summer really let chicago have it this july! we tried our best to stay cool by doing our july 24th dinner inside, but by the 31st, we were ready to face mother nature on! we were however, thankful for the cooling breeze that was slowly moving through chicago later that evening! for the july.31st dinner we started the day off in a nearby park with a gorgeous setting of blooming flowers and fluffy green grass all around. we paired that setting with a snow cone margarita! that's right, a snow cone margarita! it's for the kid in you, that's well, old enough to buy tequila and mezcal. we had the pleasure, a couple of weeks ago at the farmers market, of meeting melissa and laurent yen, melissa being the mastermind behind jo snow syrups. we paired forces and thought it would be a great idea to have her bring her snow machine and some of her fantastic passion fruit + ginger syrup to flavor the snow cones! it was a  success! shaved ice + passion fruit + ginger + snow cones + 25 lovely diners + tequila + mezcal + one bite elotes+ chili fruit skewers + outdoor park setting = wayyyy too much of a good time for one hour! a huge thanks again to jo snow syrups! muchísimas gracias!

we then moved to the outdoor patio dining area that yo soy sometimes boasts! we served every guest with a farm fresh honeydew melon + chinese basil + mint+ coconut milk soup topped with chinese sausage and roasted pepitas! a new fave! 

moving on to the salad course of shaved fennel + rice wine + cervesa + mandarin oranges + squash blossom fritter from erewhon farms ( a local Illinois farmer)! it was to die for! especially since i could have eaten a bucket full of those fritters!

the main dish was grilled chicken with fresh ginger + soy + piloncillo glaze served alongside my infamous mexican rice (made from jasmine rice) that had an addition of bamboo shoots that made for a great texture element! brian's newfound technique of pickling the rainbow chard stems and tossing them in with the sautéed leaves and water chestnuts made for a fantastic green to the main dish! 

leaving us with the finale, the passion fruit + ginger sponge cake that was oh-so-summer-delicious! we had sesame seeds, we had coconut shavings, we had passion fruit, we had ginger and when we put it all together we had an amazing ending to this spectacular 2 yo soy july dinners! but then we decided, let's make one last thing to make everyone truly feel like a kid again, like the days where you spent every minute outside and enjoyed meeting new people and doing adventurous things. so we busted out the popcorn balls that brian perfected the night before! they were soooo perfect for a summer evening after a light, tasty meal, that i had to eat at least 3 of them! we spiked them with mexican chile + chinese 5 spice! yummm! i am going to eat another one right now! (p.s. - i am eagerly awaiting some pictures of them from our guests that were snapping shots with these! please post them! i am dying to share them!)

to top of the popcorn balls was the swift performance by yolanda davis! she has swooned yo soy before, and this time around, she did it again. her guitar, her sultry voice, her beauty, all made for a nice light package of love for the end of our enchanted evening! 

brian and i are taking a trip to corpus christi this week, and we will come back with some great new menu inspirations to add to the august dinner! stay in touch for the date!

summer loving,

mikey + brian