Good morning!
Karyn’s on Green was lots of fun! Gosh, I wish this restaurant was in my area. They make the best vegan food I have ever tried. Yes, it’s true. I was lucky to be able to sample several dishes and everything I tried was spot on perfection.
We had the upstairs lounge reserved and it was very swanky inside.
A large group of about 35-40 of us!
Several husbands came too! Score. ;)
After looking over their amazing drink menu, I was swept away by the moment and decided a classic martini sounded so fabulous.
We had three bartenders/servers.
This classic martini was made up of Plymouth Gin, Lillet Blanc, Angostura orange, lemon peel.
It was strong and I could only sip 1/2 of it throughout the night! I didn’t want anything with tons of sugar though so it was perfect to sip on.
Finally got to meet more awesome ladies! I have known Mara since we started our blogs in 2008. It was so fun to meet in person.
Sheila invited us to California….trouble!!! ;)
Now, I must tell you about this food. I always feel like I am failing miserably when I describe food that truly changes my life because no words seem worthy of describing the taste bud explosion that went on in my mouth last night.
A few of us decided to split a bunch of appetizers and mains! It was such a good idea because we all got to sample everything.
I was raving to everyone about the Heirloom Beets (made up of citrus beet purée, apple, dill) so we got it again.
Bears, BEETS, Battlestar Galactica!!!!! ;)
Tons of us also got the Wild Mushroom Risotto (made up of smoked foraged mushrooms).
It is off. the. hook. I can’t handle the goodness. I would pay good money for this recipe!!!!
I didn’t try the Maki Roll (red beet, avocado, cucumber, jalapeño, carrot, rice, spicy aioli), but heard they were good!
And now for the grande finale.
I present the Arugula pizza with yukon potatoes and caramelized onion.
I know, I know, you are probably thinking a huge ???? right now. Please believe me when I say that this picture didn’t come close to doing it justice.
It had a homemade vegan cheese sauce. It was the BEST thing in the world.
I desperately want to know how they made the cheese sauce!!! I’m thinking some kind of cashew blend??
Everyone loved the pizza.
The Crab Cakes (sautéed spinach, creole mustard aioli) were also delicious:
Diana also said the tofu was great! I think it was tofu anyways!
Eric had the ‘chicken’ legs (sweet potato hash, swiss chard, sweet barbecue sauce) and he inhaled it before I got a picture! lol.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Karyn herself and she is really nice!
Eric and I got back to the hotel room around 11:30pm…of course, never as early as I hope!
This morning was the big 5k & 10k Healthy Living Summit fun run at 8am.
Tons of people met in the lobby…
I did the 10k and it got really hot out there. Many of us hit a wall around mile 4! We took lots of walking breaks.
Gorgeous scenery of course…
I think we did the 10k in just under 55 mins.
It was a fun and challenging run. I headed straight to the breakfast in the conference room and loaded up on fruit!
Eric and I split it…
And we each had a muffin to go with it.
The conference was a whirlwind of fun. Eric and I are here until Wednesday and very excited to do lots of touristy things over the nest few days! :) We might go to the water and air show this afternoon. :)
Enjoy your day!
I wanted to tell you that I’ve been enjoying your recaps of the HLS better than any others. Maybe it’s because you took your husband (something I would do too), I guess I don’t know why! You are very inclusive and not acting too cool for the rest of us who didn’t go. Thanks!
Wow, all of that vegan food looks fabulous!! Have fun in Chicago- what an awesome city :-)
That vegan place looks amazing! I definitely have to make it to the Summit next year! Glad you had fun!
I must make a return trip to Chicago just to try Karyn’s…thanks for showcasing it!
Angela,
I know you have no idea who I am or where I blog from, but I have lived in the chicago area and get into the city ALL OF THE TIME for shopping. Please go to the Chicago Diner, it is a vegetarian/vegan restaurant. I am sure you will LOVE it. 3411 N. Halsted, Chicago IL – ph 773-935-6696. They also have a vegan bakery on-site that I am sure that you will LOVE!! :)
Hey Angela! I love seeing your trip posts!! Hope you’ve had a great time, looks like you have:)
Wow, looks like so much fun! I want to be there next year!
So many driven, beautiful, talented bloggers in one place. Awesome.
oh, thats so incredible. Vegan food is hard to find in Australia. Being a vegetarian is strange here!
Gin with Lillet Blanc is my favorite gin martini! MMM so good!
I love a classic Martini! It’s such a simple but great cocktail.
And who would’ve thought that a vegan restaurant could look soooooo unbelievably sexy?????
Thanks for sharing all of your experiences and have a great time exploring Chicago the next days!
Nooo Angela- it was a polenta dessert, not tofu!! Was SO delicious :D
Karyn’s IS great, but I wish you had given my table a heads up before you had taken a picture of the restaurant’s facade. (Yes, we were the folks sitting down in your picture on the top!)
Not mad or anything, and I’m not asking you to take the picture down; just wish you were a bit more courteous!
Karyn’s looks amazing and beautiful along with the food! Looks like you had a great time in the city with all the bloggers!
LOVED your Jim v. Dwight comment tucked in the post ;)
Looks like Karyn’s was fabulous! Have a great time here in Chicago until Wednesday – the weather has finally let up and it’s perfect, not too hot and humid.
Ange, I’m SO sorry I didn’t make it to this lovely meal! I was so tired by the end of summit day. It looks like a total success :)
its so lovely to see everyone out enjoying some exercise while remaining gorgeous enough to snap a good photo :)
im in awe over the food served! thats amazing!!
xoxo
Ahhh sounds amazing! I’m just getting through your HLS posts now that I’m back in the bloggy world and it looks incredible! What an amazing group of ladies to run with too! I hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip! :)
I just got back from Chicago with my sister and we went to Karyns on Green because we are both veggies. I picked the exact same pizza and it was SO SO GOOD. The Maki rolls were great too! That’s so fun you went with a large group of people because it was a very quiet restaurant on the first floor!
Go to the Signature Room at the John Hancock tower for a drink or brunch – great views (you could have gotten same view from here rather than Sears Tower and saved the time/money).
I’m from WI so Chicago holds a dear place in my heart, especially since my now husband proposed to me on the bridge of flags on Michigan Ave!!
Enjoy your stay! :)