For almost 20 years Carla Bruni has been studying, preserving and writing about historic architecture. Her recent book Chicago Homes: A Portrait of the City's Everyday Architecture (Agate), written with Phil Thompson, focuses on the many historic homes found in Chicago. The skyscrapers and office buildings get enough attention, the mansions and estates carved their own niche of interest, but the homes we all live in, from multi-unit buildings to bungalows, are what captured Bruni to study (and teach us all) about where we call home. The book covers everything from lot size to kit homes and showcases what makes each abode unique. As someone who has studied and explored every corner of this city we call home, we had to know what Bruni's favorite spots were to grab olives, soup to be savored, and rule bending must-haves.
It's first thing in the morning, coffee or tea? And who does your favorite brew?
Sadly, I had to give up coffee a couple of years ago because it made my body angry, so now I'm all tea, all the time. I start every day by putting on the kettle and grabbing some Harney & Sons Organic Earl Grey (I'm surprisingly picky about this). I blend some cold oat milk with cinnamon (and sometimes a little maple syrup) with a little electric wand and top off my cup before tottering off to my living room.
For the most important meal of the day aka breakfast, where do you go and what do you order?
I usually eat breakfast at home and I'm also very specific about this. I chop up a hard-boiled egg, add it to shredded lettuce from the farmer's market and some Moroccan oil-cured olives that I get at the Middle East Bakery in Andersonville. Then I add about a tablespoon of olive oil that my friend makes from her trees in Italy and whatever local giardiniera is available at Edgewater Produce. If I do go out for breakfast, my staple for many, many years is the veggie omelet with tomatoes (instead of potatoes) from Svea in Andersonville. They know me and assume my order when I walk in, which I love.
Are you a grab-and-go lunch eater or a slow sit-down type? What's your place and order?
I usually eat lunch at home and it's often just a hodgepodge of whatever ingredients I can make work in the fridge. That said, I don't work while I'm eating—I gave that nonsense up years ago—so I definitely sit and eat. I try to be present. Usually I make a matcha latte after I eat for a little afternoon zing. I do sometimes find myself walking or biking to Taste of Lebanon for the world's best lentil soup, which I eat as slowly as possible to make it last. I've been bonkers about that stuff for the past 20 years and thankfully, it hasn't changed an iota.
Afternoon pick me up? Snack? Caffeine or happy hour? Where is your favorite spot to jump-start the evening?
If it's a quiet night when I don't have other plans, I might take myself out on a self-date to Kopi Cafe to wind down with some kind of delightful tea or a Mexican hot chocolate and a graphic novel. Other nights I might meet friends at Nobody's Darling and get one or two stellar cocktails. They have excellent bartenders and I like giving them my money as a Black-, women-, queer-owned establishment.
Dinner time, what place or meal brings your day to a close the right way?
Regardless of my budget or how hungry I am, I have a very difficult time turning down an invitation to eat at Ethiopian Diamond in Edgewater or Spacca Napoli in Ravenswood. Same goes for Soul Veg City if I'm on the south side. They've all been around for a long time, and there's a reason for that.
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