Tiny Little Secret - Tiny Lounge in Lincoln Square

I've lived in North Center for over 4 years now; and it amazes me that I haven't taken advantage of what my neighborhood has to offer. Time and time again we head further south to meet friends, eat and drink - that wasn't the case though on Saturday night. Matt and I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather (it had finally stopped raining for the day) and walk to dinner somewhere in my hood. We landed on Tiny Lounge in Lincoln Square and we couldn't have been more pleased. Tiny Lounge is long, narrow, tiny and sign-less but the fabulous drink menu, trendy atmosphere and the amazing food makes this place a tiny little gem. We hit off the night with drinks - not only do they have a nice beer selection they have great mixed drinks (which are unique and perfect for summer). I had the summer solstice (lemon-infused vodka, luxardo italian triple sec, pineapple juice, orange juice, fresh lemon juice) which was both delicious and refreshing. I'm totally going back to check out some of their other specialty drinks...and so should you! Already extremely pleased with the drink menu and atmosphere,

Matt and I were ready to check out what the kitchen had to offer.

We kicked off our tasty adventure with marinated olives (citrus, chili flakes, olive oil, fresh garlic) - not only were the olives presented perfectly but they were fabulous. They offered a perfect balance of salty and spicy - I pretty much ate the entire jar. For dinner we ordered the pizzetta bianca (roasted shiitake mushrooms, fontina cheese, truffle oil, fresh parsley) & grilled chicken empanadas (achiote, fresh oregano, cotija cheese, chimichurri sauce). The empanadas were very tasty and filled with unique flavors but to be honest the pizza was to die for. The thin, crispy crust and roasted shiitake mushrooms were killer - we couldn't get enough! Tiny Lounge exceeded our expectations and offered the most amazing drinks and pizza!

Matt and I could not get over the fact we hadn't checked this place out before. We would highly recommend checking this place out - oh & be sure to invite us along (we want to check out another one of their pizzas)!

Our night didn't end at Tiny Lounge as we met some friends at a new watering hole called FountainHead and stopped off at Brownstone on the way home! We truly enjoyed ourselves and the North Center/Lincoln Square hood!

Till next time,

Jenn & Matt

Romance Accompanied by Drinks: Bistro Champagne

The weather in Chicago has been amazing, which always makes our outings more fun! On May 22nd, Matt and I took a stroll up north to check out Bistro Campagne on Lincoln Ave (which is not too far from my place). The night was perfect, not too hot or too cold. We were totally chancing it and hitting up this North Center hot spot sans reservations; which in the long run worked in our favor. We walked up to the rustic exterior of Bistro Camagne and we were instantly satisfied with the atmosphere. The inside was full of patrons sharing intimate dinners and drinks with loved ones and friends; the interior offered a quaint but homey vibe. Lucky for us there weren't any tables available inside and we were asked if we would mind sitting outside. We were definitely up for sitting outside on this wonderful night so off we went. Wow, the outside was even more wonderful than the inside. We sat in the courtyard and were surrounded by greatness. The lights on the trees, the small little tables and the water fountain created such a great backdrop for our dinner together (I truly felt like we weren't in the city any longer).

We started our meal off right with a bottle of wine accompanied by Price Edward Mussels in a Belgian ale. Matt and I love eating mussels and although these could have had a bit more flavor the mussels themselves were fabulous. These mussels were large and perfectly tender (we might have to go back for their bottomless mussel night). For our main courses we had the white fish (Matt) and the bistro burger (Jenn). Bistro Campagne offers a seasonal organic based menu; the food was certainly tasty but the ambiance was top notch! Matt took the liberty of ordering "desert" for us - aka after dinner drinks on the rocks. I'm pretty sure he was trying to get me drunk and I'm pretty sure it sorta worked.

Thanks Matt for yet another wonderful evening together! I absolutely loved the setting of Bistro Camagne, it was perfect for our romantic dinner just the two of us. Thanks for all you do for me, I couldn't ask for a better partner or a better friend.

To Drinks & Romance,
Matt & Jenn