A few people who I work with are from the Chicago area, and one in particular has a family restaurant: Pizzeria da Nella.

We were stuffed from dinner, but I didn't wanna pass up the opportunity to check out this restaurant. So, we ordered dessert. We ordered a Baba' Napoletana, which is a homemade baba' filled with whipped cream and fresh strawberries (it's noted as the most famous dessert in Napes Italy). We also ordered Delizia alla Fragola, which is a homemade sponge cake filled with limoncello and strawberry cream.

The Baba' Napoletana, which I didn't realize contained rum, was amazing. The fresh whipped cream, sweet strawberries and nice little strawberry drizzle made for the perfect top of this cake soaked in rum. Oh my gosh.

The Delizia alla Fragola was also quite good. A thick layer of strawberry cream covered a delicious spongecake.

I wish we were able to try even more, because judging by the dessert alone, it's amazing. That, combined with the friendly, family atmosphere (which varied from the very touristy places we were going otherwise) made for an excellent evening.

Grade: A

The fourth day in Chicago means the fourth (and final!) deep dish pizza: Pequod's.

The process to get here was crazy. All of a sudden, it just starts downpouring, and we're racing through the streets of Chicago with water is pooling up at every corner. The wind was whipping and easily tossed my Hyatt-borrowed umbrella inside out. Once we finally reach the restaurant, my jeans were soaked up to my knees, and I could not longer feel anything in my shoes besides just wet.

Deep dish pizza will fix this.

At Pequod's, you can request a table during a certain time at least 24 hours in advance. I had done this, so once we came to the front, we were able to get quickly seated. This restaurant, known for its caramelized crust edge pizza, had a pretty hoppin' bar scene. We were kinda squeezed in this one area where my chair was tapped every time someone walked by. Annoying.

We ordered a pan pizza with mushrooms (because mmm). It arrived with a very dark crust (but crispy) and was sectioned out for us. First bite: crisp (little too dark) crust, kinda meh sauce, tons of mushrooms. I'm sad the sauce here was just lackluster. I was really pulling for it. I feel like Pequod's isn't one of the major, major pizza places, and it was the outlier. I really wanted it to be tasty. But, I think it was my least fav. Maybe it's because it's the fourth pizza in the fourth day?

Grade: B

Goose Island has a brewpub located in Chicago. And while we couldn't find time to do a tour, we made time to come check out some beers they had on tap.

We looked over the menu to figure out what we wanted to sample. In the meantime, we ordered a plate of cheese curds (because yay midwest!). These were super good. I passed on all the jalapenos, but fried cheese dipped in ranch? I mean.

Some of my favorites beers we had were the Lilly, which was kind of floral and refreshing. I also liked Curbside, which was a bit more bitter but not overly so.

This place was actually really fun. Our waitress was the greatest, most of these beers were pretty tasty, and the cheese curds. A nice little spot if you're a fan of the beer or just want to order eight beer samples and not feel bad about it.

Grade: A

Most of the iconic hot dog places in Chicago were a bit far out from the Magnificent Mile, which is where I was staying in Chicago. But, on one of the days, we traveled a good bit north to see the Lincoln Park Zoo and check out Wrigley Field. Fortunately, The Wieners Circle was along the way.

This hotdog stop is known for its char-grilled hotdogs (or char-dogs) and questionable late-night antics. I ordered a Vienna Red Hot (steamed) with the works - hot dog on a warm poppyseed bun, topped with mustard, onions, relish, dill pickle spears, tomato slices, sport peppers and celery salt. This was more of a snack for us, so we just ordered one and split it.

I loved it. I love these hotdogs! I feel like a traitor to the WV hotdogs, but these are just so complex and fresh, and oddly delicious, despite everything in my brain saying it wouldn't be. A crisp pickle, a good quality hotdog, and the celery salt -- and the poppyseed bun -- just kill it. So good.


Grade: A

Photo by Sher Yip - Taco Americano: Chargrilled chicken, Korean BBQ, brown sugar-encrusted bacon, sesame aioli & scallions on flour tortilla

The famous jalapeno gnocchi mac & cheese that took Morgantown by storm - winning the local macaroni & cheese cook-off and selling out at the food truck - is now a permanent fixture at a Bridgeport restaurant.

Cody Thrasher, who owns and operates Morgantown food truck Hash Browns & New Grounds, is expanding to a brick-and-mortar restaurant: Cody's. While the food truck will continue to be in operation, Thrasher is devoting a lot of attention and energy to his namesake restaurant that will have a seasonally rotating menu - something food truck devotees have come to know and love.

Cody's, located at White Oaks next to McFly Outdoors, held its grand opening Monday. It's so new, it doesn't even have the sign out front yet. Fortunately, Kayla, Lisa and I saw a bevy of diners inside enjoying delicious plates, so we walked in and made ourselves at home. And who did we see first? None other than local food photographer celebrity Sher Yip.

Photo by Sher Yip - Thai street pork belly: Crispy street-style pork belly, sweet Panang curry, Thai basil & lemongrass on jasmine rice

The inside is small - seating at just about 55 people - and very modern. I dig the cloth light fixtures, brick wall and bright, vibrant art work. A large bar area has wooden accents and was full of people when we arrived.

The menu they're starting with has a few favorites from the food truck - like the jalapeno gnocchi mac & cheese. I put in an order for that (because mmm), as well as an order of the Japanese pork buns - savory Japanese braised pork, sweet pickle onion, purple Asian slaw and sesame aioli on a soft steam bun.

Gnocchi mac & cheese: Gnocchi topped in a jalapeno cheese sauce with grilled pepperoni

We waited a bit for our appetizers to come out, but once the jalapeno mac & cheese arrived in front of me, time stood still. This dish is just smart, spicy, and perfect. A thick, soft dumpling covered in cheese, with some nice spicy hunks of pepperoni and a sweet drizzle make for a delicious flavor explosion.

Photo by Sher Yip - Japanese pork bun: Savory Japanese braised pork, sweet pickled onion, purple Asian slaw & sesame aioli on soft steam bun

Shortly thereafter, our main dishes came out. The Japanese pork bun featured savory Japanese braised pork, sweet pickled onion, purple Asian slaw and sesame aioli on a soft steam bun. These were pretty large portions - I was expecting two bite-size portions. These were two half sandwiches, and the flavor was phenomenal. Nice crunch and sweetness and savory. The key here is getting a perfect piece of pork belly - and this one was pretty good. The aioli? Perfectly decadent.

Photo by Sher Yip - Honey Sriracha Fries: Hand-cut fries topped with a honey Sriracha drizzle and crispy fried garlic

Photo by Sher Yip - Three little pigs: Thick-cut ham, brown sugar bacon, mortadella, aged white American, provolone, shredded lettuce & oil and vinegar on fresh baked bread

House salad - baby kale, romaine, celery, sunflower seeds & cranberries with a champagne vinaigrette

Sher shared some photos from his meals, but I didn't get to taste those ones. But they sure as hell look tasty. Considering it was opening day, there were very few hiccups. And, time and time again, Cody has shown that he knows flavor and knows how make really tasty, weird, awesome stuff. I'm super happy to see what he's grown into, and I can't wait to come back and check out how the menu evolves.

Cody’s is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, lunch hours are the same, but dinner will be 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.