Super Secret Birthday Trip

I never thought I would be able to pull it off, but the super secret surprise birthday trip was a success! I had planned it nearly two months ago when I learned the Cardinals would be playing the Cubs in Chicago the weekend before Simon's big day. My mom encouraged me to book it as well as keep it under wraps during the planning.

If you know Simon and if you know me you know that this was no easy feat. Three minutes after I told him to reserve the weekend, he checked the Cardinals schedule and asked if we were going to Chicago. Wind out of sails. However, since then and as a result of some serious trickery, he 100% believed we were off to the Bahamas. Lucky for me, his baseball team is way more exciting than pina coladas on the beach because otherwise he might have been a wee bit disappointed.

I knew I was in the clear last week when I saw him buzzing around packing shorts and tropical shirts, which I secretly replaced with sweaters and Cardinals gear. We made it all the way to the plane's gate before he learned our destination which was precisely how I had envisioned it!

He'll kill me if I recap without mentioning food, which had provided the most anxiety leading up to the weekend. Usually when we travel, he tirelessly researches restaurants, makes reservations weeks in advance and is meticulous about ensuring food is the centerpiece of our journey. I was lucky to have a crew of advisors who really hit the nail on the head both with eats and sites.

When we arrived at the Acme Hotel in River North, the hotel staff led us to Quartino, a buzzing Italian restaurant right down the street. Amazing. We shared a delicious burrata and beet salad, paparadelle with braised beef in a red sauce, and veal meatballs (Simon ranks them in his top two meatballs ever!) Saturday morning before journeying to Wrigley, we snagged a brunch reservation at Frontera Grill, one of Rick Bayless' famous spots. The Mexican Pastry Basket was the highlight with gooey cheese danish and a ridiculous warm, buttery brioche coated in a crunchy sugary shell. Unbelievable.

The game (and the "Chicago dog") were trip highlights despite the loss. That evening, a crew of 6 Milwaukee relatives showed up at our door bearing wine and Alaskan beer. A nice surprise for Simon and fun to keep our cocktail hour tradition alive in yet another setting before jetting off to experience deep dish pizza.

Sunday morning, a knock at the door revealed our longtime buddy, Leah, who we worked with in NYC and has since relocated to St. Louis. She flew up for the day, which we kicked off with a scrumptious brunch at Sable. This was our first experience with a shared plate breakfast situation, so we split the chicken and waffles, ginger scallion fried rice and eggs, pork-belly egg and cheese, and a few pastries. Stuffed! 

We headed across the river to board our boat cruise hosted by Becky of the Chicago Architecture Foundation. She serenaded us with facts and figures about Chitown's architecture as we floated along, admired the skyscrapers, and enjoyed some afternoon cocktails. Then we headed down to the Art Institute for a lunch date with my college friend Ginny and her family. Fun to see them and to admire the sites of Millenium Park. Leah headed back to O'Hare (boo but enormous kudos to her for joining the adventure) and Simon and I hopped in a taxi to Blackbird.

How to describe Blackbird? I can't even. It was so good. Simon declared it one of the best dinners he has ever had. It's funny because in general, things were simple, but their combinations created really intriguing dishes that were just amazing. Like the garbanzo bean puree with crispy falafel and egg yolk caramel or the aged duck breast with dried parsley root, brussels sprouts and yogurt. Dessert was bizarre but delicious-- dark rum cheesecake with pineapple shaved ice, caramelized puffed rice and mustard (what?!). They also surprised him with some birthday cake ice cream and a dollop of chocolate decadence. Superb meal before calling it quits on the Midwest and reuniting with a happy Merwin in Boston.

This blog post is now officially longer than the trip itself. Long story short (too late) it was a really great time. Thank you to those who offered their advice and made guest appearances. Simon continues to rave about Chicago and I'm pretty tickled that it all worked out!