Gastro-Pubbing

This is the last post about last weekend. A friend of mine is moving to New Orleans this weekend, so we had a going-away party for him on Saturday night. We started at Curio, a swanky, dimly-lit lounge in River North. I love the ambience of this bar. Candle-light, booths, and amazing champagne cocktails (I recommend the "French 75"--a refreshing, lemony treat!) make it upscale and relaxing. We then moved upstairs to the Gilt Bar, also very sophisticated. It's been called a "gastro-pub", and their food is delicious. I tried the ricotta-stuffed gnocchi with sage and brown butter (one of the best things I've EVER eaten), and the mint-chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. (They have about 6 or 7 ice cream flavors, which was unexpected, as it didn't seem to fit the character of the place, but it was sooo good...) It was a great place for a party. It's a bit pricey, but well worth it. : )