Weekend

So far this weekend has been very fun and full of food. Last night we enjoyed dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Chicago, La Luce. They serve Italian food that tastes authentic and home-made, and the atmosphere is quaint and comfortable. It’s in an old Victorian house right next to the el tracks that actually looks a little haunted from the outside. La Luce was also the site of our wedding rehearsal dinner.

Last night I enjoyed the chicken parmesan, which is one of my standbys, but I mixed it up by requesting the bolognese sauce. That was an excellent choice.

Italian is one of my favorite types of food (likely due to my immense and undying love for tomatoes), and La Luce never disappoints. Our other favorite thing there is a dessert called the Bananas Luce. I didn’t take a picture because I was too busy eating it. It’s basically bananas foster, but served with three little scoops of ice cream, and the whole thing is in a pool of a light caramel sauce and drizzled with chocolate. Yum.

This morning, my friend Jen and I ventured out to the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. I believe it’s the largest farmers’ market in Chicago, and a very fun and festive atmosphere. I don’t often go to this one because it’s a bit of a pain to get to from where I live, but Jen had never been and wanted to check it out. I was most excited to find that gourds are now in season!

Having a bowl of these funny-looking things in the house always makes me feel festive. There were some lingering traces of summer at the market. I found roma tomatoes to make fresh salsa with. There was also a bit of sweet corn, which I was surprised to see. It wasn’t the best crop of sweet corn I’ve had this summer (there were a few yucky spots and several WORMS! Yuck!) but we thoroughly enjoyed it in a spicy corn chowder (post about that coming right up).

Still to come this weekend: a visit from my brother and a possible attempt at making chocolate souffles. Hope you’re enjoying a great fall weekend wherever you are!