Birthdays have always been a BIG DEAL in our family! They’re the best way to celebrate life, reflect on the past year and set goals for the year to come. But really, they’re the greatest excuse to enjoy a delicious, fancier-than-usual meal!

Every year for our birthdays, both within 14 days of each other in September, we try two new restaurants and opt into a fun new activity. This year, we celebrated Salima’s birthday at PROXI and Karim’s birthday at Café Ba-Ba-Reeba. Here are our thoughts on both places!

PROXI

REAL TALK: We were totally digging Andrew Zimmerman’s vibe at Proxi. He perfectly blends together two of A Fare Affair’s core tenets: Travel and (cooking) food. Andrew seamlessly transforms big, bold flavors from Asia, and Mexico into elevated street food. During our dinner, we took a mouth-watering roundtrip from India > Mexico > Japan > Thailand > India. Each bite was a new adventure, reminiscent of an authentic experience on a previous trip.

WHAT TO ORDER: Tempura Elotes / Raw Tuna / Beef Shank in Massuman Curry

OCCASION: Date Night / Intimate Birthday Gathering / Work Dinner

RATING: 4/5 Love Affair

CAFÉ BA-BA-REEBA

REAL TALK: What a FUN atmosphere! We loved the stylish décor, entertaining music and welcoming nature of the staff. The Spanish and Moroccan inspired tapas brought us back to our days studying abroad in Seville and Rabat! The menu items were almost exactly like how we remembered enjoying them at the hundreds of cafés and bars we ate at while living in Europe/North Africa. It also doesn’t hurt that Ba-Ba-Reeba is part of the Lettuce Entertain Your family of restaurants in Chicago. We were earning loyalty points while enjoying our delicious meal. Pro Tip: Let the staff know you’re celebrating a birthday, ahead of time, and the restaurant will comp your dessert! So thoughtful!

WHAT TO ORDER: Croqueta de Bacalao / Gambas al Ajillo / Empanada de Pollo / Filete de Colgante con Setas al Horno, Ajo al Horno y Cebollitas Perlas / Any Paella Option

OCCASION: Date Night / GNO / Reunions / Dinner with Mom and Dad

RATING: 3/5 Love Affair