. The fries were ample and delicious, the cheese curds perfect, and the gravy warm and gooey. The fact that La Banquise is one of the few establishments in Montreal that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week makes it all the more enjoyable at 1 am after a long night out. No matter what your tastes are, if you are in Montreal you MUST get poutine at some point. There are all kinds of variations for every different palate and I assure you that you are bound to find one that sends you into foodie ecstasy.

All in all, my trip to Montreal was the culinary experience of a lifetime. Since I was only there for five days, I do not even think I touched the tip of the iceberg that is the food that Montreal has to offer, but I was still amazed. No matter what your tastes are, Montreal has something delicious for you. As college students on a budget, Madi and I didn't feel particularly inclined to go to the more upscale French bistros. However, we were still able to find delicious, authentic meals at a complete bargain price. If you have the opportunity to visit Canada, I highly recommend Montreal! Bon appetite!