The Doughnut Vault - Chicago, IL

The Doughnut Vault - selection of the donut of the day (powdered), chocolate, glazed, old fashioned glazed and jelly (raspberry) 

Powder Sugar Donut 

Glazed- Bigger than my hand!

Glazed- Not only big around, but tall and fluffy too.

Glazed up close

Chocolate Glazed up close

Another donut bigger than my hand.

A friend of mine had been in Chicago a few months back and told me how her and her husband stood in line for well over an hour on a Saturday hoping to try one of these beauties.  Unfortunately for them, they sold out of all donuts before they got to the front of the line.  Fortunately for me, we were in Chicago mid-week and I showed up about 20 minutes before opening to find that I was the first one in line.

The donut of the day was the powdered sugar one.  I had no idea that meant you received three powdered sugar donuts!  These were actually probably my favorite along with the old fashioned glaze. They had a good flavor and although they weren't light and fluffy, the density of the donut combined well with the light sugar.

I wasn't a huge fan of the original glazed although it was huge and you could clearly see the vanilla in the glaze.  The donut itself wasn't as airy as I had hoped and had a stronger flavor than most donuts I've had in the past.  The jelly filled was almost the same with some raspberry jelly or jam in the Center.  The jelly actually provided a nice contrast to the flavor of the donut and I'm not generally a fan of any pastries or anything that are fruit filled.

The chocolate glazed was as big as the original glazed as you can tell.  The glaze was yummy and had a good chocolate flavor.  The donut itself was the same as the original glazed and had that same strong taste that I didn't care for as much.  Perhaps it was yeast?

The old fashioned glazed was fabulous! It was dense and moist.  The glaze was the perfect contrast to the flavor of the donut itself.  I wish I had purchased more than one of these as it was gone as quickly as the box was open in the hotel room.

Girl & the Goat - Chicago

Girl & the Goat open kitchen

Greek bread with hummus and kalamata olive butter

Airy and full of feta and herbs... Greek bread.

Chickpea Fritters

The best green beans ever!  Seasoned with fish sauces, cashews and some creamy and delightful cheese.

Pig Face

Any fan of Top Chef is familiar with Stephanie Izard.  She rarely failed to impress the judges and by the wait to get a reservation at Girl & the Goat, her restaurant in Chicago, she isn't failing to impress the diners who are lucky enough to score a reservation.

After checking Open Table for weeks on end prior to our visit to Chicago, it was clear that reservations don't frequently open up.  So, we decided to try to walk in and grab a cancellation or sit at the bar.  Thankfully we arrived in Chicago on a Wednesday and not a weekend, so, we headed right to Girl & the Goat for an early light meal when they opened up at 4:30.  First of all, if you are staying in the Gold Coast area, this restaurant is a bit of a hike!  The walk wasn't bad, but we had to visit during a major heatwave, so, it seemed further than normal.

Upon arriving, there were plenty of seats around the bar area, so, we decided to just grab a seat where we could watch the kitchen and relax a bit.  We had a very late night reservation at Topolobampo, so, we didn't want to eat too much, but there were a few things we wanted to be sure to try.

There were three different breads to choose from which I believe is the norm.  We opted for the Greek bread that was filled with feta and some classic Greek herb combination.  The bread was light and dense at the same time if that's possible.  The hummus that came with the bread was smooth and creamy.  The kalamata butter was definitely strong on the olive taste which is not my favorite flavor, so, I stuck with the hummus.

The chickpea fritters were crisp and creamy.  I was a fan, but my husband didn't care for them much which is surprising considering he loves anything fried.

Then there was the Pig's Face which from what I read seems to be one of the signature dishes.  I'm not sure what I thought it would be like, but it didn't wake up my taste buds.  I loved the maple flavor of the sauce, but the rest was just so-so.

Last but not least were the green beans!  Oh and what great green beans!  They were sautéed in fish sauce, sprinkled with chopped cashews and topped with a wonderful cheese.  The bowl of beans that arrived was beautiful to look at and even better to eat.  There was definitely enough for four people to share, but I will admit that we finished these off easily between the two of us.  These were by far our favorite part of our experience at Girl & the Goat.  Who would think it would be the green beans that would make us want to return?  Green beans will never be the same.

Clinton Presidential Center - Little Rock, Arkansas

Clinton Presidential Center Library

It Takes a Village

Upper Level - Clinton Presidential Center 

The Art of the Brick
Clinton Presidential Center

Clinton in Legos
The Art of the Brick

The Art of the Brick - Nathan Sawaya

The Art of the Brick
A romance told by Nathan Sawaya

Oval Office Model 

As part of my quest to get to forty states by the time I turn forty, we paid a visit to Little Rock, Arkansas one long weekend.  Surprisingly, this is somewhere I've wanted to visit for some time.  Those who know me would know that Little Rock wouldn't be my first choice of destinations, but the Clinton Presidential Center has been on my bucket list for some time.  You see, my first experience with any kind of politics was his first presidential campaign.  After spending a summer in Spain before my senior year in high school, I came back somewhat disheartened by the view that so many in Spain had of America.  I was determined to get involved and do something, so, I volunteered for the Clinton presidential campaign even before I was eligible to vote myself.  That was the start of many things including a chance to meet President Clinton on many occasions at various political events in and outside of Washington, DC where I ultimately went to college.  Thanks to my position within the U.S. House of Representatives, I had many opportunities to visit the White House and even was there the day he addressed the country the day that he was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives.  His history is very much part of my history as well, so, this visit was a long time in coming.  In fact, there were a number of times that tears came to my eyes as I remembered some of the amazing experiences I had during those years and the friends I had made.  It seemed like so long ago... It was long ago, but fresh in my mind and in my heart.

A Taste of Queensland

Seafood Pasta- Port Douglas 

Lagoon Vue Fish and Chips

Lagoon Vue Fish, Squid, Bay Bugs, Shrimp

Kuranda Ice Cream- Pre Scooped

Mango Wine - Kuranda

Grilled Plate- Raw Prawn, Cairns

Raw Prawn Seafood Sampler - Cairns 

Raw Prawn Steak Frites

Gelocchio - gelato pops

Most of our meals involved seafood of some kind while we were in Queensland.  Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of any of our lunches or the one meal we had at a Churrascaria which wasn't very memorable.  One of the most delightful finds was Gelocchio in Cairns which featured a variety of gelato pops that you could customize with toppings.  The gentleman who owns this little shop was so pleasant and warm.  On top of that, the gelato pops were delicious.  I had a straight up gianduja pop which brought back memories of the gelato throughout Italy.  My husband had the same, but had it dipped in chocolate and hazelnuts.  He was asking go back a few nights later which is rare for him as he's not the sweet lover that I am.  Apparently, these shops are a trend in Europe or at least Italy and I hope to find out if that is the case sooner than later.

The first night we went exploring the Night Markets we opted for a quick meal at this little cafe right outside.  There was a big conference in town, so, most of the restaurants were booked solid.  However, I have to admit that this small spot had the best fish and chips I had during our visit throughout all of Australia.  I forget what type of fish it was, but they had three different options for fish and chips.  This was the most expensive of the three at probably about $15 which we would later discover was pretty much a bargain.  Outside of our meal at Harry's Cafe de Wheels and the cheese and cracker night on Kangaroo Island, this was probably our cheapest meal.

The Raw Prawn was good.  It had a nice atmosphere and a nice patio.  The service was very good.  However, there was nothing that blew us away which is okay.  That's obviously not going to happen at every restaurant, so, a good solid meal is more than welcome.

The Rocks Sydney

Pancakes on the Rocks

The Rocks Friday Market

The Rocks area of Sydney really does have quite a bit of charm.  We didn't get to explore too much of it, but we did get to the food market that they have on Fridays.  I wish we would have been able to explore their Saturday market, but we had to get to the airport.

We did have breakfast one morning at Pancakes on the Rocks.  The food was decent, but the service awful.  Also, do not use google maps to find the spot!  I can't tell you how far out of the way we went when in fact it wasn't too far from the Shangri-La where we were staying.  So, I guess you could say we did explore quite a bit of the Rocks, but unintentionally and early in the morning when no one else was around.

One night we had dinner at Fish at the Rocks.  It was lovely.  We ate in the small front room and it was cozy, romantic and my husband loved his food.  Mine was so-so.  However, I stepped out of my box a bit to try some things I normally wouldn't choose, so, I was pretty pleased with myself.   I wish that we had a restaurant like this in our town.  It would be our spot.  I really felt like I was transported to somewhere really far, far away and in retrospect, it was so far, far away.  I may do a separate post featuring some more about the food from this restaurant if I can find the pictures.  However, if you are in Sydney, this place is definitely worth a visit!