Over Thanksgiving I went to Chicago to spend the holiday with my boyfriend and his family. The first night that we arrived (Wednesday) my boyfriend and I went to an incredible sports bar called State in Lincoln Park. I was completely blown away — clearly the sports bars in New York could never come close to being as good as State.

We ordered so much food and we enjoyed every bite! The Molcajete Guacamole was amazing! I couldn’t believe the serving size (massive!) — it was made fresh with gigantic chunks of avocado (my favorite! I hate when the avocados are over mashed) with cilantro, jalapenos and fabulous chunks of red onions and tomatoes. The rock shrimp was another appetizer we ordered — I love rock shrimp and State has a great twist on theirs. It wasn’t like the traditional Japanese rock shrimp, it was tossed in a spicy chili sauce that really hit the spot! Another order was the Grilled Chicken & Red onion Quesadillas — it was incredible! I typically will add salsa and sour cream to add more flavor to quesadillas but the cheesy quesadilla made with pepper jack cheese, red onion, and the most amazing marinated chicken I have ever had in a quesadilla didn’t need any extra toppings to it.

We ordered a few other things, but the most incredible dish that stood out to me was the Cookie Skillet that we ate for dessert. It was something I have never had before so it was both fascinating and incredibly delicious to me. When it was brought to our table it smelled like the most delectable chocolate dessert. The fragrance was so strong and even though I was full from all of the appetizers, my stomach began to grumble as if it was hungry all over again. Basically there was a cookie baked at the bottom of an insanely hot skillet and the chocolate chips were able to stay melted and cold vanilla ice cream as well as chocolate sauces were scooped and/or poured on top. It was such a creative and fantastic way to bake and serve a dessert. Has anyone else ever seen a cookie skillet before? I have never had anything like it and I have been wondering if it is a mid-western way to serve a cookie and ice cream. I’m considering buying a skillet to bake brownies or cookies in when I have friends come over. If I was fascinated by it, I’m sure my friends and family would love it too!