I hope you have your tickets because it’s sold out! As always, they have an incredible line-up all weekend long. In honor of Lollapalooza, I’m posting my personal memo, that I send to friend’s when they visit my beautiful hometown. Aside from our numerous & diverse communities, shopping, history, & architecture; my favorite thing to do when I go home is eat. Chicago is home to several restaurants that are in the top 100 in the world. They’re fabulous & worth every penny, especially if you visit Charlie Trotter’s & Tru.

Welcome to my  hometown:

Avec, 615 West Randolph, (312) 377-2002 http://avecrestaurant.com/. It’s my absolute favorite restaurant & am usually there for a few hours eating every time I go w/out realizing it. It’s a Mediterranean fusion. You must have the dates, truffle focaccia, hanger steak & the whole roasted fish. Umm…excuse me, I’m salivating. Feel free to take pics so I can eat vicariously through you.

Greek Islands, in Greek town, 200 South Halsted, (312) 782-9885 http://www.greekislands.net/. The best Greek food you will ever have. Make sure you get saganaki, which, btw was started in Chicago. Everything is incredible here. My fave is the Greek chicken w/ potatoes, the skewers, & (omg) the desserts.

La Scarola, my favorite Italian spot, 721 West Grand, (312) 243-1740 http://www.lascarola.com/. It looks teeny tiny, it’s old school Italian. Everything there is amazing. My fave is the lasagna & caprese salad.

Charlie Trotter’s, 816 West Armitage, (773) 248-6228 http://www.charlietrotters.com/. Very high end & expensive, but he’s one of the best chef’s in the country & well worth the money.

Garrett’s, http://www.garrettpopcorn.com/, popcorn place. Heaven. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Gino’s East, http://www.ginoseast.com/flash.html, pizza, deep dish w/ patty sausage is incredible & a Chicago classic. Need I say more?  This is where real Chicagoans get their pizza. Period. There are a few locations.

Al’s, http://www.alsbeef.com/, beef sandwiches & fries, make sure you get the beef sandwich “dipped” & whatever peppers you like. It’s a messy & delicious sandwich that will have juices running down your hands. There are a bunch of locations scattered around Chicago. This is something you can ONLY have in Chicago.

Reza’s, Persian, 432 West Ontario, (312) 664-4500 http://www.rezasrestaurant.com/. The kabobs are AMAZING. Make sure you get extra feta ; ) To die for. They have a huge menu & everything is delicious.

Bongo Room, 1470 North Milwaukee, (773) 489-0690 http://www.thebongoroom.com/. My favorite breakfast & lunch spot, they have normal lunch stuff, but I love their breakfast stuff, is ridiculous! Banana pancakes w/ creme brûlée sauce, so amazing. Fellow dj’s: Reckless Records, one of the few record stores left in the city is on the same street. Walk over & grab some vinyl while you’re waiting for a table. Gramophone Records is also still open, but a bit of a drive away.

Irazu, 1865 North Milwaukee, (773) 252-5687 http://www.irazuchicago.com/. It’s just past all of the hot Wicker Park & Bucktown spots, a hidden gem. It’s Costa Rican food. Best arroz con pollo, everything is fresh & amazing. They also have these fresh shakes that you can combine or bring your own alcohol to add to. A definite must. I may have proposed to everyone in this family because the food is that good.

Cafe Iberico, Spanish tapas, 739 North LaSalle, (312) 573-1510 http://www.cafeiberico.com/. Very authentic & delicious. The fun part of having tapas is ordering a bunch of things, so I’m not sharing my faves. Try everything that appeals to you. You can’t go wrong. Cough, cough, queso de cabra, cough, cough. They also have the best sangrias there. I love the white & champagne one. It’s moderately priced, you get a lot for your $ there.

Mario’s, Italian ice, 1068 West Taylor Street. Only open during the summer. Local place to be during the summer. Incredible, delectable, & refreshing, & there’s an Al’s across the street. It’s a very Chicago thing to do. Mario’s plus Al’s is an unbeatable combination.

Last, Chicago is home to the largest Polish community in the country. If you know anything about me, you know that I am half Polish & grew up in this community. You must try some Polish food! Even better, if you’re in the area, you can check out where Hef went to high school & grew up close to.

Staropolska, Polish food, 3030 N. Milwaukee, (773) 342-0779 http://www.staropolskarestaurant.com/. Pierogi’s. Go in on this one.

It’s less than a week away from my birthday & ecstatic that my new pictorial, shot by the legendary Josh Ryan, just went up! Plus, fellow Chicagoan, Jenny McCarthy is also on the main page w/ her new uber sexy pictorial. Lots of Chicago love on the Playboy page today!

I can’t wait until the other set Josh & I comes out, breathe taking!

Yesterday, I went up to The Playboy Mansion & enjoyed spending a beautiful day w/ my Playboy family. I’m so thankful & grateful for all of the opportunities they’ve given me.

Happy Monday & I hope you all have a beautiful week & happy 4th.

Recently, I received an incredible surprise in the mail. I literally had happy tears when I opened it. Check out the gift & letter I received below. I feel honored, flattered & thankful to have so many amazing friend’s who helped contribute to the care packages for the troops. It’s always fun & exciting putting them together, & can’t wait to do the next round! If you are currently serving our country, overseas, please send your mailing info to the contact on this site so we can include your unit/troop.

Sending extra love to the HMLA-369 Squadron!!! Thank you soooo much! These are going up on my walls & will cherish them forever. USA!

Cherry MDW

Join me for the re-opening of Red Rock Resort & Casino’s Cherry night club MDW! This also kicks off my weekly Saturday residency & Monday residency @ their fabulous Cabana Club, so come out & celebrate w/ me! They have an amazing team putting together a lot of unique & fun concepts that I know you’ll love! It’s going to be a fun summer in Vegas!

This past week has been intense! On Monday & Tuesday, I shot w/ the incredible team @ Red Rock & Cherry (Brooke, Valerie, Tricia, Lexi, Alexandria, Stacy, Ashley, Michael, Tim, John, Jean Marc, Brandon, everyone from the outstanding Sak’s wardrobe team & everyone from the Shoot to Kill Media team! I can’t wait to start my Saturday & pool residencies MDW! Wait until you see what they have planned….fabulous & fun!

Then, on Wednesday, I was so excited to shoot w/ the legendary Josh Ryan for Playboy. I love the direction Playboy is going back to, & Josh & I shot some extremely steamy shots. I think this was my hottest shoot, ever,  for Playboy & can’t wait to see the pics! Josh Ryan’s work always blows my mind & thrilled to finally shoot w/ him.

What an incredible week. Feeling so blessed & thankful : ) Sending you all lots of love & hope you all have a fun weekend! Live, love, laugh, dance & eat.

P.S. If you’re looking to add a furry loved one to your family & live in the LA area, please visit: http://thevbas.org/kitten-fosters like I did, & ADOPT, don’t buy.

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