Good morning, everyone! I still can’t get over the fact that it is NOVEMBER already — so cliche, but where has the time gone?! As I tweeted this morning, I’m currently a bit conflicted. See, I want to keep up my Halloween decorations, but I also want to start listening to Christmas carols (too soon?) – what is a girl to do?!
So as you know, the Mister and I spent my birthday in Chicago this past weekend. We were lucky enough to stay at the swanky James Hotel (which I’ll share more of later) — and when I say lucky, I mean it. My uncle hooked us up with a fantastic deal (he works for Travel and Leisure and between him and my aunt, they pretty much know everyone in Chicago – so thanks, Uncle Graham 
)
Some of you may know that the best Chicago dinning is NOT off the Magnificant Mile. Seriously — the best restaurants in Chicago are in the surrounding neighboorhoods like Bucktown, Lincoln Park, Logan Square, The Loop, etc. Not good for the Mister and I, as we were hoping to spend the majority of our evening chatting at a romantic restaurant and cuddling up watching a movie, and NOT taking a long cab/train ride.
Luckily, I remembered that one of the best options on the Magnificant Mile was only a few steps from our hotel! Bandera, a casual sophisticated (yes, it’s possible) spot, offers live jazz music and an array of delicious options to choose from. Plus, it’s not a tourist trap (which I HATE).
The Mister and I started with the chips and queso and some of the restaurant’s signature cornbread.
Bandera chips and queso
Bandera cornbread
The queso served with the chips was actually served cold! It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting, but I still liked it — but it had quite a kick , and you all know I’m a baby when it comes to spicy food. I let the Mister enjoy most of this dish. Mainly because my eyes (and mouth) were transfixed and glued to the cornbread. Holy mother, this was good! With a crunchy crust protecting the buttery melt-in-your-mouth goodness (with actual corn kernels baked in!), this was the best batch of cornbread I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.
Next up: our entrees! Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to ‘go light’ on the corn bread, I decided to choose a salad. Of course I still selected the Macho Salad, which consisted of roasted chicken, avocado, dates, almonds, goat cheese and CORNBREAD CROUTONS! Check out the monster!
Bandera 'Macho Salad'
This was amazing. Of course the Mister helped me polish it off!
While I would have loved order one of Bandera’s desserts, I was much too full to manage another bite! (I know, right — what is wrong with me?) Not to worry though, I still had cake on my Birthday The Mister and I decided to give ourselves some time to digest and ordered room service when we were hungry again. I’ll be sure to share that decadence with you later
All in all, it was a fantastic birthday celebration and I can’t think of a better way to spend my quarter of a century. The Mister and I had a great time reflecting over the past year and discussing what we hope to achieve in the upcoming year(s). Of course we shared many laughs and kisses — I swear, some people probably thought we were newlyweds (we’ve still got it, baby!). Thank you so much, Mister, for always knowing how to make me smile and for giving me the only gift I’ll ever need — YOU!
The Mister and Misses
Okay, okay, enough of the cheesiness! If you are still reading and haven’t gone to the bathroom to puke, I thank you
I’ll be back later for ‘Work it’ Wednesday!
