Friday
I want to thank everyone that came out on Friday for the happy hour at
Devon Seafood Grill. Fellow bloggers
Awesomely Luvvie,
The Fab Giver,
Caramel Kisses,
The Sassy Peach and
Sexy and the Chi as well as a few of my non-blogging friends were able to make the night wonderful. I was extremely impressed with Devon Seafood Grill. Their happy hour selection is nice, the prices were affordable, and the food was delicious. The entire upstairs of the restaurant is designated as the bar and there was plenty of seating, which was one of my main concerns.
After we finished our happy hour most of us went our separate ways, but a few of us social butterflies continued things at
Sofitel (after a quick trip to water tower). I love the bar at Sofitel. It has a somewhat sultry feel, complete with numerous drinks to wet your palate. After indulging in their Backyard Blackberry Margarita (it has a light, summery feel with a healthy kick) to my delight some guy from South Carolina decided it was his duty to buy rounds of drinks for my friends. 2 rounds of Patron shots later and we all had smiles on our faces. He really was a sweet guy - - kind of a typical white guy, minimal game, making out at the bar with some chick in between buying our drinks, and insisting that he loved my friend's hair and that we all give him a hug. lol...
Next we went to
McCormick & Schmick's across the street for their happy hour. Unfortunately we were a few minutes late and the kitchen had already closed so we partook in some more drinks. The bartenders were funny and the restaurant was nearly empty so we were free to roam and do our own thing. I have been sticking to Patron lately so I ordered a margarita and was more than disappointed when I saw the bartender pull out Pepe Lopez.
"What's that?" I asked slightly horrified and unable to mask my extreme disappointment.
The bartender went into some story about how Pepe was like Jose and I immediately had to cut him off.
"I don't want Jose's cousin Pepe. Give me their Uncle Patron!"The bartender flashed me a smile and got his mind right, making my drink with Patron and not Pepe. I mean, what the fuck is Pepe? Really... it's so bootleg. I can't believe someone actually called their tequila that. I need to know who authorized that name and speak to their superior STAT!!!
Moving on, after we finished up at McCormick and Schmick's we headed for some late night eats at
Bijan's Bistro. This restaurant is a top choice in satisfying your late night cravings. They are open to 4a (kitchen open until 3a) and have a full menu. I was feeling tipsy and adventurous and ordered some escargots along with some pasta. Their food is great and to my surprise the escargots was tasty. I would highly recommend going there and trying it out. As we were wrapping up our meal we noticed a group of women waiting for a table. I kept thinking to myself that this one lady looked familiar but couldn't figure it out. Then it hit me - - that's Kimberly from the Real Housewives of OC. We ended up saying hello and taking a picture. She was really nice and didn't look as plastic as the rest of the housewives in person.
Saturday
After nursing my hangover with Portillo's and relaxing for the better part of the day, I got ready for a friend's birthday celebration later that night. We headed to the opening for
Griffin Lounge (formerly Climax) and enjoyed free cover and open bar until 1030p. I had never been to Climax so I obviously didn't notice the change, but the club was nice and let's be honest... free cover and open bar is usually enough to win anyone over. I thought the staff was friendly, the drinks were good and the DJ kept my attention playing a lot of hip hop. As the night went on in started tweaking and switched things over to house but by that time I was already 4 drinks into the night and didn't really care.
The layout of this lounge is nice and is easy to navigate. Something funny was the female bathroom attendant... boy oh boy was she a hustler. She kept reminding the hoards of white chicks that she worked off tips and it was humorous to see these girls running back in the bathroom to give her tips. She kept screaming out how she had whatever you needed and she really wasn't lying. Anything from tampons to Mizani hair spray, to candy and condoms... she had it all and it was all for sale. lol...
SundayI went to an early morning body works + abs class at LA Fitness and thoroughly got my ass kicked by the instructor. I had buckets of sweat pouring from every crevice on my body. It was a hard but much needed workout. (sidebar: the summer is almost here and I've been getting back into my workout routine. It feels good to have my AZ workout mentality back). After I recuperated from my exercise I went to grab some food at
Leona's with friends and had fun convos about what else - - sex and relationships! One of the more interesting things we discussed was whether or not you could date or sleep with an openly bi-sexual man. The verdict was pretty much a big NO across the board. Any thoughts?
Weekend Haunts:
Devon Seafood Grill39 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611Sofitel
20 E. Chestnut St.
Chicago, IL 60611
McCormick & Schmick's41 E. Chestnut St.
Chicago, IL 60611
Bijan's Bistro
663 N. State St.Chicago, IL 60654
Griffin Lounge326 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60654Leona's - Hyde Park
1236 E. 53rd St.Chicago, IL 60615
Al B Sure will be hosting his album preview party at Griffin Lounge (formerly Climax) from 9p-2a. I wasn't aware that he was still making music but the event is free and sponsored by Uptown Magazine, Hidden Beach Recording and the Chicago Defender Newspaper. It is sure to be a great networking opportunity at the least.
For any fans of "Rock of Love Bus" on VH1, be sure to come out to Enclave tonight and see Mindy (one of the "finalists") from the show. She'll be hosting the night along with rock guitarist Joy Basu. The event is sponsored by Enclave, Surreal Global Adrenaline. There will be complimentary Rock 'n Roses t-shirts, tattoos, and giveaways - - as well as a private cocktail reception from 10p-11p. Be sure to rsvp for free cover before 12a. Click here.
