Underdog Weekend

We had a fabulous football long weekend! We are all exhausted, both our teams lost but we made memories that will last a lifetime!

Wednesday night before we left, I tried to eat what we had in the fridge for dinner. We had some leftover pizza, so I went with that. Plus a green salad…dinner was done!

Thursday morning’s breakfast:

Our flight to Chicago was supposed to leave around 1:30PM but was delayed until 6:00PM. I took the kids to PF Changs for lunch. We shared lettuce wraps:

Miso Soup:

Ginger Chicken with Broccoli (sauce on the side):

Finally it was time to head to the airport. Before we boarded our plane, we grabbed a quick dinner.

Wine and pizza for me. :) 

We finally arrived in Chicago around midnight. My husband was already there (came from Atlanta on a business trip). We all were very happy to finally go to bed that night!

Friday morning, I enjoyed some toast and coffee before heading out for the day.

We went to my favorite pizza place in Chicago, Giordano’s for lunch. Their Caesar salad was good: 

But their stuffed pizza is even better:

I only get this every two years so I make sure I’m nice and full before we leave. :) It’s worth it every time!

After lunch we took the kids to the top of the Sears (Willis) Tower. Here’s a selfie on the Sky Deck Ledge:

We were standing in a complete glass cubicle overlooking city below at 103 floors off the ground. Scary!!!

We walked around a bit and headed back to our hotel to chill before heading to dinner at Quartino. We had been to Quartino several years ago with a friend and really enjoyed our meal. I was excited to go back.

The dishes there are a bit smaller and designed to be shared so that’s exactly what we did. 

White Bean and Garlic Spread:

 Pappardelle al Sugo di Manzo (Tuscan pasta ribbons with braised beef tomato sauce):

 Porcini & Truffle Risotto:

 Rigatoni (lamb sugo & stracciatella di burrata):

This one was good but our least favorite compared to the other dishes. The Pappardelle was the best!

Everything was going just fine until my daughter said: “Mommy, what is this!?!” I looked and she had found a SCREW it her pasta. No joke. The manager came over and was very apologetic about it. Her meal was free (duh) as well as dessert and some limoncello. My daughter was very proud that she “bought” us dessert that night.

 Zeppole (hot Italian doughnuts with honey & dark chocolate):

Despite the “screwy pasta”, I’d still go back to Quartino. Their food is outstanding. 

Saturday morning we went to Hash House A Go Go for breakfast. They are known for their GIANT portions. I ordered a mimosa (hold the OJ!) and a House Smoked Fresh Salmon, Cream Cheese & Scallions Scramble:

I had to photograph my husband’s Breakfast Quesadilla:

It’s hard to tell from the picture but this thing was HUGE!!!

After breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and drove the two hours to South Bend, Indiana for the USC vs. Notre Dame football game. My husband and I went to USC and my brother went to Notre Dame. It’s a tradition for all of us to go to this game every year, whether it be in Los Angeles or South Bend. 

My brother hosted a great tailgate complete with lots of yummy food. I had a couple of these sandwiches:

Later in the day, my brother picked up some Nelson’s Chicken. I forgot to take a photo until after this happened.

That chicken is good!

After about five freezing hours of tailgating, we went inside the stadium for the start of the game!

While it was a great game to watch, USC ended up losing in the end. By the time we left the stadium, it was 34 degrees. That is downright frigid for us Southern Californians. 

After the game, we went to the airport and flew straight to Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was super late by the  time we landed so we were pleased to see a Taco Bell on the way to our hotel. I ordered two taco supremes and a bean burrito. 

I should have know not to get the bean burrito when they seemed super confused by it when I ordered it. Yeah…it sucked. The two tacos were good though. 

Sunday we woke up past breakfast, as per our usual. We usually stay on Pacific time just because it’s easier for us. There was a Texas Roadhouse near our hotel so that’s where we went for lunch. I had a salad with ranch dressing:

As well as a half rack of baby back ribs with fries:

After we were fueled up, we made our way to Lambeau Field for the Chargers vs. Green Bay Packers game! I was so excited to see Lambeau Field.

The day started out pretty warm actually. I was able to peel off a couple of layers. That didn’t last long though. It’s amazing how fast it gets cold when the sun goes down!

It was a great game with the Chargers fighting all the way until the end. We ended up losing though, sadly. It was a long way to go to watch both of your teams lose! ;(

We went back to our hotel, loaded everything in the car and started our three hour drive back to Chicago. Somewhere along the way, couldn’t tell you where though, we stopped at Chili’s for dinner. I had the steak fajitas. They were nothing special. But I was hungry so it did the trick.

By the time we got to our hotel in Chicago, we were all exhausted. 

This morning we headed to the airport for our flight back to San Diego. I grabbed a Fruit and Cheese Plate for the flight.

 Now we are at home sweet home….where is it a lovely 75 degrees!! 

What’s the strangest thing you found in your food at a restaurant? 

Technorati Tags: Chargers, Chicago, Chili's, Everyday, Giordano's, Hash House A Go Go, Notre Dame, PF Chang's, Quartino, Taco Bell, Texas Roadhouse, USC, Lambeau Field