Children's Memorial Hospital *where kids come first*

http://www.childrensmemorial.org/

Currently in lincoln park, this children's hospital is very famous. When i would visit lincoln park this past year i would pass the childrens hospital and thought wouldn't it be great to work or volunteer here part time? Now i am a volunteer:)

The new location will be opening in june 2012, so new volunteers are always being recruited. Please check out the website or let me know if you're interested and i will try my best to guide you in the right direction! :)

Cafe Ba Ba Reeba in Lincoln Park

 2024 N. Halsted

This place is unbelievable, especially if you love tapas :)

Usually people complain that tapas is not filling but here everything is so delicious you order so much and are so pleased with the portions because they allow you to try a variety of dishes. Whether you want paella or chicken empanadas you are left satisfied by your spanish craving.

Their charcuterie, cheese, olive oil, rice and spices are imported directly from Spain. I don't eat pork but for those who do people rave about their bacon wrapped dishes.

Definitely a great date spot, girlfriends hang out or family dinner:)

I Dream of Falafel

My sis starred in a fashion show over the weekend that was sponsored by I Dream of Falafel. I had heard so many great things about this restaurant and had passed it during lunch time so i knew it was time to check it out...it is delicious.

It's sort of like chipotle where you choose if you want a wrap or rice, then you choose your meat, then sauce and veggies. I tried the chicken wrap with habanero sauce, so frickin yum! The falafel here is really good too. I know our offices at starcom love to order from Olive which is down the street from us on lake, but from now on whenever we crave mediterannean cuisine, i will request I Dream of Falafel :)


112 West Monroe St

Argo Tea Cafe

Walking through lincoln park with my aunt last night, we came upon the corner of armitage and sheffield, which has an argo tea cafe. We got a coconut flavored bubble tea, it was delish. They offer a wide variety of specialty tea drinks, hot or cold. We were most excited that they sold masala chai there as well!:)

This is a great spot to hang out with friends or go on a "tea date" instead of a coffee one. It has that casual coffee shop feel yet it's tea (i am so biased because i am a tea person and not a coffee one). I know they have other locations around the city but the one in lincoln park is really cozy.

Spa Space

Ladies, this place is unbelievable. Vendors always take us to this spa whenever they want a good manicure and pedicure. I never understood why people would choose such fancy places for a mani/pedi when you can go to so many cheap places in the city and get the same result, how wrong i was.

This spa opened my eyes. The treatment you receive here is so special. They have drinks and snacks for you while you get your nails done. I would love to throw a girlfriend's bridal shower here because it's such a great place to get a bunch of girls together, talk, drink and eat all while getting your nails done.

Also, generally manicures go bad after a week, but here the quality is so much better so it lasts for at least a couple of weeks. My pedicure has lasted over a month. I really see why people choose to go to fancy spas for a mani/pedi over the local places, you really feel like you're treating yourself, and truly, you deserve it.

Oh and men, don't be shy...i've seen plenty of males get their manicures here as well:)

161 N Canal St

Le Colonial

This is a romantic french/vietnamese restaurant located in the popular area of chicago called the gold coast. The lighting is dim and there are palm and banana trees all over to create an old saigon feel.

The reason i love this restaurant is because it is not only a unique and fusion cuisine, but the food has a spicy kick to it! Loving spicy food, it's rare to come to an upscale restaurant and be able to order items that are automatically hot in taste, i was pleasantly surprised. It also has a very romantic ambiance.


937 N Rush St

Cupcake Wars!

Okay so this entry doesn't have to do with cupcake wars, the best show on the food network, but rather the different cupcake bakeries you guys should try out around the city.

SPRINKLES
50 East Walton St

 I only have the sweetest memories of this cupcake bakery. It's original location is in Beverly Hills. My family and friends would always want to visit whenever they were in town so we are devoted customers of this bakery, you can imagine after moving home to Chicago how happy I was to learn they opened up a new location close to rush and division...they often have special flavors during the holidays and they have secret words you can say and get a free cupcake! This is my favorite cupcake bakery.



SWEET MANDY B'S
1208 West Webster Ave

This cupcake shop is so cute and quaint, totally a mom and pop place. They recently renovated it so it's more open and has a lot of seating. The great thing about these cupcakes is that they are not too rich. They taste homemade, but are still unbelievable (especially the banana cupcake). They also make really good cookies, i always love to try their iced molasses cookies, yummy. I'm also a little biased with this bakery because it's right off the DePaul University campus so it takes me back to those fun college days.



MAGNOLIA BAKERY
108 N State St

NYC brings its famous bakery to the Chi, yay! When i lived in NYC many years ago, this bakery was all the rage. It became famous because it was featured on Sex and the City and SNL. The line would always be out the door. The cupcakes are good, but the banana pudding is amazing. Most people actually prefer to get other baked goods over the cupcakes here. Because the bakery is new here in chicago, it's so cute and well decorated.