The Lyric Opera vs Bar Takito

What shenanigans has me waking up at 6  o'clock in the morning? Shopping...at the Lyric Opera! Last September 6, 2014, the Lyric Opera once again opened it's vault of costumes. It had been a decade since the costume vault did such a thing. The possibility of obtaining a ridiculous cape and ball gown to wear as I clean my living room, shouting out "The Queen of the Night Aria" from the Magic Flute Opera by Mozart, was something I could not miss!

Dull eyed and disheveled tail, I envisioned rows of velvet, sequins, chiffon, and whatever man made materials have been created. I'm so excited I could literally smell that waft of moth balls in the air! I started my trek to the Lyric to meet up with Karla Fantastic, who shares the same  affection for early morning shopping insanity.  Hey, the early bird gets the worm right? 

Courtesy of Google

Wrong! We were not early! We were late, we were very late for this important date! The line was 5 people deep surrounding the city block! Eh...I'll just clean my living room wearing sane people clothes. Let's go eat instead!

Look at the bridge closely. Those are people in line!

The velvety lining to my shattered operatic dreams was the fact that Bar Takito is open for brunch to feed the hungry monster in me that had been belting out baritone sounds of "FEED ME!" 

Upon arriving, we were greeted by a bright and sunshiny space and a friendly host, who convinced me that it's not that early in my world. An empty Bar Takito was a refreshing contrast to the pandemonium I just witnessed. I guess it was that early that we practically opened this place. KF and I couldn't help but play pretend VIP...the only VIP we can afford. Ha!

Feeling the need to get in our vitamins and minerals, we were looking for something fresh. Our bright eyed server Steven recommended  "Aji," to which I quickly exclaimed, "oh fish!" No! It's a sauce made with spices, it almost tasted like an elevated salsa verde.

Next up, Tacos!

Coffee Braised Beef Taco: Beer tortilla,queso Oaxaca, pickled squash, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and peanuts. I bit in to this thinking that I would get a second cup of coffee. It was far from that. I almost could not tell that there was coffee, but at the same time, there was a nice earthy warm flavor that just envelopes your senses...maybe that was the coffee. I was not disappointed at all!

Pork Belly Taco: Turmeric tortilla, smoked queso fresco, aji amarillo, pickled jicama, arugula, pepitas. The only thing I can say about this taco is..."get it!" The pork belly says it all!

For the big finish...

I can't remember what the chocolate square looking dessert was called! How horrible! In any case, it reminds me of  a tres leches cake soaked in chocolate milk. Delicious! The floral dessert that looks like a Hawaiian vacation is  the Popcorn Butterscotch Mouse, which is sprinkled with almond crunch. I just had a nibble of this, and I do get the popcorn butterscotch flavor, but I vote for the chocolate square; whatever it's called. Just show the friendly folks at Bar Takito this picture and point to it!

As early as it was, the food and the great service at Bar Takito was a winner, the whole experience was like a good morning greeting accompanied by a mariachi band. This early bird turned out to have gotten the worm after all, but it would have even been better if I was wearing the garb I was imagining I would find in the vault.

Oh Karla Fantastic says..."Hi Steven!"

Sky...Don't you Dare Cry! @ IO Urban Roofscape

For your anti-rain dance:

We've all heard the saying "if you don't like the weather just wait..." Chicago held oh so true to that. Saturday was a high of 80 degrees and it looked like this...

Monday looked like...never mind we know what 30 degrees and snow looks and feels like.

Ok now Chicago! Unravel thy self from that fetal position and pick yourself off the floor. We are bound to have another summer-like day! For those who missed out on that one day in April when it was summer, and have now forgotten what the sun feels like,  I invite you to live vicariously through my Summer Saturday.

Upon hearing Tom Skilling (Chicago's beloved meteorologist) put the words 70 degrees and Saturday together, this text was quickly composed "Let's roof @ Gregory Godfrey." The Godfrey is a new  luxury boutique hotel located in Chicago's River North, whose fourth floor houses this indoor and outdoor roof-ish lounge I/O Urban Roofscape . Ha I just got it...indoor/outdoor, hence the name I/O. Clever! 

With plans set, my inner ray of sunlight was quickly extinguished by the sight of gray skies and the sounds of thunder. My friends and I are not quitters darnit! We did our anti-rain dance all the way up to the 4th floor of the Godfrey. 

Let's get brunchin'

 Mimosa is an obvious choice, but the Margarita was amazing! The glass arrived to our table topped with habanero foam. If I wasn't told, I wouldn't have picked habanero out of a line up. It had a nice refreshing zing to it. I would've mistaken it for carbonated mint and lemon....it was the habanero zing!

My friend and I shared 6 of the small plates.

The Steak Benedict: The free range steak is a nice upgrade from the sometimes chewy, and less substantial canadian bacon. I did not feel like I was gnawing on a chew toy. Staying true to the steak theme, it was topped with bernaise instead of hollandaise. 

Adult Smoked Salmon: It's supposed to be smoked with bourbon and gin. My pedestrian palate really did not taste that. It just tasted like fresh salmon. No Negative Nelly face here. I'm usually not a fan of capers, but this actually complemented the salmon nicely. 

Huevos Rancheros: Where's the guacamole?! I actually did not realize that guacamole was supposed to come with it. Wait was it there? The perfectly poached egg, the salsa, and the crunchies had the perfect texture combo that I'm still not sure if the guac was there...and nobody puts guacamole in the corner!






I/O Prime Beef Sliders: "Oh that has a nice kick!" It's not an overwhelming spice where you would tell your kids not to eat it. It is a welcomed flavor, that I wish I was fed as a child. I hate to admit it, but spicey mayo is a condiment I can no longer dismiss.

Let's get to the good stuff!

Lemon Donuts: The periwinkle glaze is from the violet liquor and lavender honey. I put the fluffy lemon donuts through the spin cycle inside the bowl, just so I could enrobe it with the periwinkle goodness. The donuts were surprisingly light and not greasy at all!

Brioche Sticks (French Toast): Who doesn't like caramelized bananas?! The crowning glory of this breakfast dessert is the foam flowing underneath the brioche Jenga. It appears as the now trendy culinary foam, but when you dig into it, it has a gelatinous consistency. It hit my mouth with a nice limey sensation. Forget the maple syrup...bring me more foam!!!

Our meal ended with us contemplating ordering another margarita pitcher, but we intelligently decided to go work it off at Bloomingdales, with plans of coming back for that second pitcher. Let's just say that the breakables in Bloomies looked more breakable than ever. I felt like a kid obediently keeping their  hands to themselves.

We did not end up going back for that second margarita, bust instead ended up at 25 degrees for some Boozey Milkshakes. We will definitely be back for a second helping of everything at I/O. The vibe was so Miami/Vegas Fake-cation! We might make this roof-ish our summer home.

Well, well...It looks like our hopeful determination (and awesome dance moves) bent mother nature into holding back the sky's tears and giving us some sun....and getting a farmer's tan Ha! Us 1(sortah). Mother nature 0... I guess she was busy turning her tears to ice. Well played MoNa!

*This just in...70F degrees on Easter Sunday!