Chicago - Vosges, NoMI, Deep Dish Pizza

Took a trip to Chi-town in mid-July. My mother was having her 30th college reunion and allowed my sister and I to tag along.

I had been wanting to try out Vosges chocolates for a long time, but never really had the opportunity. As luck would have it, I was shopping with my sister when I happened upon a Vosges boutique. I opted for the truffles, three I selected on my own and one at the suggestion of the sales associate. By far, my favorite was the Naga (sweet Indian curry, coconut, milk chocolate). I also enjoyed the Balsamic (10 year old balsamic vinegar, dark chocolate, roasted Sicilian hazelnuts). The other flavors I tried were Black Pearl (ginger, wasabi, sesame seeds, dark chocolate) and a mango/white chocolate truffle. I’ll have to admit that the Naga was probably the best chocolate truffle I’ve ever had - and I don’t even like chocolate!

Saturday night, my sister and I hit the NoMI Lounge. Cocktails sampled: Looking Glass (Absolut Raspberri, Champagne, Triple Sec, White Cranberry Juice, Fresh Raspberries), Moscow Mule (Hanger One Kaffir Lime, Fresh Lime, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Homemade Ginger Beer), Pimms Cup (Pimms No. 1, Meyer Lemon Lemonade, Garnished with Fresh Cucumber, Orange, Lemon, and Mint). Deliciousness all around!

And you can’t leave Chicago without sampling a deep dish pizza! (Even if my family in the area prefer New York thin crust to their own Chicago deep dish). I wasn’t expecting much because from what I remember, I intensely disliked deep dish - too much cheese/sauce/toppings for my taste. This time around, I actually enjoyed the pizza. I still much prefer New York thin crust, but at least I had a better experience with the deep dish this time.