A Day Like This

After uhmm, maybe two to three months of no weekend brunch, we finally had nothing planned on a Saturday, that we decided to try out this Swedish restaurant featured last night in the Food Network show, "$24 in 24".  Jeff Mauro is actually a Chicago local guy so he knew good (and cheap) eats around town, and for breakfast, he went to Ann Sather.  This place is actually famous for their cinnamon rolls and french toast, which apparently Rachael Ray also featured in one of her shows.  So at around 8:15 AM, we took the Red Line to Belmont where the restaurant was just a few steps from the station.  The place was cozy, Swedish traditional looking. And the staff were all so attentive and friendly.

Here's hubby and his french toast - thick cinnamon bread filled with mascarpone cheese and topped with strawberries and blueberries.  Good size, creamy, not overly sweet, perfect breakfast for a sweet tooth.

I had the Swedish Sampler which was composed of a Swedish Pancake, Potato Sausage, Meatball with Gravy, Lingonberry sauce, fried egg, and yup, the potatoes and (smothered) cinnamon rolls you see in the photos are the sides!  I was happy to see the main dish in a modestly sized portion, because the cinnamon rolls were humongous!  Oh, and the potatoes were heavenly - I loved the smokey, rosemary flavor.

After breakfast, it was still too early to go anywhere (e.g. mall or theater), so we passed by the weekend fresh market at Division street. It was a gorgeous day - I could not help but take a picture.  Love the cirrus clouds, hehehe!

Hubby with our purchased produce - organic bell peppers and basil.

Yup, fall is here... and so I wore a scarf and a jacket today.

Division Street is just a block from our place so we went home for a while to take a nap and dropped our Ann Sather baggie and vegetables.  What a lovely, lovely morning, no stress, no fuss, great weather - I wish everyday is just like today.  This is just what I needed after a very long week.  

At around 11, we're on our way to Macy's for a little shopping.  Then, we had lunch at our favorite Noodles by Takashi... ahhh... after a long time!  We ordered the usual ramen and Chicken Tatsuta-age.  This place is really a must-try - aside from the obvious that it's super delicious, it's also relatively cheap and food is freshly cooked right in front of you (almost). And just our luck, we had our Macy's frequent diner card filled out, so the ramen was free!  Lunch for two at $11 - not bad at all!  Just look at the pictures.

Miso Ramen and Chicken Tatsuta-age (of course, we had white rice as side!)

We capped our day with a Reese Witherspoon movie, and this homemade Chicken Parmigiana.  Thought I'd make something Italian, as inspired by my fresh basil and bell peppers from the Division Street Market.  It was a hit with hubby, as I got a kiss on the cheek and a "thank you wifey for always cooking restaurant-quality food". :-)

Chicken Parmigiana which I paired with Angel Hair Pasta with creamy tomato sauce (not in picture)

I guess you don't really have to plan your activities each time to make sure your day turns out the way you want it to be.  And I've had enough of planning in the last few weeks!  Haha!  

Thank you God for a day like this.