The Windy City

This post is long overdue, but hey, better late than never right?

Let's travel all the way back to October 2014. My family and I took a day trip to Chicago to have high tea in the city. We booked a reservation at The Lobby in one of Chicago's finest hotels: The Peninsula. 

Our reservation wasn't until 2:30 so we wandered around the city. Living in the suburbs about 30-45 minutes away, I should have visited the city more times, when I had the chance. Now living in a small college town, miles away from another city, I appreciate the close proximity to vast bustling city that is Chicago.

Arriving in The Lobby, we were greeted with palatial ceilings and bright lights that shone through the massive windows. Taking our seats, the faint sound of a small orchestra from the balcony filled the air all setting the mood of a fancy and wealthy lifestyle.

After a couple minutes of looking at the menu, we ordered our teas. My family is very adventurous when it comes to trying new foods and cuisines and we all ordered a different tea so we could try a little of everything. I have to say, I don't know much about tea nor am I a tea fanatic. It's not that I don't like tea, it's just that I never find myself going out of my way to prepare it. I am much more of a 'grab a water bottle and go' person. Having no idea which tea to order, I asked the waiter his recommendation. It's been a couple of months and I don't exactly remember which tea I ordered but I believe it had vanilla in it. Sipping our teas for the first time, we all came to a consensus; this wasn't the ordinary tea you make at home from tea bags, these teas had depth and substance. I won't say that I am a high tea converter, especially because I don't think my wallet can afford me to be, but it was a nice break from my usual water.

Now, the food. As a self-proclaimed foodie, this is the part I look forward to at every meal. One thing that I think needs mentioning is the fact that as someone with a nut allergy, they were very accommodating. Simply mentioning my nut allergy, they took out an entire 3-tier server for me while my sister and my parent shared another (They had more on their server than I had on mine). There was definitely some highlight and some not so much as far as the food. Most of the desserts were delicious but some of the more savory items were just not for me. But one of the savory dishes was shockingly tasty: the scones. I've always had the premise that scones are hard and tasteless, but these scones shattered that notion. The scones were warm, soft on the inside, and had such a unique and pleasant taste. If they sold just their scones, I would most definitely buy them.

Having small portions, you would think that they would not be sufficient, but boy would you be wrong. There was a couple of things that we, as a family of four, could not finish, including my dad with the never-ending appetite. We decided to head home afterwards and even at dinner time we were still stuffed. A simple Saturday in the Windy City.