Dinner at Top of the Hub | Boston

The Breakdown:

- Occasion: Graduation/anniversary dinner or fancy date night.

- Attire/ambiance: Smart casual or dressy; classically elegant decor. 

- What to order: The espresso creme brulee, and also the lobster soup.

- Reservations? Yes. (Try around 5 pm to catch the sunset.)

An elegant dining experience with a killer view of the city. Great for celebrating special occasions while enjoying a creative spin on some traditional New England dishes.

Putting up dessert first because it was just so good. I was in creme brulee heaven. The custard inside was delicious – not too sweet, and flavored with espresso AND caramel, two of my favorite things. The fresh blackberries on top were also a nice touch. 

For the appetizer, we ordered their famous spicy lobster soup with creamy coconut milk, lemongrass, and a hint of ginger. Flavorful but over-hyped, in my opinion.  

For the entree, I got the special: herb-crusted halibut with potatoes, mushrooms, and some type of green paste…forgot what it was. Solid but not a particularly memorable dish. 

My friend ordered the braised short rib encrusted with aromatic herbs, served with creamy whipped potatoes and grilled asparagus. It was surprisingly very good – juicy, flavorful, and not overdone at all.

All in all, don’t expect mind-blowingly good food - but definitely go to Top of the Hub for the espresso creme brulee, the experience, and the fantastic view. 

Deep Dish at Lou Malnati's | Chicago

The Breakdown:

- Occasion: Good for tourists but not as blatantly touristy as some other places. Also looks great for a casual family dinner.

- Attire/ambiance: Casual, dim, and noisy, lots of Chicago memorabilia. 

- What to order: A small pizza for 2 people. Add vegetables and pepperoni for a nice balance.

- Reservations: Not sure, but our wait was only 20 min for a weekday walk-in. 

Chicago deep dish and I have a funny relationship...For my first time visiting the city, my friend brought me to Lou Malnati's, a fairly famous deep dish place. 

We ordered a medium, but a small is more than enough for two! Luckily, we actually wanted leftovers since the pizza was just that good.

Imagine the thickest, breadiest, and greasiest slice of pizza you've ever had. Well, this one definitely trumps that. It had the perfect amount of gooey, melted cheese and a juicy layer of spinach and tomatoes on top. For the meat, we added pepperoni after the server told us that sausages would make it all soggy. So glad we listened to him - the combo was phenomenal.

So that was Round 1. The next day, we heated up the leftovers (which still tasted fantastic) for dinner, and that was Round 2. I could already feel the grease clogging up my arteries…

Then on the following day, I went to an orientation event which served (guess what??) for lunch - deep dish from Lou Malnati's. Commence Round 3.

The next time I'm in Chicago, I'll opt for the hot dogs. Anything but deep dish!