Honeymoon Stop 1--Kaua'i

Kaua'i was exactly what Z and I needed after our wedding and our crazy month of May. Adventurous hikes, beautiful water, fresh seafood and early bedtimes, thanks to the roosters who woke us by 7 a.m., filled our days. Unlike most of Maui, much of Kaua'i is less developed, less touristy and more off-the-beaten path. Despite the major hotels that have found their way to Kaua'i, it still has a bit of a hippy vibe. As some locals would say, it's the "real Hawaii."

Just another day on Kaua'i--a chicken and a rooster scope out my parking spot

On this visit, one of our favorite activities was taking a tour of the Na Pali Coast, the northern coast of the island. We saw beautiful waterfalls and mountains and learned a bit about the history of the coast. We stopped for a brief snorkel before we ate lunch on the boat. While we did see some fish and one small sea turtle, the water was too rough to see much. We saw many more turtles when we rented stand-up paddleboards and took a trip up the Hanalei River.

Arched rock on the Na Pali Coast

Ziv stopping for a snorkel

One of the many beautiful waterfalls on the Na Pali Coast

From the concierge at the hotel to all of the locals we talked with, they all recommended hik to Hanakapiai Falls. This hike is not for the faint-of-heart or out-of-shape. Roundtrip is about eight miles, through narrow, rocky passages that can become muddy when wet. It's mostly uphill on the way in, which makes for a helpful downhill on the way back.

My injury on the way to the falls

The reward, of course, is seeing the beautiful falls and, if you're up for it and warm-blooded, swimming in them. The entire round trip hike, including an hour or so for lunch and swimming, took us just over six hours.

Hanakapiai Falls

Ziv swimming in the falls

The day after our hike to the falls, we decided to give our legs a rest and visited the Princeville Botanical Gardens for a tour of some of the flora on Kaua'i. A tour of the privately-owned gardens also features a chocolate tasting, including some of the chocolate grown and made at the gardens. The only downside of the garden tour: mosquitoes! They were everywhere. And they loved us.

Cocoa beans at the gardens

One of the many beautiful flowers on our tour

Waimea Canyon was unlike anything else we saw on Kaua'i. The canyon itself, dubbed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, is impressive. It's desolate and falls about 3,000 feet from its height. The hiking around the canyon is even more impressive. Our hike, on the north end of the canyon, brought us back to prehistoric times. We saw the ocean on the west, the canyon on the east, and a remote, cloud and forest covered trail in the middle.

At Waimea Canyon

Clouds shroud our view as we begin our hike

Some of the terrain on our hike

On the way to Waimea Canyon, we stopped at Kaua'i Coffee Company to sample some beans and take a brief tour. While we weren't blown away by the coffee, it was a fun stop on the way to the canyon and offered an interesting overview of what has become a major industry on Kaua'i.

One of the only downsides of Kaua'i is that it doesn't offer a lot of dining options. Being an island, the food is also expensive. Our favorite meal on Kaua'i was the Sunday brunch we stumbled upon at the Westin. The spead offered plenty of fresh veggies, fruits, meats and pastries and, what turned out to be, the best poke of our Hawaiian adventure. This poke was super-fresh and elegantly simple in its preparation--a bit of soy sauce, some sesame seeds and green onions.

We also found some great poke at Foodland Supermarket, a major chain on the islands. The friendly staff at Foodland let us sample different poke preparations before deciding on our favorites. This poke proved to be an easy, simple dinner several nights on Kaua'i and Maui.

We spent seven nights and about six days on the island and were able to see most of the major highlights in that time. If we had more time, we agreed that Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali Coast would be great places to do more hiking. We'll save that for our next visit.  

Extended Honeymoon!!

After a stressful month of May--quitting my job and wrapping up work (me), wrapping up a project (Z), finalizing our wedding, getting married (!!) and packing up our apartment, Z and I are livin' the dream. Really. We're traveling around the world. Literally.

Until we have a home again and I can begin to explore whatever city we land in (an unknown at this point), this blog will serve to document our adventures. More to come, but to preview what's in store: We started in Kaua'i, which we loved. From the hiking to the laid-back culture, Kaua'i was our favorite of the Hawaii Islands we visited. For us, Maui was nothing special, and Honolulu on O'ahu has been a great city to spend a couple of days in. We've enjoyed Pearl Harbor and have found lots of good eats at hole-in-the-wall spots.

Until the next post, here's one of my favorite pics from our travels so far.

Before a day of boating and snorkeling on Kaua'i's Na Pali Coast

Fabulous Fusion at Fat Rice

Created by the Xmarx clan, Fat Rice has gotten rave reviews since it opened in 2012. Spoiler alert: This will be another rave review.

Our mistake was going with a party of three around 7:30 p.m. on a Saturday evening in late winter. Needless to say we ended up waiting more than an hour for a non-bar table. (Fat Rice does not take reservations, nor does it accept parties greater than six.) The benefit of all this waiting was at the end of the evening we got to hang out with Abe, one of the owners, and learn about how he and Adrienne, the other owner, came up with their restaurant concept and menu. They went to Macau and ate themselves silly for four days straight. Sounds like the perfect vacation to me!

While we waited for our table, we indulged at the bar. The drinks were all on the strong-side, but while most had a balance between alcohol and other mixers (ginger, saffron and mint in the GSP, for example), the Traderoute cocktail really knocked me down. I had to cave in and return it to the bartender in favor of something more my speed, like the Salty Hound with vodka, grapefruit and preserved salted plum.

Fat Rice changes its menu often and at the time of this post is now onto a spring-summertime menu, but I am certain that the Arroz Gordo (translated: Fat Rice) is as delicious as it was in winter as it will be in the summer. Think of a big pot of delicious things like chicken sausage, dugenese crabs, saffon-infused rice, peppers, tomotoes, and more! coming together to create a perfect balance of flavors. 

When you go, and you should go soon, be sure to save room for dessert. Whether you order the Pineapple Upside Down Cake or the Winter Fruit in Syrup, it won't disappoint.

Frog 'N Snail Redux

After having dinner at Frog 'N Snail a few times, Z and I decided to try it for brunch. (Admittedly, this post is a few months old now, but the brunch menu hasn't changed much since we went and both of the dishes we ordered are still available.)

Always a sucker for a big, juicy burger with fried egg on top, Z's eyes and stomach went straight for The Burger, an Agnus and short rib burger with shallots, fried green tomatoes and Boursin. Not surprisingly, he loved it.

I opted for the Duck Hash Benedict because it featured a few of my favorite things: duck leg, root vegetables and banana bread. Yes, banana bread. The bread itself was yummy--moist and flavorful--but it was a little too sweet for the rest of the dish. I would order the dish again with a sourdough bread. Or maybe a buttermilk biscuit.

Lunch near the not-so-new office

I'm embarrassed by how long it's been since I've posted a blog entry. More than three months!! I could claim busyness with working full-time, planning a wedding, planning a trip around the world. But it's also not making writing a priority.

Now, with my wedding quickly approaching and the promise that Z and I would give guests ideas of things to do in Chicago, it's time to step up my blogging game. I'll start with a sandwich spot I tried recently near my not-so-new office. (I didn't change jobs. Rather, my company moved to a new office building for the third time in the three years that I've been there....)

Bombacigno's J & C at 558 West Van Buren looks like an outdated dry goods store from the exterior. With an oversized awning and bars over the windows, I expected to step inside and send a letter via the Pony Express, not order a delicious sandwich.

But with 4.5 starts on Yelp and a 100% rating on Urban Spoon, I figured it was worth sampling a sandwich. The space inside mirrors the outside. It's dark with an old hardwood floor. But the crowds of business people inside don't seem to mind. A large chalkboard with the names of sandwiches, pastas, soups and salads lines the entire back wall. Once I figured out how to read the handwriting on the wall, I found some delicious-looking sandwiches, including a smoked turkey on focaccia served with a light pasta salad.

My colleague and I took our sandwiches to the additional seating area on the second floor. The stairs to the second floor have a definite downward slant to the right and the walls upstairs are lined with old newspapers and memorabilia of Chicago of yesteryear. Just like the building its located in and the memories that line its walls, Bombacigno's food and service has stood the test of time

Sunday Brunch at Wood in Boystown

After a failed attempt (or two) at a weekend dinner at Wood, we opted for brunch. It was still busy around noon on a Sunday in November, but we were able to get a table for five without much of a wait.

I started with a Kir Royale (why not?) complete with Mathilde Blackcurrant Cassis. It's fruitier and fresher than standard cassis. Z opted for his go-to morning drink: a Bloody Mary.

Wood's brunch menu is not extensive with just four items in the sweet section, five in the savory, four in the lunch section and four sides. But after kicking off the meal with a side of fries, each of us were able to find an entree that appealed to us. I opted for the bendict, while Z went with Pork Belly Sandwich. If a pork sandwich is on a breakfast menu, nine times out of 10, Z will order it.

Our entrees were flavorful and perfectly cooked. We'll definitely be back.

Gluten-free in Lakeview

With a mother, a sister, a nephew and a niece who are gluten-intolerant, I pay more attention to gluten-free dining options than most. So when Senza opened in East Lakeview a couple of months ago, I had to scope it out.

Z and I stopped by one Saturday morning for a quick brunch, after picking up coffee from our new favorite spot, BowTruss. I had the English Muffin Sandwich, while Z opted for the Flatbread, complete with a sunny side egg and ham. Unlike other gluten-free breads I've tried, my English muffin wasn't too heavy. The same goes for the bread in the flatbread. Z and I split the Caesar salad, which comes perfectly grilled and is one of the best Caesar salads I've eaten in a long time.

For dinner, Senza offers a more formal menu and rotating tasting menus, starting at $65 for a vegetable tasting. When my gluten-free guests come into town, I can't wait to take them to a restaurant where they can finally eat everything on the menu.