Last night, Adam and I decided that it was time for an old-school “dinner and a movie” date night. Well, it ended up being “movie and dinner” as we went to the movies first.
Since we were away right after Avatar came out, we finally got on the bandwagon and contributed to its billions-of-dollars success. We saw it in Real 3D which was truly remarkable. I felt like we were there, and I actually found myself swatting away a bug that I thought was in front of me…and it was on the screen. I really loved what a beautiful movie it was, and the story wasn’t bad either! I’d highly recommend it!
By the time the movie ended, it was after 9 p.m. and my after-school snack had long since worn off, and I was super hungry! There is a new restaurant near the movie theater that I had read about on Biggest Diabetic Loser over a month ago when Biz got to visit the restaurant pre-opening. Any place that has pizza and great burgers is good with me, so Adam and I decided to try The Lucky Monk.
We walked in and I was quite impressed with the decor. It was cozy without being stuffy and trendy without being obnoxious.
We perused the menu, and while The Lucky Monk is a brewery in addition to a restaurant, we declined to get beer. I’m not a huge beer fan, and Adam wasn’t in the mood for alcohol. Adam quickly decided on a 12″ New York Style four-cheese pizza, and I went with a burger. I really appreciated that the burgers came in two sizes: a “normal” 6 oz. burger and a HUGE 9 oz. one. I wanted to feel OK about indulging in some fries, so I went with a 6 oz. “Farmhouse” burger.
Since it’s a new restaurant, the service doesn’t quite “have their stuff together” yet. It took a while to get drink refills, and our server barely checked back, but once the food arrived, I didn’t care!
Adam’s pizza was crispy, chewy, cheesy and delicious:
And my burger, a 6 oz. griddled patty with lettuce, tomato, red onion, dill pickle, Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese, and 2 slices of applewood smoked Duroc bacon was so fantastic it deserved to be put on a pedestal. As a matter of fact, the burger was on a pedestal! It gave me somewhere to set it down between bites and still be able to pick it up. The hand-cut french fries were actually well-done and crispy.
Before dinner, we decided to forgo an appetizer in favor of a dessert that had grabbed our attention: skillet s’mores. Just look at this:
This, I believe, puts Fitnessista’s favorite Pizookie to shame! It was a small cast-iron skillet stacked with layers of graham crackers, semi-sweet chocolate, mini marshmallows, and a small amount of caramel on top. It was then broiled so the marshmallows got crunchy, the chocolate melted, and everything soaked into the grahams. I can see myself dragging Adam here for dessert and coffee in the future!
I truly enjoyed our dinner at The Lucky Monk, and I love that it’s a mere 5 minutes from our house! There are quite a few other menu items I’m looking forward to trying.
Technorati Tags: beef, burger, cheese, Chicago dining, date night, dessert, dinner, dinner out, fun, Lucky Monk, pizza, restaurant
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OMG it looks awesome, Mara!!! The pizza looks delicious (*cough cough* which I don’t say often about any pizza cooked in the Chicago vicinity
), that burger looks heavenly on its little pedestal, and I believe my breathing is JUST NOW returning after seeing the skillet smore! It all sounds divine! Thanks for sharing!
Christina´s last blog ..Quick Quiche
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I am in awe! That smore dessert looks out of this world!!!!
Glad you had a great date night!
Lauren´s last blog ..Drunk off Yoga, Full off Burritos
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OMG, that smore skillet is OUTRAGEOUS! I’ve heard so much about Avatar. I suppose I’ll have to let the hubs drag me there. It’s more fun to make it seem like it’s against my will
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holly hell.
no words.
only foodgasms
gina (fitnessista)´s last blog ..Soul Food
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Mmmm… must try to recreate this soon!
I was wary of Avatar after hearing all the hype, but I ended up LOVING it. So beautiful, and I loved the messages in the film!
Julie @savvyeats´s last blog ..New Friend, New Recipes
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YUM! Everything looked amazing! Sometimes…you just gotta get a burger!
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Yeah, I have to agree all the food looks sooooo good. I wanna reach through the screen and grab a bite!
amanda´s last blog ..New Year, New beginning
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HOLY, holy moly…that s’more skillet looks crazy good!!! As does the rest of the food
Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg´s last blog ..Keen on Quinoa
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Oh. my. gosh. That food looks ahhh-mazing! All of it just looks soo good … especially the skillet s’mores! Ahhh! It’s almost enough to make me want to visit bitterly cold Chicago!
Ashley´s last blog ..The ultimate indulgence(s)
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Oh wow, that pizza looks like awesomeness! I want some! lol
;) Such a great story!
I went to see Avatar in 3d yesterday as well and I agree with you…I felt like I was flying with them
Glad you had a good time!
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Love that dessert, though I think you’d go into a diabetic coma eating it.
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That dessert looks absolutely fantastic! YUM!
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OMG yummmmm, pizookie’s from BJ’s are pretty much my fave dessert EVER and that looks like a spin off of perfection!!! AHH what a great restaurant minus the shabby service
I can’t get over your honeymoon pics Mara, keep them coming I’m so happy it all worked out finally!!
carolinebee´s last blog ..Across the Country in a Day
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Ok, I was trying to figure out where my insane burger craving came from, and realized I read this post this weekend (and meant to come back and comment), and that burger looks AMAZING. So there is my funny story. I wouldn’t kick that desert off my table either, heh.
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lucky monk is my new fave place to eat. their burgers are fantastic – but i’ve also had the short ribs there and they were sooooo yummy! i was there the other day and had the tommy burger (turkey burger) and it was very good also. i haven’t had that smores skillet yet though. i am glad to hear it is as good as it sounded!
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Okay, not only have I had a craving for a really delicious bacon cheeseburger, but hello skillet s’mores? I’m coming to Chi-Town now and we’re going there!
Marianne´s last blog ..Called In
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