A Weekend in Chicago

Including Pequod's Pizza, Brunch at Bistronomic, and Cousin Katie's Wedding.

Hey everyone,

Before this past weekend, I’d only been to Chicago twice: once with my college improv troupe Rathskellar to take classes at Second City and once for my cookbook Secrets of the Best Chefs, so I could learn from chefs Curtis Duffy, Anthony Martin, Tony Mantuano, and Chuy Valencia.

This time, I was there with a different agenda: to attend Craig’s cousin Katie’s wedding at Café Breuer in Lincoln Park, one of the most stunning wedding venues I’ve ever experienced (and I got married at the Natural History Museum in L.A.).

The wedding, needless to say, was flawless. And Katie had such a glow about her, I could’ve charged my iPhone on her sleeve (if she had a sleeve).

There was something really liberating about going to a great food city like Chicago without having to hit all the greatest spots because we were with family. Instead, I just went with the flow*. (* As much as I’m capable of going with the flow.)

I did pick the pizza place for the first night: Pequod’s, on many best-of lists and a user-friendly experience, especially because they take reservations, even for a group of 7 people.

The pizza, which was obviously deep-dish, almost reminded me of a lasagna except instead of noodles, you had rich, fluffy dough that’s crisp around the edges.

We ordered one with pepperoni and one with sausage, mushrooms, and olives and two pieces each was more than enough. Any more, and I would’ve been a white whale (Pequod joke).

Before Pequod’s, moments after we stepped off the plane, Craig and I met up with his parents at The Art Institute of Chicago. This museum is so good, it’s too good… too good in the sense that there’s just sooooo much to see. Even when we thought we saw it all (Nighthawks, American Gothic, Sunday on La Isle of Grand Jatte), there was more and more.

We paid extra to see The Georgia O’Keefe exhibit of her NYC paintings. It was nice to see her move away from her vaginal imagery, painting something wholesome like a clam.

My favorite painting was, naturally, of food. This one of apples by Matisse.

On Saturday, we did the unthinkable: instead of going to a culinary destination on all of the “Best Of” lists, we just had lunch near our AirBnb at a lovely Sicilian sandwich shop called Sfera.

This muffuletta with mortadella and cheese and olive salad on a toasted piece of focaccia really hit the spot. Sometimes just grabbing a bite can be a liberating experience for a food obsessive.

That day, Craig and I took an architectural boat tour of Chicago which my mom told me to do and which Craig’s parents told us to do and it turns out, it’s a wonderful thing to do. (Though if it’s a sunny day, don’t make the same mistake we did: wear a hat.)

The tour revealed Chicago to be one of the most architecturally stunning cities in the country, if not the world. You’ll see example of Spanish Renaissance architecture, as well as Mid-Century Modern, Bauhaus (is that the same thing?), and some very tall buildings, including the world’s second tallest no longer called The Sears Tower even though I still call it The Sears Tower.

After the rehearsal dinner on Friday night (at The Viceroy Hotel), we followed Craig’s dad Steve to a jazz club — a famous one — called The Green Mill.

We were lucky enough to see Mike Jones, Penn and Teller’s pianist, who was such a brilliant musician I feel like he had to have a split personality to do what he was doing with his left hand while simultaneously doing something completely different with his right.

If you’re looking for a real deal jazz experience in Chicago, this is the one.

Finally, on Saturday we tried to go to a fancy lunch at Restoration Hardware (it’s a thing), and were bluntly turned away, so we wandered over to Bistronomic and had a pitch-perfect brunch.

My smoked salmon omelette was filled with goat cheese, topped with a bright, herby sauce, and paired with duck fat roasted potatoes. Craig’s Eggs Benny (in the background) was equally excellent. Bonus points for the edible flowers sprinkled on top.

And that concludes our weekend in Chicago, which in addition to being a windy city and the second city is also a welcoming, cheerful, and exciting place to be. Congrats Katie and Stephen on your nuptials!

Now let’s all look at some links:

• After Decades of Dry Martinis, It’s Great to Go Wet (NYT);

• The Five Most Overrated Classic Cocktails (Punch);

• Patti LuPone vs. Aubrey Plaza on Hot Ones is the best thing I’ve seen all week…

Until next time!

Your pal,

Adam