Category: Dining

Chocolat du Bouchard Naperville Chocolate and Coffee Shop | Tasty Treats in the Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois

Le Chocolat du Bouchard is a delightful, little, neighborhood chocolate & coffee shop located in Downtown Naperville (Chicago suburb in Illinois).   They have a variety of chocolate everything!

Chocolate, and More Chocolate

The decor is charming, the entire store is inviting you to come in and enjoy a slice of chocolate cake with your coffee and a lazy afternoon.

The girls enjoyed picking out a special chocolate from the case.

And Coffee, of Course!

The espresso is top quality, great with a dash of chocolate or delicious on its own.  The service is consistently good.fresh espresso coffee

If you are hard-core, then try a slice of cake with your coffee.  They offer gluten-free, milk or dark chocolate, and many flavor options to choose from.

Yum!

June 2014 Update – Chocolate Shop Expansion!

They have added an extra room with more chocolate related gifts, chocolate bar, and this gorgeous chocolate apothecary for even more selection of chocolate goodies!

Chocolate gifts

Chocolate gifts

Behold, the expanded Chocolate Bar!

Taste of Chicago 2012 | World Famous Annual Food Festival

We attended the famous Taste of Chicago 2012!

2012 Taste of Chicago JenThereDoneThat.comI was told that this year was  smaller than previous years, for both restaurants and crowds.  A lite drizzle of rain really cleared the streets of Grants Park on Friday.  I was glad to avoid the crowds, and I am not sure we really missed out on fewer vendors.  Many smaller or less well-known restaurants were able to make an appearance in “pop-up restaurants” which allowed many delicious food options.  There were MANY pizza places, and a great variety of food from around the world.  Our favorite meal of the day was Jerk Chicken Belize-style from Garifuna Flava.

Tickets were 12 for $8. Eli’s cheesecake offered “taste” size original cheesecake for just 3 tickets ($2).  While most glasses of wine were between 8 to 10 tickets (average $6 each).  3 Ticket items were rare, and most portions were 8 tickets.  Not enough places had true sample or tasting size portions. There were quite a few chain and multiple location restaurants, and only a few unique Mom & Pop places that we could see.

Overall, we left full and happy.  We ate some good food and some amazing food.  The cool weather and a bit of precipitation was an added bonus!

 

Vino Loco Wine Tasting in Flagstaff, Arizona

While in Flagstaff recently, I discovered Vino Loco wine bar.  This is a darling little boutique wine bar, located in downtown Flagstaff, walking distance from the Monte V.  Vino Loco stocks many varieties of wine, including some great local Arizona wines. 

Due to the altitude, and my resulting diminished tolerance for wine, I decided to try the wine flights in order to try as many different wines as possible.  Prices are reasonable for flights, by the glass, or by the bottle. 

It is one of the best selections for hard to find Arizona small batch boutique wines.  The staff is friendly and they offer a few cheese & fruit platters to accompany the wine.  My next trip to Flagstaff will certainly include Vino Loco!