Update: April brought a quick trip to New York city and fine dining with family. We enjoyed Russian caviar, first time for me and the service and ambiance that I think of when I chorus line kick to New York New York. In February, I reminisced about my foodie and family favorites:

❤️February brings more than sleet and shivers. The second month of the year may make us think of groundhogs or love, but this year, the 29 days of February encourages me to leap into creating new connections and interactions. Here’s how my book character, Charli, looked at taking her relationships with her husband and family to the next level.

“Yes, but I want to talk about your idea. I think it will be really neat to visit Robin and Chester. But let’s keep on going. Why don’t we make the rounds this year and take all the young cousins out for a special evening? They are all freshly-minted and trying hard and it would be so much fun to treat them to a gourmet meal.”

“Ok, sounds good. So, what are you thinking? This Napa Valley Cab is really good.”

My sister had three children and her new husband had two children, so there were five all together that we called the ‘young cousins’. “Well,” I continued, “we have 5 young nieces and nephews, and their significant others, right? Robin and Cheney are in Cincy. Then there’s Annie, and Lindsey and Erik, Buddy, and Byron. We can plan to visit each of them. Let’s try to do it all this year. How cool will it be to show them all how much we love them by treating them to a fabulous meal?” (From The Golden Age of Charli-RSVP)

Charli and her husband Pud formed closer bonds through fine dining. While gourmet meals and high-level service are enjoyable, there are other fun foodie adventures awaiting us! Here are some of my favorites.

1. Fast Foodies– try some of the new fast casual places or a burger place that is new to you. Chat and share french fries. Whenever we are in California we rush to In-N-Out Burger- and then we wait! Worth it.

2. We have also bonded over an icon in a busy airport- a famous Chicago hotdog.

   

3. Happy Hours

   – many fine dining restaurants feature fabulous happy hours with special prices on select gourmet items. Enjoy an upstairs ambiance at downstairs prices. The pleasure of good service and tasty delicacies will add sparkle to your time together. Another fun way to socialize and get to know folks is to throw your own happy hour at home. Try something new- we just discovered this, St. Germain liquor.

4. Sushi provides new tastes and experiences and creative way to eat and enjoy each other’s company. And you get laugh together as you manipulate chopsticks!
5. Breakfast is a great way to break the ice! From a greasy spoon diner, to a chain, to a sumptuous brunch buffet, great conversations happen over coffee and maple syrup.

5. Be a gourmand–

at least once! I know I told you that there are other ways to bond with your loved ones, but there is nothing so adventurous and eye-opening as dinner at an amazing, renowned restaurant. We treated our family to Sixteen at Trump Tower in Chicago. The meal showcased the theater of great cuisine. You will have plenty to talk about for years to come!