When we went to Chicago (specifically the Rosemont area, which is near the airport, F-Y-to-the-I) for the NCT Dream concert in 2023, we ate an early dinner at this vegan Korean place called Amitabul and when I say I still dream of this place…from the peaceful “om”s wafting down from the speakers, to the amicable Korean owner, and most importantly THE FRESH VEGGIE-LADEN FOOD. I was excited to stop by again before the NCT127 concert on Friday.

Dude, there are so many things to choose from, but I really don’t think you can go wrong. I got this delectable noodle dish and joined the Clean Plate Club – maybe a bit too fast, though. We both inhaled our food and ended up so stuffed, but not in a sickeningly way because this food is so healthy!

The only downside to this place is that since there is no music playing – just the “om”ing, and it was between lunch and dinner so aside from lone diner in the back and several people come in for take-out, it is QUIET.

Which means only one thing…

Henry’s mastication is amplified.

I tried to get a video to send to Chooch, who was born with the same aural affliction as me (actually, his was dormant until he learned about this on an episode of How I Met Your Mother and now he’s even worse than me about it) but Henry refused to chew until I put my phone down.

Jesus Christ, though – when he went back to eating it sounded like he was cutting down a forest with his molars.

The downside of eating such a filling meal was that we had NO ROOM for samples when we went to HMart afterward :( We did grab some snacks and samgak kimbap for later though.

And some hodu-gwaja! These are little cake-like balls filled with red bean and walnuts and made me so nostalgic for Korea. I mean, I always am anyway, but I was transported back as soon as I opened the bag. They were good but not as good as the ones I bought from a stand in the subway station by our hotel last year. Ugh and I got to order them in Korean too! I feel dumb doing that in America.

The next morning, we got up way early for some reason and went to Lost Larson before making our way home. Lost Larson is a Swedish-inspired cafe that has been on my list since our coaster vacation and played an integral part in why our August trip to Chicago for ATEEZ was so terrible because we didn’t get in to town in enough time to make it there and then drove out of the way to my back-up cafe where I had a legit emotional breakdown afterward and actually considered going to a hospital but then was worried about the bill.

All of that to say, we made it there this time! It was….cold and underwhelming. The vibe was not vibing. The coffee (I had it black) was mid. The pastries did not make me feel like I was back in Sweden and, for being pre-8AM, tasted day old.

Not impressed even a little bit. I know this is an entirely different country (but the pastries in all of Scandinavia and Finland just really hit), but the pastry we got FROM A GAS STATION IN NORWAY was a billion times better than whatever stale shit they plated for us – with absolute ambivalence, might I add – at Lost Larson.

Hate to be this person twice in one blog post (“I was in <x country> and it was better there” – you know that person lol) but I feel like even if I had no basis of comparison, I would have left this place feeling completely unsatisfied.

Which we both were.

My search for comparable Swedish pastries continues.

Luckily, our last memory of this trip to Chicago was a good one because DARK MATTER was a few blocks away!

Yooooo. You guys. I first had Dark Matter coffee in 2014 at Riot Fest. They had a booth set up there and I am ALWAYS CRAVING COFFEE but whoever goes to a concert or music festival where coffee is actually available?! Man, I loved it from the very first sip. The next year, they were set up again and I told them, like an eager puppy, that I’m from Pgh and that their coffee was one of my favorite things about Riot Fest, so they gave me a free t-shirt!

Honestly, great coffee and great people. You can’t beat that.

Hi, I’m channeling my dad again. God, I am such an old dad!!

Anyway, would you believe that of all the times we have gone to Chicago, this was our first time actually going to one of their storefronts?! I have even ordered bags from them online but have never set foot in a brick-and-mortar location. Well, that all has been rectified because not only did I get a bussin’ cup of coffee to go, but I also stocked up on some bags for home and got a can of their super potent cold coffee. Henry a/k/a Mr. Dunkin’ got nothing because he was a’scared. Poor little coffee poser.

As expected, the people working there were super chill and didn’t make me feel like I was wasting their time which, I’m sorry, you know that happens at some cafes!

My coffee was actually free since I bought two bags so that made me even happier. And then when I got back to the car and took my first sip, I basically screamed in caffeinated ecstasy, “IT TASTES LIKE RIOT FEST!”

I can’t explain it, but it brought back the stench of the muddy field, the joy-inducing blue sky, and the perfectly cozy chill in the air, and the clashing cacophony of multiple bands playing simultaneously on various stages. Ugh, Riot Fest used to be such a good time.

After that, we made our way out of town and started our drive home. Henry stopped at the very first rest area and got himself a big ol’ cup of sugary cold brew at Dunkin’ and was so smug about it too.

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