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.
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.
1 comment:
Wow, the food looks so yummy in the pictures. Nice post i must say! If i ever visit Chicago i will definitely taste the Pizza. Last year when i was in Kissimmee i stayed in Hotel In Kissimmee Near Disney and i loved their food so much that even now whenever i think of that yummy food my mouth starts watering. The same thing is happening again with me after watching these pictures of delicious food.
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