Head Over Meals

Folks, I'm in love. It's the greatest feeling ever. I'm head over heels. For the past 28 years, I've had a steady and fulfilling relationship with food. Yes, in College, food conned me into thinking late night mozzarella sticks and nachos would do wonders for my body, but I've since forgiven and forgotten. And, this past weekend in Chicago visiting my friend Christine was essentially a renewal of my vow to pursue the most satiable items on the planet.

Thank you Ann Sather. I will never forget you, Pizano's. And GOD BLESS you, Phoebe's Cupcakes.

Ann Sather's got it all figured out. Known for its mouth-watering cinnamon rolls, the restaurant's specialty item "French Toast Fantasy" falls nothing short of fantastical--mascarpone-filled cinnamon rolls, battered, grilled, and topped with granola and seasonal berries. Best $9.95 I've spent in a while. Pizano's is the third Chicago pizzeria I've tried and it didn't let me down. When that juicy, steaming deep-dish pie with warm, succulent tomatoes, pungent basil and aromatic garlic arrived at our table, I couldn't help myself. It was like Shark Week on Discovery. Oh, did I mention the cheese was scalding hot? While the roof of my mouth and taste buds will never quite be the same, my heart is happy and that's all that matters. What one will do in the name of love. Now, I don't like to pick favorites, but Phoebe's Peanut Butter Fudgie Brownie cupcake has won me over. It was the perfect ending to my Saturday night. The cupcake was "normal-sized" and two-toned. I'll get to that in a minute. It's also not a regular menu item. Fate brought us together. It was meant to be. The bottom half of the cupcake was moist dark chocolate cake with the upper portion a cheesecake-like consistency with chocolate chunks scattered about. Then there was the icing. Be still my heart. Light and whipped peanut butter frosting with a sprinkle of crushed peanuts and chocolate shards. Oh, PBFB, how I love thee. Let me count the ways...

Aside from the eating tour of Chicago, Christine and I ventured out of the comfort zone of plain old shopping and enjoyed some other activities. We paid a visit to the Lincoln Park Zoo and saw the strangest of all in the bear kingdom, the Malayan Sun Bear. Something ain't right with that guy. Check out that tongue! We also spotted several wardrobe and haircut disasters about the city that were more intriguing than the zoo animals. The highlights? A dude with a chic-esque mini mullet and a woman wearing a tube-top onesie with parachute pants (think MC Hammer). Friday evening we went to a sketch comedy show at Second City that was riddled with hate for conservative politics and dirty politicians. We also checked out Millenium Park (a first for me) where we marveled at the bean and the fountain with faces. Next we went high brow and browsed the new modern wing at the Chicago Art Institute. Most of the art was funky and cool, but some of it was frustrating. Why does a piece of orange plexi-glass get a spot on the wall? I imagined the artist back in his studio shaking his head, laughing and murmuring: "suckers."

The last notable activity we did beyond stimulating the economy was watch a dance show at the Millenium Park pavilion on Saturday evening. Yeah, we did spend a great deal of time grumbling over the idiots standing up blocking everyone's view of the screen, but the show itself, aside from the creepy male ballerinas, was fascinating. The most annoying of the annoying were these two mid-twenties jokers performing a dance/thumb war routine. Really? Thumb wars were so ten years ago. In the middle of the best performance, they stood up, slapped hands ala Miss Mary Mack, and kicked an intense thumb war jig into high gear. Can't quite picture it? Go to google images and type in the word "jackass."

The things to do and the sights to see in Chicago are unending. And I think you know that when it comes to food, Chitown won't let you down.