Sunday, November 8, 2009

Restaurant of the Week

Hot Chocolate

Location:  1747 N. Damen Ave

The second restaurant on our list is Hot Chocolate. Its simple design and extended menu makes it perfect for lunch, dinner or brunch. Whatever you are looking for, Hot Chocolate will top your expectations. This urban cafĂ© is great for a date or catching up with friends. You are able to have a good conversation as the music is at a perfect volume. The crowd is mostly young people in there 20's and late 30's.

When walking in the restaurant we felt like we were walking into a lounge. You have the option of sitting at the bar and ordering as you wish, you could also sit in small booths, or choose window seating. We were seated and served promptly. The menu changes significantly between lunch and dinner, so we would recommend that you check the menu online first before deciding when to go there.

We ordered:
Charred baby octopus
House ground Heartland beef
Organic bacon Hamburger
Roasted Gunthorp Farms chicken
Roasted rack of lamb

Desserts: A tasting of all our petite cookies

The truth of the matter is, the cuisine is what makes Hot Chocolate one of our favourite restaurants. We recommend that you save room for desserts, as they are the speciality of the restaurant. Hope you enjoy our pick.

Accessibility: 3
Price: 3
Quality &Taste: 5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 4
*Ratings are between 1 and 5. 5 being excellent and 1 being poor*    

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Recipe of the week

* a sideshow of the process can be found at the bottom of the page*
White wine shrimp and Pasta
10 ounces of angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
20 - 25 Jumbo shrimp
1 1/2 cup of white wine
1/2 cup of green or red bell pepper
parsley
Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes or until al dente; drain

2. heat oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Saute garlic and add mushrooms and pepper in oil until tender.
Remove mushrooms, peppers and shrimp from pan, and set aside.

3. Add wine in the pan and simmer until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Add shrimp, peppers and mushrooms to sauce, and heat through. Adjust seasoning to taste.

4. Toss hot, cooked pasta with shrimp and other ingredients. Add Parmesan cheese and pepper to garnish.

Enjoy!

Fall Trends

Fall trends: Layers & Hats



Sadly, the best of our bright and sunny days are behind us, we need to put down the SPF 50 lotion and pick up our umbrella's and coats. Time to stock up on your rain boots, scarf's, hats, tights, belts and just about everything you possibly can for this fall season.



Fall is our favourite time of year and this year its all about keeping warm while still looking fabulous. How do we achieve this? Layers, layers layers! If you think layers can make you look out of shape and make you feel uncomfortable . . .think again. ChiSoNe put together a look that everyone could use day or night time.



Day







Night

for night time just add hoop earrings and a belt







Bad hair day? No worries. We have got just the thing you need to make your hairs blues disappear . Hats are worn during every season in Chicago and we have picked out a few of our favourite styles for you all.





Whats up with that?

What's up with the space hotel?!



Okay millionaires listen up!

Have you always wanted to go into space but wondered where you might stay if you did? Fear not because Galatic Suite is here :)



We (mainly Russia and the USA) have been launching objects in to space on and off for about 50 years. At first we sent specialized machinery such as artificial satellites and space ships then the U.S.S.R (now known as Russia) launched a dog into space in 1957. Soon after that astronauts and now, whoever can afford it.



"Galactic Suite" will be the first ever hotel in space due to open in 2012.



We at ChiSoNe are not fans of this project because even if we did have the money ($4,000,000 for a three night stay) it seems like quite a lot of money to spend just to see the sun rise 15 times a day, wear Velcro suits and go to the bathroom in a zero gravity atmosphere, not to mention eight weeks of intense training. Sounds like less of a vacation and more of a pricey astronaut job.

It is estimated that only 40, 000 people in the world will be able to afford this uncomfortable pricey vacation.



What happened to the good ol' days when all people wanted was to go visit an exotic beach or see the seven wonders of the world? Could space travel be the next big thing for the generations to follow?

On the other hand, It would probably a most exhilarating experience. Can we wrap our minds around the immensity of space? Imagine looking around and seeing stars brighter than you have ever seen them but an infinite space darker than the darkest night on earth.



So Spain wins the race for the first space hotel and the USA is making plans to colonize Mars. Yes that's right Mars!



Is the earth not big enough? Do we not have enough of our own natural wonders to keep people satisfied? Let us not forget that there is an anonymous investor spending $3billion on this project. One of the projects biggest criticisms is the cost of the project, just in case you forgot... its 3 BILLION DOLLARS! No wonder the investor wants to remain anonymous.



Question(s) of the day: Do you think that this money could be put to better use? Would you stay in this Galatic Suite if you had the opportunity?