J wanted to get sushi on the next night, so Brent sent us over to the Gold Coast neighborhood to Ra Sushi. This is a hip joint, a place to be seen. You’re not going to get the best quality sushi here. If you’re looking for japanese sushi chefs that took four years to learn how to make sushi rice, this isn’t the place. But it’s fun and they have cool and funky rolls so you can share and have a good time. It’s not traditional in any way. I got a girley drink and it was delicious and large and strong. I very much enjoyed it.

I wanted some soup, but I didn’t want regular miso, and I was intrigued by this spicy version that was on the menu. It was marked as a favorite dish. Ok, why not, I thought. So this miso hot! soup is seriously spicy. When we both tried it, we both immediately started coughing because it was so freakin hot. And for probably about the first five sips, I still coughed. But then my throat got used to it and the coughing subsided. And I was finally able to enjoy this. First off, it’s tons of soup, and it comes in this cauldron. And really, it’s like a cauldron of spice. It’s so spicy, and probably unecessarily spicy, but it is a good soup, with tasty shrimp and veggies in it. But man, it’s hard to eat and hard to get started because of how damn spicy it is. They really should warn you with like ten chili peppers next to it or something on the menu. It’s like the hellmouth in a bowl. But it tastes really good if any of your taste buds aren’t burned off!

The roll on the bottom, the mango lobster roll, was one recommended by Brent. It had lobster mix, avocado, cucumber, was topped with thinly sliced mango, and served with mango-tobiko and kiwi-wasabi sauces.  This was my favorite one. It was a cool contrast of slightly sweet and savory and the two different sauces provided some key variety. The roll on top was the dragon roll, with crab and cucumber on the inside, topped with avocado, eel, and some eel sauce. It was probably my second favorite of the night.

The crazy soft shell crab roll in the front was wrapped with soy paper instead of any kind of nori. It was a bit strange, but hey, whatever works. It held it together just as well as the nori. The funky looking green roll at the top was the crunchy calimari roll, another recommendation from Brent. It had tempura calamari, crab mix, and cream cheese, was topped with spinach tempura bits, and drizzled with sweet eel sauce. I really liked this one as well.

Lastly, we had another dish that Brent recommended, the hot mess. It’s not even really sushi. It is crispy rice balls topped with spicy crab mix, that are baked and finished with jalapeno and cilantro. This was a bit too rich for my taste. And I wasn’t that into these crispy rice balls (or rectangles). They actually served plain crispy rice balls along with the miso hot! soup, which I did like for dipping into the firey broth. But I didn’t really care for these hot messes. We didn’t mean to order this much food, as it was quite too much, but we enjoyed it. The food comes out as it’s ready, so you don’t get courses or anything. Service was fine, but nothing to write home about. This dinner was fun, but it’s really more about the experience and hang-out factor here, and not really the food. It’s definitely non-traditional sushi. So if you’re into that, and if you’re rich and young and like to eat, then it’s a pretty perfect spot for you!

We had to head up past North Chicago to get near all of these pharmaceutical companies. We were starving, and we were lucky enough to end up up in a random strip mall that happened to have a Jimmy John’s. Turns out it’s J’s favorite sandwich place! I remember seeing one in downtown Philadelphia, and being curious about it, but had never had any real desire to give it a try. Here was my chance! You have to love a place that has a neon sign that says “Free Smells”. I liked it already.

So Jimmy John’s started in Champaign, IL. It’s a brilliant idea really. What do college kids want to eat? Pizza and sandwiches I presume. And here’s Jimmy John’s now, a big chain. They sell sandwiches, people, just sandwiches. And there’s not too much variety. The bread is white. They call it a french roll, but it’s really not. When I think french bread, I think crusty. This roll is incredibly thin, but chewy and dense. It kind of defies logic, actually, because of how thin it is. Seriously, if you look at a profile of the sandwich, it’s like there’s not even any bread there. But it’s delicious. And it’s the only bread they have. The ingredients are simple as well. It’s cold cuts, and they slice it all onsite. They only have one kind of cheese, provolone. And as boring and plain as this all looks, the sandwich was quite delicious. Sometimes, being complicated just complicates things. I quite enjoyed my simple turkey sub. They have some chips, some drinks, maybe even some cookies. But that’s about it. And that’s all I need. I’ll be happy to try this again!

On one of the mornings while I was in chicago, I actually had time to play real-life “i work in downtown chicago” lady and took full advantage. I had discovered the night before that I could walk to a nearby Intelligentsia for a coffee. Whee! They do everything themselves (roast the beans, grind, etc.) and brew their coffees using these little ceramic coffee drippers, by pouring in the water using these special water kettles. It’s all a big to-do. Such a to-do that you have to wait in long lines for it.

But that’s ok. I didn’t mind the wait. Since going to an Intelligentsia happens maybe once every year or so, the wait is fine by me. This visit was my second trip to an Intelligentsia, ever. The first was at the Silver Lake location. This chicago location is small, but very cute. There are a few tables and a small counter.I got a large latte and I drank it all! It was absolutely lovely! It is strong and wonderously creamy. My body was practically in shock because of how strong it was. But it was all worth it! I got a danish too. Even their pastries, or at least the ones they carry, are good!