Into the last month of summer

 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.

we finish up July

 Dinner Wednesday night was a make-up for Phil who missed the June meal there with family and friends due to a conflict. He loves French food and this neighborhood-ish place is a great choice. I had salad and skatewing and Phil had the shrimp cocktail and steak frites. Desserts were Phil's favorite salted caramel chocolate tart (not as good as Nick's recreation of this for Phil's last birthday dinner) but he managed to take it down. And I indulged in the very tasty chocolate mousse. We had a great red burg to go with the meal. Just reaching early maturity at age 20. 

Then on Thursday we had dinner with Mike & Leslie. Thanks to Chef Mark's generosity we got to try everything from the dessert platter! Photos labeled. We had a variety of starters and mains (marked on the menus). It's been a busy summer for all, so this is it until we meet again in early September. Oceanique is always a winner. 

a few days of eating at home and then - Time travel! Back when we were much, much, much younger, there were three restaurants in a row on Lincoln Park West that defined the era. From north to south - the very fancy Ambria in the Belden-Stratford hotel; then, moving south,  the very approachable deli/diner Mel Markon's (a regular Sunday brunch haunt); and on the southern part of those three blocks RJ Grunt's, a good burger place with a solid bar food menu. 

So this night we went back in time to revisit our younger years. There were bottles of ketchup and mustard on the table as well as salt & pepper. A carafe of ice water was also placed on the table - without asking! And a menu that could have been illustrated by R Crumb (a figure well known in the days of our youth.)

Back in the day, Grunt's was renowned for their salad bar. (Early adopter) So it makes sense they had a desire to continue with their signature feature but with a post COVID update. Enter the digital salad bar. Now even better than ever. You get exactly what you want and they chop it and dress it in the kitchen (and even split it on request). What's not to like? The burgers come with toppings of your choice - cooked to the temperature of your choice - and are served with tasty cottage fries. An all around winner in time travel. 

Brought back many memories of long long ago and far far away. When the server asked if we'd ever been there before, we just looked at her and laughed. Yes - before she was born. Maybe before her mother was too. Same great location for 54 years. Thanks for the memories.  I'd like to say next up is Twin Anchors but it might be a case of "you can't go home again".....although I was recently perusing the menu from the Fireplace Inn on Wells which was my favorite rib place from an era so long  ago I had a different husband. 

My 96 year old mother in law Sue is still a fashion plate with matching headband and manicure nail polish color. I'm sure she'd like to give me lessons on being more stylish but alas WYSIWYG. Phil is visiting the family this weekend in St Louis (shown our niece Lauren and Phil's mom Sue.)

and while Phil was away I met Frank for dinner at a Mex plaice he favors- called Xangarritto...

"New to me" place. A favorite neighborhood Mexican place of Frank's. Of the things we had - although all excellent- I liked the shrimp enchiladas best. We had a white from Etna in Sicily, very minerally (not surprising) it paired best with the jicama salad in my opinion. Frank's Washington State Syrah from the Rocks AVA was fabulous and the Shea from St Innocent was very good. We sat outside - because it wasn't 100*, nor was it rainy and 60*, (which is the kind of summer we have been having) so it was lovely to enjoy the good weather.  The only downside to the evening was upon arriving home, I found a software update to my photo editing app that has created an issue with menu marking. So until I can figure out how to go back to big red dots you'll suffer through freehand circling. I clearly need to practice, as my technique is abysmal. UPDATE - No big dots but did figure a star system which will work for this purpose 

so that rounded out our July... August is already quite full. the night after Phil returns form St Louis we are headed to Le Bouchon. Also on the calendar are: another visit to Sochi Saigonese Kitchen, a dinner at our house with Lee & Nick, S.K.Y. with Todd & Evie, Picolo Sogno with Georgia who is in for a weekend before she leaves for Sevilla and her own six week of Spanish immersion . then an Edzo's pop up with Ron & Mary, North Center Prime with Frank, Pizza A'mici with Todd & Evie, Burt's Pizza with John & Stephanie, Loyalist with T&E, and possibly a meet up with our Italian friends Ross & Dario when they  are in town at the end of the month. So more to follow!