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Many months ago, I made reservations for dinner at Girl & The Goat (like, back in February). I wanted to go before Baby Wilson arrived and I figured it wouldn't be a very fun culinary experience for my vegetarian husband. So, Maggie agreed to go with me and I made our 5:15pm dinner reservations. We had talked about it often, leading up to the day and we were super pumped about going. Unfortunately, Maggie came down with a nasty stomach bug a few days before our reservations so she decided it would be best if she didn't go. :( I was able to snag my friend Steph to go with me at the last minute and we had a nice time.

We were seated right away which was nice, considering we were right on time for our reservations. When ordering, I told my waitress I was pregnant and she offered up a drink called "Happy Juice" that is ginger ale and fruit juice. Naturally, I obliged and it was amazing.

A few Fridays ago, Kim and I had a dinner date planned. Since we hadn't been able to connect for a lunch at NFC, we decided to give a weekend dinner a try. Since we live so far from one another, Kim found a nice restaurant halfway between our two houses, Seasons 52. Despite the local traffic being an absolute nightmare, we arrived on time for our reservations and were seated right away.

Our waiter came by and was very friendly. I had a lot of questions about ingredients in the items on the menu (Is the cheese pasteurized? Does this sauce contain raw egg?) He wasn't at all a jerk about it, he was very accommodating. (which I greatly, greatly appreciated). They even had a special vegan menu just for Kim! They also had a gluten-free and dairy-free menu for other various food allergies. I thought that was a nice touch to a fancier restaurant.

As everything on the menu is under 450 calories, the portions were within reason and they didn't come with fried sides that are usually my downfall. Although it wasn't on the traditional dinner menu, they were able to make me the cheeseburger that I saw on the lunch menu. It wasn't just any burger, it was a bison burger. As bison meat is leaner and another good source of protein, I opted for it. (Yet another reason why our waiter was awesome.)

Delicious bison burger

Our waiter was attentive yet let us chat when we were chatting (which was a lot and often). Kim and I chatted about so many things. Even though we've only known each other for a short period of time, I feel like she is so easy to talk to and relatable. If you don't read her blog, I highly recommend you do so. One of the things I always try to be on my blog is genuine. What you see/read is what you get. I feel Kim is the same way too, which I think is always welcoming in the blogging world!

After dinner I didn't leave feeling I over ate or was too stuffed, which is a nice feeling. That is, until the dessert tray came by. Everything looked so delicious I just had to try one. As I'm not a huge chocolate person and I haven't been digging coffee during the pregnancy, I went with key lime pie while Kim went for the delicious, tropical looking vegan option. The desserts really were a perfect individual size!

When the bill came, they were accommodating once again and were able to split up our credit cards. That is always a nice plus for any restaurant! Of course since we are bloggers, we had to have the waiter take our photo. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Kim and I dressed alike without even realizing it.

We are just awesome like that

I hope you guys aren't creeped out by ultrasound photos because you're about to get another one! Kim brought me a delightful gift that made me (and my husband) smile. It is currently in our transforming guest room/nursery and is also the background of my phone.
I couldn't think of anything more perfect. Thanks Kim and Seasons 52 for a wonderful dinner! I hope we can meet up again more often because I always have so much fun when we do. :)

As a disclaimer, I have never been contacted by Season 52 and I was not compensated in any way for this review. I just thought I would post about my great experience.

Whenever the husband and I go on vacation, we like to explore some of the local fare. Looking for some of the best local restaurants can be difficult when you're in a tourist town in the "off season" when a decent amount of establishments are closed. I spent the weekend in Wisconsin Dells with some friends, and we shied away from huge chains that we can get back at home. Here is a quick summary of some of our favorite eats from the trip.

I've been to this place before and it was just as delicious the 2nd time around. They make their own beer and pop so there really is something for everyone (you may have tried their root beer before). Their menu was extensive with lots of vegetarian options. I have eaten there twice and both times it was outstanding. The service is always fantastic and I really can't say enough great things about their food. I highly recommend the fried cheese curds. It is a Wisconsin delicacy and one you shouldn't miss! (website)

Foodie photography skills to the rescue!

This restaurant calls you in with their huge signage and an adorable moose mascot. We arrived on a Saturday night with no reservation and were able to get a table for 7 with less than a 30 minute wait. They make their own beer and had sampler platters available (which is always fun). The restaurant was 3 levels with a bar on each level and an arcade in the basement. This was a great place for families or friends to gather together and eat. On our way to our seats, I saw someone eating taco pizza and I just knew that was what I had to order. Sauce, meat, cheese, lettuce and Doritos all on a pizza? How could I go wrong? It was delicious and lived up to my expectations. The beers were also very good. I think this is a great restaurant for a family where mom and dad could have a good time too! (website)


Staying at the Wilderness Lodge, we passed this place any time we left the campus. It didn't look like much on the outside but it had some great Yelp reviews. There was one drawback for our group, it was a vegetarian only restaurant. This deterred some of the guys in our group from wanting to go there, but after having some disappointing breakfast meals at other local restaurants, we ate here for our last meal before heading back home. The menu had extensive options including meatless and fake meat options for both breakfast and lunch. I went with a skillet that was full of fresh grilled vegetables that you wouldn't normally see in a skillet. They had a delicious coffee bar with cool specialty flavors as well as homemade baked good and some to-die-for looking desserts. They only had 1 waiter for the entire restaurant so the service was a little slow, but they brought out the food as it was ready so everything was nice and hot. I would highly recommend this place if you're in the area, even if you're not vegetarian! Although, it is only open for breakfast and lunch (I think this was because it was "off season"). (website)

Whenever I go on vacation with Chris I like to keep track if the restaurants we go to (although I don't write many Yelp reviews anymore). On our trip to Nashville for the big bachelorette party, we went to some places that I wouldn't have normally gone. As we stayed close to the hotel, most of the places are within walking distance of Broadway.

We ate here our first night and it was a great start. It is pub fare but a slightly upscale atmosphere. The prices were average for pub affair, nothing too fancy. I had a burger and a Yuengling lager. Since we don't have Yuengling back in Chicago, I was excited with this special treat. Others in our group for the tuna and a wrap. I think the burger was the winner entree and it came with delicious seasoned fries as well. This place was off the main path and they don't take reservations, but I would recommend it if you're in the area.

with my precious Yuengling Lager!

After our first night on Broadway, we wanted to grab lunch on a rooftop patio where we could just hang out and enjoy the sun. (I opted for shade for my pale skin but majority rules...) they had a really good food photographer as we were all really excited about our food while having a cocktail. I think you might know where this is going, but the food did not live up to our expectations. Some folks ordered mojitos but they were "dragonberry" and tasted like fruit punch. Lots of people were disappointed with their food and the service was very slow. This place is right on the main street and that is probably how they snag most of their business, not based on the quality of their food.


As one of the meals on the trip, we wanted some typical southern food. We headed to Puckett's for dinner with a country band playing. We got a table right up front. The band was really great and even had a saxophone player. They invited some of the folks from the crowd to play the tambourine for a song, including my cousin (the bachelorette). The atmosphere was really fun and lively while also being family friendly. A few folks got barbecue platters while others got pulled pork sandwiches. I ordered the portabella mushroom sandwich and it was amazing (I was trying to get some sort of vegetable while on the trip). We all had a fun time here and it was a perfect taste of the southern food and band that we were looking for.



Based on our location, I tried to look up some suggestions for breakfast and came across Past Perfect. The reviews gave this place 3.5 stars so I figured it was worth a shot. While walking in, we saw a sign regarding their $5 bloody Mary bar and the group was excited. They also had infused vodkas with lots of different flavors so that was a hit for the bloody Mary group. They had a brunch menu special for Saturdays and Sundays separate from their normal lunch menu. Lots of folks tried the hash brown casserole that looked delish. I had a veggie/hummus wrap (again, trying to get some veggies) and it was really good. They put their wraps on what looked like a panini press so they were crisp and warm but not burned. The food was great but the service was terrible. Some people had things missing from their order, others had to wait a long time for their first drink. I could understand the 3.5 star review and would agree.

For the last dinner of the trip, the maid of honor wanted to do something fancy and special. Sambuca had good reviews online and seemed like a hip spot to eat. This was by far the best meal on the entire trip, hands down. I split the lobster enchiladas with poblano peppers. And yes, it was delicious as it sounds. I also got the gorgonzola salad which is arguably one of the best salads I've ever eaten. Everyone at our table was raving about their food and everyone had a great meal. They also had a selection of "skinny" cocktails which was a nice change. The waiter was also very attentive and some of the best service on the trip. A band came on partway through our meal, but they were a chill band that played soft music that wasn't boring. They were really good also so it added a little something.

A bunch of us in front of the patio at Sambuca

I know I don't talk about food really on this blog, but I wanted to talk about some of the great restaurants we visited while in New Orleans. My husband (Toph) is vegetarian and I gave up meat for lent so we had to find restaurants that had at least one vegetarian option. That can sometimes be challenging in the south, but we didn't have a tough time in NOLA. (I think this is mainly due to the large "crust punk" population.)

Acme is famous for their oysters. They also have an Arnold Palmer drink made with iced tea flavored vodka. (Do I need to mention the amazing ESPN commercial of Arnold Palmer making an Arnold Palmer?) Hello! This is going to be my new favorite summer drink, I can tell. While enjoying our beverage, our grilled oysters on the half shell arrived. Since they were grilled, they were much less threatening than raw oysters and a good way to get our feet wet. The seasonings were amazing and it was definitely worth the trip there. Our meal was kind of pricey but delicious and good for a one time stop.

Toph and I have been here before on our previous trips down to NOLA and the food was just as good as I remembered. I got the cheese calzone and Toph got the spinach and artichoke sandwich. He wished he had ordered mine instead. Sam and Kate also enjoyed their sandwich choices. However, the service was pretty bad. The waiter was attentive, but not happy about it. The wait staff seemed like they preferred to have no customers as opposed to some. Not sure if this is because we were obviously not hipsters or what. Either way it was disappointing since their food is so good!

We ventured to the French Market on Decatur street one day and stopped at one of the walk-up counters. The sign enticed with fresh fruit and real blenders. I absolutely had to order one. Think Jamba Juice with booze. They make the blended drinks right in front of you so you see exactly what goes into it. I ordered a mango margarita that was made with real mangoes. Yum!

This place was part of a local hotel and didn't have a ton of patrons. The reviews on Yelp were mixed but we decided to try it anyways. Since we had a diverse crowd in our group, their "build your own" menu was a nice way to find something for everyone. The portions were pretty big and I ate far too many sweet potato fries. They were the crispiest fries I've ever had, in a good non-burnt way.
This place is open late night on the weekends (not during the week--we made this mistake). They had some pretty good drink specials too ($2.50 Dos Equis on Thursdays) and the food is delicious. The menu offers things ala carte, or meals as well. It is kind of like a Taco Fresco (as opposed to a Chipotle). Toph and I both ordered the grilled vegetable taco salad and it was amazing. I'm a huge taco salad fan and this place met my expectations!

Another Yelp-approved place, Yo Mama's upstairs had a lounge feel with red only light. The bartender was also the waitress and took our orders. They had tons of different burger options including a veggie burger. We tried to swap out the veggie patty with some of the regular burger menu options but apparently it doesn't work that way. We were still able to order our veggie burgers but then they didn't come with sides. I got a mushroom burger and Toph got some sort of southwestern burger with avocado, jalapeños, and salsa. You could tell the veggie burgers were homemade and they tasted delicious--crisp from the grill with a great amount of flavor. Sam got the famous peanut butter bacon burger and thought it was strange yet delicious. Kate got a chicken sandwich with avocado and salsa and enjoyed hers as well. For our last night, this was a very satisfying meal and I would recommend this place to others.

I also feel the need to mention the delicious frozen Irish coffees available at 3 different places. At Erin Rose they're the strongest so that's why I'm singling them out. It is basically a Wendy's frosty, plus coffee, plus booze. Not too sweet, but pretty rich. They are super delicious and I just can't get enough while we're there! If you're ever in town and your dietary restrictions allow for you to have one, I highly, highly recommend it.

On our way home, we stumbled upon a McAlisters Deli and had an enjoyable meal. They had tons of vegetarian options clearly labeled on the menu, which was awesome. Have you been to one of these restaurants before? They don't have one within 90 miles of Chicago, but I think it would do well if they did!