shannon e t.'s Profile

great crêpes, great hot chocolate, great atmosphere, and great service.

even though i fill up on chai elsewhere [i'm not a morning glory fan], the good crêpe smells wafting onto the sidewalk always draw me in. while the menu contains many vegetarian and delicious options, i have a hard time ordering anything other than the tomato, mozzarella, and basil crêpe. beyond dining, it's a wonderful place to relax, and the second floor tables are unbeatable for people watching.

as a vegetarian, it's always nice to feel safe ordering anything off a restaurant's menu without fear that some bit of meat will sneak in. no chicken broth, no chorizo, and no waiter running through specials that make you want to give up on eating before you've even ordered.

but vegan? as a vegetarian unable to give up cheese [and maybe ice cream], i had doubts. yet every time i visit, i leave more than satisfied, and convinced, if i could just master cooking their menu of tasty dishes, that i would be better than fine with being vegan. of course, i have yet to do so, so i must settle for looking forward to what new item i'll try on my next visit.

i can't possibly give this place more than three stars simply on principle.  sure i'm a non-fish-eating-vegetarian, but still, serving raw fish in the desert? ick.

the happy hour deals are great, so great they left me with little memory of the food i'd ordered. the bits and pieces i do remember are average veggie tempura, and a super tasty beef-roll-made-vegetarian recommended by the waitress. i'd likely return for the casual happy hour, though avoid drowning myself in cheap sake.

we stumbled across b&b after avoiding several other upscale restaurants for their vegetarian-hostile menus. from the outside, it's just like any other vegas restaurant. inside, the tables are so wide, it's uncomfortable to hold hands or play footsies. fortunately, i was dining with my best friend, so the wide table simply gave us room for plenty of food.

they started us with a complimentary taste of some sort of chickpea and olive oil concoction atop a slice of baguette. tasty, though messy. the appetizer was completely forgettable. it sounded italian on the menu, though looked and tasted just like tempura. we opted to leave some on the plate to save room for the main course. we shared two raviolis - the sweet potato and the goat cheese. this wonderful combination left us satisfied beyond ordering dessert. they say two people should order five plates to share. i cannot fathom the food coma that would have left us in.

the service is good. our water glasses never ran dry, the food came at a pace to match ours, and, despite feeling underdressed, the waitress never rushed us out our did anything to indicate that she'd noticed.

i have two complaints. the salad bar has too little fruit, and the hours make it impossible for me to grab a smoothie on my way home from work.

otherwise, the salad fixings are tasty and plentiful, and i especially like that you can bring your own dish instead of using the disposable containers provided. the fruit smoothies are super tasty, especially the banana colada, and the espresso smoothies are the perfect pick-me-up for hot afternoons.

dear meltdown, where were you last winter when i was shivering cold and in need of a warm, cheesy sandwich to warm me from the inside out? the menu seems to have exploded with the summer. i hope it's permanent, though signs point to seasonal.

also, the ginger molasses cookie is absolutely nom nom.

i love mcsweeney's and all of their amazing storefronts.

seriously, i don't know where i would be without the boring store's wide variety of holes, pits, ditches, etc.

nearly every time i visit chicago, which i manage at least once annually, i visit the art institute of chicago. i skim past most of the impressionist work, making my way through the renaissance, and finally landing myself in front of the caravaggio, the father of baroque art, where i sit and stare to my heart's content.

if i still haven't had my fill, i check out the 'ism' room to get my fix of cubism, surrealism, modernism, etc. it's not a great collection, but it a nice way to punctuate the traditional collection upstairs.

the bean is one of those rare sculptures that never gets old, mostly for the people watching. from the groups of prom-goers having their photos taken to the tourists doing handstands, feet on the bean, the crowds never fail to amuse.

like the pizza, i can hardly imagine visiting chicago and not experiencing the bean.

at least the food was edible, but only barely.

if you like finger-dripping grease, sitting elbow-bumping close to the table next to you and having to ask five different servers for a refill of water before receiving one, this place is perfect. otherwise, steer clear.