Fi-re. Fi-re. Fi-re, fi-re, fi-re. Fi-re fi-re. Fi-re fi-re. Fi-re fi-re fi-fi-re.
I’ll tell you one thing about Chicago Fire fans. They never stop cheering.
One of the cheers literally repeats the word fire over and over — and over — again. Of course, the diehard fans had good reason to celebrate last night. The team went on to beat the Colorado Rapids, 2-0!
A couple of months ago, Bobby and his friends came across a Groupon for tickets to the game. As you can see from the picture below, they were very excited about attending.
Jill joined in on the fun, as well! Both of us had never attended a major league soccer game before. It was fun to see how many passionate fans were in attendance — a lot of families and little kids with jerseys. It reminded me of how much I used to love attending professional basketball games with my own family. We had a great time!
I was also incredibly excited to debut my new Threadless t-shirt. Unfortunately I never got a full picture but in case you’re a curious word nerd like me, here is what it says:
What can I say? I’m a sucker for synonyms.
Before the game, Jill and I also had a restaurant “first” — a trip to Rick Bayless’ XOCO.
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but XOCO was a lot different than I imagined. Basically, you walk inside and stand in line to order, which you are only able to do if you are getting take out or if there is a table available for you. Once you order, you give the table number and a host or hostess seats you. The food is then brought out to you as it would be in any other restaurant. I can definitely see why people would enjoy coming here to grab a quick lunch. It’s not your typical sit down experience.
I also wasn’t fully aware of what a torta was, but now I know! I decided to order the daily special, which on Saturday is a Goat Barbacoa — definitely out of my comfort zone. It is made with braised goat, Oaxacan pasilla-tomatillo salsa, avocado, onions and cilantro. I assumed that a torta was some sort of taco shell, but in all actuality it is a sandwich.
All surprises and expectations aside, this sandwich was delicious. I will admit that when I ordered it, I thought barbacoa was pork (thanks, Chipotle) and that it would be made with goat cheese. I was a little wary when I realized it was actual goat, but honestly, it was hearty and very flavorful.
I also enjoyed a Wisconsin beer recommended by my Badger friend, Jill: Capital Brewery Island Wheat. It was a great suggestion – very smooth and light.
After dinner, we paid a visit to Pinkberry for a sweet treat. I chose the watermelon frozen yogurt (by far my favorite flavor) topped with blueberries, kiwi, dark chocolate chips and mochi.
I am so happy that Pinkberry made its way to Chicago!
It was a terrific way to spend a Saturday night. Today is a day for catching up on emails and to-dos, along with a bit of novel writing. I recently discovered a new direction for my plot and am looking forward to exploring its potential.
What have you been up to this weekend?
If you’re reading from the East Coast, I hope that both you and your families are safe.
Abrazos,
Great weekens! Your shirt is too cute. Great job on the adventurous eating. Im not sure i could have tried the goat (which is silly).
Thanks, Erica! The goat was definitely daunting, but surprisingly good!
LOL! Love that cartoon! I am such a word nerd, so I love synonyms too:)
You would love Threadless! They have so many creative, word nerd-y shirts. 🙂 http://www.threadless.com/
What a fun day! I need one of those…or ten thousand 🙁
What is Pinberry? Ice cream or another frozen treat (like sorbet?) We don’t have it where I live in Canda!
Pinkberry is a frozen yogurt place that started in Los Angeles and NYC. It was all the rage on shows like Gossip Girl, which of course is a guilty pleasure of mine. 🙂
Looks like a fun weekend! I’m jealous of the frozen yogurt! 😉
My weekend was very scary! We had to deal with Irene. We finally got power back at 2am this morning.
So sorry to hear you had to deal with Irene! Glad the power is back on and hope everyone is safe!
I’ve been meaning to try out Xoco- your torta looks amazing! I don’t know that I’ve actually ever eaten goat. I feel like it would be pretty similar to lamb- was it?
Yes, it was! Honestly, it’s sometimes hard for me to tell the difference between meats. Maybe that’s not very foodie-like… 🙂
Oh how I love Xoco!! Actually, anything by Rick Bayless! Frontera Grill has delicious, and surprisingly affordable, brunch. Someday I’ll go to Topolobampo (his expensive restaurant).
We wanted to try Frontera, but it was closed! We definitely will have to try the brunch sometime. Thanks for the tip!
Love Love Love that shirt.
You would love Threadless, too! So many fun options: http://www.threadless.com/.
I’ve heard that Pinkberry has just opened a location around Vancouver. Perhaps I will have to check them out one day. I hear so much about them on people’s blogs!
I had NO idea barbacoa was goat, my husband and I have that discussion every time we go to Chipotle (too often).
[…] to grab the car and drive out to Toyota Park, home of the Chicago Fire soccer team. Bobby and I attended a game last year and thought his parents would enjoy […]