What a gorgeous sunny day in Chicago!

What better to do than lunch and shop on a crispy cool Spring day?!

Where better to go for both than Barney’s and Fred’s?!

A seat next to the window with a glorious view of the Gold Coast was the perfect way to enjoy this beet and goat cheese salad!

Fred’s is a cool upscale spot which features organic and local food as much as possible.

The atmosphere is pure Gold Coast; Comfortable luxury!

The salmon was wild caught, tender and juicy.

The spinach was perfectly cooked and flavorful.

This is a great combination.

I can eat salmon and spinach everyday!

The avocado and tomato salsa made this the absolutely perfect meal for me!

All my favorites on one plate with green onion, too!

Very fresh. Delicious!

My honey had the linguine with clams in a very light tomato sauce.

This dish was garlicky and spicy.

Absolutely fantastic!

We were both jockying between the two plates trying to decide which was better.

It was a tie.

We were so full!

But that did not stop us from completely cleaning our plates!

Of course, we walked around Michigan Avenue for a while.

I shopped, he tried to stop me from shopping, and so it went until we stumbled on Tavern on Rush……..

This wonderful dessert at Dante’s in Cleveland, Ohio was perfect after a early evening dinner on crisp Spring day.

The coffee at Dante’s is also some of the best ever.

Here’s a photo of the Double Baked Chocolate Brownie, caramelized bananas, Calicchia honey ice cream.

The polenta is amazing.

I don’t have any photos but I have to say that the polenta is creamy and perfect.

We had the wild mushroom and goat cheese polenta. So Delish!

Also, Sushi for happy hour is a must.

Dante Boccuzzi makes sushi like no one else in town!

I’ll have more on Dante soon. He is truly amazing and a true gem in Cleveland.

Super easy and so delicious!

Whole grain spinach spirals and red pepper are perfect paired with a creamy goat cheese sauce.

I roasted the pepper in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes then chopped them and threw them into the boiling pasta water for abot 10 minutes.

This infused the flavor a bit and softened the peppers.

I started with about 2 tbsp. of butter, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1/2 cup of half and half, and 1 cup of sour cream.

Let this simmer for a few minutes then add a half a cup or more to taste of soft goat cheese.

Drain the pasta and mix in the goat cheese with the red pepper and stir.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is a great meatless meal, nutritious and filling.
Enjoy!

Dried fruit, artisanal cheeses, fig compote and candied walnuts make up this cheese plate at The Truffle Pig.

I had a great view of the ski lift and the mountain where snow boarders and skiers came crashing into new snow!

There was a lovely selection of goat, sheep and cow cheeses.

The First Snow was a local sheep cheese; mild yet piquant and delicious with fruits.

All theese great cheeses and beautiful fruits yet the bread was less than mediocre.

A hardier nutty bread would have been nice.

An afternoon of wine and cheese? No problem!

The Tavern on Rush in Chicago’s Gold Coast is where Chef John Gatsos creates this simple but outstanding flatbread and cheese appetizer.

TAVERN FLATBREAD: Chef�s daily selection of artisan cheese served with freshly baked flatbread and a side of lavender honey.

Lavender honey with seasoned goat cheese is perfect.

Warm and fluffy, doughy and lightly seasoned with fresh parsley, this flatbread melts in your mouth.

A picture is worth a thousand words and on this gorgeous sunny day one photo just wasn’t enough!

Indulge my prediliction for photos of beautiful food!

We have making pizza down to science here.

And I must admit that this is due to the secret weapon in my kitchen; My Daughter!

She has the perfect touch when it comes to preparing the dough; which we buy at a local pizzeria, and she has the perfect touch when it comes to layering the ingredients!

She gets the dough just right. Thin but not too thin and she has a light touch with the cheese, which is key to proper cooking.

Her specialties include but are not limited to the Margarhita and pepperoni pizzas.

We were so confident with our skills that we threw these pizzas on the grill! First time ever and they were perfect!

Fresh oregano made the pepperoni especially delicious for th meat eaters but the overwhelming favorite was the Margarhita with basil fresh from the garden and fresh mozzarella.

I tried my hand at something a bit more fancy; spinach and red onion with mushroom and goat cheese topped off with a balsamic vinegar reduction.

The reduction came out perfectly, it was my first attempt! I simply poured about 1 cup of balsamic vinegar into a small frying pan and on meduim heat let it cook until it started to thicken.

My mistake was to pour it over the pizza before baking. I should have drizzled it over the pizza when it was finished cooking to keep the thick texture that I so proudly created!

Lightly blanche the spinach before layering on your pizza. It can dry and burn if you don’t.

Tr your hand with your favorite ingredients. Be patient. Cook with loved ones and Enjoy!

Pier W never lets me down.

From the fantastic Happy Hour to the incredible views this place is a winner every time.

Not only is the happy hour a great value; 1/2 price bar food and select drinks, but the quality is first class.

These calamari must be some of the best I’ve ever tasted. Light and crispy calamari are fried to perfection with delicate fragrant dipping sauces; a spicy mayonnaise and a tamarind sauce.

This is a far cry from the usual bar food you’d find elsewhere and you get the incredible atmosphere as a bonus!

The view!

The wine!

The scallops!

Pan seared scallops with goat cheese, thyme and lemon gnocchi with an asparagus coulis was amazing!

Sous Chef Jack Ahern was on board this night and his precision in the execution of this dish was out of this world.

The tempura fish and green beans looked yummy…

…but I couldn’t get over the flavor pairings of my scallops.

I usually feel that mushrooms with any seafood is a risk; the earthiness of the mushrooms can overpower and compete with delicate sea flavors but it was not the case tonight.

Lemon and thyme kept the gnocchi light and the mushrooms and asparagus lent smoky and bitter notes, respectively that were enhanced by the subtle creaminess of the goat cheese.

Asparagus coulis was a light sauce of everything beautiful about asparagus!

A dream come true!

Me in a sea of men surrounded by the most glorious pizzas, ever and tropical fruity cocktails served up by a cute bartender with attitude!

Luxe was host to the G2H2 Happy Hour event in Cleveland , Oh.

The food was amazing! I know it’s a social thing but given the “circumstances” I had plenty of time to focus on the food and drinks!

This portobello mushroom, spinach, goat cheese and balsamic reduction pizza was my favorite.

Chef Marlin Kaplan knows that a light touch of fresh potent ingredients is the way to go!

I couldn’t get enough of this pizza and made myself a fixture at the buffet!

This is definitley something that I want to try at home.

Chris was adorable and he knows the food.

This tomato basil was fantastic; fresh and delish!

The setting was elegant but casual.

Sweetheart! Jen kept the fresh hot pies coming my way

Tomato and herb.

Chicken, rosemary and goat cheese was a big hit.

What would the evening be without a spunky bartender serving up the one-liners with the best mojitos in town?!

Lee was a delight!