Post #190456 by martiki on Mon, Oct 3, 2005 1:17 PM

Kind words there, JT! Mahalo!

We had a swinging time in the Windy City- what a great little vacation!

On Thursday, we were met by JT and the MEL II and zipped (sorta- rush hour traffic) to Chef Shangri-La, which was as great as I remembered. The food was damn tasty and (some) of the drinks were quite good- particularly the Mai Tai. JT was right- don't mess with success- stick with what ya know! Off then to the glorious Hala Kahiki, which is even better than I remember it from three years ago. Deep in the bottom of Rebecca's purse, she found a scribbled note on a piece of scratch paper that read "Passionate Rummie - Hala Kahiki". Neither of us has been able to remember who gave us this advice on some forgotten drunken night, but it proved to be the closest thing I've found to a palatable drink at the HK. So, thank you mysterious benefactor. My second choice, The Harpoon, is best avoided and tasted suspiciously of Colgate.

After that, James returned us to our hotel, and no doubt got back to work on Hukilau planning right away. We then went to the amazing Delilah's bar, where I had some rare and wonderful Belgian & UK beers and enjoyed the hell out of the atmosphere. We staggered to The Wiener's Circle for some classic Chicago-style Char Dogs before passing out shortly thereafter.

Friday we grabbed some Italian Beef sandwiches at Al's and a cocktail at the Chicago Chop House before heading to Millennium Park and the Art Institute. Then to Vic's for Happy hour, a quick stop at Italian Village restaurant to soak up the decor, and a phenomenal steak at Gene & Georgetti. An after dinner drink at Coq D'or in the Drake and we were through.

Saturday we checked out the Robie House before spending the rest of the day with wedding stuff.

Sunday was a few more hot dogs and checking out the incredible Sam's Wine & Spirits (thanks for the tip JT!!). Many new and wonderful rums have been added to the collection.

All in all, an incredible trip- My kind of town!