Afternoon with Adena

Look who I found in Chicago!

My brother’s girlfriend, Adena, started her second-year residency in the windy city over the summer (she’s doing pediatric dermatology and finished her first year as a pediatric resident in San Francisco in June and will be completing her remaining three years of residency as a dermatology resident in Chicago – she’s one smart cookie). I’ve been dying to visit her since she moved here (I <3 Chicago) and was so excited to finally have the chance.

She has a GORGEOUS apartment with a killer view of the city.

Alright, this isn’t the actual view from her apartment, but it is the view from her apartment’s rooftop. I’ve seen the view via Facetime and photos, but nothing beats seeing it in person.

Love!

I joined Adena and her friend for brunch in the Southport Corridor.

Loved this neighborhood. Very family-friendly with fun shops, adorable houses, and cute cafes that lined the street. We put our name down at Southport Grocery and Cafe and spent the 30 minute wait window shopping at the Lululemon and Anthropologie next door.

Southport Grocery and Cafe is a charming cafe that serves modern comfort food, tempting baked goods, and gourmet coffee in their cafe, as well as specialty items (like volcano salt and toffee) in their grocery nook. The inside of the restaurant has an open, modern feel that really reflects their unique and creative menu.

We actually lucked out with a table outside and enjoyed the fabulous early fall weather during our meal. While my dining partners opted for creative salads, I was craving eggs. I ordered the chorizo, spinach, and goat cheese omelet, which came with a side of potatoes mash (their wording, not mine).

I thought the omelet was delicious. The chorizo and goat cheese made for a great salty combination and the potatoes were chunky, chewy, and not as heavy as traditional mashed potatoes. I’m actually not a huge fan of traditional mashed potatoes (they’re either too heavy or like potato soup), I prefer the chunkier, heartier variation that represented the “potato mash.”

The restaurant is famous for their bread pudding pancakes (check out the recipe on their website – Adena made it for Christmas last year and said it was a must try!), so we split an order for dessert.

Wow. This was the perfect sweet ending for the meal. I’m not sure I could have ate a full serving of these, but one was more than enough to cure my pancake craving. Yum.

After brunch, we did some exploring, then I had to say good-bye to Adena and the city of Chicago. sniff. sniff.

I’m actually blogging from the air right now and am about to dig into this sandwich I picked up from the airport.

Options were limited and I liked that I could just trow this in my bag. Sometimes simple is the way to go.

Hopefully, by the time you read this I’ll be safe and sound in Tampa.

Good night!