Cakes and Ale

Wisconsin, Ahoy!

I'm heading up to good, ol' Milwaukee for work tomorrow through Friday. While that's all well and good, what I'm really looking forward to is spending Friday night with my grandparents in Mequon, WI (just north of the city).

My maternal grandparents have lived in a house with a big backyard overlooking Lake Michigan since before I was born. Our entire family affectionately calls it "camp", because going up there and getting out of the hustle and bustle of downtown Chicago has always felt like heading to some sort of Griswold Family Summer Vacation. Usually, there's a whole gang of us overtaking my grandparents home, cooking up endless burgers and brats, filling up the guest rooms, hitting around on the croquet set out back, and generally causing chaos. However, this Friday, it's going to be just me (well, maybe Josh, if he can catch the train up after work), and I'm going to like it a lot.

Sleeping at my grandparents is always a treat. So quiet! No ambient light! No sirens! No sounds of random folk music being played at 2am in your neighbors back yard! The only sounds are that of rustling trees, birdies, and the occassional chime of the grandfather clock in the living room. Even though it's a little early in the year for grilling out, I'm still looking forward to dinnertime. We'll probably actually head out to one of the local establishments. Maybe for Friday Night Fish Fry (which, in Wisconsin, is not limited to Lent, but celebrated YEAR ROUND. Other things celebrated year round in Wisconsin include Beer, Bratwurst, Beer, Cream Puffs, Beer, Cheese, Cheese Spread, Beer, the Packers, Beer and Cheese.)

There's a certain comfort to me, as well, in going to a place that has more or less been exactly the same my entire life. My parents, sister and I moved around quite a bit growing up, so we never lived in one place for more than a few years. Don't get me wrong - I loved that. Well, I love it more in retrospect, but still... Anyway, my grandparents place: same furniture (more or less), same decor, same routines day in day out, same food and drink in the fridge (cheese, cheese spreads, Ritz crackers, beef chip dip, Stroh's, etc.)... Once I went up there and one of my cousin's had left some Fresca in the fridge and my head almost exploded! Fresca! Not only is is a name brand, but it's calorie-free! Sacrilege!

So, I'm looking for a brief respite this Friday, and I know I will get it. Simple pleasures, my friends.

Squirrel Balls

So, remember this post a few weeks ago? The one about how, when we went mini-golfing, Josh thought that the lady said she had some golf balls with squirrels on them, when she actually had said she had golf balls with "swirls" on them?

Well, funny lady that Josh's sister is, she sent him a set of custom-made "squirrel balls", just for his birthday, sure to be all the rage on the course this summer:

 

It's BACON!

Only in Chicago...

There's this bar nearby our place (called Whiskey Road) that, on Monday nights, offers an all-you-can-eat BACON plate. Now that's a great way to kick off your week on the right foot.

Honestly, though, even my husband - aka "The Greatest Lover of All Things Porcine" - things this might be a bit much. (Although, I'm sure if, given the opportunity to eat an endless plate of bacon, he would probably come around...)

The Mafia, The Cubs, and Crab Claws

Those were the highlights of my weekend. Indeed, it was a whirlwind of activity. Josh's family (Mom, sister, and sister's boyfriend) drove in for a visit Friday afternoon. I love having visitors to Chicago. No matter what the season, there's always an innumerable number of activities available and, of course, good eating to be done. It helps to really love this city, as I do, because it's such a great place to show off.

Josh kicked things off while I was at work with some beers and darts back at our humble home. We made reservations for that night at a local favorite, La Scarola, an Italian place that's been around forever. Great food, not pricey, and you definitely get the feeling like there's probably a group of large Italian men in suits somewhere in the back room discussing shady dealings while their wives mingle around the bar, complete with big hair and gold jewelry. No matter what day or what occassion, this place is always packed. Even with a reservation you will likely be relegated to the bar shortly for some Chianti or Peroni until a table frees up. You won't mind, though, because the proprietors are such hilarious characters and so affable, they make you feel right at home.

We started off our meal with an order of their grilled calamari. A MUST if you visit. Just a squirt of lemon juice, and it's heaven in your belly. The bruschetta hit the spot too, but I could have just continued shoveling down those tender squidies. If I recall, sometimes they also do a similar grilled octopus, which is also incredible. For main courses, we were all (with the exception of Wayne, who ordered a veal chop - and proclaimed it the best he'd ever had) in the mood for pasta. Between four of us, we had ample servings of cappellini marinara, risotto di mare (mussells, squid, octopus, shrimp and scallops, oh my!), lasagna bolognese, and ravioli al forno (baked in cheese and spinach). Servings are huge - but nothing is a better late night snack than leftover pasta, no?

Saturday, we had to make a quick jaunt up to Damen Ave. in Wicker Park / Bucktown, a short walk from our place, to the new Marc Jacobs store so that Josh's Mom could buy a "stinky rat" polo of her own (Jacobs sells polo shorts with little rat logos on the chest, like a Lacoste aligator, but a rat... very cute.) We also hit up this baby shop called Psycho Baby that sells kind of subversive duds for tots and bought Josh's neice a "G is for Garcia" (Jerry, that is) t-shirt.

After that, it was up to Wrigleyville for some sushi at Kanok before heading over - well, we did stop for beers at Casey Moran's first - to the ballgame (Cubs v. Diamondbacks), which the Cubs won in a very close game (hot dogs and nachos were had). Afterwards, being never full as we are, we decided to drive downtown to Joe's Stone Crab and pick up some claws for appetizers when we got home. At first, I wasn't sure this was such a good idea, given the usual after game traffic... but after my first bite of succulent crab meat back at our house, I realized it was more than worthwhile.

Is it wrong that our weekend was basically a progressive fest of little activities punctuated mostly by eating various feasts? I certainly don't think so...

Terrifying

One of the weird things about living with someone (someone you share your bed with, that is) is that you become intimately acquainted with their sleeping habits.

Josh and I couldn't be more different when it comes to comfortable sleep. I am a very light sleeper. I have a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, and I always wake up pretty early in the morning. My husband is the exact opposite. Sleep comes to him as easily as a baby - he lays down, shuts his eyes, and the snoring ensues. He can then very ably sleep through the night, never once waking, and late into the next day if left undisturbed. I'm actually very, very jealous of this, but sadly, sleep and I are not actually very close friends. If I sleep until 9am on the weekend, I do a little happy dance of pride.

The other difference between us is that when I sleep, I sleep very still. I will stay in the same position, usually on my side or stomach, all night long. If I sleep in the bed alone, it's usually hardly rumpled when I get up in the morning - bed making is very easy. Josh, though? Josh rolls, thrashes, turns, kicks, arms up, arms down, curls in a ball, sprawls out, and generally ends up spread eagle in the middle of the bed. You can imagine how much fun this is for me. Especially considering our bed is my old (but too beautiful to replace) 4-poster double bed, passed down to me by my mom who slept in it when she was a little girl.

Anyway, this morning, I was awake early, about 5:45am. I didn't want to get out of bed, but I couldn't sleep anymore, so I decided to read a bit (I'm starting Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth today) until it was time to get up. All of a sudden, I look over at Josh (asleep on his back, limbs akimbo) and his face is twitching and shaking uncontrollably, eyes rolling around like crazy underneath closed lids.

"Josh? Josh! JOSH!" I repeated. He was obviously dreaming something bizarre, but it was just too weird to see him seizing like that.

He woke up and looked at me and said:

"That was the scariest nightmare"

"What happened?" I inquired.

"I was at my coworkers house and she had a giant cage full of beasts. Her son was taunting them with a tennis racket. I told him not to, but he did it anyway. Then, a massive butterfly attacked my head. It was the size of 'Gamera'!"

Such is my husband's vivid imagination. (Oh, and I think he meant "Mothra".)

Goldstar Events

Since Summer is almost upon us, I'm gearing up to get out on the town more often after tending to prefer curling up on the couch with a blanket as I have all winter. About a year and a half ago, Josh signed us up for Goldstar Events, a discount entertainment ticket service available in Chicago, as well as LA, San Francisco, San Diego, Orange County, Las Vegas, New York, Washington DC, and Boston. Since then, we've seen plays in Chicago for $5, gotten last minute sporting event tickets, and I even bought a 1/2 price 60-minute massage at a local salon.

All in all, it's a fantastic service that I highly recommend. Goldstar sends out weekly email event alerts to your inbox customized by your interest in music, film, theater, spa, and social events, that features the many deals available in your city. Occassionally, when a new show is opening, they even send out comp (aka free) ticket announcements, allowing you to potentially see a new show for only a few dollar service fee. Very nice, considering that to join Goldstar is completely free for the member.

Since I think this is such a fantastic resource for entertainment on the cheap, I became a Goldstar affiliate (you'll notice their link to the left under the Sponsors column). Check it out if you live in one of the cities they offer their service in - I guarantee you will benefit from it!

Half-Price to Live Entertainment
Free membership to get dozens of half-price music, comedy, theatre and spa offers.

Best meal in a while...

As a part of Josh's birthday weekend, we decided to go out to eat on Friday night. We had some specifications when choosing where we would dine: 1) somewhere we had never eaten before and 2) somewhere pretty upscale but also not 13-tasting-course-$300 per person upscale. We narrowed it down to two local places we'd both never tried: Spring and Sepia.

We ended up choosing Spring. Shawn McClain - the chef - is kind of a local star. He also is responsible for two other Chicago restaurants: Green Zebra (a contemporary vegetarian place that gets raves) and Custom House (a steak-focused place). Spring just seemed right up our alley - contemporary American cuisine with Asian influences. Even more so, the majority of their menu is fish / seafood based, and Josh and I are both big fish eaters. Sepia is still on my list though, don't get me wrong... but Spring also had the added benefit of being walking distance from our house, so there you go.

The entire dining experience there was top-notch. The interior of the restaurant is extremely soothing... the tables are arranged in a way so that each one is somewhat private, not to close to other diners. The muted tones on the walls and soft lighting just make for a very chill atomasphere. The absolute stars of the evening were two-fold: the service and, of course, the FOOD. As for the service, I have never had a better waiter. Truly, it was the most professional waitstaff I have ever encountered: friendly, helpful, not over-bearing, but also always present and available when needed.

Enough of that, though, on to the eats. A little amuse bouche was presented to start - a tuna tartare with a wasabi chickpea. Then, we started off with the Hawaiian Kona Kampachi ceviche. I've been loving Kona Kampachi - it's a sustainable fish farmed in Hawaii, kind of like a yellowtail. This dish came with shaved hearts of palm, Thai basil, and a light and acidic chili-based vinaigrette. Josh also had an order of the Miso soup with mushrooms - just delicious. For our mains, Josh went for the Maine Sea Scallops over braised Oxtail and wild mushrooms in a sweet soy sauce. I chose the Halibut (perfectly cooked), which was over a garlic / olive oil puree and some more wild mushrooms. Mushrooms must be "in" right now, which is fine with me!

We were beyond stuffed and too full for dessert, but we did both get little complimentary shots of a bittersweet hot chocolate infused with rosemary. I would have never thought to combine rosemary with chocolate, but it's actually a brilliant move. We sampled a couple of different wines throughout dinner - by the glass, because we wanted to try a couple varities. The wine list is great though, a lot of interesting and varied options. If we'd gone for a bottle, it would of have to have been this Oregon Pinot Noir...

Overall, I highly recommend Spring. If I could eat like that once a week, I would be a very happy gal.

image courtesy of forkandbottle.com

Mollusck Envy

 

My parents just returned from a week-long trip to Brussells and Amsterdam. They met up with my sister and our family friend (with whom they stayed) in Belgium and proceeded to eat their weight in mussells washed down some of what I can only imagine was delicious beer. In addition to just telling me about these culinary delights, they sent me some drool-worthy photos yesterday (see above) that made me green with envy! What could be better than to sit out on the place in Brussells, stuffing yourself silly with Moules Marineres et Frites along with a big glass of Kwak Kriek?

From there, they drove up to Amsterdam to see the tulip fields, which at the moment are in full-bloom. Did you know that the Netherlands are the largest exporter of flowers in the world? Every morning, they hold flower auctions. Those flowers quickly get loaded up onto planes and by the afternoon in the US they appear in the flower shops - amazing, no?

Josh and I took a trip to both these cities about 3 years ago. However, it was February when we were there so there was no A) sitting outside anywhere for extended periods of time or B) blooming flowers. Sigh - I guess I will just have to live vicariously through my parents who are - deservingly - enjoying some of the freedom that being empty-nesters allows!

Photos taken by Laura Gleason, my sister and excellent photographer!

The Punishment Cup

I knew the evening of Josh's birthday party on Saturday was rounding the corner from "civilized" to "debaucherous" when Josh decided to change into his Margaritaville tank top (which he didn't even get at Margaritaville, someone bought it for him in Sandusky, OH...) and start a game of Catch Phrase that required, should you be caught when the time ran out, the loser to drink from the so-dubbed "Punishment Cup".

Ok - I realize there are probably a couple of things in the above paragraph that require explanation. First - I do not condone the ownership or wearing of tank tops for men. This tank top was given to Josh and Josh has kept it specifically to torment me. I was told if I threw it out (like I threw out the pair of jean shorts he created when I told him how much I detested "jorts") he would divorce me. So, this tank top resides dormant in the bottom of a chest of draws 364 days of the year and then, on some random day, usually when drinking has been involved, the tank top makes its way out, and our guests are subjected to viewing Josh's pastey bare arms.

Second - the "Punishment Cup" is the worst idea imaginable. Basically, everyone playing said game gets to pour a little bit of whatever they're drinking into the cup, and then the loser has to drink from it. By the end of the night, the "Punishment Cup" had been filled with tequila, wine, various beers, cooking sherry, Seagrams, and even a cupcake. You know the party has gone south when you go into the living room the next morning and find cooking sherry on the table...

Anyway, everything leading up to this was a great success. I went with the Funfetti cupcakes after all, which were a big hit and enjoyed throughout the evening (see above). The grill served us well - we fixed up cheeseburgers, brats, and hot dogs, along with baked beans, a mixed greens salad with my dijon vineagrette, and some roasted sweet potato wedges. Beforehand, I made some guacamole (in honor of today's Cinco de Mayo!) and salsa, and my friend Sarah brought over a to-die-for goat cheese / basil / sun-dried tomato spread she made. Needless to say, we were not short on food (or drink, for that matter).

All in all, a very good party despite the bad weather. Let's just say yesterday was spent recovering mostly. Egg McMuffins were had, if that's any indication.

Be Merciful!

Tell me how I am supposed to throw an awesome barbeque with this going on outside? This is what the backporch looks like right now, in between spurts of downpour.

It is the most dark and dismal morning here in Chicago - rain, thunder, the whole nine yards, with no end in sight. If the weather reports are correct, tomorrow might be a rather "indoor" BBQ...

Since it is Josh's birthday, I will be nice and offer to hold the umbrella over his head while he grills... aren't I sweet?