a week

zipped by and here we are at Friday already...

We saw Jenny & Eric Tuesday at Jeong and then my cousin Cathy at Cafe Marbella on Wednesday and Thursday we had a concert at SPACE in Evanston with Ron, Mary and Nan

new favorites at Jeong- the mackerel sashimi and the broccoli

back to the evening - as it was served - we ordered tasting menus - one pescatarian and three regular and then added the mackerel the broccoli and the cod from the ala carte menu.... 

silken tofu

mackerel

broccoli

salmon tartare

scallop YUM!

the cod which was more of a soup and we decided too much of bacon flavored for the delicate cod (see we can have criticisms LOL)

duck, kimchi and rice

a substitute course for the duck - sorry don't recall what it was LOL

wagyu for the regular tasting menu

juk which came in place of the wagyu for Eric's menu

the desserts both fab

many courses at Cafe Marbella including the avocado and goat cheese salad with bacon; stuffed mushrooms; filet in peppercorn brandy sauce; sea bass in an almond cream sauce; more duck for Phil and two excellent desserts - a sponge cake made with 43 liquer and a strawberry tart.... but since we don't see Cathy that often we were caught up in catching up rather than photographing the meal LOL

so that brought us to Thursday's concerts-

The Sea, The Sea was a duo with lovely harmonies and a nice pleasant presence on stage.
 

Rose Cousins on the other hand had a dynamite voice and a quirky stage presence that would make her memorable and I LOVED her sensibility- wry and extremely sharp - I would have become a fangirl if only she had sung whole songs LOL.  Her songs were excellent but so short that I likened them to Haiku to our friends... but I liked her well enough that I would see her again if she were nearby.  We had looked to see if she was around when we were in Halifax (her current residence) but she must have been on the road... worth checking out.

tonight - sushi carry in then Phil has a concert -

back in the swim

LOL - well we are definitely back in our Chicago routine but the title is a reference to Oceanique- where we ate last night-

We love the seafood here- all perfectly prepared - no overcooked fish here folks- it's all spot on!

because we hadn't been for so long we ordered many courses-

I had oysters followed by corn soup followed by the black cod special and Phil had venison pate followed by scallops followed by bouillabaisse

my food-

Phil's food-

our wine a 2012 Sigrid

a few amuse from the chef - as well as the palate refresher sorbet tat was exactly the right thing!

Always happy to go back there and despite the fact that it lies outside the city limits- it is only 3 minutes north of the line so it almost qualifies for city dining LOL

Tonight we meet Jenny and Eric at Jeong - looking forward to that!

there again

So last night we had our first meal of the "season" at 2C Chicago, with Chef Jeff Dysart.  He called the menu for the night Here Again- so yes- There Again - and lucky US!

We were joined by Kevin & Shari and Ron & Mary for a reprise of our fall group. And we dined over conversation that was all over the map including the forbidden dinner topic of religion LOL each couple being a part of "mixed marriages" and Kevin giving a morning sermon for Mother's Day at the Lutheran Church in Lincoln Square...

So here are the dishes, the wines and the menu from our terrific, tremendous, tasty 2C evening! favorite course first! pancakes! LOL - with Foie gras!

A wonderful night of warm, cozy conversations with dear friends and the same warm welcoming from Chef Jeff that we have come to know and love... every time we come home to our own 2C Phil says to me "what a great guy" and I always agree with him.  It is a pleasure to dine with him on both the personal and professional level. 

Tonight Tim Grimm in concert - with Phil's folkies group- just down the street at Wishbone.... we are signed up to do a trip with Tim next summer to Scotland (focus on local music) and are looking forward to seeing him tonight. Then three nights out with friends/family at Oceanique and Jeong and Cafe Marbella.... so stay tuned.