stayskinny | Chi Organic Girls

Is the old white bread rigamaroll bringing you down? We have developed a forever love of Potbelly’s whole grain bread subs (sorry Subway ) that keeps us coming back for the skinny mushroom melt and the vegetarian Mediterranean.

But what’s this? Potbelly has unveiled a new bread experience: the flatbread gloves are off and Potbelly is ready to battle.

Last Thursday, we had the privilege of tasting the new multigrain flatbreads with the toppings of our tried and true sandwich stars. And boy howdy does Potbelly know how to make you feel special! Bottles were popping and flatbreads were flowing. Ok well, actually the new frozen raspberry lemonades with the tiny shortbread cookies on the straws were popping. We can dream right?

Once we checked in, we walked upstairs to the VIP lounge. Each table had several snack bags of BBQ Popchips awaiting our arrival. Potbelly staff walked around with samples of the several types of sandwiches on the new flatbread. We both tried a full sized veggie Mediterranean and Kate nibbled the tiny sized grilled chicken and cheese. The Wreck, Turkey and Tuna on the flats were also available but we didn’t partake. After we gobbled down our sammiches, we delighted in a “Drop the Popchip in your mouth” competition.

BBQ Popchips!

Review!

Nutrition: With 90 calories less than Potbelly’s traditional breads, the flatbread is a solid nutritional choice for somebody watching the waistline while craving a sammitch.

Taste: We are a big fan of the skinnys as too much bread can be overwhelming. The flats had a mild multigrain flavor, not too overwhelming. They have a nice balance of outside crunch and inside softness as well. The raspberry lemonade was off the chain tasty but our guess is it is not on the health conscious list. For a nice summer treat in 80 degree weather, it would alrighty but not the best idea in addition to a cookie, chips, sandwich, shake…hehehe…although light and airy Popchips are a good choice if you just hafta add the chips.

So when can you grab the flats and flatten them out? Flats go national wide on May 6 and the yummy lemonade hits stands in June.

Our VIP Goody Bag from Potbelly

Sigh…there is nothing better than a weekend brunch. That’s only 1 reason (although a compelling one) why we gleefully accepted an invite from Chicago Food Bloggers to network at Public House, a spot we’ve been clamoring to check out. We rushed out, delayed as always, to River North to meet blogger pals and try the new morning grub.

Public House did not disappoint. The space had rich wood undertones and felt roomy. Our group was treated to a buffet style breakfast where we could snag whatever breakfast treats we liked. It was slightly meat and sweets heavy, but the manager gladly accommodated a request for a savory veggie option, a modified meatless breakfast sammich with arugula, scrambled eggs, tomatoes and shaved red onions on a toasted sourdough boulet.

The presentation of the sweet breakfast options made us drool. The healthier option, a parfait pint (we got pint sized version of the pint) was layered with fresh berries, greek yogurt and crunchy granola. The doughnut french toast also featured berries but we found it a little too deep fried for our tastes. Our top contender, however, was a warm gooey sticky bun with the perfect balance of a soft bun, drizzled vanilla icing and nuts. Our waitress was kind enough to sneak us another one after the buffet had been ravaged.