Lunch in the City ~ Dinner in the Room

Got out the door for the city about 11am and Google Maps has not disappointed yet.  Arrived in a part of town that is known as Ukrainian Village, Chicago and got to meet up with a colleague.  Laura was a delight and we headed to a place called The Old Oak Tap for lunch.

I decided to try something completely different and who knew I would come to Chicago to try a beer from Utah.  Baba Black Lager Uinta Brewing Co. UT. 4% abv. Robust and smooth, this full-flavored, certified organic lager is exceptionally drinkable and pitch black in color.  We also shared an appetizer of deviled eggs with wasabi and smoked salmon on top.  Here is Laura and she opted to try Stiegl Grapefruit Radler Austria 2.5% abv. Brewed with Stiegl Goldbrau and blended with soda and real grapefruit juice giving it a distinct tart aroma. The perfect summer thirst quencher!

For lunch Laura decided on their paella and as you can see it is a mighty portion.  Not the usual presentation, it still contained a lot of the regular components.  Clams, chicken, shrimp, sausage, rice, spices, etc.  It tasted OK, but I must share that I have had so much better.  But I said nothing, I was a good guest.  I was quite torn on what to have and in the end Laura decided for me.

I could not make up my mind on two sandwiches and in the end she ordered both and we split the one below.  A Grilled Cheese brie, Wisconsin Cheddar, Swiss, sliced tomato on grilled sourdough with a shot of tomato bisque with fries on the side.  The fries barely got touched, not because they were bad, just too much food.  The sandwich was fantastic and she had me go for the bisque which I must say, if it had been cooler outside, would have been perfect, but seriously, when it is in the 90's soup is just not on my radar.

The star of the meal had to be their Shrimp Po’ Boy fried shrimp, avocado and corn relish, sliced tomato, romaine, garlic mayo, French bread and I opted for the sauteed green beans on the side with slivered almonds.  They were exceptional.  The sandwich was ginormous and so ate it open faced which was perfect.  That top piece of bread would have made it too big.

Soon the lunch was done and I got back to the hotel just in time for the video conference call.  A nap happened thereafter and then called in room service.  This night saw an almost repeat of dinner last night of the Caprese Salad which is terrific and a Wedge Salad that harks back to the 50's style and just delicious.  I also tossed in a Fresh Fruit Tart of seasonal fruit, Raspberry Ganache and English Cream.  Water a plenty capped off the meal.  It was a good meal and set me in good steed for working the registration table at the conference.  That my friends was a clusterf**k to say the least.  I was totally amazed at out of control everything was.  Did what I could, but at 10pm, my shift was done and I went back to my room, dismayed at the lack of organization.  We shall see if tomorrow is any better.  Off to bed as I am on tomorrow helping out and then giving my presentation:  Gay Group Travel & Customer Satisfaction - Maximizing Profits and Experiences.  Yes, I can see you are saying, "What an exciting topic!"  Well, there are 195 people signed up to hear me speak from what JC told me.  Yikes!  We shall see.

Sunrise in Northbrook, IL

Up way too early and got work out of the way.  Breakfast downstairs and then catching up on the blog.  Heading into the city soon, but a quick nap first.  Will check in later after seeing Laura and then back to hotel for video conference call.

Hello Chicago!

Yes, awoke this morning in the Windy City...or rather out near O'Hare International Airport. Spent the morning getting funding done for the week for the various offices and then packed up and headed to the airport to pick-up the car arranged for me. Can you say land yacht!? Hell, I have not driven a car this big in years. It is a white Lincoln Continental Town Car and drives "like butter" and room for oh 20! Seriously, it is quite lovely and will come in handy throughout the week.

Met up with Charlene at 1ish and off we went to Hot Doug's for lunch. Oh my goodness people, it is fabulous. Of course I left the camera in the car, but will be going back on Saturday so will get pictures then.  We split 4 dogs:  1.  The Game of the Week ~ Cherry-Infused Venison Sausage with Pumpkin Cream Sauce and Bonvallis Mahon Cheese = interesting but do not need to repeat.   2.  Ribeye Steak Sausage with Horseradish Cream Sauce, Caramelized Onions and Carrigaline Smoked Farmhouse Cheese = devine!  Hard to beat.  3.  Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Fleur de Sel = Did I just die and go to heaven or what?  4.  The Paul Kelly ~ Bratwurst: Soaked in Beer – sort of like Paul and that came with "everything" which means Mustard, Caramelized Onions, Relish, Tomatoes, Pickle and Celery Salt.  Add an order of fries and soda each and you have one amazing meal.  Throw in a t-shirt and we are talking a home run.  Oh and it is cash only.

After that we had other plans, but those were put on hold as I needed to get to the hotel and get settled in and take a nap.  A quite evening in the room watching US Open and ordering room service.  Tomorrow will be another full day so off I go.

Clotted Cream & Chicago Bound

Got up way too early and got a lot done before landing at the office by 7:35am.  By the time I left to fetch Michael aka Ticker aka Clotted Cream from the train station, only the computer had to be packed and so I felt things were in good shape.

We headed for the Space Needle for our 1pm luncheon and here is Michael taking in the view and trying not to lean on the window sill as the restaurant revolves.   We started off by sharing an order of Wild Salmon Fritters with herb remoulade, pimenton and chicory salad.  Quite good, but why is it that when you say "we are sharing" that they deliver an odd number of an item.  So frustrating.

Main course for him was an Anderson Lamb Burger pickled red onion, cucumber ribbon, minted greek yoghurt, Macrina’s seeded herb roll, goat’s milk feta and oregano fries.  Yours truly opted for the Dungeness Crab and Oregon Shrimp Salad with soft boiled egg, plum tomato, Louie dressing, avocado, mixed greens.  But I did have them trade out the "Louie dressing" for Bleu Cheese Dressing.  Good choice.  Added a side of fries with mayo for a complete lunch.

After lunch we headed over the 520 floating bridge to see Curtis at the office and then swing by credit union before back at the apartment to get luggage and he headed for the train station and I caught a cab to the airport.  Chicago, here I come.

Cocktails, Solus+ & Sunshine

Monday kicked off and was quite the day at the office, but I plowed on as I knew I would be heading over to Markie's place for dinner.  I get a text from Markie asking if I would mind swinging by and grabbing his "small" package and bring it with me.  Well, no worries I thought.  Bad for thinking, it was a huge box and yet light.  I did get it down to his place and let him unpack it from the back, my job was done and I also brought him the leftover salad and asparagus to use up as I leave tomorrow for a week.  Don't want to see it go bad.  So once settled in, with Solus+ taking a nap, it was time to hit his bar.  And yes that is a stuffed rabbit to greet you.  

Dinner tonight would be on his back deck which has now taken on the name, Tiki Bob's, due to a neon sign he got at a business going out of business.  There is quite the use of bamboo all around and add the full outdoor kitchen and scissor lift for high in the sky dining.  Heck there is even a soaking tub, but you can't use it right now as his still is set up on it.

Markie was contemplative in thought as we discussed wines and this is one of his favorite topics.  We also discussed at length their lunch at Salty's on Alkai.  Sounded quite lovely.  Solus+ also shared of his upcoming trip to Turkey and that opened the door for me to share of my adventures there in 2004 with Ani including our visits to the Liver Shops for the most amazing tasting liver you have ever had in your life.

Solus+ is a former Episcopal priest with a heart of gold.  I had the joy of meeting him several years ago at a Breitenbush gathering and we have maintained a distant and yet friendly friendship.  Sometimes you just have to accept that distance is an issue.  He lives in Vancouver.  It seems that I am knowing more and more people up there and do enjoy visiting.

Markie made a lovely dinner of pork shoulder roast, asparagus in a roasted bell pepper sauce, a nice loaf of challah, a little cole slaw, good conversation with a bottle of nice Turkish wine in honor of Solus+’s upcoming trip to Turkey.  Good conversation, but all too soon I had to head home.  There was packing to be done as I fly to Chicago tomorrow.

Markie sent me home with a slice of the pork roast and a chunk of challah.  Perfect for a quick getaway breakfast.  A good thing as the morning was going to be more of a whirl than I thought.

Bizzarro Sunday

The day began at 5:18AM with a call from Holly, the host for Hot Air Ballooning this morning and there was a problem.  The exit for the Park & Ride was closed for overnight construction.  We worked together to alert all the members and got them rerouted.  I went back to bed and woke up with a head cold that was not pretty.  Pretty intense to the point I called Moonsong and canceled the cleaning for the morning.  Other than a brief chat with Ani in California, I was quiet for the day and rested alot.  By 4:15 I headed north to meet up with Damien and Amy for dinner at Bizzarro.

So a little about the restaurant from their website:  Bizzarro has been a Seattle favorite since it opened in 1986 by original owner, chef and visual artist David Nast. He converted the building which was originally an auto workshop into his dream restaurant on a shoestring budget with a lot of hardwork, ingenuity, artistic inspiration and love.

The eighties and early nineties saw line-ups down the street as people clamored for tables in this unique and quirky pasta house with ever changing inspired decor. David’s original waitress Kathleen who waited tables at Bizzarro for fifteen years became a local legend as she sang improvised operatic riffs to, for and about the customers and the food.

We kicked off the dinner with a summer appetizer of frozen compressed watermelon with goat cheese, melons and prosciutto.  Also went for a bottle of Pilgrim's Sarah/Malbec blend.  I do think Damien liked the bread.  It is so good with the Balsamic vinegar and olive oil blend with herbs.

While they opted for the starter salads, I went for the The Caprese with organic heirloom cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls tossed with torn basil, spinach and arugula in black pepper vinaigrette and topped with Sicilian sea salt.  But the main course was on the way.

 If you go here on Sunday, there really is only one thing to order and that is their Sunday Night Meatball of which it is said they only make 200 meatballs.  Sunday night is a special night with juicy meatballs tossed with spaghetti rustica pasta in their famous marinara™ and topped with fresh shaved cheese.  Have to have dish --but only if you’ve been good all week.  Yes, Amy and Damien were very good this week.  We finished off the meal with Molly Moon Ice Cream.

Bizzarro still holds true to its fun and non-pretentious heritage with most of the employees all involved in artistic endeavors and the décor is still as engaging. The restaurant itself has evolved into a high quality Italian restaurant using the finest of ingredients with almost everything being hand made in-house from the pasta to the breads and the decadent desserts. They have a team of inspired young chefs and fresh market specials rotate on the chalk boards daily and every Sunday night you can go in and enjoy their fabulous meatballs. Oh … and the wine list isn’t too bad either.

Busy, Busy Busy & It's Saturday

Today I was up early and getting dishes washed and clothes done.  Read Friday and Saturday New York Times while enjoying coffee.  Made a lovely breakfast of eggs and bacon which really satisfied.  A late morning nap followed getting all the glassware washed and split between those I decided to keep (below) and those I decided to let go and got those all packed up for the florist.

From the left is a cracked glass vase I got when I was in Portland.  Next is a flute sent to me to mark the new century from Anne in France.  The base makes out the year "2000" and sadly the other did not survive the mailing.  Missy down in Southpark sold me the handled jug.  It was her brother's and she had to liquidate all of his estate.  Crate & Barrel is where the next vase comes from and it was during my first visit to one of their stores on a trip to Chicago that I got it.  Cindy and Linda gave me the great vase that is stemmed and quite ornate.  Very fun.  The bowl shape vase was a flea market find in Oregon and finally the last item is not so much a vase, but oh is it pretty or what?  Found it at a little shop in Portland. 

So after the early nap I headed out and delivered a piece of artwork to Jeff for the GREAT ART PARTY and then on to BECU to get some money.  It was not yet noon and so decided to treat myself and head for Tacoma and take the ferry over to Vashon Island before catching the ferry back to West Seattle.  Stopped at Costco for gas before heading north to Jodie and Rob's for an evening of games and an amazing dinner.

 Catan was the game of choice with cocktails kicked off the evening.  Around 6pm we got the grill going and Rob grilled bacon-wrapped Filet Mignon's plus some squash and zucchini.  Great food and good company.  The food had to be good as I forgot to take pictures, but trust me, it was fabulous and there were leftovers for brunch tomorrow.

Here is the one photo I got and Jodie will hate me for posting, but hey, it proves I was there and climbed all those steps to their apartment.  It was a fun evening as always with them.  Oh and before closing, Happy Birthday to my brother Steve in Portland.  He turned 56 today and was born in 1956.