Hey, everyone! Today I have a special treat for you. I’d like to introduce my sweet daughter, Kristin, who has been an integral part of Party Patisserie for a while now. We both share a love for entertaining, decorating, baking, cooking and just creating in general. We have some fun adventures to share with you, so stayed tuned.
Hi everyone. I’m Kristin.
I’ve been working behind the scenes (and the camera) for a while here at Party Patisserie, and now mom is going to let me take over write a little here on the blog.
I’m a writer and editor for a communications company by day, but by night I plan fabulous parties, bake sweet treats, test out DIYs and get into all kinds of fun trouble with my mom. Combining the two seems like a perfect idea to me!
(That’s me!)
I’m looking forward to helping mom share all of our adventures with you. But first, I’m going to share one of my own.
One of my best friends from college recently flew in to visit me in Chicago for a few days, and we had the ultimate girls’ weekend in the city. While I love to throw parties at home (like mother, like daughter), sometimes there’s nothing better than a night (or three) on the town with your best friend.
I live in Chicago, but my friend, Emily, lives in Missouri, and we don’t see each other nearly as much as we would like. Since her visit was a special occasion, we decided to visit some fun, girly and touristy places that would make the trip special. Before Emily arrived, we made a list of places we absolutely had to visit:
- Sprinkles Cupcakes (and the cupcake ATM)
- Pops for Champagne (a nationally acclaimed champagne bar)
- RPM Italian (Giuliana and Bill Rancic’s restaurant)
- Eataly (Mario Batali’s Italian emporium that opened in Chicago earlier this year)
- Bottle and Bottega (a paint-and-sip studio)
I’m getting hungry just remembering it all!
The next time you’re in Chicago, you should visit a few of these spots, too. Here’s a glimpse into our weekend:
Anywhere you can buy cupcakes should be on every girl’s vacation itinerary, but Sprinkles was a special request of Emily’s. And I must say, coming back to the hotel room, changing into pjs and indulging in a cupcake every night was lovely.
We bought a chocolate marshmallow cupcake, lemon-blueberry cupcake, peanut butter chocolate cupcake and cinnamon sugar cupcake. Each one was absolutely divine!
We also checked out the Cupcake ATM.
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You don’t come across champagne bars very often, and the name of this one was just too cute to pass up. Plus, we felt so fancy talking about our evening at “the champagne bar.”
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We didn’t know too much about champagne (and still don’t know very much), but the menu clearly explained each champagne and sparkling wine. We can’t remember (nor could we pronounce) our selections, but they were pink, and that’s all that matters, right? š
If you’ve ever watched E!, you know Giuliana and Bill Rancic. About two years ago they opened a restaurant here in Chicago called RPM Italian. While we didn’t see Giuliana, Bill or any other celebrities while we dined (RPM ranked No. 2 on the 2013 list of Top Celebrity Hangouts!), the food was absolutely delectable, and we had a wonderful time.
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I ordered the carbonara (above), Emily ordered the bolognese, and the two of us shared Bill’s Chocolate Budino for dessert. We had no idea what it was (it turns out it’s a creamy caramel custard with chocolate nibs on top), but being surprised was all part of the fun!
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Eataly is unlike any restaurant I’ve ever been to before. In fact, you can’t even call it a restaurant. It’s a two-floor emporium that houses 23 eateries and a fresh-food market. We headed to Eataly for breakfast one morning with one goal: To see the Nutella bar.
Yes, it exists: A place where every item on the menu features Nutella. We ordered the Brioche con Nutella (a buttery croissant slathered in a thick coat of creamy Nutella) and the Crepe con Nutella (a freshly made crepe smeared with generous layer of Nutella).
But here’s the best part: You can easily make these luxurious treats at home! Simply buy (or make) some croissants and crepes, and add Nutella. Bon appetit!
(I recently revisited Eataly with Mom, and let’s just say we explored well beyond the Nutella bar. I’ll recount that adventure here on the blog soon!)
Have you ever been to a paint-and-sip studio? A paint-and-sip studio is where an instructor walks you through the process of painting a specific piece. You can bring a bottle of wine and snacks while you create a masterpiece with your girlfriends.
Here’s a photo of Emily and I with our sunsets. What do you think: Should we forget about our day jobs and become artists?
While the places we visited were all in Chicago, every city has its own unique gems. Go have some fun exploring yours! Whether you live in Chicago or not, share your favorite girls’ weekend destinations in the comments. Maybe Emily and I will take a trip to your city. š
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