Some things just go well together. Wine and sun. Friends and a table for four. Tough questions and thoughtful advice. Green beans and tempura. Cheese and anything. Peaches and tomatoes. New beginnings and old alliances. This week I am thankful for my friends. I love them more than cheese. And that is all I have to say for today.
Posted in Daily Picture, Uncategorized
Tagged basil, bin cafe, cheese, Daily Picture, friends, love, peaches, photography, tomatoes, wine
Um…wine club could use a few more wine clubbers. Here’s the thing; Amber started it up with enough people to fill an average Chicago apartment and make enough noise to annoy the neighbors. Three years later, people have moved away, flaked out, have to work or study, get sick, or just have a lot of out-of-town plans over the weekends. This is all very understandable, but I think we need to add some more members so when people can’t make it, it is still a decent sized group. Because it is a LOT of fun and I would hate to see it die. Right now, I am breaking the first rule of wine club, which is don’t talk about wine club (heh).
Regardless of the attendance, Andrea put together a fantastic little party for the night. We still managed to get through all the bottles with just 7 people. And had no trouble with the pizza, Vosges chocolate, and other goodies. Ballet and other dance lessons were given in the dining room, and Justin had to call and check on the wearabouts of his wife around 1 am, so it was clearly a fun time with great company.
Andrea’s apartment is one of my favorites that I have visited in the city. She is always a great host. Here place was lit by candles last night–so the light is low–but I think you will get the idea.
hello
Chalkboard decal by the door. Note that the Fennec Hare drawn there is not real.
Lysiantus...with flash. I had to.
Le Pouf and company.
Posted in Daily Picture
Tagged acorns, books, Daily Picture, hello kitty, lysiantus, photography, strawberries, wine, wine club
I didn’t know it was possible to pass out from eating sushi until last night. It was worse than any turkey coma I have experienced. Justin had to wake me lift me up from the couch and I barely made it to the bed…at 8:30 at night. Maybe I was worn out from the day, and I did get a lot of sun. I have over 15 DPHs from yesterday and need to upload at least a few. Let’s get started.
The first visit to Baci of the season. It was VERY crowded.
I spy a lunchtime picnic.
This accurately describes the mood of most everyone that was outside in Chicago yesterday. 80 degrees in April=euphoria.
Dessert
Alright, I never post photos of myself because I am on the other side of the camera and I just don't really love photos of myself. But this outfit really made me happy all day long. And besides the shoes, it was all free. The shirt and skirt as swap items from friends and the jewelry is jade and gold from Grandma Tica. <3
It is roof deck/patio season.
Sweaty sparkly and billowy sleevy.
This is prity prity good. Justin claims it was his, and that he is using his many degrees for sidewalk-chalk-painting.
Posted in Chicago, Daily Picture
Tagged blossoms, Chicago, Daily Picture, dessert, lunch, park, photography, roof deck, sidewalk chalk, spring, sun, sushi coma, warm weather, wine
Sunday nights get me down. The weekend is over and it is dark outside and I am kind of sad about it. How can I remedy this? Two things seem to help:
I haven’t posted since last Thursday, so here is Friday:
Cauliflower obsession continues. This was my lunch from Tuscany. Delicious. I urge Jo to give Cauli a chance.
Alex hosted another happy hour in the corner office. Fizzgig came, and brought pretzels to pass. He is clearly excited.
Drea is enjoying a Snakebite, courtesy of Alex. I was inspired to add a gradient to this photo after watching the video posted below.
Happy hour continued with more coworkers off-site. Blonde curls were in abundance.
Black and white heels were also in abundance. This photo is also of two separate people.
Saturday brought the sun. Porp laid in it of course. Schween was no more than a foot to her right.
I don't really want to talk about this.
Weird bush that now lives in the front yard instead of the backyard. Transplanted during construciton of the roofdeck garage I assume.
One of the happiest things I have seen in months.
Winnemac Park. This will be lush in a couple months. I didn't know it existed until today because I had never crossed the train tracks. Dumb.
Prairie things.
More dead prairie stuff. I took pictures until our table was ready at Over Easy on Damen.
Very popular. Not a lot of seating, so the wait was long. We didn't mind hanging out in the park across the street though.
Officially the best taters I have had for breakfast.
I don't remember what he had, but I remember tasting it and being envious. And beans were involved. <3
Who doesn't love egg-bead curtains, tin ceilings, brick walls and crown molding?
If anyone understands this, please comment to tell me the significance of "NINE."
After breakfast I decided to take a nap in the sun on the porch with the cats. Face-down. Woke up with nap face and the need for wine and flowers. Picked up some dried mango slices as well.
Meet Lidia. She is new. She eats jelly beans and wards off evil winter spirits.
Now I am going to sleep in my freshly-cleaned sheets. Goodnight.
Posted in Chicago, Daily Picture
Tagged blondes, breakfast, buds, cats, Chicago, chicks, Daily Picture, dining out, fizzgig, flowers, happy hour, lunch, mango, napping, Neocube, Over Easy Cafe, park, photography, school of seven bells, signs of spring, sun, sunday blues, warmer weather, wine
I am not a mushy person.* And Valentines Day as a holiday does not particularly excite me. But love does, and so does food. So since Valentines Day is supposed to involve both of these things, we can get along. Although I don’t know why you would reserve just one day of year for this excitement. If you don’t recognize love (romantic or otherwise), enjoy food, or dine out unless Hallmark tells you to, then Valentines Day may possibly be a very important holiday to you. Maybe you also would go nuts over a Vermont Teddy Bear, Jane Seymour’s Eternal Hearts necklace, or the dreaded Cupcake in Bloom. Someone is getting that crap. And someone is thrilled about it. Pleh.
Here is my effort at being cute for yesterday’s breakfast:
Justin: "Did you nom a bite out of my egg samich?" Me: "It's A HEART. Geez."
So I tried.
We decided to go to In Fine Spirits for dinner and drinks. We hadn’t been there since the summer. *Sigh.* It was June. They had their lovely patio opened up at the back of the restaurant. I can remember having a Blanc Bombshell flight out in the sun with a scrumptious pairing of cheeses on a lazy Saturday afternoon. I think I would pay $1,000 if someone could fast forward time to May, when all of Chicago goes completely out of their heads on the day that patios open up city-wide. We love our dining alfresco.
Back to mid-February: Justin and I ordered a couple reds from the extensive wine menu. The Rioja I had in my glass was the winner. I wish I could describe it properly. Oaky and dry I think. Like smoked wood? It perfectly complimented our plate of Roaring 40s Blue (King Island, Australia), Chorizo (Palacios, Spain), and Sunset Bay goats milk (River’s Edge, Oregon). The second I bit into the Roaring 40s Blue and had a sip of wine directly following, my eyes became squinty, twinkly and a bit blurry. I think Justin calls it my happy-food-place-face?
Wine, small plates, and a pretty tin ceiling.
We followed up the cheese with small tapas style plates of roasted chicken tartine with provolone, celeriac rémoulade, tomato marmalade, followed by meatballs with sake-braised bok choy, soy, ginger, and roasted cauliflower with brussels sprouts, bacon lardon, pine nut, golden raisin. With the exception of one husband-approved brussel sprout, I finished the roasted cauliflower plate without much sharing. It was my first taste of brussel sprouts ever! And I love them! And they weren’t mushy at all!
Brussel sprouts! Not Mushy! A whole page in the menu for cheese! Entire water flasks for our table alone. No ice!
Any restaurant that gives me the whole water pitcher/flask/decanter and leaves it on the table gets major bonus points. Anyone that has spent more than 10 minutes with me in person is aware that I drink more water than thought humanly possible. During a week-long a photo shoot with my lovely former boss-lady Anne (hi, Anne!), I probably frightened the crew with my ability to clear an entire water pallet from Sam’s in less than two days. While driving back to the hotel one night, I freaked out about not having any water (and chap stick?) within arm’s reach and made her pull over to the nearest gas station so I could buy 2 liters of the good stuff. I went to bed with the bottles full on the nightstand, and woke up with them thrown onto the hotel floor, completely empty. I am a sleep drinker apparently.
Although I love water, I am not a fan of ice. It inhibits me from drinking water as fast as I would like, and causes brain freeze. It also makes the food and wine less tasty when the mouth is frozen. So I would rather not have it. So bonus points to In Fine Spirits for not having ice water.
Also, bonus points to the entire country of Italy for also never serving me ice. It is one of the top reasons I wouldn’t be mad if I had to move there someday.
<3 <3 <3
*A note about not being a mushy person. I am an ENTP that needs to rein in the “T” (thinking) and concentrate on developing the “F”(feeling) side a lot more. Things that help with the “F”: kittens, babies, heart-shaped egg samiches, and an encouraging INTJ husband who is more in touch with his “F” than I am. I will try harder. <3
Posted in andersonville, Chicago, Daily Picture, dining
Tagged andersonville, cheese, Chicago, Daily Picture, dining, ENTP, food, In Fine Spirits, INTJ, justin, love, Valentines Day, water, wine
Have you seen the Finer Things Club on The Office?
Hilarious.
My officemate Alex is a big fan of Finer Things. He has started his own club. Not so much of a club really, but more of a bougie gathering of indulgence. Yeah…I just linked you to the Urban Dictionary. With the help of Pastoral on Lake street and Alex’s fine choice of pairing blue cheese and Moscato, the corner office rounded out it’s diet of carrot cake and espresso with some equally health concious happy hour goodness. You are in charge of your own happiness I say. On occasion, Alex is in charge.
Taken in the last seconds of it's life. I would like to say it is in a better place...but no.
Bonus points if you can spot a Christmas cup, a Fizzgig doll wearing a newsboy hat, and a dramatic wolf poster.
Speaking of finer things. My virtual officemate, Ryan, asked me what my last meal would be. Without hesitation, I of course replied that I would like nothing more than to die with a full belly of good cheese, fresh bread, and excellent wine. Ryan agreed whole-hearted, but then said brisket was choice #2. I am not on the same page in this case. I was then immediately tagged in this photo on Facebook:
To stay on track with the finer things theme for the day, I then met up with my other virtual officemate, Amber, and wine club friend Lindsay. Lindsay is the only person I know that can’t be reached online at all times. She is an anomaly among us. I am a bit envious that she has managed this. Sepia was our meeting place. It is one of my favorite spots in Chicago as far as the atmosphere goes. I won’t bother uploading a bunch of photos, because their website does a good job of that already. We had a couple glasses of pricey but delicious wine, and then I sprinted to the Metra so I wouldn’t have to wait another hour to get home.
I will not go into the less than savory details, but the ride home was the least-fine thing about the day. I don’t recommend race-paced running after wine consumption.
Carrera marble and wine...very fine.
Posted in Daily Picture, dining
Tagged cheese, Daily Picture, finer things club, metra, officemates, sepia restaurant, wine, work
