I’m 94 stories above Chicago… with a group of handpicked diners… and we’re all about to dine.*

Want a way to win my heart? Invite me to a night of food, cocktails, gorgeous views of Chicago & ice skating. Throw in some delightful strangers & the bonus of a friend & the night gets even better. I was invited to be part of a group of Chicago bloggers (that can’t be me) & twitter food types (this fits me much better) that would be doing what is essentially an adorable date night on Michigan Avenue during the Chicago winter. First up: Chalet Nights.

The Peninsula Hotel: Pierrot Gourmet: Chalet Nights

The Peninsula Hotel, home to many restaurants I want to eat at, is running a lovely promotion until the end of March. Called Chalet Nights, go to Pierrot Gourmet & they’ll treat you right. I arrived after part of the group had already gathered. After joining them, we chatted while drinking some lovely wine. Everyone else arrived & we sat down for the first part of the evening. See photographic evidence below.

Going left to right, top row then bottom:

1. Half of our table.
2. A petite salad with Dijon vinaigrette — I adored this. Ate every last leaf like a good girl. Lovely vinaigrette.
3. Juniper berry-smoked speck (an Alpine-smoked and dried prosciutto) — my first interaction w/speck. Not my last, hopefully.
4. Pickled vegetables — again, you’d think vegetables would get ignored when there’s cheese & meat & bread. Nope. We ate it all.
5. Three-cheese fondue made with Gruyère, Appenzeller & Fontina, accompanied by mountain bread (not shown) — 3 types of cheese. Melted. Need i say more?
6. Chef Tony comes out & talks to us about what we’d eaten.
7. Fabulous French macaroons — decadent flavors. I’ve got better pictures, but ooh, an iPhone taking a picture of an iPhone taking a picture of macaroons. Meta.
8. Pear flavored Eau-de-Vie brandy —  quite strong.

John Hancock Observatory: Espression by Lavazza Café: Skating in the Sky

Post-dinner we walked up Michigan Avenue to the John Hancock building & headed to the 94th floor & the John Hancock Observatory. Staring down at Chicago from tall buildings makes me happy. I’ve had the opportunity to see the city from bunches of different floors & views in the Hancock. Stunning all around & never gets old. We walked through an OPEN AIR SKYWALK (94 floors up. Open. Air. Skywalk. !!!) to the Espression by Lavazza Café. Some specially crafted cocktails & more food awaited us there. Then, we headed to the ice rink. Below. Again.

Once more, going left to right, top row then bottom:

1. Chicago is gorgeous.
2. Open Air Skywalk — Crazy windy, insane to think about the fact that you’re basically outside & up that high. Hi Paige!
3. SKYY High: SKYY raspberry vodka, Blue Curacao, & lemonade, served with fresh lime over ice. — A tasty cocktail. If you ignore the not-in-nature blue color of it.
4. Hawks Cup:  Makers Mark whiskey, fresh ginger, muddled blackberries and fresh lemon sour garnished with fresh blackberries. — I could drink these all night.
5. Charcuterie and Cheese Assortment // Baked Goat Cheese with Tomato-Basil Sauce: Grana Padano, Brie & a goat cheese torta with basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Accompanied by prosciutto & soppressata. // Oven baked goat cheese with a tomato-basil sauce, served with tomato-basil crostini. — I’ll take some more Grana Padano & prosciutto to go along with those Hawks Cups please.
6. Stracciatella Gelato — I took a bite. After everything else, I couldn’t muster any more. Delicious though.
7. The Rink — adorable. Skating 94 floors above Chicago is kind of insane. It’s not real ice, I was far from graceful, and  I didn’t fall. I consider this a huge win.
8. Woman down! — that friend I mentioned as the bonus? She’s the one lying on her back on the ice skating rink after she fell. Hi Paige! Good friend that I am, I pulled out my phone to take a picture.
9. The rental skate — wasn’t gross at all. Which was a lovely treat.

Thanks to Zach at the Hancock & Susan at the Peninsula, as well as the stunning PR team working with Susan, and the wonderful chefs working in Pierrot Gourmet. The entire night was divine.

* — Apologies to Cameron Crowe for the title of this article. Kind of. I really love Almost Famous.