Friday was the last day that I could take advantage of summer hours this year, so it's no surprise that Lindsey and I wanted to spend as much time as we could outside - eating and drinking, of course! I mean, what else is there to do?
We stopped for lunch at Goddess and the Baker. I've always wanted to try it, but it is a little far from my office.
The inside was really cute. The walls were lined with shelves filled with french presses, glasses, golden pineapple cups and other random objects.
It was very crowded since it was lunch time, but we managed to snag a table that just needed to be cleaned. I would recommend that you go here on off hours and not for a lunch break. The tables were all full and the food did take a little while to come out.
Lindsey had the Garden Goddess Wrap which was Vegan and included hummus, avocado, beets and a goddess dressing and SO many potato chips, I don't know how she was able to eat them all...
I had the Avocado Toast with smashed avocado, ricotta cheese, lemon and chili flakes on toasted sourdough. It was the perfect light lunch. Which really means I'll be hungry again in an hour or less.
On our way out, we stopped at the bakery counter and despite the temptation to order one of each, we ended up leaving empty handed.
Since the Air & Water Show practice was going on before the official shows Saturday and Sunday, we wanted to get the best view and there's no better place to see the best views of Chicago than Cindy's Rooftop at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel.
The hotel is beautifully decorated with lots of fun patterns, colors and unique touches.
We made it up to the rooftop and saw the line at the bar so we decided to first check out the view. The deck was a little smaller than I thought it would be, but the view was absolutely amazing.
You could see the Bean, Millennium Park, Grant Park and the endless Lake Michigan. The weather was perfect too, making Chicago look even more stunning.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of the practice runs from where we were. We also decided to opt out of waiting in line for a drink and to go somewhere else.
We really wanted to try Expat, which is a pop-up restaurant on Green Street in the West Loop, right outside of RM Champagne Salon. When we got over there, the tables and chairs were stacked and there was no one around. I was so upset! I'm assuming it was because of the rain earlier that they decided not to open that day.
We walked around for a while and decided on Haymarket. We have been there before, but didn't realize they had outdoor seating. We grabbed a table outside and ordered a beer.
Haymarket makes their own beers, but they also feature Guest Drafts. I don't know much about beer, but I saw the word "tropical" and went with the Maplewood Crushinator.
It was really good. Pretty light but also a strong aftertaste. The second one I ordered the Begyle Freebird which I really liked. It was a little lighter in taste and went down smooth.
We also heard the airplanes roaring overhead every once in a while but couldn't really see them.
After what seemed like hours of contemplation, we decided that we wanted to order a cheese pizza (and another beer). It wasn't the best pizza I've ever had, but that didn't stop me from eating almost half of it.
***
Sunday was the Air & Water Show so we went to North Avenue Beach to watch. This is my third time at the show. Well, the first time wasn't really a show because it was cancelled due to bad weather.
But as my second time attending, the show is still really entertaining. The weather was odd; the sun was burning hot but as soon as it hid behind the clouds, the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees and a chilly breeze kicked in. It was really bizarre. I still managed to get a pretty bad sunburn.
The clouds kind of made it difficult to see the planes and their smoke trails, but it was still really cool.
After the show, we decided to get a drink somewhere. We weren't really sure where to go, but we got off at Armitage and ended up at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba.
So somehow ONE drink turned into a pitcher of White Peach Sangria, three tapas and three desserts. Oops! But I'm really glad it happened because Cafe Ba Ba Reeba never disappoints.
We started with the Goat Cheese Dip, a favorite of mine.
A newer item on the menu was the Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Salad. It was nice and refreshing especially after a day in the sun.
Meghan and Lindsey also ordered the Bacon Wrapped Dates.
And we couldn't resist finishing our meal with some dessert! We each ordered one and after a VERY lengthy discussion, decided on the Chocolate Truffle Cake, the Caramelized Bananas, and the Cherry Sangria Crumble.
They were adorable and gone in 60 seconds.
Sadly, summertime in Chicago is coming to an end, but I still have a lot more planned to enjoy the rest of it!
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