Love | Lucy

I've been kind of a lucky duck with all the time I've been spending downtown lately! Over the weekend my parents, Rhyno, and I went to Chicago to see I Love Lucy Live. If you know me you know Lucille Ball is my everything. Since I was a toddler I Love Lucy has been my comfort object. I was beyond excited to see this live show.

Champagne cocktails called Spanish Roses (I am vain and will order anything with Rose in the name)...also ignore my busted gray nails. I do my manicures on Sunday night and by Saturday they are a bit raggedy.

Before the show we went to the Grand Lux Cafe to grab a bite (or based on their giant portions MANY bites) to eat. I had never been and had heard rave reviews from almost everyone I've ever met. The food didn't disappoint, our server was a dreamboat, and we had the absolute best view of Michigan Avenue from our booth.

We split a salad (seriously HUGE portions) and bread...except for Rhyno who plowed through a giant plate of caramel chicken in about ten seconds. Why so light on lunch? Because I hear the REAL reason you go to Grand Lux is for the amazing desserts.

Fresh beignets with three sauces--chocolate, Jack Daniels, and strawberry.

Blueberry crumble with vanilla bean ice cream.

Honestly. SO GOOD. We left stuffed and happy to have a bit of a walk to the theater to exercise a few calories off.

The view inside the theater before I was yelled at by the staff for taking photos.

The premise of the show is pretty neat. It is set at the Desilu playhouse and you are watching them film two real I Love Lucy episodes. As someone who knows they were born in the wrong decade and a total TV addict (no shame here) this was such a cool experience. It was like being a real audience member in the golden ages of television. So many funny moments and the costumes were a dream. My only negative take-away? Um, well....the actress playing Lucy was terrible (admittedly I'm a harsh critic). Lucille Ball was charming and pretty and funny without being cartoonish. This actress was a bit of a hambone and overacting is an understatment. The Ricky, Fred, and Ethel more than made up for it. The intimate theater and delicious costumes helped too.

Oh Lucy, I love you. 

Gender | Reveal

One of the very best parts of co-owning Bite. Cupcakes (aside from testing new flavors and being constantly covered in sugar) is getting to be a part of some really special events in people's lives. We've supplied 'cakes for a 90th birthday party, showers, holiday, and--one of the most special--a baby gender reveal.

 

My coworker and her husband, the always lovely and hilarious Mary and Joe, are expecting a little bundle in January 2013 and asked us to create some special cupcakes to reveal Baby Adduci's gender to each of their coworkers. This was EXTRA special since I work with Mary and was also being surprised by the colored cupcake center (thanks to my cupcake partner in crime Katie for making the cream filling and keeping it a top secret while I baked the cakes, mixed frosting, and rolled fondant question marks!).

 

 

The order:

Red velvet with cream cheese frosting and filled with a secret

Poundcake with chocolate buttercream frosting, also filled with a secret

 

So...are you wondering what color was waiting for us in the middle of the 'cake?

 

Sorry for the somewhat shotty photo quality, this was taken with my phone.

 

It's a boy!

 

A million congrats to Mary and Joe! I can't wait to meet little Max in January!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



City | Heart

View of the skyline from the Shedd Aquarium.

 

Ah, Chicago.

 

Last Friday I got to attend an after-hours fundraiser at the Shedd Aquarium with one of my best/oldest friends, Cara. It was the first time I'd been to a place like this after closing and, to be honest, I love to people-watch while rich folks are getting hammered. It was so much fun and I loved escaping to the big city for an evening. Even though we live far, far away from the city now I've always loved it. I grew up just a short train commute away and always thought I'd wind up in a penthouse off of Michigan Avenue (totally realistic, right?). When we decided to move to the far out suburbs it was a tiny bit hard for me to pack up those city-living dreams and put them away for good.

 

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade our house and living fence and quiet neighborhood for anything but there's still that piece of me that sometimes longs for time spent in Chicago. Everytime I go to the city I get this buzzy, anything-can-happen type of feeling. Maybe it's the bright lights, maybe it's all the people, or maybe it's a contact high from the chemicals floating around in Lake Michigan. Who really knows?

 

What about you? Are you a city-lover or a country bumpkin?

 

P.S. Happy Election Day, you sexy beasts! I hope you voted like the smarty-pants I know you are.