Vacation!

Wayne and I went on a little vacation this weekend. Wayne had purchased a LivingSocial deal for Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I was really excited to relax and also get away from the busy city. During our drive, we discussed how to survive a zombie apocalypse. It was fun trying to create a game plan if the apocalypse occurred while we were in Wisconsin.

For example, we discussed how we would need to utilize several stores and find a gas station. We had passed a Home Depot, Walmart and a magnificent mansion. So we would have weapons to kill the zombies, food/supplies, and a place for shelter. We probably would have a greater chance of survival in a rural area anyway because cities are more populated a.k.a more zombies. 

Anyways, we really wanted to go hiking and enjoy the fresh air. So, we went to the Kettle Moraine State Forest and found the Ice Age Trail. 

Going hiking was absolutely amazing. But the greatest part of it was how lucky we were. It had been raining a lot during our drive to Wisconsin. But once we started hiking the rain ceased. The rain made it a perfect day for hiking (we were the only people out on the trail and the rain made the forest smell remarkably fresh) 

Another cool thing about our little hiking adventure was the fact Wayne got in touch with his childhood. He had gone to Camp Joy as a child and remembered some of the sites.  I personally think that camping or going to a camp is one of the best things you can do as a child. It creates a human connection and also an appreciation to nature. The best thing about hiking or camping is enjoying nature. I think people too often get sucked into technology and forget the small things in nature.

After hiking we had some time to kill before checking into the Harbor Shores hotel. What better place to get some cheese?  I mean we ARE in Wisconsin. We drove to a little shop in Lake Geneva called Cheese Box. 

We were in the mood for something a bit smokier so we got the Smoky Cheddar and Swiss cheese and man, we loved it! It was absolutely delicious and totally worth it! The staff was super friendly and sampled different types of cheese. On Yelp we had noticed that some of the reviews say that the Cheese Box is too expensive. We felt although the prices can be pretty steep (if you’re buying a lot or a gift basket) the quality is definitely worth it. I’ve never had better cheese in my life.

After we checked in, we got some goodies from our LivingSocial deal. We got popcorn, a coupon to Gino’s East pizza and two movie rentals. I thought it was great because I was feeling a bit sleepy from taking Benadryl. Some kind of stupid beetle bit me. So, we had to take a trip to Walmart to grab some Benadryl and Bactine. After I relaxed a bit and watched a movie, I felt ready to go. 

We then grabbed dinner at the beautiful Baker House. 

The house is absolutely magnificent, the restaurant ambiance was amazing and the lakefront view was gorgeous. As for the food, I was a little let down that it wasn’t a culinary experience to compliment the fantastic atmosphere.

However, I thought the best part of dinner was the hats. The Baker House has all these old fashioned hats to help their guests in the mood of the restaurant. You can wear different hats during dinner too. I also thought it was really cute that Wayne picked out a hat that matched my dress. He is a wonderful gentleman. J Another thing that was awesome was the live piano player and the eccentric birthday crew. I think there must have been six or seven people with a March birthday in the restaurant. It was really neat how the birthday crew was so into pleasing the guests.

For our meal we ordered the Signature Crab cakes, the Venetian Chicken and the Cajun Shrimp Sautee.

Now, the crab cakes were really tasty. Sometimes crab cakes lack the strong seafood flavor. These crab cakes had the right amount of flavor and texture. As for the entrees, I felt that they could have been better. The Venetian Chicken had amazing sundried tomato and cheese tortellini. Wayne and I both agreed that the pasta had the perfect amount of cheese. However, the chicken wasn’t that great. I expected it to be juicy and flavorful when it was really kind of plain. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. As for the Cajun Shrimp Sautee, Wayne really liked it. But I found that the Cajun seasoning was too powerful for the dish loosing a lot of the other flavors of the dish.  Then for dessert we ordered the Signature Chocolate Fondue with dark chocolate and milk chocolate. It was pretty tasty but again not jaw dropping. In short, if you’re looking for a unique, fun and magical experience in Wisconsin, the Baker House is a must see if you don’t mind sacrificing the food quality. 

The next day after we drove back to Chicago, we went to watch The Hunger Games. I was SO excited to see the movie!!! I even bought a Hunger Games necklace. (Nerdy I know, but I don’t care) 

I thought the movie was pretty good! Plus Wayne even liked it.  I thought the movie and the characters were portrayed fairly well. But I wish that the books were tailored to adults instead of young adults. I personally feel that there was a lot of potential in the concept of The Hunger Games. I would have liked it if there was more depth the the concept.  The Hunger Games reminded us of Battle Royale, a Japanese manga and controversial Japanese film. I know there are some people who will argue that the concepts are the same but I think they bring out different issues with the idea of government and power. However, I am glad that I was able to read all three novels before the movie came out. I like imagining the characters myself.  That way it allows me to utilize my imagination. I think when people become older they forget what it was like to be a little kid and have the world at your tips with their imagination.

Anyways, we had an absolutely amazing weekend in Wisconsin! Stay tuned! We will be exploring a restaurant in Lincoln Square soon. 

"The Couple that Grubs Together Stays Together"

-Grub Couple-

P.S. 

We have deer pictures! 

Okay, not really but our deer faces are pretty funny!

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Good O'l Baileys

**Update**

If you're ever looking for a juicy, savory gourmet burger around Lincoln Park, you should head over to Etno Village Grill! Burgers are a lil pricey as they are around $10 not including fries it is worth it if you're craving burgers! We ordered the Etno Burger and the Cason Burger and it was yummy!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

We started the day to our St. Patty's day going with some good o'l Starbucks and Baileys. Then we went (along with everyone else in the city of Chicago) to see the greening of the Chicago river. We've both never seen the greening of the river before. So we figured it'd be a good thing to do once in your lifetime if you're living in Chicago.

Green river!

Emma and Jason

After meeting up with some of our friends, we walked around Millennium Park and enjoyed the spectacular spring weather. Afterwards we then grabbed some sushi at Hot Woks Cool Sushi.

Bob and Marissa

Marissa and her friend Yu

Everyone shared the Goyza or Japanese dumplings. They were good just tasted like a regular dumpling. We ordered the Caterpillar roll and the Fukudome roll. We found that the sushi to be pretty okay. We've been to a lot of sushi places, so it takes a lot to wow us. It was interesting since Marissa's friend, Yu, is from Japan and it was his first time trying American sushi. In the end, not bad of a place to grab sushi if you're either hungry and nearby.

*NOM*

Hope you have a fun St. Patricks Day!!!!

"The Couple that Grubs Together Stays Together"

-Grub Couple-

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Green with Envy!!!

So St. Patty's Day weekend is upon us and we wanted some authentic Irish cuisine (or as authentic as we can get). We heard about  Halsted Harp in Lincoln Park, which is owned by a man from Ireland and has a 4.5 star Yelp rating, and thought that would be a great place for good 'ole Shepherds Pie. Unfortunately, we got there late and it was super crowded. Bummer.

Our next step was trying to find somewhere in walking distance in Lincoln Park. Using the Yelp app for the Android, Wayne looked up nearby places and decided to go to John Barleycorn. Wayne used to be a sales rep for a restaurant technology company so he knows the owners and thought "Why not? It's a big space so we should find room despite it being March Madness season and St. Patty's weekend." 

Upon arrival, we noticed we were dead wrong. It was flooded with Michigan St. patrons and there was no table available, so we chose to eat at the bar standing up. Not ideal but we are hungry after all that walking.

We ordered Fish and Chips and a Pulled Pork Sandwich with Green Line Pale Ale from Goose Island. Ironically, it wasn't green but went down well with the Fish and Chips. The chips, a.k.a standard bar fries, need a splash of ketchup but the fried fish with tartar sauce mixed well with the beer of choice. Emma liked the Pulled Pork Sandwich, but then again she was starving after not eating all day due to final exams. Wayne tried it and thought it was "Aight, had better". 

Wayne of course was more interested in the dismantling of his March Madness bracket with Duke and Missouri losing (had Missouri going to the Final Four). All in all was not a bad night out especially with the weather being so perfect. Things could have gone better, but the important thing is that we both spent it with someone we care for. And really, what more can you ask for?

"The couple that grubs together stays together"

-Grub Couple-

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Baroque

Today we ventured out to Hyde Park near University of Chicago because Emma had to conduct an interview for her final research paper.

But why is our blog titled Baroque?

Well, as we were walking around U of C, Wayne was looking at the different buildings and said one was during the "Boroca Period." I think since we were among other intellectuals, he thought their intelligence was rubbing off on him....When in reality, he was going off of the Mortal Kombat character, Baraka, and the Baroque Period from the 1600's.

Oh boy. Emma's dating a smart one here.

After Emma got done conducting an interview, we went to eat lunch at Rajun Cajun. It is a casual and small private restaurant that serves Indian cuisine.

We ordered the Butter Chicken and the Lamb Curry.  It was under $20 with two drinks and two entrees. The spices were flavorful and the music creates a cool vibe. Plus we were stuffed afterwards.
In short, we definitely suggest this place if you're in the mood for being a little adventurous for your lunch or looking for a bang for your buck.  Now for the best part...PICTURES! :)

Butter Chicken

Lamb Curry

Inside of the Restaurant 

"The Couple that Grubs Together, Stays Together"

-Grub Couple-

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Our Story

About This Blog:

Many people have told us that we are "foodies" or a "foodie couple". Sure, that sounds great and all but is a foodie?  According to Dictionary.com, a foodie is "someone who has an ardent or refined interest in food."As a couple we are searching to redefine this word by discovering how being a foodie fits us and pertains to our lifestyle. We love tasting new ingredients, trying new restaurants, learning more about the actual dishes, and having fun at the same time.

To let you know a little about us, we'll answer a few questions from a trending Couple Tag on YouTube.

The Questions:
1. How did you two meet?
Emma: We were both in DePaul University's Asian Cultural Exchange Club. But I didn't really pay attention to Wayne though! I kind of overlooked him and thought he was a player since he was always around other girls flirting!!!!

Wayne: I thought I was a player too! lol

Emma: We got to know each other better when we both started doing Grubwithus. (FYI
If you haven't heard of it you should definitely check it out! It's a great place to network and meet some awesome people!) But then Wayne didn't want to grub with me anymore, so I went on a huge grub spree (I think like 10 meals) and met a bunch of people. But we got back to hanging out and I finally told him I liked him.

Wayne: I wasn't ready at first for a relationship.

Emma: And I was ready to move on once I got rejected! lols. But Wayne fell for me when I wore a red shirt after that and asked me out on a date. I guess I can say red is my lucky color!

2. Where was your first date at?
W: I took Emma to Sola, which is a Hawaiian fusion restaurant. Little did she know I used Savored and saved 30% off my bill.

3. How long have you two been together?
E: One year and counting! :)

4. Where are you guys from?
E: I'm originally from Michigan and moved to Chicago for college.

W: Born and raised in Chicago.

5. How do you guys avoid arguing?
E: I wouldn't say we avoid arguing. I feel arguing is a part of every relationship be a friend, family member or partner. We usually just bicker and get annoyed with each other. We've never really gotten into a full fledged argument because we let each other cool down first and then talk it out. :)

6. How do you guys resolve problems?
W: One step at a time. There's always a solution.

7. What do you guys do for a living?
E: I'm a recent 2012 college graduate from DePaul University. I'm currently a Paralegal/Legal Assistant at Krohn & Moss, Ltd. In my spare time I enjoy working out, running, reading and cooking.

W: I'm a Social Media Coordinator for Rewards Network, a restaurant marketing company.

8. What key elements make a healthy and successful relationship?
W: Trust. Passion. Awareness of Other. Ability to Laugh.

9. Emma what do you love about Wayne?
E: I love how he's passionate and caring. Those are the main traits that drew me to him. He's really passionate about what he does and he's devoted to the ones he cares about.

10. Wayne what do you love about Emma?
W: She truly cares about those close to her. Although she hates to admit it she often cares for others more so than herself. When she laughs you can't help but do so too.

11. How did you know that this relationship was special?
E: I think it was when I realized he was sticking around! Wayne's always been my support through some of the rough patches I've faced. I think after a while, I realized that he would be there for me no matter what. Which makes our relationship real and also special.

W: After meeting her family I saw how loving she was to them. I could see a future with her no doubt.

12. Places you want to travel?
E: Oh gosh! Everywhere pretty much! I'd love to go back to South Korea, and explore China, Japan, Australia/New Zealand and Europe! I still haven't done the whole Euro-Trip yet! (Euro deprived!!!)

W: Anywhere there's good food.

13. What inspired you to blog about your adventures?
E: I think it's because we have a taste for trying new things and eating good food?

W: I have a terrible memory when it comes to things I eat. This helps me.

 

In a nutshell, we like maintaining a balanced lifestyle, having fun and sharing our adventures around Chicago/Michigan.

"The Couple that Grubs Together Stays Together"

-Grub Couple-

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