Happy Holidays: Cocktails Edition

This holiday, it's all about the bubbles here at Delve. Not only is it your best low-cal option for holiday cocktail'ing, but it turns over-eating into an oh-so-chic celebration. See below for two of our favorite bubbly cocktail recipes:

One -
1 oz. Grey Goose Vodka l ‘orange
1 oz. Grand Marnier
2 oz. Cranberry Juice
1 oz. Prosecco
Shake vodka, grand marnier and cranberry, strain over crushed ice. Top off with Prosecco.



Two -
1 oz. Zacapa 23 Rum
1 Sugar cube
1 dash Angostura Bitters
Cava sparkling wine

Entertaining a boozy crowd? Check out Food & Wine's guide of easy-to-make cocktails by the pitcher.

Cheers to popping the New Year's bottle a little early this year.

Look for Less: Shearling

Sumptuous Shearling jackets have been taunting us for the past few winters, however braving the cold in a jacket that cost more than a month's rent didn't seem right. Sure our first choice would be the butter-soft Vince number on the left, but then again, we could think of better ways to spend 2k. Luckily, our friends at Nasty Gal have got us covered with an equally as chic faux-shearling option for $68.

Back to Basics: James Perse Sample Sale

We cringe every time we hear of a New York sample sale, knowing that our east coast counterparts are getting designer deals we can only dream of. While the Chicago sample sale scene isn't what we hope for it to be quite yet, this weekend brings James Perse to the the vacant storefront at 100 E Walton for the traveling James Perse sample sale. Browse the racks to find men's and women's samples and styles from past seasons at up to 80% off.

Sale runs Friday from 10AM-8PM, Saturday from 10AM-7PM and Sunday from 10AM-4PM.Stock-up on solid tees, maxi dresses and more from the low-maintenance, high-fashion label.

Delve Helps Chicago Men With Their Holiday Shopping

Our friends at ManUp Chicago tapped the ladies at Delve to come up with a few gift ideas for Chicago guys to buy the women in their life. Check out Delve Chicago's picks for the Overworked, the Fashionista, the Entertainer and the Work Out Fiend in your life here.

Happy holiday shopping to all!

Delve on all things Chicago

Last week, Delve was asked by BlackBook Mag to weigh in our favorite four things in Chicago (and one that we could do without...). This is not an easy task considering they asked for everything from food to fashion, and we could go on for days about all of our top Chicago picks. Take a look at the post (linked here), for a roundup of wine'ing, dining and shopping in the Windy City. What do you think of our picks?

West Loop Wine Bar - Vera

Here at Delve we've long believed that the best cure-all for the blues brought on by Chicago's cold winters is a trip to a warm wine bar. A few glasses of your favorite varietal, a sampling of sublime Spanish small plates...is your core temperature rising? Thought so. Let us introduce you to our friend, Vera (1023 W. Lake St.), the newest wine bar in the West Loop.

Wine on tap (the rosé is our favorite), an interesting mix of gulp-ables by the glass, and a robust selection of bottles teams up with fine Midwest-sourced cheeses and tempting tapas to make this this our new winter haunt. We suggest the following:

Bread and Butter: Warm crusty bread served with an array of goat, duck crackling and garlic butter
Escabeche: Melt-in-your-mouth trout topped with pickled carrots
Lamb Chorizo: Over a bed of savory kale and sauteed onions

In addition to the enticing edibles and libations, the decor also earns high marks - handsome, bold yet understated. Reservations are not accepted so depending on the size of your party, you may want to be an early bird or a night owl to avoid waiting at the bar...then again, there are worse things in life than one more glass of wine.

Chef Chris Nugent's Goosefoot Opens Tonight

Rising culinary star and former chef of Les Nomades, Chris Nugent, opened the doors of Goosefoot (2656 W. Lawrence Ave.) in Lincoln Square tonight. This BYOB, 34-seat, contemporary American restaurant introduces a new destination and flavor profile to a two block stretch of Lawrence Ave. that is already densely packed with ethnic epicurean delights. The restaurant's smart, clean interior was designed by Mrs. Nina Nugent, herself. Power couple, anyone?

Check out the winter menu below - an eight course offering made up of the finest locally sourced ingredients for $90.


On to the obvious question: What exactly is a "goosefoot"? We'll leave the explaining to the experts - here's what their website has to say:

"The name goosefoot didn’t emerge from a fondness for feathered friends or feet, but from our passion to cook with the highest quality seasonal ingredients grown and sourced from small artisan farms.

A goosefoot or chenopodium genus is actually a plant family of great significance to the culinary world. There are 150-varieties in the family some of the species in the genus have leaves that resemble the foot of a goose. A few of our favorites are: Chioggia beets, strawberry blite, Swiss chard, Bull’s Blood, Bordeaux spinach, lamb’s quarters, red orach, epazote and quinoa."

We plan on making tracks to Goosefoot well before word spreads and foodies flock, gathering by the gaggle (pun intended).

Luxury Garage Sale Trunk Show

Stop by Delve-favorite SARCA this weekend for their Holiday Trunk Show compliments of the gals at Luxury Garage Sale. Goodies on-site include a curated collection of vintage designer clothing and accessories from lust-worthy brands like Chanel, Dior and Givenchy.

Shop for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts and enjoy complimentary bubbly:
Saturday, December 10th, 10 am – 6 pm
SARCA, 710 N. Wabash, Chicago, IL 60611
RSVP to rsvp@shopsarca.com or 312-255-0900

Delve Does Windy City Live for Rent The Runway

Delve's resident fashion expert stopped by the Windy City Live studios today to model for Rent The Runway. Thanks to the girls at RTR, she was able to rock a STUNNING Yigal Azrouel Selma dress (retail $1495, Rental $250) perfect for black-tie events around the holidays.

Check out the clip below:

Not familiar with RTR? It's basically Netflix for Fashion. The website allows you to rent the exact same looks you see on the runway and red carpet for 10-15 percent of the cost! You pick the dress you love on RenttheRunway.com and they ship it you in two sizes to ensure the perfect fit. You return it in pre-paid postage in any blue mailbox -- and leave the dry-cleaning up to them. Check out their latest looks here: http://www.renttherunway.com/

Want to rent a dress for yourself? Enter WCL15OFF at checkout to recieve 15% off your first order!

Girl With The Dragon Tattoo for H&M

click on the image to enlarge

If you were one of the millions of people that read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson, you may have been a bit confused when you learned that H&M was doing a collab with the US movie's costume designer, Trish Summerville. Lisabeth Salander was cool in an "I can kick your a**" kind of way, but we weren't so sure we wanted to dress like her.

Turns out we are wrong. The photos from the collection have been released and we are totally digging them. Think Alexander Wang-like silhouettes meets Balmain distressed t's and pants (minus the scary designer prices).

Completing the look with a partially shaved head and computer-hacking skills is up to you.

Holiday Styling with Olivia Palermo

Like her or not, this girl's got style.

Tomorrow, join our friends at Topshop and Refinery29 as they host Olivia Palermo for an evening of holiday styling at the Michigan Ave store. More details here.

Golden Girl Gives Back

Our favorite Spray Tan purveyors Golden Girl Chicago are using their beauty powers for good. From now until Dec. 17 you can nomintate someone special in your life to receive a day of beauty. Entries should explain to Golden Girl why this person deserves the royal treatment and what it would mean to them.

The winning submission will recieve a haircut, blowdry, spray tan, make-up application and mini-massage (aka, the ultimate make-over) at Golden Girl's recently opened West Loop Salon (160 N. Halstead). To get more information on the contest or to submit an application, e-mail jenn@goldengirlchicago.com.

In the holiday spirit, don't be a scrooge, nomintate your favorite Chicago do-gooders today!

BLT American Brasserie Opens

“A modern day grill honoring global influences while acquiring the best local ingredients” – that’s the concept behind BLT American Brasserie, Chicago's newest dining addition (whose doors opened Friday at Superior and Kingsbury) by rockstar NYC chef Laurent Tourondel of NYC’s BLT Steak, BLT Fish, and BLT Prime.

To say the menu is vast is an understatement. The French-trained Tourondel is featuring everything from burgers and BBQ ribs to fresh sushi and a raw bar (and everything you could ever imagine in between). Aside from the food, we have our eyes on a few of the featured cocktails, including the Red Apple & Bourbon Fizz (Maker’s Mark, apple and lemon juice, ginger ale) and the Pumpkin Patch (baileys, Absolut Vanilla and fresh pumpkin syrup).

Full menu is available here.

*photo via BLT American Brasserie

2011's Best Cocktails

There's no stopping it Chicago, winter is here. On this first day of December with freezing winds and low temps, there's really only one thing to do to keep warm - imbibe. And just in time, our pals at Tasting Table released their list of the Best Cocktails of 2011. The compilation not only highlights at what locales you can try these said cocktails, but also how you can mix them up at home. No surprise, our friend Mr. McGee and his Whistler concoctions, The Violet Hour and The Aviary made the list. Also mentioned for their cocktail creations are Henri (18 S. Michigan), Sable (505 N. State), Masa Azul (2901 W. Diversey), and Morso (240 W. Armitage). Who knew?

So as we set ourselves to hibernation mode, mixing up a Negroni Thyme or Baron Row Milk Punch at home by the fire doesn't sound half bad.

Ciao, Italia (xTwo)

With the announcement of the Rancic's in-the-works partnership with the Melman's underway, the downtown Italian dining scene just keeps getting better. As if a Mama DePandi presence wasn't enough reason to head to River North, two Chicago favorites might be able to change your mind:

Piccolo Sogno Due
Ask any food-loving Chicagoan what their favorite 312 restaurants are, and 9 times out of 10, Piccolo Sogno will come up. With a patio that is to die for, it’s a go-to spot for lunch’ing, fine dining and wining. Onto the good news: a second PS location (Piccolo Sogno Due) is opening in February, this one with an emphasis on the seafood of Italy. Both menus will keep their crowd-pleaser wood-fire pizzas on the menu, and will undoubtedly boast a vast, something-for-everyone wine list.

Panza
Delve’s love for the Scott Harris/Luigi Negroni team is not a secret. We could go on for days about Little Italy’s Davanti Enoteca (as we sort of already did here) – the wine list, the décor, the excessive use of truffle oil - we're happy to go on the record saying this is a Delve favorite. And now we hear that a new Davanti (called Panza) is opening on the corner of State and Hubbard, causing us to rethink our upcoming party planning locations. With the name meaning “belly” in Italian, the 150-seat spot will focus on sharable pastas. Exact opening is TBD, but you can rest assured that we’ll be pacing up and down State in anticipation.


*Pictured: Davanti Enoteca (via Chicago Mag)

Victoria Secret Fashion Show Blues

Feeling a little larger than usual after last night's Victoria Secret Fashion show? You aren't alone. While we may never look like the superhuman string beans that walked the runway last night, now is as good of time as any to start making some healthy changes in our daily routine. Check out a couple of ways to get you thiiiis much closer to being your very own angel (rockstar boyfriend optional).

Livestrong - This site (which also has a stellar iPhone/iPad app) is quickly becoming our favorite way to keep our appetites in check. Just enter your weight/height, level of daily activity and desired weight loss, and this site will give you the appropriate amount of calories to track against to reach your desired goal. Use Livestrong to keep tabs on your calories/workout routines and learn how long it actually takes to burn off that chocolate chip cookie you couldn't resist.

Protein Bar - This new addition to the Chicago fast-food dining scene is pretty much amazing. With four locations downtown (and more on the way) we turn to Protein Bar for their curated menu of healthy (almost everything on their menu is under 500 calories), yet flavorful choices. Props to their Banana Walnut Bowl (Warm organic quinoa with your choice of milk, mixed with organic agave nectar, walnuts, and fresh banana) and Vegetarian Chili for keeping us full morning and night.

Yoga Bootcamp - Starting Dec 4th, Core Power Yoga studios are offering their infamous Bootcamp sessions. For two weeks straight, get ready for intense training involving strength training, circuit training, yoga and plyometrics. Their custom blend of one-hour workouts 6 days per week are designed to increase your metabolism and change your fitness routine. Sure classes start at 7:15 every morning and cost $399 for the two-week session, but no one said looking good was easy or cheap.

Slurping Turtle Opens Monday

With the holiday coming up, we are sure everyone is craving Turkey, Stuffing and the like, but over here at Delve, we are salivating over the Japanese comfort-food menu that has just been released for Chef Yagahashi's Slurping Turtle. The River North soon-to-be hot spot is opening this Monday after months of teasing us "coming soon" signage.

We'll be there opening day, although we likely won't be able to say "hi" with our mouth full of noodles, dumplings and Sashimi.

Slurping Turtle, 116 W. Hubbard St, 312-464-0466

Black Wednesday - (Semi) Grown Up Edition

Ah, Black Wednesday. The one night a year (aside from Halloween, New Years and…well…anytime we visit the old stomping grounds) that adults can cocktail like we’re young again. Heading into the holiday weekend, we’re rounding up our top picks for partying in style this Wednesday.

For Dancing – pop into Reggie’s in the South Loop for a two-act hip hop show featuring Mathien and Animate Objects. Need a backup? The Mid is boasting a two-act show as well, this one featuring DJs Chuckie and Nathan Scott.

For serious cocktail’ing – Bangers & Lace (a Delve fave) is offering up a unique take on their cocktail/beer pairing and featuring “A Case of the Higgles” (Luxardo Amaro, blackberry liqueur, lemon, honey and Angostura bitters) alongside an Allagash Black.

For not-so-serious cocktail’ing – Dance the night away to local punk band The Frantic, while sipping “The Blackout” (PBR + a whiskey shot) at Porkchop; The Southern is offering up $5 ‘Kickin’ Chicken’ shots (hello, Wild Turkey).

Food + Film + A Discount

This weekend, the Chicago Food Film Festival is back and offering attendees a chance to bridge two of everyone’s favorite worlds: food and film. The weekend offers four events over three days, all allowing film lovers to taste what they see on the screen. That’s right, you literally eat right along with what you’re seeing in the films.

Need more convincing? A few of our (and your) favorites will be in attendance. We’re talking Doughnut Vault, The Butcher & Larder and more.

Need even more convincing? We have a discount code for you! Enter liz11 for 20% off your ticket price. Heads up that tickets are selling out fast (with a few events already sold out), so get 'em while you can.

Produced in association with the James Beard Foundation and benefiting The Good Food Project, the 2011 Chicago Food Film Festival runs from November 18 through 20, 2011 at Kendall College and Intelligentsia Roasting Works.

Behind the Scenes: Dana Rebecca Showroom

This week, Delve was lucky enough to be granted an exclusive look at Dana Rebecca’s (our favorite Chicago jewelry designer) private showroom. Having bedazzled style icons such as Emma Stone, Zoe Saldana and Olivia Wilde, we were psyched to see where Dana gets her inspiration from.

What we learned: Dana doesn’t just have a knack for diamonds, her interior design skills are equally amazing. Check out the pics below to drool over those pink chairs, as well as some of Dana’s latest creations from her upcoming collection.

Bye Bye Bulls

Even though a full-season lockout has yet to be confirmed, today’s news made it seem like that might be the reality. "I think the chance of the season slipping away from us, and the players losing all they have worked very hard to achieve … it's really a tragedy," NBA Commissioner David Stern said today.


Well, David – we could not agree more. A full year without the Bulls is just not acceptable for Chicagoans. Here are the top six things (one for every Bulls championship) we at Delve would miss most sans an NBA season:

• The dance-tastic revamped United Center playlist
• An excuse (as if we needed one) to hit the West Loop restaurant lineup
• Derrick Rose…in general
• A weekly reminder (via the Luvabulls) to hit the gym
• Welcoming visitors with open arms (Hello, Dwight, Carmello, Dwayne, etc.)
  
• Joakim Noah. The hair, the cardigans, the corduroy…must we go on?

And of course we’ll miss the hype of the Playoffs. Lucky #7 happening in 2012? Looks like we’ll have to wait…

Delve Reader Discount: Urban Fit Clubs

Does the routine of “wake-up, go to work, gym, repeat” sound familiar to you? If the monotony of the (insert cardio machine of choice) is affecting your results, we feel your pain, and have the perfect alternative. Urban Fit Clubs is linking together Chicago’s top independently-owned fitness studios and specialty gyms under one easy monthly membership. For a monthly fee of $99, you get access to over 500 exercise classes a week (from spinning to bar method), to keep your workout routine fresh and dare we say it, fun. Now with more partnerships than ever, whether you live in Bucktown or Ravenswood, UFC has got a class in your area. Sample gyms include: All About Dance, Barre Bee Fit (River North and Lincoln Park), Chicago River North Pilates, Go Cycle Fitness and Yoga Now Gold Coast among dozens of others.

Sound interesting? You’re in luck! Exclusive for Delve readers (that’s you!), enter the code FITWARRIOR when signing up and get $25 off your first month's membership. At this price, you have no excuse to wait until New Year’s to get started on a resolution.

See the full list of participants and membership packages at www.urbanfitclubs.com of friend them at Urbanfitclubs.com on Facebook.

Gotta Have it: Crimson Infinity Scarf

Today's morning commute gave us the harsh realization that Winter is just around the corner... scratch that, its here. To fight the wind tunnels that are seemingly on every Chicago corner, we are turning to this Crimson Infinity scarf. Chunky, cozy and in the perfect holiday red (to match our Starbucks cup), here's to fighting frost bite in style.

Split Infinity Scarf; $38

Little Goat Coming in March/April

We heard back in March that Stephanie Izard was in talks to open a second Randolph St. spot – this one to be a retro diner. Eight months later, we’re happy to hear that a spot has been chosen, and menu creations have begun. Expected to open in March or April, Izard’s Little Goat will take over the old Red Light space on W. Randolph.


Three rumors about Little Goat that Delve is loving:

• Not only with they make their own breads (and meats, for that matter) in-house – they’ll have a full-on bake shop inside of Little Goat
• Izard hopes to host cooking classes, bread baking classes, etc. in the private dining space
• We initially heard “retro diner” for the design theme – but Izard is saying she’s moved away from red vinyl and on to distressed leather stool toppers. Bye bye to The Max, Hello Ron Burgundy’s living room? We dig it.

Google Offers Launches in Chicago

Another Daily Deal site? Really? We're a little bit skeptical, but then again, everything Google touches turns to gold. Their Chicago beta site launched today with a $10 for $20 deal at Goose Island in Wrigleyville. Here's hoping they can do better than that.

Check out how Google Offers work via the video below.

Uniqlo to Chicago

In the long list of amazing retailers migrating East to West (Topshop, H&M, Zara to name a few), Chicagoans can now look forward to Japanese clothing store Uniqulo's debut on Michigan Avenue. As part of the company's larger plan to open 200 stores in the U.S. by 2020, Chicago will be one of the first US markets (aside from New York) to be exposed to the brand's line of sleek, functional basics. With Gap closing over a fifth of their US stores (tear) Uniqlo will serve as our go-to for that perfect white tee and crisp pair of denim.

Gotta Have It: M Missoni Boucle Cross Body Bag

The search for the perfect brown bag and the ideal black carry all stops here. The M Missoni Boucle Cross Body Bag with woven black, white and brown fabric, a contrast leather strap and drawstring is just asking to be our go to winter purse.

Buy it now at ShopBop. We're literally obsessed!