and - some in between meals thoughts about meals--- LOL
Love this sentiment. For years I ranted about the local show "Check Please!" because we'd have a great neighborhood place we loved and it would be featured and then overrun by suburbanites who would rush in and overwhelm the place. The only thing to do was wait until the fallout was finished and things went back to the way they were. And it usually did in about 9-12 months, as they were the "following the latest buzz" kind of people. Restaurants survive on long term customers, generally from the local area. Sure the starred Michelin places get the "fly-in" style diners but a longstanding successful place will have a steady stream of regulars. The regulars that know the names of staff and who bring their friends to dine with them to create more traffic for the owners. Food people share amongst themselves. Just last week I had a chef ask me "where have you eaten that you like?" and he wrote it down.
“Look, I try not to f**k places up. You know what I mean? I’m aware of the fact that sometimes if we put this wonderful little neighborhood bar that’s beloved by locals and no one else knows about it, if we put that on TV, that we could change its character forever, or that the owner might be happy for the additional money, but the other customers will be miserable and angry and I’ve basically ruined an important part of their lives. I think about that a lot, and there have been occasions where we won’t even give the name of the establishment that we put on camera. And there have been times where we deliberately shoot in such a way that you’ll never find it. I don’t want to hurt people. I don’t want to change the world in a bad way, if I can avoid it.” –Bourdain
On Monday we went to Zarella. There is something wrong with the way things are going these days. Exhibit A - the dearth of 24/7 restaurants. Exhibit B - the fact that people in their 70s (the 2 of us) are closing down both neighborhood and downtown restaurants. Another lovely evening with exemplary service and fabulous tavern style pizzas (because - Zarella TAVERNA) We both started with the margherita pizza and then added. I got the "Iceman" (pepperoni, sausage, pancetta) and P ordered his with double sausage. We shared the soft-serve with peanuts and chocolate.
But to revisit my above point. What happened to burning the candle at both ends when you're young? I completely understand that things are crappy right now but shouldn't that be more reason to go and do, and not waste your youth going to bed early.
It was air and water show weekend and some guy posted this picture of Oak Street Beach and renamed it Afternoon at the (Chicago) Grand Jette LOL
Saturday at home and Sunday back to the theater and then on to RJ Grunt's for dinner.
An afternoon at the theater. Although I am not in the cohort this work is directed towards, I got several good laughs and the performances were all first rate. I found the structure of the play and scripting very well done. In the end, I couldn't actually relate to anyone in this dramedy. But being 15 (as all the main characters are) was a long long time ago and when I was fifteen (1969) things were completely different - there were two phones in the house with coiled cords. There were "movie" cameras but they needed light bars to take interior movies. And if you wanted to "write" someone the only communication options were a note hand delivered or a letter that you sent through the mail. How quaint! So I thoroughly and completely recommend this play for younger folks but if you are in the Medicare cohort you might want to think twice.
The "way-back machine" was set for 1971 tonight. We dined at the Original "Lettuce Entertain You" restaurant, RJ Grunt's. I didn't make it to Chicago until the spring of 1980, so this was a well established place by the time I arrived. And it's still going strong. Nice touches like cloth napkins at this burger joint make you feel like you actually have returned to earlier days. The updated take on salad bar in the post COVID era is especially appreciated. Back in the day, they were famous for the salad bar here, as was Mel Markon's which was just up the street. It feels really strange to say this but I was in my twenties when we used to show up to both these places for brunch with regularity. Comments with the photos.
Sunday night and still a good crowd.
There is a "disagreement" about who invented the salad bar but Grunt's has thrown its hat in the "we were first" ring.
My blue cheese burger. In a head to head competition I would call Moody's a winner but this is viable competition for the second place (along with Butcher and Burger)
Our table awaits us on the left corner of the photo. Overlooking Lincoln Park.
Always eye dessert but always too full. I need to learn that "Eat dessert first" lesson. If I did the meal backward I'd only have to skip the salad 🥗
