Just stopped into Hecky's Barbecue for lunch while waiting for our car to get serviced before our drive out. Now I'm in a food coma and can't possibly tape up any more boxes for at least an hour.

Matt's parents took us out to dinner last night as they stopped into town for a night on their way to Rhode Island. We booked a table at Rick Tramanto's TRU and it was outstanding. Mainly it's a wonderful place to eat because the dishes are perfectly executed, the menu is interesting, the service is impeccable, and the wine list is top-notch. And then there's the artwork. The interior design of TRU isn't anything special, it's rather simple actually. But the restaurant is accented with museum quality paintings, sculpture, and prints by artists like Yves Klein, Ed Ruscha, and Andy Warhol. On the right is Ed Ruscha's 1986 "Somebody's Mother" (acrylic on paper)—stunning to see in person, and below is Gerhard Richter's 1988 "Kerze" (offset print). TRU also has a lounge, prime for late-night dessert or cheese. 676 N. St. Clair, Chicago.

Chicago Home + Garden's blog, Design Dose, definitely had the scoop of the day as they reported FLOR's latest release of modular tiles based on the textile designs of Alexander Girard—perhaps the most influential textile designer of the modern era. These designs are specifically modeled after the restaurant La Fonda Del Sol, which opened in the Time-Life Building in Manhattan in 1961. The entire restaurant including the furnishings, dishware, everything down to the table linens were designed by Girard. And what I wouldn't do to get my hands on some of the old matchbooks! By 1971 the restaurant was closed. Alexander Girard items have been notoriously hard to come by as few items have been re-issued, even with today's modern revival. Until FLOR's release, your best bet was ebay and Maximo Design. The FLOR collection, which can be mixed and matched with other designs comes in four different combinations of six tiles ($160), check them all out right here.

It was a crazy weekend with Matt's graduation from business school. We ate and drank our hearts out at NaHa, The Gage, Spring, The Signature Room, and Gabriel's and it's absolutely time for a detox this week—but let's be realistic. As we clinked glasses with our families and friends people kept saying, "you're almost out of here"—meaning in less than a month I'll be blogging from L.A. (p.s. LAKERS!!!)! With that in mind I'm going to try and focus on Midwestern design and product for the next few weeks. Prairie vodka ($24 for .75 L) in particular looks really cool. The bottle design of course is fun, but the vodka is eco-friendly, kosher, and distilled from organic yellow corn and crafted in partnership with a co-op of over 900 Minnesota farmers.

The highlight of the long weekend for me was Saturday night drinks at The Violet Hour, a speakeasy style bar opened just less than a year ago. If you've heard of New York's Pegu Club, it's right up that same alley—marked only with a yellow light and a place for someone who knows and loves their cocktails. My favorite drink there so far is the New York Sour made of Plymouth gin, Rosé, Egg White, and Orange Flower Water. But I tasted my friend's and it didn't seem like there was anything wrong with their extensive drink menu. Even the ice cubes which are twice filtered are delicious. The design, by architect Thomas Schlesser, is part of the appeal too. Apparently the visual inspiration was drawn from the pared down styles of the early 19th century English Georgian and French Directory. I think it's really cool how they don't allow standing room, you're either at the bar, sitting down at a table, or outside waiting. 1520 N. Damen, Chicago.

I am just now realizing that I never posted anything from my trip last week to San Francisco. I actually didn't do any design shopping or scouting because I was too busy eating. In the short time I was there I made it to Slanted Door, Pizzeria Delphina, Elizabeth Falkner's new restaurant, Orson, Tartine Bakery, and The Front Porch, which was my favorite (crab and grits!). But the best part of the weekend was hanging out with my brother and his fiancee at their engagement party. A few of us convinced my brother it was mandatory for him to give a toast, which he did. It was a great toast (very sweet) and I was reminded of it this morning when I saw the above poster on the Reform School website. It's out of stock right now but I think it can be ordered. It's 11" x 19" and you can get it by clicking right here ($30).

I'm in L.A. until January 5th scouting, eating, and seeing friends and family, so posts will be sparse. I just ate at Tom Colicchio's new L.A. outpost Craft which opened in October. I thought the design was wonderful and aptly matched with the simply prepared cuisine. I gushed most over the old-school Thomas Edison-style lighting (perhaps by School House Electric?) and cool orange matchbooks. Oh, and the food, that wasn't bad either! Bentel & Bentel is the architecture firm behind most of the other Craft restaurants, and by pictures I am assuming they're responsible for the L.A. location too.

Matt's Dad flew in to Chicago last night and took us out for a late dinner at Aigre Doux. A lot of people I know have been making chatter about this newish River North restaurant and bakery, so I had to know if it was as good as I was hearing. The meal was unreal. I hadn't eaten so well since Osteria Mozza last December. Every element of every course—I loved. 7-Day Jane Doe’s Goat Cheese with organic farm egg, honeycomb and brioche—oh my god. House-made Tagliatelle with spiced pecan and sage brown butter?! Salted butter pecan and honeycomb honey ice cream—kill me now—I want this to be my last meal. Meanwhile the decor was simple, not amazing in anyway. I've seen that same lighting scheme now in more than a few restaurants—Craft being one that readily comes to mind, but I really liked how the simple classic bistro chairs contrast the modern walls and accents. Aigre Doux 230 W Kinzie, Chicago.

I literally ate my way through San Francisco this weekend: Noodles in Japan Town, Bone Marrow at Bar Tartine, Rockfish Hash for brunch at Canteen, Buratta pizza at Beretta, more pizza at Pizzeria Delfina and every bit of it was unbelievably good. But the best meal of them all was Nutella and banana crepes eaten outside in the rain. My friend Ashley and I plopped down post-tennis at a no-name cafe and devoured two delicious crepes with cappuccinos. Best. Lunch. Ever.

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for San Francisco—one of my most favorite cities to visit. I'll be having a cocktail at around say 10pm PST at Bourbon & Branch with my SF-native friends Katie and Mark who will be in town from NYC. When it comes to booze, I trust their recommendations blindly. A few months ago I asked Katie what she was doing and she texted back: "Sipping a Pink Lady through a brass straw somewhere in the East Village." Bourbon & Branch falls squarely into the recent (past few years or so) speakeasy trend. Signs that you're going to one of these bars would be: they require reservations—sometimes even passwords, standing at the bar is strictly prohibited, photography is strictly prohibited and ordering a Cosmo is strictly prohibited. You can also count on bartenders (nay, mixologists) who labor over each drink order until absolute perfection is achieved. Similarly there's The Violet Hour in Chicago, Pegu Club in New York, etc., etc., etc. Some people get annoyed with the rules and the pretense of these kind of establishments, but I actually really like it.

More blogging coming soon from SF, stay tuned.

I'm embarrased to say up until recently my experience with Chinese food was limited to what came in take-out boxes from strip malls. I had no idea how refined it could be until I ate at Chicago's Shanghai Terrace, where new Chef de Cuisine Chi Ping Xu creates authentic Shanghainese dishes with modern presentations using only the highest in quality ingredients. I also really love the 1930's supper club decor. I was lucky enough to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the restaurant and kitchen a few weeks ago and am on my way there now for lunch, can't wait for the lobster dumplings! Absolutely worth a visit! Best Chinese in Chicago! 108 E. Superior St., at Michigan Ave. Chicago.

My brother flew in late last night from Boston. In the wind and the rain and the cold we scooted over to Avec for a late dinner and drinks. All of it was delicious, although I was constantly comparing their similar menu to L.A.'s AOC. I have to say Avec won out on two major points: their "Deluxe" Focaccia with Taleggio Cheese, Truffle Oil and Fresh Herbs and of course their sleek yet cozy decor. It was a perfect late night meal, well, up until my brother insulted the waitress, twice. Yeah. Happy Thanksgiving! See you next week!

I have been so crazed, and have been meaning to post more Tokyo items, which I will...eventually. Apologies for the light posting, holiday gift guides coming soon!! On Sunday I checked into the The Peninsula here in Chicago for another press trip, only this one is in-town, so it's all the fun and none of the hassle of traveling! Last night we went to Publican, Paul Kahan's (Blackbird, Avec) new restaurant in the West Loop. It was tas-ty! And I talked at length with one of the brewmasters of Three Floyds, a micro-micro brewery which is served at at Publican in addition to the 100+ beer list. Definitely check it out if you're in Chicago, the Sunday fixed family style menu which they pair with beers is amazing! 837 W. Fulton Market.

I've just returned to Chicago from an amazing press trip to Tokyo and I've got so so so much to blog. To start with, the unbelievable hotel I stayed at, The Peninsula Tokyo, which opened last September. Architect Kazukiyo Sato and designer Yukio Hashimoto truly blend contemporary design with Japanese tradition seamlessly.

The lobby is chic, chic, chic. The walls are ivory with wooden lattice, but it's hard not to walk into the lobby and not completely fixate on the chandelier made from over 1300 crystal LED light bulbs. It is designed to resemble a cloud of fireworks (or hanabi). Once I stared at that for a solid 20 minutes, I turned to an amazing bamboo sculpture by designer Keisen Hama of a Chinese zodiac dragon lying over the universe. Spectacular.



Due to recent building codes in Tokyo, all buildings must have an empty enclosed atrium section (I think for earthquakes). While most buildings leave them undecorated and out-of-sight, The Peninsula commissioned sculpture artists Ben Jakober and Yannick Vu to create an unbelievable installation titled "The Void". 24 stainless steel cones are suspended by cables and wrapped with glowing glass fibers. It's an incredible view when you get out of the elevator and see these light sculptures hanging between the 8th and 23rd floors.




The rooms ($600-$8500 per night) are luxurious as expected, but also the most technologically-forward hotel rooms I've ever seen. I actually joked to Matt that the room was my Tokyo boyfriend because it was so attentive. I would walk toward the toilet (which deserves its own post all together—heated seats!), and the lid would open. I would walk towards the phone (which also deserves its own post, because it turns into your own personal mobile via bluetooth synchronization) and it would light up. There were in-room humidity controls, a private fax machine, steam-free mirrors, a nail dryer, mood light buttons, ambient music buttons, buttons for everything!





I almost forgot about their Michelin star-rated restaurant, Peter! It takes up the entire 24th floor and has stunning views of Tokyo and the Imperial Gardens. The restaurant was designed by the Yabu Pushelberg architecture and design team and I really love the layers and lights and use of the color black. The design is sleek and sexy, like Tokyo, with a touch of 80's glam to it—which goes really well with the skyline views. If you ever make it to Peter, be sure to order a "Tokyo Joe" cocktail, their signature drink that's quite good. For more info on the hotel, click here.

Occasionally on DESIGNwatcher, I post about a restaurant or bar because I can't help myself. Chicago's Blackbird is one of them, and completely relevant seeing as they won the James Beard award for best restaurant design and twice for best graphic design. Their sister restaurant, Avec is right next door, it's more casual, serves Mediterranean small plates, and doesn't take reservations (The above photo shows both restaurants, Avec on left, Blackbird on right). Our plan was to make reservations at Blackbird, and then see if we could walk into Avec, but their line was eight parties deep. Blackbird was incredible, you're typically inches away from two other tables, so you get peaks of the dishes you didn't order, which I like. Only, the women next to me was having a tough night and burst into tears at one point, which was slightly awkward for about 6 other people in the restaurant. None the less, the fare was delicious: the highlight for me being the Gioia burrata salad with braised lobster mushrooms. After our meal we popped next door just to check out the decor, which sort of reminded me of a sauna room (in a good way?). The design is meant for community eating, and I think it absolutely works with a small plates menu. Check out the photo below and tell me what you think. Eat here when you're in Chicago! 615 + 619 W. Randolph Ave in the West Loop.

New York is such a fun city to visit and the design shopping is unmatched, but before I get into some of my NY finds, I had to touch briefly on my love for Pastis, the French brasserie on Ninth Avenue in the Meatpacking District. I know it might be slightly overrated and touristy, but there's something about it, the warmth, the delicious coffee, it just feels so New York to me. Matt and I went for lunch on Saturday at noon when it was bustling with newspapers, hangovers, and strollers, and we had the best time. The decor is incredible, if I didn't know better I would have thought Pastis has been around for 80 years. In fact restaurateur Keith McNally reproduced the 1930s-era Parisian bistro by scouring European flea markets for distressed mirrors, light globes, brass railings and vintage signs—what a fun job. I'll be back with more posts with finds from the ABC Carpet & Home sale later in the day. I'm still in recovery from the weekend.