Donuts, Spa and Pizza in Chicago

I think the heading says it all – what more can a girl want? I even had my good friend Cortney along for the ride as I enjoyed the good life in Chicago.

We were staying at the Trump International Chicago, which will always remain one of my favorite hotels. Donald sure knows how to give you the royal treatment and the staff tells me he comes by once in a while to make sure they are doing their job right. They certainly did for us, whether it was giving directions or bringing extra bath salts and neck warmers to our spa room.

I started the day with a little yoga so I wouldn’t feel quite so guilty about what I was about to put in my body – donuts, lots of them. My first stop of the day was at Firecakes Donuts, the latest in Chicago’s gourmet donut trend.

I met with one of the owners, Tony Bardwell, and realized that maybe the donut stop wasn’t so bad for my health. Firecakes uses all natural ingredients, importing cocoa from France, getting Pure Tahitian Vanilla Extract and using fresh fruits. Their selection will just changes slightly with the seasons and currently includes:

Honey Glazed

Apple Fritter

Maple Glazed Pineapple & Bacon

Butterscotch Praline

Lemon Verbena Meringue

Chocolate Hazelnut Long John

Valrhona Chocolate Iced

Classic Jelly

Triple Valrhona Chocolate Cake

Old Fashioned Buttermilk

Coconut Cream

Vanilla Iced

Valrhona Chocolate & Espresso Cream

Peanut Butter Cup

I wanted to try as many as possible, which is not the thing to do before heading to the spa! Tony was kind enough to give me a large box full. With the help of some friends when I got home, I got to try most of them (they were out of a few by the time I arrived at 10:00 am). The Maple Glazed Pineapple & Bacon was a hit with all, but my favorites were the Triple Valrhona Chocolate Cake and the Coconut Cream.

I got back to the Trump hotel with time to spare before my spa treatment. Cortney wasn’t getting a treatment, but was ready to enjoy the facilities of the Spa at Trump, including the steam room, sauna and indoor pool.

I had worn my comfortable robe right from my spa room and decided to check out the amenities in the locker room. I wrapped up my hair in a towel and covered my face with the aloe lotion. I also put some of the oil and lotion on my body and then proceeded to go into the steam room and then the sauna. I finished with the scrub (all of these products are complimentary to spa goers) in the shower.

I stayed in the relaxation room enjoying the Chicago skyline and some tea before it was time for my treatment. I was asked if I wanted anything else to drink as I was brought into the Nail & Foot Spa and the options included cocktails and tea. I stuck with the tea as the neck warmer was placed around me and I dipped my feet into the warm water to begin my Crystal Devine Foot Treatment.

It was truly divine, from the scrub with a sugar mixture to the ginger mask and the warm crystal massage. I followed this up with the Bio-Pearl Hand Treatment, using essential oils and a sweet-water pearl wrap in a warming mitt. Pearl powder lotion was applied to my hands before my manicure was done to match my toes.

I was thoroughly relaxed after my two hours in the spa, as was Cortney. We definitely had a hard time saying goodbye to the spa (and the spa room), but we packed it up and left the hotel for our lunch at La Madia.

I was truly impressed with this restaurant, owned in part by Chef Jonathan Fox. It was a pizzeria for grownups, with suggested wine pairings and unusual offerings in a comfortable, yet upscale setting.

We had the Pizza Fondue, a cheese and tomato sauce mixture that you dip bread into. We also shared a Chopped Italian salad, with gorgonzola, spicy walnuts and shaved pears in a tasty balsamic vinaigrette.

The pizza we chose had cherry tomatoes, burrata cheese and summer squash. It was delicious, as was the Rome Apple Tart & Almond Cream dessert, with Vanilla Bean Gelato. We also had the Chocolate Polenta Cake, but I found it to be a bit too lose for polenta.

We left the restaurant completely stuffed and made the long ride home, wondering I would put on the agenda for the next Chicago adventure.