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I once said that Green Mill made Thursdays the new Fridays among my circle of friends because of the amazing atmosphere and great live music from the Alan Gresik Swing Shift Orchestra. That was back in April.
Of course, I still love GM and enjoy getting dressed up on Thursdays in a pinup getup and hit the dance floor with guys who will twirl you until you are nauseated (I love swing dancing!).
But it’s because I love Green Mill so much that I feel like I can criticise the heck out of it. That being said, you should go to Green Mill even after reading this scathing review because it is worth your time and the positives definitely outweigh the negatives.
I have BIG news for all of you Locavores looking for a coffee fix. No, the beans are not from Chicago, but at Metropolis Coffee Company, they are roasting small batches in the heart of Chicago! That is about as local as you can get when it comes to coffee and it is worth it!
Where can you get this coffee?
At Dollop Coffee and Tea in Uptown. What an underrated little gem! Located in a brownstone that juts out into the intersection of North Clarendon and West Gordon Terrace, Dollop welcomes you with soft, melodic indie music and exposed brick walls. The decor is not at all planned or even pretentiously mismatched. No, instead, this adorable coffee house looks organically designed with the wall art and antique furniture probably being added piece-by-piece by an owner who has a love for varied styles.
The barista was really patient with me and even let me try a “shot” of Metropolis’ French Roast coffee (I do not drink coffee, but I had to research it)! It was smoky, very fresh and had a sweet finish on the back of the palate.
I chose the iced chai as my first drink because a. it’s hot outside and b. I love chai! What a good choice! The milky, cinnamon-infused chai was gone before I knew it!
For breakfast I had a croissant (Bennison’s) with Stover’s jam. For a light lunch, I had a 2 egg scramble with goat cheese from Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery. This is the ultimate light, airy and delicious lunch and the protein kept me going for hours! I am telling you guys, you HAVE to try the Prairie Dropseed Goat Cheese from Prairie Fruits Farm. For only $5, this round of goat cheese is versatile, has a creamy and crumbly texture that melts in your mouth and a rich flavour that is hard to find. Oh, and please do not make the rookie mistake of peeling off the mould covering: it adds to the flavour and is, indeed, edible. I PROMISE you won’t keel over and die. Believe me!
The best part of the day, though, besides the food and amazing coffee shop, was hanging out with Green City Market volunteer and new Chicago resident Ruthie! We met at Green City and had a lovely afternoon as I showed her Southport Ave. and its bounty of cool shops and restaurants like Candyality and Deleece. Man, I love Lakeview!
Stay tuned tomorrow for more Locavore fun and a restaurant review of … you’ll have to visit to find out! :-)
Dev xx
PS, 2 days until Green City Market Day!!!!!!!!!!
Gee, on Day Two I could not even stay on the Locavore Challenge wagon.
Definitely not local. Oops.
I fell off at about 5.30pm, when Dan came over and we decided to drown a few pints in a local pub. Unfortunately (actually, not too unfortunately), our path to the bar led us right by Cozy Noodles & Rice, located at 3456 N. Sheffield Ave. in Wrigleyville.
I love bubble tea, and as you all may know, had rave reviews about Saint’s Alp coconut bubble milk tea a while back. While Saint’s Alp had a more nuanced, understated tea that layered black tea with a mild coconut taste and frothy milk, Cozy’s take is intense. I just screams, “I AM COCONUT!!!!!” There is nothing nuanced about this tea. As a matter of fact, it hardly tastes like tea. It just tastes like iced coconut goodness with black tapioca. And yes, I love it.
Once I devoured the pot stickers (shown above) with Dan, my meal arrived. Mild curry with chicken. At first, I was a little afraid that this dish would be bland. It was very sweet and had lovely lemongrass, nutmeg and coconut flavours in the beginning, but then it had a kick at the end that hit the back of your palate and burned on the way down. With every bite I became more and more hooked. It was truly a delicious meal that could have only been improved if the potatoes were cooked more thoroughly (they were still a little raw in the middle!).
There is another reason why you should visit Cozy, though you should not be bad and do it during Locavore Challenge! You should also visit because the place is decked out with a toy collection that is second-to-none. Yes, every inch of this tiny restaurant is filled with wind-up animals, kooky robots and toy cars that the owner has been collecting since he was twelve. Even the women’s bathroom is covered with, what else, Pez dispensers!
It really is quite a sight!!! All of your favourites are here from Snoopy to Garfield, the massive collectible Pez dispensers to miniature key-ring sized ones. There are even Pez posters and lunch boxes! But sorry kids, no Pez candy in sight! You really have to see this to believe it!
After cheating, I got right back on the wagon when we stopped over at Sheffield’s, arguably the best bar in Chicago featuring local craft brews. After checking out the extensive list of draught beers and tasting the bitterly flat Half Acre’s Daisy Cutter Pale Ale, I chose the Goose Island Matilda, a malty and aromatic beer that is brewed in Chicago! How’s that for local!?
To make up for my non-local dinner, I had two local beers… just to be sure that I was supporting the cause.
It was a hard job, but hey, someone has to do it! :-)
Dev xx
