So August rolled around with sweltering temperatures and no rain... even eating dinner outside became a bit of a challenge. Phil went to see his family in St. Louis for a weekend as the calendared turned from July to August.
My 96 year old mother in law Sue is still a fashion plate with matching headband and manicured nail polish color. I'm sure she'd like to give me lessons on being more stylish but alas WYSIWYG. LOL Phil visiting the family in St Louis (shown our niece Lauren and Phil's mom Sue.)
The night after Phil returned to Chicago we went to dinner. Despite being stuffed, we took down the Sweet Corn Brulee that Nicholas sent to the table. So Phil got his duck for possibly the last time this summer as we made another foray to our favorite neighborhood bistro. I had the steak tartare, after the "fruit garden" salad and Phil had the roast duck after the foie. We split the morels on toast as we know that won't be on the menu every time. So my two favorite courses were the garden fruit and the sweet corn brulee. Both were from the specials list for the night. We had an 09 Gevrey from an excellent producer but while it was drinkable (Phil reminded me it was only a village wine) I found it stemmy and not particularly Burgundian. The place was still hopping when we got our Uber home at 10:45 #ourpeople
As per usual we stayed home for dinner the following night and then were out and then home and then out... up next was catching up with Paige & Sharad.... A fun evening catching up with Paige and Sharad. Great food but better conversation. Lots of Q&A about Spain. LOVE Sochi's food.
So then we had one of the best dinners Thursday night with Nick & Lee. Since it was my own cooking I don't have photos. But we started with spring rolls in rice wrappers. I did the prep but everyone wrapped their own choice of ingredients.
Then dinner was Lee's favorite crab lasagne, from a recipe I got years ago, from our era of dozens of IPNC (International Pinot Noir Celebration) visits. There was a restaurant in McMinnville Oregon that we went to every year called Nick's Italian Cafe. The prix fixe menu always had as the "primi" the pasta Nick's famous crab lasagne. His food was featured in SAVUER magazine (Feb 2008) and I immediately tore out the pages to keep in my recipe file. So we had the crab lasagne and corn pudding with jalapenos and some sugar snap peas marinated with sesame oil and garlic.
But the crowning achievement of the meal was Lee's dessert (shown in the photo) Blondies with brown buttered almonds and a marzipan kind of toppings. Had we not had a full meal first I would have taken down the whole plate of them. Just the right chewiness and that fabulous almond brown buttery flavor. We just whiled away the hours of the evening discussing plans and what was happening with each other since we were last together. #dinnerwithfriends
So on a roll with friend dinners, we met Todd & Evie on Friday night to go to the S.K.Y. 2.0 now located in the Belden Stratford:
Dinner with friends Todd & Evie tonight. Our first trip to the new S.K.Y. which has moved to a much more convenient (for the four of us) and swanky location on Lincoln Park West in the Belden Stratford.
S.K.Y. 2.0 is now in the same location where we were all first introduced to the food of Chef Stephen Gillanders while he did a stint at Intro. So in a way, it's like coming home for him.
The menu has old favorites from Pilsen S.K.Y. (which has been shuttered for more than a year) and some new things to try. Although we all had favorites tonight I think we all agreed the Sisig was an excellent addition to the menu. Incredibly full flavored with a fair amount of heat. Other votes went to the lobster dumplings (a nostalgic treat) and the fried chicken (ditto).
Now we have two reasons to move into the Belden Stratford (both Mon Ami Gabi and S.K.Y. 2.0 on the ground floor) - it's only the 10K a month rent for a two bedroom with den that stands in the way of heading downstairs for lunch and dinner at these two gems (not really.) It would take a lot of 20 minute Uber fares to equal a single month's rent.
Highly recommended and not at all a surprise. Lives up to the standards of the original in an upscale location that reflects the food and service they have always provided.
Fun with friends continued. We met up with our friend Georgia Bavol (and a friend) while they were visiting Chicago. Georgia will be spending six weeks in Sevilla from early in September to nearly the end of October. She is doing language immersion at the same school we went to two and a half years ago. It will be fun to have some relaxed time to get together. Her school apartment is about 10-12 minutes from our place.
Picolo Sogno was packed tonight with many large parties. The heat was so oppressive a woman at the next table took off her shirt to cool off (post many espresso martinis 🙄.)
Georgia didn't know that the garden here was where we held our wedding party in July 2001 (after running away to Denmark to get married!) How time flies! The restaurant was known as Thyme back then.
For dinner, we shared a pizza for a starter. Two wines from Oregon: a DDO Arthur Chard and a Hamacher Pinot. The three women ordered pasta dishes (marked on the menu) and Phil had the meat dish. Gelatos around for dessert for the gals and the chocolate torte for Phil.
Won't be long until we meet up with GA in Sevilla for the fall. Our upcoming calendar is starting to fill nicely with a meet up in Paris with family, some time in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and a tentative trip to the Dordogne. And several visitors to Calle Bilbao are already on the calendar...
Meanwhile - rounding out the week- the fall term offerings from school came in the mail- I'm gonna stick with the film/media studies classes that I have been taking the last several years or so. I started with Jake Smith's History of the Recording Industry back in the late COVID era...that segued into three film classes from Nick Davis and his colleagues. And another Jake Smith class. And recently the one on the news media. So this, a seventh class - on film and theater- that I've chosen for this term and I think I have at least a minor in media studies should I want to pursue a fourth degree in my 70s.
And winter looks fun too!
so that was our first week of August... coming up this week- dinner with Ron & Mary at and Edzo's pop up and dinner with Frank at North Center Prime... a few night currently unscheduled and then rounding out the weekend with Pizza A'mici. with Todd.
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