Today is the greatest...
This morning when I dragged myself out of bed after only four hours of sleep, I thought to myself "this day is not off to a good start!" Luckily, music has the power to change moods. When I turned on the radio later in the morning, I heard a song I had not heard for awhile - The Smashing Pumpkins' "Today is the Greatest Day I Have Ever Known."
This song made me think of two things. One - I realized that maybe this day wasn't as bad as I wanted myself to think it was. And two - I thought back to the time when I had listened to that song alot, back in college. Which was fitting, because a good friend from college was in town for the weekend and a group of us would be getting together in the afternoon to do what girls do best together - eat and talk!
So this afternoon, we set off on a circuit of some of Chicago's best coffeehouses and bakeries. We started at La Patisserie P on Argyle, where pastry chef Peter Yuen has just returned from a successful performance at the US Pastry Competition. This bakery has a great selection of beautifully crafted French cakes, as well as sweet and savory Chinese pastries. The red bean bun I tried was probably the best I have ever tasted in Chicago.
We moved on to one of Chicago's German neighborhoods, Lincoln Square, to pay a visit to Cafe Selmarie. Customers crowded into this shop to purchase big boxes of homemade cookies, bags of fresh bread, and other assorted goodies. Here, I sampled a Florentine, which is a sweeter, heartier version of a granola bar - a nice change of pace!
We considered going next to Devon to try some Indian desserts, but we decided to save ourselves for the evening's main event: Chocolate at the Pen at the Peninsula Hotel. Chocolate at the Pen is one of those things that must be saved for a special occasion - it is the ultimate indulgent experience.
Every Friday and Saturday night, Peninsula's lobby hosts Chocolate at the Pen, a buffet featuring chocolate in practically every form imaginable: dainty chocolate cookies and brownies, bite-sized chocolate cheesecakes, enormous chocolate-covered strawberries, luscious chocolate raspberry mousse, miniature mocha parfaits, hand-crafted truffles of all varieties, and even creamy drinking chocalate. The selection was overwhelming... and of course we had to sample a little of everything!
We paced ourselves, partaking of chocolate for close to three hours while enjoying relaxed conversation and a live jazz performance. What could be better than an evening with good friends and great chocolate!
Although I am feeling a bit lightheaded from all that sugar... Whew, what a rush! What a day!
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La Patisserie P
1050 W. Argyle, Chicago
773.878.3226
Cafe Selmarie
4729 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
773.989.5595
www.cafeselmarie.com
Peninsula Hotel
108 E. Superior, Chicago
312.337.2888
chicago.peninsula.com
This song made me think of two things. One - I realized that maybe this day wasn't as bad as I wanted myself to think it was. And two - I thought back to the time when I had listened to that song alot, back in college. Which was fitting, because a good friend from college was in town for the weekend and a group of us would be getting together in the afternoon to do what girls do best together - eat and talk!
So this afternoon, we set off on a circuit of some of Chicago's best coffeehouses and bakeries. We started at La Patisserie P on Argyle, where pastry chef Peter Yuen has just returned from a successful performance at the US Pastry Competition. This bakery has a great selection of beautifully crafted French cakes, as well as sweet and savory Chinese pastries. The red bean bun I tried was probably the best I have ever tasted in Chicago.
We moved on to one of Chicago's German neighborhoods, Lincoln Square, to pay a visit to Cafe Selmarie. Customers crowded into this shop to purchase big boxes of homemade cookies, bags of fresh bread, and other assorted goodies. Here, I sampled a Florentine, which is a sweeter, heartier version of a granola bar - a nice change of pace!
We considered going next to Devon to try some Indian desserts, but we decided to save ourselves for the evening's main event: Chocolate at the Pen at the Peninsula Hotel. Chocolate at the Pen is one of those things that must be saved for a special occasion - it is the ultimate indulgent experience.
Every Friday and Saturday night, Peninsula's lobby hosts Chocolate at the Pen, a buffet featuring chocolate in practically every form imaginable: dainty chocolate cookies and brownies, bite-sized chocolate cheesecakes, enormous chocolate-covered strawberries, luscious chocolate raspberry mousse, miniature mocha parfaits, hand-crafted truffles of all varieties, and even creamy drinking chocalate. The selection was overwhelming... and of course we had to sample a little of everything!
We paced ourselves, partaking of chocolate for close to three hours while enjoying relaxed conversation and a live jazz performance. What could be better than an evening with good friends and great chocolate!
Although I am feeling a bit lightheaded from all that sugar... Whew, what a rush! What a day!
Each time you finish reading a story, please click here! With just one click every day, you’ll be helping my blog ranking. Thank you!!
La Patisserie P
1050 W. Argyle, Chicago
773.878.3226
Cafe Selmarie
4729 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
773.989.5595
www.cafeselmarie.com
Peninsula Hotel
108 E. Superior, Chicago
312.337.2888
chicago.peninsula.com
posted by v_horizon at
12:23 AM
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