Zucchini Tea Cake

One of my good friends in Chicago gave birth to a beautiful baby boy recently.  I wanted to bring over some food for my friend and her hubby to help them during the transition period.  I normally would have baked some banana bread, but my friend makes a pretty mean banana bread herself so I wanted to try something different.  I was going to make some shepherd's pie for them as well and had some zucchini to spare so looked up a zucchini cake recipe.  I found one from Huckleberry Cafe, which is a great cafe in LA that I've been too so I decided to try it.

Blackbird - Chicago, IL

I've been wanting to go to Blackbird for some time and I noticed that they usually participate in Restaurant Week so I figured I'd try to get a reservation that way.  They are one of the first restaurants to completely fill up so you really have to get an early start if you want to try to get reservations there.  I haven't been able to get reservations the last few times I tried, so when I heard that they were participating in Chef's Week this year, that was the first reservation I made and I didn't even consult my friends.  I just booked it.

Auntie Em's Kitchen's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

My friend Wonster lives really close to Auntie Em's and we've frequented the place for their red velvet cupcakes, which they are famous for.  Wonster however once pointed out to me that their oatmeal raisin cookies are really good too, so we picked up one to share and she was right.  Thankfully I found their recipe to try at home.  Yippee!!

 

Redd - Yountville, CA

There are so many great lunch options in Yountville ... Bouchon, Ad Hoc and you can't forget the French Laundry.  The French Laundry was completely booked.  I was looking at the menu at Bouchon and didn't think my friend Jules, who is a raw vegan, would find anything she'd be able to eat and Ad Hoc's menu for the day, although it sounded delicious, was a pork cutlet, so that wouldn't work either.  I looked up some other restaurants nearby and saw that Redd had gotten some good reviews and that their chef could accommodate vegan or vegetarian requests. 

So we decided to meet here for lunch. 

Bouchon Bakery - Yountville, CA

I had the pleasure of going to Napa a few months back for a friend's bachelorette party and of course, I had to make a stop at Bouchon.  I coerced my friend Jules to meet me in Napa for the day and she kindly obliged.  I had arrived earlier than expected so I decided to walk around town and explore my surroundings.  I had already made plans to stop at Bouchon Bakery after lunch, but I was shocked by the line I saw forming outside the door.  I did what every person does when faced with a potential mob scene, don't ask questions, just stand in line and follow the herd.  For all I know, the line could have led me to an edge of a cliff and I still would have been none the wiser.  

 

Naf Naf Grill - Naperville, IL

What would cause Soomeenshee to drive an hour to Naperville on a Saturday afternoon in the rain?  Two things: Chicken Schwarma and H-Mart.  A friend of mine raved about this new Mediterranean restaurant that she tried in Naperville and said we had to try it.  It doesn't take much to convince me to go on a road trip for food, so off we went. 

Naf Naf Grill is in a nice strip mall called Freedom Commons in Naperville.  The owners told us that they had plans to expand into Chicago soon.  Their pita bread is baked on site and it was the fluffiest pita I've ever had.  I got their chicken schwarma, which was stuffed in a pita with hummus, Israeli salad and tahini sauce.

Girl & the Goat - Chicago, IL

Can I just tell you how long I've been waiting to go to Girl & the Goat?  I made reservations on October 10, 2011 and we didn't actually get to go until February 20, 2011.  That's 133 days or 4 months and 10 days if anyone is counting.  So the story goes that you need to make reservations about two months in advance if you want to eat at a reasonable time and we ended up having to cancel our December reservation because we were stuck in a snow storm.  Just my luck I tell you!  I promptly made new reservations for two months later and told my friends I would disown them if them didn't show up.  Thankfully they all showed up and the weather was much more forgiving this time.  :)   

The restaurant is right on Randolph, known as Restaurant Row.  Inside, it has an industrial, loft feel to it, but yet feels really cozy and inviting at the same time. It might have to do with the fun, colorful artwork on the walls and lounge chairs at the front where you could also nibble on some food.  When we walked in, we saw Stephanie talking to a group of dinners.  It's always a good sign to see the boss working that night.  . 

We got seated and were greeted with these cute table settings.  You can see goat motifs all throughout the restaurant.  Super cute!