Social Butterfly Chicago

Corepower Yoga

Workouts.  Staying in shape.  Wouldn't it be great if our bodies just did it for us, kept the right muscle tone, kept the correct weight for our size, and got rid of anything excess that we might take in?  Unfortunately, that will never happen unless science produces a synthetic gene that will do so.  One can dream, I guess.

I have to say, I don't really enjoy working out, and I will tell you that my opinion is, that anyone who says they really do, or that they "love it" is lying.  I may be wrong, but I don't think so.  Just kidding, as I'm sure there are people who love the torture.

But for those of us who don't "love" it, but still work out to stay fit and be healthy, there is yoga.  A practice that can still seem torturous, yet relaxing at the same time. I have done yoga for many years, mainly Ashtanga, or power yoga.  I used a tape and did it in the convenience of my own home.  

Back in January, I discovered Corepower Yoga, a chain that has studios all over the country, and they practice a lot of hot yoga in their classes.  Hot yoga is a little different than Bikram yoga, as in Bikram the room is always heated to 105 degrees, consists of 26 postures, and goes on for 90 minutes. 

Corepower Yoga Studios have several different types of hot yoga classes, and a couple that are not.  Almost all the classes run for 60 minutes.   I have to say my favorite is Corepower 1 or C1.  It is a Vinyasa flow in a warm, not hot, room (even thought you get incredibly hot and sweaty) that focuses on upper body strength, core, proper alignment and breathing.  It goes at a nice steady pace, really warms up the muscle tissue, and improves flexibility.   This is the class I take most often, because I actually like it, and I love the teacher, Elissa. All of the teachers at Corepower are good, as they have all been expertly trained in their practice.   But Elissa stands out because she always gives clear, concise instruction, her class flows; you aren't bored, and she has a soothing voice that guides you through every posture, and is never judgemental.  Plus, she's excellent at her yoga practice.  I love that!  However, she only teaches at the Oak Park/River Forest location, so you will have to venture out there to experience her classes.   I highly recommend her!
 

Hot Power Fusion is a class taught in a room that has been heated to 105 degrees, and entails 26 of the hot yoga postures with some Hatha yoga mixed in.  You will work your core, hips, and upper body. 

Core Restore is more of a relaxing class inspired by yin yoga.  It involves holding a series of postures for three to five minutes, to build strength all over and repair connective tissues.

Core Power 2 or C2 is for the more advanced yoga student, with a much quicker flow, and in a heated room.

Yoga Sculpt is a total body workout which uses body bars and dumbbells as you do your yoga poses.

Corepower 1.5 or C1.5 is an instructional class to demonstrate proper posture, alignment and safety for C1 and the more difficult poses of C2, and is done in a room heated to 90 degrees.

For me, the 60 minute classes will work just fine, as I might collapse if I had to practice for 90.  I get a total body workout, and the best part?  When you are done, they come by and lay cold lemon-lavender cloths on your head.  It's the perfect end to relax after the hard part is done.

Corepower Yoga studios have several locations in the Chicagoland area.  They are in Bucktown, the Gold Coast, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Roscoe Village, and the South Loop. 

Corepower Yoga

  They offer one week free to new members, and sometimes offer monthly specials.  A one month membership is $135, or they have  class packs you can get for a set price.  Students, seniors and yoga instructors can purchase at a discount.  See studio for details.

Check out the schedule at your desired location, and pick a class.  You won't be sorry, I promise.  Remember, I'm the girl who doesn't love to work out!

Crust

If I could get away with eating pizza every day, I would.  Unfortunately, or maybe luckily, I'm too vain and care about what my waistline looks like.  But I do love to indulge every so often, and when I do, I want it to be worth it.  Pizza, among junk food junkies and pure foodists alike, is the food of the gods.  I say this because you can top a pizza with just about anything, and it will be awesome.

Crust Wicker Park illustrates this perfectly by pairing the not so ordinary ingredients with light, organic crust to make even the harshest critic smile.   The combinations are unusual and loaded with flavor.  But they don't just do pizza well-they do everything well.

Dining out with a group of friends, we started with a featured drink called St. Germaine Summer Punch.  It was concocted with of course, St. Germaine, strawberry nectar, sauvignon blanc, fresh ginger, fresh lemon squeeze and soda water.  Cool, fruity and light, it was the perfect cocktail for a warm summer evening.  Crust also has a good size beer list, and almost all the wines and liquors that they offer are produced using sustainable, organic, or bio-dynamic methods. 

For starters, we ordered the Chips and Mango Salsa, along with the Deconstructed Tapenade.  The salsa was sweet and had a little kick, and the tapenade was unique with carmelized onions and goat cheese in the mix.  Great beginning.

On to the pizza!  It was tough deciding, but we ended on getting two pizzas and a calzone, which we thought was a type of pizza, but actually is a calzone.  The Flamkuchen Pizza, with bechamel (white sauce), applewood smoked bacon (bacon makes everything better), carmelized onions, caraway seeds and parmigiano reggiano seems like an odd group, but it all worked wonderfully well together.  The Mexicali Blues had pico de gallo, shrimp, provolone, mozzarella, cilantro and lime, tasted like ceviche on flat bread-and all the flavors were distinguishable on their own, as well as blended.  Amazing, to say the least.  And the calzone was very good, although I'm not a huge fan of them, instead of being heavy and doughy, this one was light, a little crispy, and the fresh spinach and sausage were perfectly proportioned inside.  It was a great meal for foodies like us. 

We sat on the outside patio, which has trees and fairly lights hooked up to the tent that covers the area, making it festive and lovely.

The only thing that put a damper on the meal was our poor service.  I have been to Crust in the past, and it was nothing but the best.  So I hope that it was just an off night.  All in all, I have to say I will be back to try more of their one-of-a-kind, mouthwatering pizzas.  
                                                                                                                        

                                       
Crust

2056 W. Division
Chicago, IL 60622
773-235-5511

Sun - Thurs: 11:30am - 10pm
Fri - Sat: 11:30am - midnight

 Unfortunately, Crust has closed its doors.  No more wonderful pizza creations. 

Menemy Syndrome

Dating. Relationships.  Dating relationships.  I thought it might be about time I address the subject, since social butterflies probably date.

Let me assure you, I'm not an expert by any means on men, dating, or relationships.  I just want to share what I've learned recently, and what I've observed from others, and from the skewed dating culture we find ourselves in today.

Why the title you ask?  Because I've found that today, for the most part, women do see men as the enemy.  When we have had a not so positive experience with a man, we talk with our girlfriends about what a jerk he is. We watch 'Sex and the City', and watch Carrie and our other favorite girls do the same thing.  It is almost as much a part of our culture as baseball to call them assholes, and ask how could they do such things to us?  We act as if their main goal in life is to hurt some poor unsuspecting woman.  I have been guilty of such conversations in the past.  But does it get us anywhere?  Does it help us move on?  Does it make us feel better that we "really liked" that asshole?  If he were truly that, do you think you would have really liked him in the first place?  No, no, no, and probably not.  Don't get me wrong, there are men that are real assholes.  But you know what?  There are women out there who are big assholes as well.

Saying all this is going to be quite controversial, I imagine.  But I have never really cared about being controversial-just ask some of my friends about my political opinions. 

A few weeks ago, I had kind of an "Ah-ha" moment.  (Thanks, Oprah)  I was lamenting about the fact that for the second time in a row, a man I really liked and was dating, decided to fall of the face of the earth.  Confused, because I think I'm fairly cute, funny, fun to hang with, and a good kisser.  Well, as far as I know, I've never had any complaints!  I began to think about it, and thought possibly, it wasn't all their fault.  Your eyes are probably as wide as golf balls right now, but please stay with me.   I had a talk with my sister, and one of my very good friends, Nat, and also read a book by a well- known dating coach.  My ah-ha came when I recalled what my sister had asked me as I was reading the book.  She asked me if he even knew that I was interested in him.  At the time, I was like "Of course, how could he not?" She basically said "you really don't let anyone too close."  And so did my friend.  The book also conveyed that if men don't feel good around you, i.e. don't think you are interested in them, you don't show appreciation to them, don't make them feel sexy, that they aren't going to stick around.  I think as women, we believe that all we have to do is show up, and they will fall head over heels just because we are pretty, and funny, and a good kisser, or even good in bed.  But all those things don't matter in the end, because if he's not feeling anything from you, he's not going to feel anything for you.

So I took a hard look, and went back through emails we had sent, thought about some of my actions, and realized that I hadn't done any of those things.  I was keeping myself so guarded, to keep myself from getting hurt, because I was, even maybe subconsciously, viewing him as the "enemy".  But you know what?  It didn't keep me from getting hurt at all, because he just disappeared from my life.  And why wouldn't he?  He would call me quite often, even just to say hi, and I rarely called him.  He would say really sweet things or call me nicknames in emails, and I wouldn't even acknowledge it.  I never told him how I thought our second date was amazing, and that he was amazing.  I was too worried he would think I was getting to attached or that I liked him too much and he would run.

Well, he ran anyway, and found someone who did tell him all those things, and made him feel that she was into him. And now she's his girlfriend.  True story.  I did email him about why he just dropped off, and he told me that he met someone.

I could just sit back and blame him for it all.  But I can't do that.  Because the only thing he did wrong is not tell me.   It is a hard and painful lesson that I learned, but I know I will be better for it.

I think as women, that sometimes we need to look to ourselves and ask, "what could I do better?".  Because blaming men all the time for almost everything that goes wrong with dating or a relationship really serves no purpose.  Do they do things wrong? Of course.  But so do we.

Let's start a revolution.  Let's stop Menemy Syndrome.  Yes, you might still get hurt.  But you might end up with something great, too.

 

Rockit

Hype.  Sometimes we fall for the "hype", and then that is all that a restaurant/bar has to offer.  Then they don't last.  However, there is that rare occurrence when an establishment can live up to the hype.  Rockit is that place.  It is one of my favorite places in the city, I have been there often over the years. It is the concept of Rockit Ranch partners Billy Dec, Arturo Gomez and Brad Young.

The name itself sounds like it would just be a place for beers, burgers, and babes, with loud annoying music, but that scenario couldn't be farther from the truth.  The atmosphere is elegantly masculine, even though that sounds like an oxymoron.  Designed by Nate Berkus (of Oprah Winfrey fame), wood, wrought iron and leather abound.  The chandeliers are made from antlers, and actual dried tree trunks for cocktail tables.  It has dim lighting, but not so dim you can't read the menu.  The upstairs is roomy and plush, yet not at all clubby.  It boasts pool tables on one half, and booths and a long narrow bar on the other half.  It has several flat screen TVs, great for watching games and having a few beers.  And of course, they only play rock music.  It's a great room to hold an event, and they host many.

How does Rockit live up to the hype?  With their food and drink.  I have been to many great restaurants in Chicago, but Rockit never, ever disappoints.  The Bomb Pop cocktail is one of my all time faves, it is reminiscent of those childhood Bomb Pop popsicles you would get from the ice cream man, but it is definitely for adults only.  The Rockit Punch is also pretty tasty.  While they don't have a huge beer selection, they do offer a decent variety.

Billy Dec's Sweet Potato Fries are the best I have ever had!  The key is the brown sugar they are tossed in after frying, and the chipotle mayo to dip them in.  I don't think I've ever gone there and not had them.  The Rockcorn Shrimp is also a wonderful appetizer to try, the chili dipping sauce gives them a kick.

The Black Angus Burger is served on a pretzel roll, and is excellent.  Rockit changes their macaroni and cheese dishes seasonaly, and right now they are offering Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese.  In a word, decadent and firey.  Lobster Ravioli is also a great choice, the ravioli are lightly fried, and you can definitely taste the fresh lobster.  If you are looking for a salad here, the Southwestern Chopped is one of my absolute favorites, you can't go wrong with it.

My love affair with Rockit will not end here.  It's one of the longest relationships I've ever had, and I intend to keep it going for many more years!

Rockit Bar and Grill

22 W Hubbard

Chicago, IL 60654

312-645-6000

Hours:  Sun-Thurs 11:30am to 12:30am

     Thurs-Fri 11:30 to 1:30am

Saturday 11:30 to 2:30

There is also another Rockit location at 3700 N Clark, Wrigleyville, Chicago, IL 60613

Wicker Park/Bucktown Farmers' Market

How I love Farmer's Market season!  Fresh flowers, fresh produce, meats and cheeses, just a foodie's dream.  I discovered a new one last Sunday.  The Wicker Park/Bucktown Farmer's Market, located at 1500 N Damen, in, where else?  The actual Wicker Park.  I have driven down Damen many a time (mostly at night), and had never even realized there was a park there!                

Although a much smaller Farmer's market than I'm used to, the Wicker Park market has everything you could need.  Fish, cheese, a crepe stand, where they are made to order-you could have breakfast in the park!  Also lots of beautiful fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers, and potted herbs and plants for your home garden.  I bought some super fragrant cilantro, a wonderful pepper jelly, and a raw milk cheddar, so mild and delish.  I also bought summer butter, which is butter produced from cows that are only grass fed.  The vendor said that it makes the butter slightly sweeter.  Hands down, it is the best butter I have ever tasted!  

Without the farmer's market, the park itself is just stunning.  It has a gorgeous fountain, surrounded by concrete and has benches all around, perfect for reading or people watching on a sunny day. The rest of the park is covered with grass and large majestic trees.  There is also a sports field, and a softball game was going on.

I will definitely be heading back as often as I can to this little market. 

It takes place every Sunday from 8am to 2pm, and will continue until October 30.  It is located in the Wicker Park, 1500 N Damen, just south of the North/Damen/Milwaukee intersection.

 

Dee's Place

Soul Food.  The very name of it sounds so warm and inviting.  Enter Dee's Place in Wicker Park.  Possibly not the neighborhood you would think to find a true soul food restaurant, but I can tell you it is!  The space is small and cozy, has a stage for live jazz and blues on weekend nights, and the food will definitely warm and comfort your soul.    The walls are adorned with photos from the old south, and music posters from the 50's and 60's.

Owner Kareem Abdullah named the restaurant for his mother, Doris, and his fiance, Denise.  Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, red beans and rice, southern greens, jalapeno cornbread and catfish are menu favorites.

Upon my visit to Dee's Place, which happens to also be BYOB, we sat down, poured our wine, and proceeded to order an appetizer of Catfish Nuggets.  They were piping hot, and perfectly breaded with cornmeal and fried just right.  Add a little hot sauce, and "Ooo weee!"

For our main dish, the Fried Chicken was a no-brainer.  It was made to order, the skin was superbly crsip and seasoned.  So incredibly tasty! The Macaroni and Cheese was not mushy or flavorless, which I find with a lot of mac and cheese dishes served at restaurants.  Just cheesy enough, and they didn't overdo the breadcrumbs.  Red Beans and Rice was another pleasant surprise, as the red beans were large, plump and plentiful.  It wasn't just rice with a few red beans.  Loved it.  Moving on to the Jalapeno Cornbread, it was the only thing I didn't love.  I liked it, the bread had good flavor, but was a little on the dry side-you definitely need to slather it with butter.  Last but not least, Dee's coleslaw was excellent-not too much vinegar, and not too much mayonnaise, so you were able to really enjoy the flavor of the slaw which had raisins mixed in, and they complimented each other nicely.

For dessert, Peach Cobbler!  Not your average super sugary dessert, it had just enough sweetness to bring out the essence of the peaches, and topped with a light softened crust, and real whipped cream.

While we were enjoying all of that, we got to listen to the sounds of Lil' Daddy, and they happened to be auditioning a female singer, Natalia, who had an unbelievable voice.  Even though we were right next to the small stage, we could still hear ourselves talk. 

 There is no better time than the cold of winter to enjoy some good, hearty comfort food, and listen to the sounds of bluesy jazz to make you feel warm and full of soul!

Dee's Place

2114 W Division

Chicago, IL 6062

                             312-348-6117                              

Hours:  Monday through Thursday   11:00am - 11:00pm

                    Friday and Saturday    11:00am - 12:00am

                                     Sunday       11:00am - 8:00pm

Tuesdays - Poetry Night                       6:00pm - 9:30pm

Thursday through Sunday

      Lil' Daddy                                     7:30pm - 11:00pm

http://www.deesplacechicago.com

 

It's a shame, but Dee's Place is no longer in business

                                                                                                                        

Treat

                                     
Are you a picky eater?  Even though I love going out and trying new things, I haven't always been that adventurous in trying exotic foods of different countries.  As I have become more of a social butterfly, I have also broadened my taste buds.  I never thought I would care for Indian food, but Treat changed my mind!  It is just as the name says, a treat.

Now mind you that Treat is more Indian-American fusion, but we picky eaters need to start somewhere!  While the atmosphere is not much to see, the starters such as Samosas, a flaky pastry containing potatoes and peas with a mint-tamarind chutney, or Daisy's Fried Calamari, and the Scallops, with yogurt and leeks, are all wonderful, flavorful choices.  The scallops are a fave!

For your main dish, The Curried Gnocchi would be a fine choice.  It has just the right balance of spicy and sweetness, and while you can taste the curry, it isn't overwhelming.  The scallops previously mentioned are also available as an entree, and they are beautiful and buttery smooth.  I've also tried two of the sandwiches they offer.  The first I tried was the Lamb Burger, perfectly cooked, loads of flavor, and was more elegant than your average burger.  Secondly, I tried the Beer Battered Cod Sandwhich, also made to perfection.  Crisp, tasty and no hint of fishiness whatsoever.  Mmm!

The only place I felt that Treat fell short was in the dessert category.  The Apple Tart with Black Pepper Ice Cream was a little disappointing.  The apples weren't juicy, it seemed as if they were overdone.  The ice cream however was amazing.  Also the Curry Chocolate Ganache also left a little to be desired, as the cake portion was very dry.

So stick to the appetizers and main dishes here at Treat, and you will be in for one!  Treat is located in Logan Square, right where it borders with Humboldt Park.

Treat also serves Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and is BYOB!

 

Treat

1616 N Kedzie

Chicago, IL 60647

773-772-1201

Hours:  Monday through Thursday     5pm to 9pm

                                     Friday         5pm to 10pm

                                     Saturday      9am to 10pm

                                      Sunday        9am to 9pm  (Brunch from (9am to 2pm)

Look for it, or you might miss it!

Sunda

                  
Do you like great Asian food?  Do you like sushi?  Do you like sake? Do you like beautiful scenery?  Do you like celebrity spotting?  Even if you only answer yes to one of these questions, you must try Sunda, another smashingly successful restaurant by the boys at Rockit Ranch Productions.                                                    

Sunda is named for the Sunda Shelf region in Asia.  You walk in to a breathtaking atmosphere, with beautiful modern, Asian with a touch of American accents.  The restaurant itself is like a piece of artwork. 

Then, you will sit down to have a cocktail, either at your table, or at the stunning bar of dark wood with open space.  They have an impressive list of sake, and Asian beers, plus an amazing roster of specialty cocktails that change seasonally.  Try the Rising Sun, which is reminiscent of summer, or the Chocolate Sensation, similar to a chocolate martini, but with a kick!

So lets get to the best part, the food!  I promise, no matter what you get, you will not be disappointed.  Some beginnings to the meal could be:  The Lemongrass Beef Lollipops, an ample piece of meat adorns each pop and are rich and flavorful.  Toast and Jam, which is really crispy rice topped with spicy tuna, tastes quite delicious as well, and the Rock Shrimp Tempura I could eat everyday-it is light, crisp, has a slight taste of honey, and the shrimp are plump and flavorful. 

I must admit, of the many times I have been to Sunda, I have only tried an entree once.  It was the Chilean Sea Bass, which was melt in your mouth amazing!  But I am a sushi lover, so that's what I usually have, and some of the best and most creative rolls are The Firecracker, and is exactly what you'd expect with that name, The Summer of Sunda, super fresh tasting, and the Baked Snow Crab Hand Roll is just my idea of bliss!

I've only had room for dessert here twice, but I can tell you they were just as good as the meal.  Desserts rotate on the menu, so you might have the opportunity to try something different than what I did.

And lastly, Sunda is rated the #1 celebrity hot spot when in Chicago!  I could care less about that fact, and it might even deter you from checking it out, but don't.  Sunda definitely lives up to all the hype, and the experience is so fabulous you won't even notice Vince Vaughn dining at the next table.  Well, maybe.

 

Sunda

110 W Illinois

Chicago, IL 60654

312-654-0500

http://sundachicago.com

Lunch hours:  Monday through Friday               11:30am to 3pm

Dinner hours: Sunday through Wednesday               5pm to 11pm

                      Thursday through Saturday               5pm to 12am

 

 

 

 

 

Beauty Bar

                                 
What do you get when you take some vintage beauty salon hairdryers, glittery pastel paint, manicurists, and yummy martinis?  It's called Beauty Bar!  A kitschy, fun place where you can have drinks and get a manicure with friends, all while checking out the boys and doing a little dancing in between.

Formerly the space of the Empty Bottle, Beauty Bar debuted last March in Chicago.   Their claim to fame is their $10 Martini and a Manicure deal.  You can choose one of the delish martinis named after hair treatments and hair styles from the sixties, such as The Perm, Platinum Blonde, and Pamadour.  I've had the first and the latter, and they were both yummy!  Sip on those while you get a quick manicure, with fun and unusual polish colors.  While you won't experience a manicure such as you would get in a salon, it is still relaxing and your nails will look better than when you got there!

After the nails dry, you can get your dance on in the dancing room, which is hot pink.  What else would you expect from a place called Beauty Bar?

Check out this very cool cats and mod babes hangout! 

Beauty Bar

1444 W Chicago Avenue

Chicago, IL 60642

312-226-8828

                              Hours:  Sunday through Friday  5pm-2am

                                                    Saturday  5pm-3am                               

 

More

  I have never been a fan of cake.  Or cupcakes.  It's usually always the same dry, yellow or chocolate cake, with way too sweet butter-cream frosting.   That is, until I tried a More cupcake.  It's like heaven in a box!  Owner Patty Rothman wanted to create a world where a cupcake is so much more than a treat at a child's' birthday party.  She wanted them to be an almost life altering experience, and in my opinion she has succeeded.  One bite into the Salted Caramel and it's over!  It's the exact right combination of sweet and salty-the light caramel flavored butter-cream frosting that is never too sweet, and the salty caramel filling in the middle.  The signature "More" cupcake is super moist chocolate with rich chocolate frosting and a creamy marshmallow center.  It's kind of an upscale "Ho-Ho" if you will, but without the dry cake and sickly sweet middle.  The Key Lime Pie cupcake is unbelievable!  It has a tangy key lime filling and graham cracker crust bottom.  Definitely a favorite.  And I just tried the Strawberry Cheesecake cupcake, and it ranks a very close second.  It is topped with marscapone cheese frosting and a light strawberry gel, and has a graham cracker crust also. 

Besides sweet treats, they also make savory cupcakes, too.  There are Fig, Port and Blue Cheese, Caramelized Onion, and  a Bacon, Maple and Brown Sugar, which is quite amazing.  It has a piece of Bacon Maple candy on top of the maple butter-cream frosting, and it's delicious!

These cupcakes need to be tasted to be believed!

You can buy cupcakes individually for $3.50/sweet or $3.95/savory, or in flights of six miniatures for $9.50.  They have seasonal specials where they create new flavors.  Just a few of the summer cupcakes are Pina Colada, Sake Cucumber Lime, and Vanilla Chocolate Cream Cheese.  Can't wait to give those a try!  

more

forever more cupcakes

one east delaware place

chicago, IL 60611

312-951-0001

Hours: M - F 8am to 8pm

           Sat - 9am to 8pm

            Sun - 10am to 6pm