Category — Chicago Is (my kind of town)

Today, February 2, is the national holiday La Chandeleur in France, a Catholic feast honoring the Virgin Mary. Tradition says that the Pope offered crêpes to pilgrims who came to honor Mary. And the French have been eating them ever since. Today all of France is dining on crêpes, the very thin rolled pancakes with delicious sweet or savory fillings. Crêpes are easy to make at home – and even easier with the ready-made crêpes I shared with you last year – but this year I’m introducing you to Moi new favorite neighborhood crêperie, La Crêperie.

To be totally honest, TBG and I passed this resto countless times before finally going in…we just assumed it wouldn’t be what we wanted. Were we ever wrong: its exactly the type of neighborhood restaurant everyone wants to have:

• easy walking distance
• casual authentic food
• inexpensive menu with a good variety of options
• and, its a French!

Living in Paris we were always lucky to have a crêperie within a few footsteps, plus outdoor crêpe stands are easily found in many Paris neighborhoods. Living in St. Louis, we walked to City Coffee and Crêperie, and then in NYC we literally lived above Artopolis, featuring crêpes and gelato! I guess we thought it too good to be true: but once again, a charming and authentic crêperie right in our neighborhood.

On our 1st visit to La Crêperie we took niece Rachel, who was a little reluctant to go to an “authentic” crêperie: we’d taken her to Artopolis, and she loved the more creative pizza crêpe. Inside, La Creperie is dark and crowded (everyone in the neighborhood discovered it before us!) but charming and reminiscent of a 3rd or 4th generation crêperie in Brittany. She was a little skeptical of the menu, but TBG and I were enthusiastically discussing the beer, wine and cider menu: this crêperie was the real thing! After explaining that fromage crêpe was basically toasted cheese on a pancake Rachel chose that, while I decided to order the soup a l’onion gratinee and “share” Rachel’s fromage crêpe and TBG’s jambon et fromage – and a HUGE platter of pommes frites.

OohLaLa! Accompanied by un verre rouge and un bol cidre – and a diet Pepsi for the child – we were very happy indeed. But saved a little room to share a Banana Sara for dessert: oozing with banana, chocolate, caramel and vanilla ice cream.

the details

Bon Appétit!

It’s time again for one of Moi favorite antiques shows: The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair™, one of the premier antiques shows in the Midwest, returns to Chicago April 29 – May 2 for its Spring show as a part of Artropolis. Serious shoppers and casual browsers will find a variety of collections at all price points and styles.

[Read more →]

Take advantage of the beautiful Chicago springtime weather this weekend and visit the Chicago Botanic Garden’s 11th annual Antiques and Garden Fair. Located north of Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, the 385 acre Botanic Garden features 24 gardens and natural areas, plus exhibition buildings, café, and walking and bike trails: combined they create one of the top educational and recreational botanical gardens in the country.

This weekend – April 15-17 – the Botanic Garden hosts the Antiques and Garden Fair in a tented garden as well as in permanent Garden buildings. Weekend events include: [Read more →]

The last few years I’ve enjoyed wandering the Macy’s Flower Show at the 34th Street Herald Square store in NYC. The gorgeous fresh bulbs and bushes, the stunning artistic arrangements, the bold and flashing colors: it was a Welcome to Spring after a cold and dreary NYC winter. But this year, I was spending March and April in Chicago. Quelle Surprise: The Macy’s Flower Show is also blooming at the Macy’s State Street store!

So on a sunny but windy day this week I visited Macy’s on State Street in Chicago, first browsing the colorful display windows on State Street, then entering Macy’s to view the blooms. [Read more →]

Oops: it did it again! That’s right, my closet once again imploded and I came home to this:

Time to bite the bullet and have new closets professionally designed and installed. When we bought the condo 3 years ago our intention was to have closet organizers in each of the bedroom and hall closets, but there were so many delays (asbestos, plumbing, granite: you get the idea) that the closets simply didn’t happen. So we’ve been surviving with wire shelving. Until last Fall, when my closet made a loud swhoooof sound: I turned my head and my closet doors were partly opened and all my clothes, shoes, bags, scarves, belts and random stuff were in a huge, heavy pile. We called around to get estimates, but everything was 4-6 weeks. So we just called a handyman to put the thing back together, and $80 later, he promised this would last for years and hold my weight x5. [Read more →]

Christmas is just one week away, and I’m counting down the days with a holiday shopping guide: Be sure to check every day for gift ideas that will please almost anyone on your list!

If you’re lucky enough to be in Chicago on Saturday, find time to visit the Indie Arts Holiday Market for handmade gifts and drinks and food that will keep your spirits bright!

Since it’s first year in 1996 I’ve been lucky enough to attend Chicago’s annual Christkindlmarket almost every year (only missing those years when I lived in Europe and was visiting European Christmas Markets!).

Open daily from Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve, the Christkindlmarket has quickly become one of Chicago’s favorite holiday traditions, rivaling the lights on Michigan Avenue and the windows at Marshall Fields/Macy’s (old habits die hard!) on State Street.

Chicago’s Christkindlmarket is inspired by Nuremberg Germany’s famous Christkindlmarkt. I’ve been to both, and I like Chicago’s better: Nuremberg’s has gotten too big, too commercial and too tacky. Chicago’s Christkindlmarket is just small enough to have an authentic German Christmas market feel, and big enough to have a large variety of vendors, foods and lots of atmosphere. Plus crazy Chicagoans drinking beer in -5° windchills. [Read more →]

Where will you be December 2 ? I’ll be waiting at the doors for the 10th Annual One of A Kind Show Chicago to open!

With over 600 vendor artists from across North America, this is the perfect opportunity for holiday shopping: and a little self-indulgent shopping too! Artisans offer every type of  personally crafted creating including: [Read more →]

I just discovered a perk of being a Bank of America customer: free 1st week-end of the month at over 100 museums across the country! Is this a new perk: no, I just never heard of it until moi personal banker Greg happened to ask me if I was going to take advantage of the free museums  in Chicago for BoA customers this week-end.

Free 1st week-end museum? It makes me happy!

So here’s the scoop on Museums on Us :

Some of my favorite museums participate in this program:

• New York City: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bronx Zoo, Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
• Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, Shedd Aquarium, DuSable Museum of African American History
• Florida: Museum of Art Ft Lauderdale, Miami Children’s Museum, South Florida Science Museum
• Washington DC: The Phillips Collection
• St. Louis: Contemporary Art Museum

Moi Tip: afraid you’ll forget to schedule museum visits? BoA lets you sign up for text alerts or emails to remind you of upcoming free musum 1st weekends!

Somehow my crazy hectic schedule has granted me a free weekend in Chicago: I’ll be at the Jayson Home & Garden Warehouse Sale.

With prices 50-90% off they’re advertising everything but the kitchen sink including

• new and antique furniture
• holiday items
• accessories
• garden planters

the details:

Friday – Sunday November 5-7

10am-5pm

701 Albany Avenue (note: this is NOT the regular store location)

773.248.8180

www.jaysonhomeandgarden.com

Moi tip: Jayson is providing free local delivery: what’s not to like about that!