Bleeding Heart Bakery: DIY cupcakes

Last month I mentioned Bleeding Heart Bakery teacakes at Cafe Avanti and how ridiculously delicious they were. I still haven't had a chance to make it over to Bleeding Heart, but I did get to try one of its vegan cupcakes on Friday night when the punk minded pastry crew partnered up with GOOD Magazine for an event at Salvage One.

Housed within Salvage One's dimly lit, lofty space were plenty of local vendors selling samples of their decidedly green products. A number of them had great things to offer, like the cashew spread and caraway crackers from The Balanced Kitchen and organic juices from Crust. But none could compete with Bleeding Heart's DIY cupcake station. The bakery brought in over 200 of the things and charged guests $2 to decorate their own.

Toppings included vanilla or chocolate (both vegan safe) frosting, homemade marshmallows, carob chips, chocolate-chip cookie crumbs and sprinkles. I grabbed a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting and gave it a few hearty spoonfuls of cookie crumbs and carob chips. It was easily one of the best cupcakes I've tried in a while, I even entertained the idea of giving up meat. Thankfully I came back to my senses once my plate was empty.

This article was first published on Examiner.com.

Early bird specials in Chicago

Even though I've been out of school for a year, I still can't break the ridiculous sleeping schedule I developed during those credit-heavy semesters. The midterms and 15-page research papers that once kept me up all night have been replaced by writing projects and deadlines. What's worse is being jolted by my internal alarm clock around 5 a.m. each day. Fed up with the fact that most coffee shops don't even open until 7 or 8 a.m., I scoured a few spots where I would, at the very least, be guaranteed a hot cup of Joe and a cheap plate of food. Here's what I found.

Golden House Restaurant & Pancake House
It's the kind of place you picture Tom Waits kickin' back with a lukewarm coffee and a cigarette. But this couldn't have been the joint Waits had in mind when he penned "Nighthawks at the Diner," as Golden House closes well before the sun goes down. Had he been an early bird though, Waits probably would've ordered up the restaurant's famous Four Deuces breakfast special. The dish includes two servings of a Midwesterner's morning favorites: pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage, $4.95. Golden House also offers an early morning special for non-meat eaters with its signature potato pancakes served with your choice of applesauce or sour cream, $3.95.

Broadway Grill
This corner joint in Uptown serves breakfast all day and night, but stop in before 11 a.m. and you'll get the real deal. The specials here come in two's or three's, depending on your appetite. When you've got a bottomless pit, opt for the magic number: three eggs, three sausages, three strips of bacon and three fluffy pancakes, $5.95. For a dollar and a hunger pang less, you can get all of the above in sets of two.

Holiday Grill & Bar
It takes a true meat-and-potatoes lover to start the day with a grilled pork chop. Add eggs, toast and hashbrowns into the mix and you may find yourself curled back up in bed, sleeping off a food coma. But it's hard not to take advantage of the dish when it doesn't cost you a dime over $7. If you want to keep it a little cheaper and a little less meaty, go for the Three Deuces: pancakes, eggs and your choice of bacon or sausage. Breakfast specials run Monday through Saturday starting at 6 a.m. Additionally, Holiday Grill & Bar offers free wi-fi and a sidewalk cafe during the warmer months.

Steak 'n' Egger
This is another salute to the early morning meat-lovin' crowd. Steak 'n Egger's big breakfast special is none other than the restaurant's signature ribeye steak with three eggs, crispy hashbrowns and toast, $6.75. The restaurant is open 24 hours.

Sunshine Restaurant
My only regret with Sunshine Restaurant is not learning about it sooner. To think of how many nail-biting, foot-tapping aggravating times I've had waited for nearby breakfast joints to open their padlocked doors, when I could've already been slingin' back the black stuff and munching on French toast. Starting at 5 a.m., the local diner offers six hearty breakfast specials, all under $5. Sunshine also understands how hard life can be before that first cup of coffee; that's why the diner's itemized list of specials makes your morning hassle-free. Simply point to one of the numbers one through six and voila! Instant (well, almost) gratification. Specials include cereal, French toast, pancakes, bacon, eggs and sausage.

Golden Nugget (Lincoln Park)
This one reminds me of an all-night diner I used to frequent back home. I'd bring along a stack of books and drown myself in bottomless cups of black coffee until the caffeine completely lost its effect. The 24-hour Golden Nugget on North Clark Street offers a similar luxury, but it also has something my old hangout didn't: three cheap (and strangely named) breakfast specials. But you have to get here between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. to take full advantage of the Bonanza (two pancakes), the Champ (waffles) or the Chef (French toast). Each special is $5.99 and comes with two eggs (any style) and your choice of bacon or sausage.

This article first appeared on Centerstagechicago.com.

Chicago's best beans

Ask any local where to find Chicago’s best cup of coffee and, by default, they’ll point you toward the nearest Intelligentsia. Ask this over-caffeinated redhead and she’ll lead you straight to to the good stuff at Metropolis in Rogers Park. She’ll probably even tag along just to see the sheer joy on your face as you sip the roaster’s freshly roasted and brewed Mocha Java. Unlike Intelligentsia, Metropolis doesn’t have a string of its own shops throughout the city, but it does ship to and stock a number of north side spots. Check out these quirky cafes where the baristas are brewin’ it right.

Dollop Coffee Co. in Buena Park
Pair your cup o’ Joe with a carrot cupcake at this study hot-spot.

Flourish Bakery Cafe in Historic Bryn Mawr
This 1950’s diner is too cute for its own good– and the pastries here are too tempting for your own good.

M. Henry in Edgewater
Brioche French toast. Need I say more?

Sweet Collective in Lincoln Square
Three powerful pastry ladies run this north side shop.

This article first appeared on The Whole 9.

Beer floats at Sheffield's

This one is for all my beer people. Be honest, how many times have you waved away a restaurant's dessert menu just to splurge, instead, on another round? I've been guilty of this a few times-- but, I usually end up pairing my beer with a chocolaty treat.

Turns out I'm not the only one slinging back brews with sugar-shackled confections. Sheffield's beer dudes, Brian and Phil, like to put ice cream in theirs. They're so excited about these flavor combinations that the guys are hosting a beer float tasting this Wednesday in the bar's back room. For $15 you'll get a flight of four craft brews, each complete with a different flavored ice cream. The event starts at 7 p.m.

This article first appeared on Examiner.com

Chicago's best northside dives

For each swanky see-and-be-seen Chicago nightclub, there’s a jukebox playin’, bourbon-slingin’ dive just around the corner. When I don’t feel like prancing around in pumps and slinky dresses, I throw on some tattered jeans and head to these neighborhood joints, where I know I can chug at least three beers for the price of one fanciful martini.

Carol’s Pub has live country-western music on the weekends and the crowd here isn’t afraid to show its two-steppin’ roots. The bar is open until 5 a.m. and folks of all ages and races flock to Carol’s after midnight, when things really start to liven up.

The smoking ban has been in full swing since January, but you can still puff away on Edgewater Lounge’s outdoor patio. Recently, the pub’s beer prices increased, but the laid-back atmosphere is still unbeatable. Edgewater Lounge also has a full menu.

Baskets of popcorn at Kitty Moon are always stale, but they’re also always free. The bar hosts live music throughout the week and its jukebox song selection is second to none.

If there’s one place that can turn an epically awful day into a fleeting thing of the past, it’s the Long Room. The bartenders here know their brews and they don’t get pissy when you ask for recommendations. You won’t find any food at the Long Room, but the tamale guys make their rounds after 10 p.m.

Simon’s Tavern is a great spot to wait out long lines at the nearby Hopleaf. Sure, the beer selection doesn’t even begin to rival its Beglian-fueled neighbor, but Simon’s quick service makes up for that.

This article first appeared on The Whole 9.

Chicago's Signature Lounge

I finally made it over to Chicago's Signature Lounge in the John Hancock building on Tuesday night. After an ear-popping elevator ride to the 96th floor, I stepped inside and was surprised to see plenty of martini-swilling tourists decked out in cargo shorts and flip-flops. I guess I've just always had this impression of the place being so swank as to require some type of dress code. Part of me felt a notch above the gaping tourists in my flowy skirt and arch-killing heels, while the other part wished I had thrown a pair of flats in my bag for the walk home. At least the tourists were using good, commonsense.

It was around 8 p.m. and my drinking companion and I arrived just before a line formed behind us. We were seated in the middle of the room, among a cluster of other tables full of people vying for window seats. My friend noticed that a couple with a killer corner view was about to leave, so we staked out their table and avoided making eye contact with the waitress.

About fifteen minutes later the coveted spot was ours. Well, it was ours if you don't count the camera-toting tourists hovered over us at every angle. One guy even pulled out a tripod and did a full shoot of his fiance while she struck seductive poses near the window. The John Hancock building may be known as the observatory for its brilliant cityscape view, but the real observations here begin with the people inside.

Not even Signature Room's boisterous crowd could compete with my perfect view of the sunset, though. Tack on my carefully-crafted dirty martini with hand-stuffed blue cheese olives (three, for good luck) and the noise around me was instantly dulled.

Save room for dessert

All right folks, it's clearly been a while since my last post. But before you get all accusatory, let me provide you with a sugar-fueled link to some of my latest sweet discoveries. These were all written for Examiner.com and there's plenty more to come.

If you're more into instant gratification (this is America, right?) you can get quick updates on my Examiner articles by subscribing (it's super easy, just click 'subscribe' below any of my Examiner posts). And I promise you won't get any nasty spam notifying you about the latest trends in Viagra or discounts on breast implants. Just a lovely little email each time I write something new.

In the meantime, go enjoy some of these local Chicago treats!