535 N. Michigan AvenueWe had a pretty great weekend getaway to Chicago. J and I both grew up near the City…her closer to it than me…but we both did a lot of Chicago things when we were kids. This weekend trip allowed us to do a lot of those Chicago things with our kids that we probably haven’t done since we were kids.
Sunday night was rainy and kind of miserable but we made the best of it. We spent the day at the Museum of Science & Industry then headed back to our hotel room to relax for a while.
We were smart and made a reservation early in the day for pizza at Labriola just a short walk from our hotel. Our plan was to walk down to Millennium Park after dinner and do that touristy thing by taking pictures at the Cloud Gate sculpture…or as you probably know it…The Bean.
We didn’t really plan on getting dessert but there was a donut shop right next door to Labriola…in fact, they were connected so we didn’t even have to leave the building to get the kids a little something.
Stan’s Donut is yet another place with a misleading address on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The address is on North Michigan Avenue but you’ll never find it if you look there. The gourmet donut shop is on the raised pedestrian bridge over Grand Avenue in Chicago’s Near North Side. The chain of Chicago shops is an off shot of the famous Stan’s Donuts in Los Angeles which closed last spring. Rich Labrioloa (you know, the namesake of the pizza restaurant we ate at and that’s connected to this donut shop) worked with Stan Berman many years ago to make the Chicago shops possible.
The shop as an upscale coffee shop feel to it. There is a donut case and a coffee bar towards the back of the counter space. We were there pretty late in the day so the donuts were pretty sparse…but the kids didn’t want donuts anyway.
Right up front there is a cooler case with gelato. It was the first thing the kids saw when they walked in and they gravitated right for it.
There weren’t a lot of flavors to choose from but it was Sunday evening after a really busy weekend in downtown Chicago. We were just happy there was no line. Every place we went near our hotel had lines so being able to walk right in and get the kids a sweet treat was a welcome surprise.
I didn’t order anything because I wasn’t super hungry and…I know B. He never finishes his ice cream. I knew he’d share.
B picked the Chocolate gelato which surprised all of us. He usually goes for a wild flavor but he went simple this time. His cup came up first so he and I headed to a nearby table so he could start eating. As predicated, he did not finish his dish and I got a little taste without having to order a whole scoop. Gelato is so rich and delicious and this chocolate was super rich and very delicious.
L also made kind of a surprising pick when she chose Mango. She’s been really in to frozen fruit lately so this really shouldn’t come as a surprise but it’s not a usual pick for her when it comes to scooped ice cream…or gelato in this case.
L joined B and me at a table while J got herself something and paid. The three small gelato’s cost us just under $19.
Stan’s Donuts & Coffee was really a perfect cap to our meal. We still had another day in Chicago (we went to Lincoln Park Zoo) so this was a capper to our weekend but it was our last meal out. It’s nice just to sit down and relax and the busy world moves around you…and what better way to do that than with gelato.