Hi everyone!

This week has been packed with activities – must be the nice weather, huh?

To start off, I picked up the new cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s. I honestly didn’t miss that this wasn’t the real thing! I added pesto, edamame, cheese, chopped almonds, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to add flavor and protein and it tasted great. I just put it in boiling water like normal pasta but the label suggested that I toast it in a pan so I’ll try that next time.

The next day, I went to Holt’s for the first of two times this week. I was not disappointed, per usual, and got a couple pizzas to try out (there’s only a few more left that I haven’t tried). I got the Burrata pizza with a little bit of pesto, pancetta and grape tomatoes and the Sausage. For the Burrata, the pesto really makes a difference here – adding great flavor with the basil and olive oil. I really wished there was a little more pancetta on it, I felt like there wasn’t enough to really taste it mixed with all the other elements this pizza had. This is great for those who are looking to broaden their horizons but not take a full dive.

As for the Sausage, I’m a little biased since that’s my favorite kind of pizza. Unless it’s super cheap or something, it’s hard to mess this up. Bonus points, though, for Holt’s using real Italian sausage because that’s when you know you have good sausage pizza. The red sauce on this has just the right amount of sweetness from the tomatoes.

Since I now work from home, I’ve been hearing more and more about co-working spaces. These spaces give you a place to go outside your home to get work done or even rent office space if you’re a small business. I had the chance to check out Co-Optim this week, a luxury space that serves you as you work with coffee, tea, beer, wine – you name it! The pricing for a membership isn’t too bad either; starting at $33 a month for 10 work days a year. There’s even a meditation room with chaises to lounge on and candles to really set the mood! Try it free for a day via their Day Pass and tell Amanda I sent you 😉.

Jordin and I lounging in the front desk area

One of the board rooms you can rent for meetings!

Little conference rooms if you need to take a phone call

For lunch, we hopped over to Parlor Pizza in the West Loop. I’ve been before (and love!) but have not been to the rooftop so I was excited to experience that for the first time. It’s so frickin’ cute, you guys!! There’s a photo op at every turn – even by the bathrooms, there’s a mural! We got the famous Pizza Bread, Spinach and Artichoke Dip, and the Kale Cobb Salad. Needless to say, they were all amazing. That pizza bread is dangerous – garlic, mozzarella cheese, peppers, pepperoni, shallot cream, and served with warm marinara sauce. The Spinach and Artichoke Dip was very good as well (bias since that’s one of my favorite appetizers but still!) and the salad actually was pretty good too. It had chicken, deviled eggs, bleu cheese, pecans, even avocado! Splitting this three ways with Jordin and Amanda, we were perfectly full. Going back already made me realize how much I missed it!

Dress: Eliza J, Necklace: Nordstrom, Shoes: Target, Tassel Earrings: Lilly Pulitzer

Remember when I tasted all kinds of yummy steak at Chicago Chop House? Well..I won second place at their photo contest 🙌🏻. The prize was a 4 liter (yes that’s right) bottle of wine!! Updates to come on when I open it but I was honestly so shocked and excited!

I finally got to visit Apogee, the rooftop that replaced Vertigo Sky Lounge. Apogee is only open Thursday through Sunday so since failing the previous time I tried visiting, I’m so happy that it worked out this time. Jordin got the Nymph, cucumber-infused vodka with with sparkling rose elderflower, raspberry powder, and a cute flower in the ice. I got the Sancerre, with gin, Pimm’s No. 1, grapefruit, lemongrass-pear ice cubes, and pinot noir salt. Both were yummy, I loooved the one I got. As the drink melted, the flavors inside the ice would come to life – reminded me of a popsicle. I was surprised that the drinks actually tasted as pretty as they looked – no gross artificial syrups here! The rooftop atmosphere was also very relaxing too – a great place to get away for a drink or two. Funny enough, the most glamorous spot is the bathroom! With rich blue tile and gold fixtures all around, it’s the perfect spot for an Insta shot.

Shoes: Altar’d State

For the second time at Holt’s, I was so excited to be invited to a blogger event with them on Friday. We tried all 25 (!) new cocktails for their new spring/summer Stranger Things themed menu with all kinds of fun twists like Trix cereal-infused drinks and matcha. I’ll be doing a separate post on this in the future, but here are a couple highlights from the event. This new menu launched on Monday if you’re itching to try it for yourself!

Lagunitas Beer-Battered Cheese Curds

Burrata with Balsamic Tomatoes and Crostini

A sneak peek at some of the cocktails, like the Matcha, Old Fashioned, Peach Mule, and Orange Hibiscus Margarita

And last but not least, Happy Mother’s Day to my mama! We did a little brunching with the fam and then spent the rest of the day relaxing at home. What did you do?

Dress & Shoes: Altar’d State, Necklace: Gorjana, Earrings: Kendra Scott

Local Spots I Checked Out: Holt’s, Co Optim, Parlor Pizza, Apogee

Events I’m Looking Forward To: ? For once, I’m still figuring it out 🙈.

See you in the next post!