500 N Michigan (at Illinois)
As the Husband was out of town, I was on my own for dinner and didn’t do a thing to plan my evening until I received a late afternoon text from a friend. As she had a few hours to kill between meetings, we decided to meet for early dining and catching up at The Purple Pig, a new tapas place that’s been getting lots of attention.
Tucked down a corridor off of Michigan Ave, it’s a tile-lined noisy slice of tapas heaven. Optimists to the core, we ordered pork-fried almonds with garlic and rosemary; a lovely salad of roasted baby carrots, shaved fennel, avocado, and citrus; sardines with lemon jam; lemony ricotta and tomato-based pork neck gravy served with grilled bread; charred ramps and romesco sauce served on a terracotta roofing tile; and a glass of wine a piece. We wished there had been room for the gianduja affogato. We also wished the “Birthday Diva” crew had been sitting farther away, but judging from the singing, they had arrived long before us. Total was $33.45 each. Can’t wait to go back, this time with the Husbands.
And as I was walking to take the bus home, I got a call from another friend who was shopping on Michigan Ave and wanted to know what I was doing. So we met for a glass of wine and a sausage-goat cheese-red grape pizza at Fornetto Mei. Located in The Whitehall Hotel, the pizza bar in this place is a hidden gem and is one of the few Magnificent Mile locations that isn’t completely overrun with tourists. Please take note that I only had one slice and was home by 9:30.