Bistro Chic

What a jam-packed morning! I’ve already run 4 miles, went to yoga, and the grocery store – all before 10:30 AM! I love being on vacation!

Now, onto my post for the day. As many of you know, it has now been two weeks since my husband and I put ourselves on a restaurant diet – opting to not spend any money on dining out. But yesterday – on the first day of my staycation, we decided to use a gift card and treat ourselves to lunch. 

Let me tell you, we were so excited about going out to eat and really excited that we could do it without going off of our restaurant diet. We contemplated several outings and several different choices of restaurants. We decided to head to the Lincoln Park Zoo in downtown Chicago for a touristy vacation activity. But, before the zoo, was the main event (at least in our minds it was) – going out to lunch!  

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

When deciding on where we would lunch near the zoo, we contemplated between Mon Ami Gabi – a very nice French restaurant, or RJ Grunts, a Chicago icon known for its sandwiches and salad bar. We’ve been to both restaurants several times before and have had great experiences at both. We decided on RJ Grunts (I was so looking forward to their yummy french fries), the original Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant – as the sign says on the door.

Boy, did we make the wrong choice. The restaurant was so incredibly crowded on a Monday during lunch that we waited for 30 minutes for a table in a high traffic area. Next, it took us another 10 minutes for a server to even acknowledge us. And, come to find out when I finally ordered my sandwich, the server told me they no longer serve french fries but homemade chips! At this point, my husband and I were very disappointed and I even contemplated leaving. But, we stuck it out in hopes that the food would make up for our initial experience. 

My husband and I decided to split a “Mr Chicken” sandwich – similar to a beef sandwich with au jus sauce, but with chicken, peppers, and cheese. My husband also ordered a big bowl of chili to subsidize our split. When our sandwich arrived, the staff had pre-split our meal which I thought was a nice gesture.

The meal, including the homemade chips, looked tempting, although after one bite I concluded that the sandwich was really nothing special – another disappointment. Much to our delight, the chips were quite good, some crunchy, some soft like french fries, although you wouldn’t find me dipping then in ketchup anytime soon. 

The highlight of the meal was actually the dessert, one of RJ’s famous chocolate malts and that my friend was worth every penny of $4.50 we deducted from the gift card.

Overall, our first dining out experience after a two week restaurant hiatus was a little lackluster – leaving us feeling very unsatisfied and a bit hungry. It could have been the food, it could have been the atmosphere, or it could simply be that we are becoming even bigger food snobs. Or maybe, just maybe, our restaurant diet is helping us see that dining out isn’t all it’s made out to be. 

Check please!

Good morning friends! It is a gorgeous morning today – so much cooler than it has been for the last week which makes for great running.

I am on vacation this week – woo hoo! But, contrary to what many of you might guess, I’m not headed to Paris or even sunny Florida, I’m staying put. Yes, this will be my first-ever, true Staycation!

A few months ago, when I was deciding what to do for my summer holiday, I came across a story about how the British have embraced the concept of staycations. A recent poll in Britain showed that 60 percent of Britons, or 37 million people, are planning to stay home for vacation this year. That’s double the amount of staycationers as last year.

Taking staycation simply means opting to stay in your own country or even your own home, rather than venturing abroad or out-of-town.  Although it’s not as exotic as I like, a staycation was much more friendly on my budget this year than my typical vacations. I’ve also been traveling quite a bit this year for work, so the urge to travel really hasn’t been that strong lately. At one point, I was actually adverse to traveling – or at least getting on a plane – gasp! I’m even a little glad that I won’t have to worry about paying luggage fees, sitting in the airport for hours because of delays, or waiting in long lines anywhere. Although I will miss the palm trees.

MY STAYCATION HEAVEN

When contemplating what to do on my staycation, I decided to jot down all of the things I like doing on real vacations:

• Relaxing by the pool or at the beach 
• Listening to live beach-type music (a la Jimmy Buffet)
• Exploring historical or cultural sites
• Going out to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (ie. eating vacation food)
• Perusing eclectic shops
• Walking around outside at night
• Getting a massage or having my nails done
• Wearing vacation clothes – like sundresses, etc.
• Taking a drive or walk by the water
• Enjoying many frozen drinks with little umbrellas
• Getting up late and taking a nap whenever I want to

Unless I’m traveling to Europe, my vacations usually center around sun, fun, and relaxation. So, nearly all of my vacations have included the activities mentioned above. Although I will have company in town for part of the week, my goal is to try to do a few of these activities in my area or right at home.

10 GREAT STAYCATION IDEAS

Staycation idea: Pack a picnic and head to the zoo or botanical garden.

If you’re planning on taking a staycation this year, here are a few ideas on how to have a real vacation without venturing too far from home:

1. Explore your city or a nearby city as a tourist
2. Get a spa treatment – or indulge in a whole spa day!
3. Attend a local ethnic festival
4. Have a picnic at a local botanical garden or zoo
5. Stay out late and sleep late
6. Invite friends over for a fancy cocktail party under the stars
7. Attend an outdoor concert or listen to live music
8. See an off-broadway play or Shakespeare in the Park
9. Enjoy dinner at a restaurant similar to one you would have eaten at if you were on vacation – ie. Missed out on Paris? Go to a French restaurant? Couldn’t afford Aruba? Try a Caribbean or beach-themed restaurant.
10. Read a book (that you’ve been wanting to read for months but just didn’t have the time) from start to finish.

Happy Staycation Everyone!

A Garden is the Best Alternative Therapy — Germaine Greer

My husband and I have several very large gardens on our property – inherited from the previous owner who just happened to have a very green thumb. So, at some point every summer, I get the urge to garden – and that time is now.

Although I am far from having even a light green thumb, I do appreciate a well-kept garden. I especially love and admire the large fancy gardens and love to explore them whenever I have the opportunity. For instance, whenever I’m in England, I make it a point to view the large gardens at Hampton Court and the smaller gardens around the city and in the country. They are gorgeous!

THE ICONIC ENGLISH GARDEN

An English garden...

The English are amazing gardeners and they have amazing gardens! Gardening is even considered by many to be the nation’s most common pastime. From topiaries to fountains to hedge mazes and the legendary garden gnome, so much thought and care seem to go into the English garden. In the country, especially on the large estates, gardens are destinations for tourists and locals alike. I just don’t know how they do it and especially how they find the time to do it. 

WHAT’S IN A TRUE ENGLISH GARDEN?

Topiary - a necessity for a true English garden

But what is the quintessential English Garden? According to ICONS: A Portrait of England, the English garden has been influenced by many other cultures so it is a mix of international, historic, cultural, social, and individual influences. 

Whether a pretty cottage garden resplendent with rose bushes, honey suckle, sweet pea and primroses, or a grand country sprawl refined with its perfectly manicured lawn, the English garden in all its many forms has been an iconic part of English culture for centuries and continues to move with the times, growing and transforming yet all the while remaining one of England’s most coveted and celebrated icons. – ICONS: A Portrait of England

For those outside of the gardening world, the English may be considered borderline obsessive about gardening. I see it as taking great pride in your personal piece of Mother Nature, no matter how big or small that piece might be. 

GARDEN DREAMS

So here I am, thinking how my garden no where near resembles a true English garden. Yet, I have always wanted an English garden – from the time I was a little girl and saw the film The Secret Garden. I wanted the big, beautifully shaped hedges, the dramatically colorful flowers, an unusual topiary, and of course, a garden gnome.  

Let me clarify something  - I don’t absolutely love to garden but I want my garden to look like I love gardening. However, gardening has become almost a necessity when you have so many to keep up with and can’t afford to have someone else do it for you. Just yesterday I walked around the whole property for the first time since the big thaw and nearly had an anxiety attack seeing how the weeds had overtaken my flowers and how my overgrown hedges had very little of their intended shape.

GETTING DIRTY

My not-so-English garden...

This morning, I was up at 5:30 AM (just a habit) and out the door – rake, bucket, and gardening tools in hand. I weeded – yes weeded – for an hour and a half – until it was time for yoga. And let me tell you, after fighting with tough weeds for that long, I really needed to relax and center myself.

I went back into the garden this afternoon to tackle more weeds and other trimming issues, but finally admitted to myself that if Rome was not built in a day then Jennifer’s garden was not going to magically transform into an English garden in a day. 

But, nonetheless, I will keep pulling away at the weeds and hacking away at my hedges until they resemble my idea of a peaceful and inspiring setting. 

Then again, maybe I’ll just get the garden gnome and call it a day.