We came to Ixtapa, Mexico, after a few busy, food-filled days in Mexico City to relax and unwind. Cala de Mar has won many accolades for being one of the best resorts in Mexico, and it definitely lived up to the hype. We stayed here for a very relaxing five nights from February to March of 2024. We absolutely loved the quiet location, stunning views from our suite that had ample outdoor space and a private plunge pool, as well…
We stayed for an enchanting five nights at Cala De Mar resort in Ixtapa Mexico this past winter of 2024 (full review coming soon!), and one of the highlights of our stay was a small group Mezcal class. Mezcal abounds in Mexico, and while Tequila has really taken off here in the USA, Mezcal is more artisanal, and tastes way more interesting. I’m glad it’s still a bit under the radar here, as prices are generally much higher than tequila…
Rosetta was our last stop in Mexico City in late February of 2024, and we were pretty exhausted and stuffed from all of the eating we had been doing all around the city by this point. No worries here, though, the menu is generally made up of many small, sharable plates, so we were able to eat as little, or as much as we wanted. Rosetta recently received a Michelin star accolade in the first year of stars for Mexico!…
We travelled to Mexico City this winter for the primary purpose of diving into its food and cocktail culture. I chose several dining and drinking spots based on recommendations from friends, travel books, World’s Best lists, and my own research. I chose Quintonil for our eighth anniversary dinner on February 23, 2024. Quintonil is located in the chic Polanco neighborhood of sprawling Mexico City, an area full of gorgeous restaurants, bars, shopping, and architecture. The space here is modern, minimalist,…
Dear Jose (can I call you Jose?): Thank you so much for opening such brilliant restaurants in our fair city. Bazaar Meat and Bar Mar are delightfully fresh, and a much needed addition to not only pre-theater and pre-opera dining, but to the loop neighborhood in general. A while ago, I wrote a short little article singing the praises of Bar Mar after a nice three course lunch I enjoyed there. Since then, I’ve been back to Bar Mar for…
Our visit to the Toledo Museum of Art this March, 2024, for the primary purpose of checking out their Caravaggio exhibit, deserves and article unto itself. Please check out my primary Caravaggio page on this site for more info and background into our low key obsession of traveling to and viewing all of the Caravaggio paintings in the world! We were thrilled when we found out that four out of the eight Caravaggio paintings in the USA would be glammed…
We’ve been living in Bridgeport, Chicago, for almost nine years, not a long time according to Bridgeport standards. This neighborhood in Chicago has a ton of history, and for me, as a Lithuanian-American, is an important place for my own personal, ethnic, and family history, which are some of the reasons I decided to move here. Since we’ve been living here, and long before that, the Ramova Theater, and its adjacent Grill, have been empty, vacant, and an eyesore on…
Indienne is one of Chicago’s newest one-star Michelin Restaurants, and they focus on vegetarian and vegan preparations, although they have a non-vegetarian tasting as well. We came here on a Thursday evening in February, and we tried all three tasting menus on offer here, since we came with one of our vegan friends. I opted for vegetarian, and Brian got the non-vegetarian. The space is beautiful with soft hues of pink, taupe and gray. Everything is modern, clean, and fresh,…
The Girl and the Goat has been one of the most popular restaurants in Chicago for almost 15 years, and I had always thought it was pretty average, and not super impressive, so I hadn’t been in a very, very long time. I thought I’d give this restaurant that continues its extreme popularity another shot during restaurant week, and I still think this place is pretty mid for the hype. The food and service are not bad, though nothing super…
Restaurant week 2024 is wrapping up here in Chicago and we were lucky enough to score a table at Boka for dinner. Boka offers a prix fixe four course menu during restaurant week for $59, and offered wine pairings for an additional $40 per person. This is a great value for Michelin-starred dining in Chicago! Boka just celebrated its 20 year anniversary last year, has maintained their one-Michelin-star status since 2011, and there are obvious reasons why they’ve been around…