i found love in chicago...

Yes. Love. True, passionate, engaging, mouth watering, deliciously wonderful love.

His name is Julius Meinl.

And his manager's name is Conner.

And tonight... I had the most beautiful coffee experience of my life because of these two gentlemen.

From the moment I walked into this coffee shop I knew I would want to sit and stay awhile. The live jazz musicians dressed in black playing "The Girl from Ipanema", the beautifully handcrafted desserts on their silver platters, and the warm earthy atmosphere hit me in the right spot. I was told upon entering that they are a full service coffee shop and to please take a seat anywhere.

So I chose a cute little corner settee with a table and two other chairs across from the musicians and placed my order with the manager. I decided that since it IS a Viennese coffee shop I should try a Viennese dessert. So I ordered the Vienna cake which is a dense chocolate cake covered in chocolate ganache with a layer of apricot in between. I did not expect my coffee to come out on a silver platter. Nor did I expect it to come with the cutest little spoon you've ever seen garnishing a tiny glass of water on it's very own doily. It was adorable... and FANCY. And SO delicious.

My latte came complete with latte art which I appreciated as a fellow barista attempting to master this simple but not easy art. And my cake? Well, they drizzled the plate with chocolate sauce and before plating sprinkled dark cocoa powder on top of the ganache. This was heaven. I wanted to sit here all night. Eat my cake with my tiny fork and drink my monet latte, watch people, and listen to some really great musicians. This is the cafe I had been dreaming about. The cafe *I* wanted to own, and here it was in full swing.

This kind of thing is what I miss about the city. The hustle and bustle and then the calm right smack dab in the middle of the storm. So perfect.

I want more.