some great times

 Fell in love tonight. Who wouldn't? She's just as cuddly as she is adorable. A win for her and her new family. ❤️#Brynne❤️

Hard life. Two fabulous pizza places in one week. Here's the thing. This one actually edges out the last. How do they do it? I was not disposed to like this place. It's corporate. It's in the trendy and crowded River North. It's just as hard to get into as the previous pizza joint. But here's the thing. For me, one of my issues with many of the "highly rated" tavern style pizzas is that they don't have enough cheese to make them feel luxurious. This place understands the value of cheese. It is not an overboard cheese bomb, it's creating an unctuous mouth feel and the flavor balance the pizza gets from just the right amount of cheese. So a win for those of us who are cheese aficionados! Worth returning.

While Phil was In STL to visit his mom, I made spagherti sauce and a few other items so we could eat at home a few times this week LOL but we will definitely find itme for some chinese becasue- chinese espcially Sizchuan!

Sometimes things just tickle me. And I got a chuckle out of these sentences today. 

"Last year, Billy had gotten his mother a chest freezer for Christmas, and now as Billy opened it up, he saw that she had stocked it with enough food to keep him going for weeks. Apart from four brick-shaped items that he guessed were meatloaf and a round object that he thought might be chicken pot pie, the rest were mysterious casseroles that he supposed he’d figure out when he defrosted them. “What do you want for dinner?” Billy asked. “A brick, a circle, or a mystery?”

We had a week of mostly eating at home-  then a week later, on Monday night we went for Laotian food nearby. Menu items marked with blue X in the photos. Lovely service and tasty food. My personal fave was the Lao Der Jerky.

Wednesday night Osteria Langhe:  Well, it was an excellent meal even if it wasn't what I had in mind... My favorite rabbit dish is an "always on the menu" item. Except tonight, due to the heat waves, the supplier (from one of the Carolinas) is having problems with cold chain shipping. So, no coniglio tonight  However, the pasta here is outstanding so it wasn't like we really suffered.  We've known Aldo since the year Phil broke his shoulder (1999) and Aldo was working at Savarin in River North. He told us tonight that his place, Osteria Langhe, has now been open for 12 years. Which means I have ordered the coniglio for more than a decade. And honestly, it isn't my lack of imagination it's just that an excellent rabbit dish is not that easy to find. So this means we will be returning before I go home to Sevilla in September. No problem with that. Menu items marked.

Thern Thursday night - Dinner with Frank at a local Venezuelan restaurant located between our two places. Excellent summer salad, a decent ceviche and good tostones for Phil's chicharaon fix. I went for a simple arepa and the guys split a Venzuelan parrilla which had PLENTY. A side of maduros and a side of black beans filled in the non existent gaps  The champagne and Pinot both showed really really well. We had no trouble taking down both wines.

Friday night we ate at home and then Saturday we have plans with John & Stephanie to dine ar Bayan Ko.  Time is flying by - I have had appointments with the eye doctor, the internal medicine doctor, and the cardiologist for annual check ups; and am down to Derm, imaging amd dentist for the "season" YAY! 

life in Chicago

 A terrific dinner Saturday night created by chefs Phillip  Foss and Brian Fisher at El Ideas. An almost completely new to us menu that has some courses that were so evocative of some of the best cuisines I have eaten world wide. Everything was excellent. The whole team is working in a completely coordinated way to ensure a wonderful dining experience. My personal favorites were the crab beignet and the salad/slaw underlying the wagyu beef. Sell that by the quart! Thanks! Chefs!

Ok so best surprise of the night at El ideas- Phil Foss has partnered up with Brian Fisher on the culinary team! We followed Brian from Schwa to Entente and then Entente 2.0 and ate his fried chicken carry-out all during COVID. A first rate individual as well as a fabulous culinary talent. So thrilled to see this pairing! More to follow on the meal!

And the classic - always on the menu - frosty and fries  (sorry had an issue with the videos loading :-( )

Sunday night we met up with Ron & Mary. Can't go wrong at a place that smells as stale as an old time super club in the woods in Wisconsin. I wondered how long it had been since the carpets were cleaned. But the food comes hot and well prepared and it is just exactly what it should be. It's "fried chicken night" and that is what brings Ron and Phil out for dinner at L Woods. I ordered the ribs (still miss the days when this place was Bones and I lived nearby, but time marches on.) The salads were good and the food was just what we were looking for. Sometimes reliable and predictable are just what the doctor ordered. 

If you haven't been to Bayan Ko Diner recently it's time to return. The prix fixe menu  is a great value. And even better is the fact that you can try many more dishes from this creative menu through the "tapas" size half portions. All our choices are marked on the menu. Highlights tonight IMO were the lumpia and the crab rangoon dip and my personal long time favorite the Cubano sliders. But, everything was tasty, and excellently prepared. The service Tuesday night from Aaron and his colleague was first rate and the welcome was as warm as if Lawrence Letrero and Raquel Quadreny were there in the house. #rundontwalk 

We went across the street for dessert - our first round of Culver's frozen custard this summer. 

Wednesday night- Pizz'amici! Always a great choice for the best pizza in town. It doesn't matter if you have to reserve three weeks ahead for a 9:15 pm reservation. This place has the "go-to" best tavern style around. A cousin to Kim's Uncle somewhere in the exurbs, (which we refer to as LBO - land beyond O'Hare) this place has the best focaccia in the country - maybe the world. The salads are excellent and the pizzas are made with pretty much whatever your heart desires. I went for pepperoni with hot honey and jalapeños. Phil went for sausage and sausage. First rate pizzas. 

Then on Thursday night- we had dinner with Lee and Nick in the neighborhood. Sochi Saigonese Kitchen is a favorite of all of ours because the food is fab and the atmosphere casual and the service attentive but not intrusive. Menu items marked. All good. If I had to choose favorites I think it would be the spring rolls and the betel beef.

Friday Phil left for the weekend in St. Louis to visit with his mother who is in the hospital following a stroke. Brother Larry will also be there with him. I will spend Saturday night with Todd & Evie and meet Brynne!  So another week is ending and we are now fully into June as today is June 5th! 

stay tuned!