I haven’t talked about it on my blog yet, but I work at the #1 Best Place to Work in Chicago. Seriously, regionally and nationally publications like Fortune Magazine and the Chicago Tribune say Assurance is the best. There are a lot of #AssurancePerks that make it a fun workplace, but one of the things I love best about working at Assurance is my phenomenal team.

These good looking people featured above are some of the hardest working, most passionate and creative individuals I’ve ever met. Each year, we celebrate the holidays a few weeks after they’ve all passed. As marketing people, we are really, super duper busy around the holidays and the beginning of the year. Holding this celebration in February allows us to really enjoy it.

This one was super special, because we returned to Hugo’s Frog Bar, where we held my very first team outing back in 2011. Back then our marketing team was only six people. As you can see from the picture above, we sure have grown! I feel so lucky to have been a part of Assurance’s huge growth and even more so to have experienced it all with my two #workbesties Michele and Sean.

Enough of the mushy stuff though, check out this food! We ordered a gazillion appetizers and they were all perfectly prepared, plated, seasoned and engorged. I’m always partial to seafood dishes – so thoroughly enjoyed the pan-roasted mussels and the spicy tuna tartare. They also had one of my favorite pinot noirs, La Creme. I had about 3 glasses before dinner!

I was so grateful my dear colleague Monica decided to go halfsies on dinner with me – because it allowed us to sample the bone-in filet and Hugo’s Rock Lobster Tail.

I have never seen a lobster tail this large… but I was so glad that it was. Every single bite was among the best food that has ever made it’s way into my mouth.

And how cool are the knives that were branded with the Hugo’s Frog bar logo? Nice little touches go far with me.

The service was extraordinary, the food was top-notch, and the company was some of the best of the best. As a former corporate event planner, I’d like to give mad props to Hugo’s Frog Bar for making this an exceptional event that was super enjoyable by our entire team. And of course, a huge thank you to Assurance for covering the tab. It was definitely one of the best meals of my life!