Girl's Night Out

...free shots, compliments of our waiter...

Amy, Lena, me, Christine and Stephanie

While Patrick was out of town for work, I was
joining these lovely girls last Saturday for a night out!

Patrick is in California

So I finally learned how to record a show on our DVR.

Dad's Garden

One of my dad's snapshots from his "garden."

If April Showers Bring May Flowers...

... then what do April SNOW Storms bring?
(please don't try to tell me they bring the cicadas)

The Cicadas are Coming

April is for Fake Trees

we needed some sort of tall plant for one of the corners in the loft, and i could not find any indoor plants that met my height and appearance standards. so i went with a fakey. from target.

ok, EVERYONE was looking at me as i paraded it through the store. it's way taller than i am, and i put it in my cart, so you can imagine how tall it stood. but i continued shopping through the rest of the store...i mean, i had other things to find, too.

i parked my tree and was looking at ball point pens. eventually an employee came up to me. i thought she was going to offer to call for assistance, because it was pretty obvious that pushing the now 10 foot tall cart, was a bit awkard. she said, "excuse me ma'am, i know this is your cart over here, and i just need you to be more careful because you are knocking my hanging signs as you walk down the main aisle, and i don't want my signs to fall down, ok?" i was so annoyed that she said "my" signs. guess what, bitch, those are not YOUR signs. all i said was, 'ok' in order to not blow up at her.

she walked away, i took a calm breath, then i chased her down to tell her that perhaps a good idea would be to suggest a place up front where i could leave the tree while i finished my shopping. this chick was a manager, and couldn't think that up herself. oh, she said, "you can put it all the way over by cashier 32." umm, thanks for the assistance.

well, anyway, when i was leaving, i pointed out to my cashier that i had the tree by register 32, and she was so helpful. she asked two bag-girls to get it. they brought it over together, and asked if i needed someone to help me with it to my car. i declined, stating that i was able to get it into the cart the first time, so i should be able to get it back out by my car. they were just really sweet, and double checked and made sure that i was sure.

but once i rolled the tree out (mind you, getting it literally out of the store was kind of an ordeal on its own, since it was too tall for the doors), i immediately regretted my decision to refuse help. it was so windy outside, and those leaves provided more resistance than you would think!!

as i was pulling it out of the cart, i definitely took about five steps backwards as the wind pushed us. i set it down and tried to keep one hand on the trunk of the tree as i tried to open the trunk of the car. shit, the pot was too big to slide in. whack, the tree totally blew over. ugh, i picked the one with all of the nice moss secured where a real plant would have soil. now it bits of moss had ripped away, blowing through the parking lot, leaving some nice, bald, white styrofoam spots in it's place. ok. eventually i opened the back doors and pushed and pulled the plant so that the pot was behind the front passenger's seat and the top was sticking out the window behind the driver's side. that didn't make it too easy to drive. but i made it. there is no way i am returning that thing

Underground Supper Clubs March 2007

photos by andrew huff

Mingling and dining "underground"

Back in December while my friend Holly was here visiting, she asked me if I'd ever heard of this "underground dinner phenomenon." She is engaged to a chef (who has worked at a swank resort in Laguna Beach, the Montage, as well as at the Ritz restaurant by Fashion Island in Newport Beach) and has herself only heard of it, but never actually participated.

She explained it as a sort of outlet for pent-up chefs to try new recipes on a crowd of eager diners … only the venue is not the chef's usual restaurant, and the kitchen, not health department inspected. That combined with the need for the Chef to request monetary assistance from the guests, as he or she would not be funding four-course gourmet meals for upwards of 30 people on his or her own dime, the whole ordeal is somewhat illegal. The diners, as Holly's account goes, need to know someone to get into one of these clubs. And, my favorite part: the location of the gathering is not disclosed until the day of the event, when the guest gets a call with the details. Could be in a back-roads barn, other times in a hidden warehouse, etc.

So I started trying to find one of these clubs. Finally, I found something online. I had hoped that whatever I would find would not be so publicized as to have its own website. Remember, I thought one had to "know someone." To my initial disappointment, this particular supperclub and the overall "underground dining" phenom has been gaining publicity, being covered in the San Francisco Chronicle, Orange Country Register, Chicago Tribune, Budget Gourmet, and I heard it was even mentioned in Time Magazine. Despite the secret being out, it still satisfied all of my expectations!

I reserved two spots for a Saturday night. I had no idea what would be on the menu, nor where dinner would be held, except for being given a general "close to Downtown/close to South Loop" description. I reserved the spots about a month in advance, back in February. All I really knew was to "Bring Your Own Beverage (BYOB)" and to bring something to put "between your butt and the floor," suggesting a pillow or couch cushion. And also that entertainment would be provided.

Two chefs would be in town doing four Chicago dinners during the scheduled week. The group, the Ghetto Gourmet, rotates chefs and tours from Oakland/Berkeley (where this group originated) to San Francisco, LA, Chicago, New York, and now to New Orleans and soon to more cities. They rely heavily on volunteers to help with venues, organizing, and even to plate and serve the food.

A few days before the dinner, the menu was emailed to me …

Klete ou Klete (3 and 3)
White, Red Pepper, and Spinach Pita Crostini, Mint Olive Relish, Fresh Citrus Hummus, Roasted Tomato and Fennel Jelly

Grilled Radicchio and Endive Salad w/ Toasted Pinenuts and Shrimp,
Dill Lime Yogurt Dressing

Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb w/ Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Coulis, Basmati Almond Rice Souffle, Roasted Eggplant Relish and Grilled Leeks

Ice Cream Sandwich
Pistachio Date Cake w/ Homemade Black Tea Vanilla Ice Cream

veg. option, stuffed baby eggplant.w/ feta, mint and basmati almond rice, with roasted red pepper and tomato coulis and grilled leeks

Finally, the evening before dinner, the location was emailed to me. An address...near China Town!? We left home with a bottle of wine, and some cushions for our butts. Where were we going? Who would be there? What would this be like? We found the address and approached the building. When we walked in, it was a dim and candle-lit artist's loft – a large and wide open space with a small art studio set up off to back, behind one of the only interior walls in the place. The other walls were for the restroom, above which the 'bedroom' was positioned with hand-built stairs climbing to the lofted room.

We were greeted by a woman who welcomed us in and told us to pick any place to sit among the four low-set communal tables. Each table was set tightly for 12 settings. The four tables were positioned closer to the kitchen on the far end. We walked past people standing and mingling and drinking their bottles of wine near an indoor garden and a couple couches placed across a shag rug from each other. A black and white subtitled French movie was being projected on a wall. The music had a low, constant beat and the kitchen was furious with about six people at work sending wafts of supper through the air. We placed our cushions down at a fairly open table, to let people fill in around us. As more people arrived, our table filled up.

There was an introductory announcement thanking everyone for coming, and explaining the history of how this group began and then the first course was served as we all took our seats.

We were all amazed at how so much food could be generated out of such a small kitchen. Seriously, this was by no means an industrial kitchen. This was about the same quality, and definitely of the same size, as our kitchen in Chicago! Yes, that small. The only difference was that there were two refrigerators, one black and one white. I think they must have had to borrow one to keep all of the food refrigerated!

We talked with our neighbors. One couple, who said when they sat down, "We're going to be the oldest people here" had three children, the oldest of which is 30. So, they were probably a little older than my dad. They were Monica and Rick. And, yes, they were the oldest. Probably the next in age below them were almost ten years younger. Which I thought was great. I thought they were pretty hip. The other people we could easily converse with were named Ryan and Jennifer; she was 6 months into her first pregnancy.

Then the salads came. The salads were really very good. Much more impressive than the appetizer! Jennifer was telling us that she works at a piano bar in our neighborhood but that this upcoming week would be her last as she is taking leave for the pregnancy. Then as our salad plates were taken away, she left the table, because she was the entertainment! That took us by surprise. When she said she worked at a piano bar, I thought she was a waitress. Before the main course was served, she played the piano and sang a set of songs with an amazing voice … deep and full and kind of jazzy at times. She sang some Fiona Apple, Jewel, other female artists. Later when she returned to the table she told us how she gets more easily tired-out by singing the bigger her belly gets. She said she hopes to record a little album before the baby is born though.

Ok, anyway…while Jennifer was off singing and entertaining and then getting all of the equipment stored away again, we talked with Monica and Rick. Rick used to have a factory in the Bridgeport area that made insulation (for dishwashers?) and then sold the business around 2000 or so. Bridgeport is an area to the South of downtown that one gets to by going through a rough neighborhood first. It is supposedly very pretty, with gorgeous old homes, but saw some really depressed days. And now is undergoing some regentrification, like half of Chicago, as art studios and galleries move in. Anyway, Monica and Rick turned their factory into studios that artists can rent out…and Columbia College rents out some space also for art classes and art shows. Under a grandfathered law, Monica and Rick are allowed to live on the premises because one caretaker was allowed to live on factory grounds for security. Otherwise, the property is not zoned for residential. So they converted a floor of the factory into their home.

Then, the main course came and went. Honestly, it was "ok," but by that point the evening wasn't about the food, but about the ambiance, mixed with good eats, new people, a group effort. The loft was loud with conversation. And wine bottles.

By the time dessert came, which was really, really, delicious (and the culinary highlight of the evening)…Rick and Monica had decided they wanted to volunteer their space in Bridgeport for the next event.

So it is true what the publicity is saying, "The best dinner you could have this year might not be at a restaurant, but instead on the floor of a stranger's house."

The evening's Chef Johanna Mahmud (usually Sous Chef)
with oft Chef Efrain Cuevas.

***

The next day we were at Costco, of all places, and we ran into...Rick! He said the Head Chef and an organizer were coming to his factory space later in the day to check it out for suitability to host the next event. Which will be in May. I still get the biggest kick out of the fact that we ran into him at friggin' Costco. Well, I am definitely going to keep an eye out for the next reservations! Although I still hope to find an even more underground dining event, this one is reputable, memorable, and was still mysterious and exciting. I do hear this is the next "thing" in dining and will continue growing, perhaps becoming as commonplace as eating in ... what do you call those, again ... restaurants.

Another March Event:
St. Patrick's Day in Chicago!

Leslie, Tara, and Becca from the Bay Area, Becca's Pharma Friends, Christine and Nikolai, CB's crew incl. Elaine, Lena, etc., Patrick and myself. Things definitely got a little out of hand!

Feb-r-u-freakingkiddingme-ary 2007

negative 20 degrees.
the river froze. the. river. froze.

New Year's Eve 2006-2007

So exciting to have Holly visiting.
We took off our coats long enough to take a photo on the balcony.
Patrick, Tom, Holly and I went to Adobo Grill in Wicker Park.

Decembrrrrrrrr 2006

For a California native, the impending Chicago Winter scared me to death. So I went out and bought coats. Lots of them.

1) Black down coat with a fun, poofy neck.
2) Brown down coat with detachable hood.
3) Winter white wool coat with belt and fun sleeves.
4) Black down coat with colorful interior lining.
5) Plus have camel-colored wool coat with fur trim that my nana bought.

The cold truly arrived in December. So did the snow.

And to answer all my California friends:
Yes, people can still go out when it is 11 degrees.
No, places don't shut down because it is cold.

Snowy Days - From the Balcony

Wine Club Night
with the ex-temp-roomies

Tiffany, Christine, Me
Tiffany was on a Christmas Pub Crawl.
So was Christine, sans festive hat.
I joined in MUCH later...

Elaine, Christine, Me
Somewhere along their pub crawl, I decided
to throw in my "Senior Photo" pose.

Xtine's Xmas Party
Christine! What happened to your neighbors' lawn ornaments?
We are definitely too old to still think this is so funny.

Thanksgiving in the City 2006

Patrick's parents, John and Kathleen; brother Tom; sister Amanda; aunt and uncle, Judy and Jeff; uncle Kip; and cousins Jenny and Kira joined us over at our place for a wonderful feast that the Naftulins cooked themselves at Kira's apartment. They brought it all over and we feasted here at the Larkin-Nunes' place, placing all the trimmings on our island, and eating at a huge long table made up of our table from storage and a rental linked together.

Halloween 2006

Leslie, Jamie, Nicole, Trish, Katherine, Matt, Mindy, Chachi, Christine, Nikolai, Lena, Eric, Russ, Cassie, Patrick's HS friend, and two more friends joined us at our house before going to Crobar.

Chicago Month #2 September 2006

The Electric Company Lofts

We "closed" on our new home! Our place is in this converted loft building in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago. Our loft is on the top floor on the East side of the building,
with views of downtown, balcony, roof rights, fireplace,
wood floors, exposed brick and 13 ft. ceilings.

About Bucktown
(from a local website)

Located about two miles Northwest of the loop (That’s Downtown, for all you out of towners!), Bucktown Extends north of North Ave. and south of Fullerton, West of Ashland and East of Western.

History: Like many other parts of Chicago, Bucktown was forged from an immigrant community in the 1800's. Although not documented, the name "Bucktown" is thought to have come about from the Polish inhabitants of the 1800's who herded goats. The male goat being the "Buck." Bucktown extends between North Ave and Fullerton, and from the highway west to Western Ave. Bucktown still retains much of the old world feel in its beautiful churches and architecture. Adding to this historic feel are the occasional remnants of cobblestone roads and rail car tracks.

Demographics: While the community started as blue collar, as of late it has become a haven for those younger artists seeking sanctuary from other commercialized areas of the city. This is an area where a Starbucks "tall, grande, and venti" are shunned in favor of coffee houses offering "loungy" sofas with "small, medium, and large" coffees. (Though, for the record, there is a Strarbucks.) Artists’ studios and small theatres lend to the artistic feel of the area.

Bucktown Real Estate: Bucktown homes as are diverse as its inhabitants. As mentioned earlier, you will find everybody from well established families, to artists, young professionals, and everything in between. As such you will find everything from the modest condos to newly constructed single family homes costing well over a million dollars. What was once affordable, the area has witnessed a recent spike in property value. A corresponding spike in rents has occurred as a result of this trend, somewhat alienating the very "artistic" element that helped make it what it is today. A one bedroom apartment in the premium areas can run you $950 while a two bedroom start around $1300.

Transportation: Transportation in and out of the loop is facilitated via the CTA (North Damen Milwaukee) Blue Line. For those who travel for a living, the Blue line also provides a convenient and cost effective means for getting to O'hare International Airport. By car the area is easily accessible from Damen, North Ave, and Armitage. Once you get there however parking can be challenging in this area if you don't have a deeded parking space or garage. There is metered parking on the major streets and side streets are zoned. Bus routes run through major streets like Milwaukee (56), North(72), Armitage (73), and Fullerton (74).

Bucktown Parks/Events: Solidifying Bucktown's artistic roots, every year Bucktown is host to the Bucktown Arts Festival(now in its 20th year) the last week of August. The event is run entirely by volunteers and is noticeably absent of corporate sponsors. Here you will find numerous painters, sculptors, photographers, actors, musicians, and artisans all offering their most recent works. For those with energy to burn, Holstein Park is host to the annual Bucktown 5k run held every year the last week of September. At the conclusion of the race there is always an after party with food, music, and drink.

Bucktown Bars, Clubs, Restaurants: There is no shortage of variety in Bucktown when it comes to bars, restaurants, and clubs. For sushi there is the popular and loungy Mirai. With a fabulous cuisine and an upstairs bar that stays open past the restaurant, this is a one stop evening event. Still in the mood for fish, but you want it cooked? Check out Spring voted best new restaurant in 2002. If you're looking for something a bit more "comfortable" just to grab a beer, check out the Bucktown Pub for a no frills vintage feel pub. Other recent additions include the seemingly ever expanding Pot Belly's. For live music in a quaint environment you can't go wrong with one of Chicago's classic venues, the Double Door.

Chicago Month #1 August 2006

The very next day after we arrived in Chicago was a busy day: Patrick headed back to Sacramento via airplane, the heat rose to about 115, and I started working at the wine shop.

My Building! 2828 N Pine Grove Ave. #300

Meet the roommates: Sarah and Andi

Sarah with the kitties Bauer and Oscar that almost ruined it all!

Imagine...
Sarah, Andi, Andi's bf Chase, me, Patrick, Bauer and Oscar all sharing
the apartment for a week or two at the end of the summer. What a full house.

***

Danger Rises with Temperature

two deaths are linked to latest heat wave
By James Janega, Tribune staff reporter Published August 1, 2006

The pavement scarcely will have cooled before Tuesday's sun is expected to drum it again, creating a day dangerous to some and uncomfortable for everyone else.

For Chicago, it will be the second superheated day in a row, with temperatures of 100 degrees and a heat index near 115.

***

the wine store where i started working immediately...

LUSH WINE AND SPIRITS:

A Wine Bar From The Men Who Brought You "Smut And Eggs"

chicagoist.com

Lush focuses on boutique vineyards, with a selection of about 150 wines. Forty-eight of these wines are priced at ten dollars or less for us frugal shoppers or bargain wine hunters. Our two visits to Lush yielded us some wonderful finds. Saturday we left with a bottle of Tobin James "Liquid Love": a late harvest zinfandel that can be drizzled over ice cream and pies or savored by itself ($19.50 for a 375 ml bottle). Monday we left with a bottle of Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel ($10.50) Renaissance Brut French sparkling wine ($9.50), and a wish list item for future purchase, Red Zeppelin Syrah ($18.50).

And yes, we said tasted. Under the gentle but exuberant guidance of Erica Feldkamp, an oenophile and history buff whose evident love for her job is palpable and contagious, Lush has tastings of their selections throughout the day to allow for more informed selections and a relaxed selling approach. "We don't want to just hold tastings on the third Thursday of each month," Einhorn said. "We taste food every day. Why shouldn't we taste wine every day?" A corner seating area is stocked with wine guides- including the highly touted Sotheby's Wine Encycopedia- so that customers may research varietals or blends you may want to purchase. In upcoming weeks Einhorn and Feldkamp hope to have a computer station installed with a software program allowing customers to keep their tasting notes in the store for future reference.

Located in the University Village Marketplace on South Halsted, Lush is the latest offering from Mitch and Cliff Einhorn, the tongue-in-cheek proprietors of the Twisted Spoke and Pie Hole. When Chicagoist found out who owned Lush we had a hard time grasping the idea of a wine store owned by the guys who brought us "smut and eggs Saturdays" and a spirited stab at barbecue called "Bone Daddy." But in the often-stuffy and overly serious world of wine the Einhorns' ability to not take themselves seriously is a welcome relief at Lush. It turns out that they're big wine buffs.

Leaving California July 2006

Leaving California: Sacramento, Tahoe, San Francisco, Napa Valley, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, L.A., Disneyland, Monterey, Los Gatos, Santa Cruz, etc. (click view all to ... view all)

How did Sacramento Get ... Cute?

Midtown Sacramento

From Wikipedia: "Midtown is a trendy neighborhood just east of Downtown Sacramento bounded by Broadway Avenue on the South and the American River on the North. It's a largely residential community with tree-lined streets and old victorians. It is also the center of Sacramento's art, music, and cultural scene. Boutiques, bars, clubs, upscale, and casual dining abounds. Midtown hosts an art walk every second Saturday of each month which attracts thousands of metropolitan residents. Increasing in-fill develoments consisting largely of upscale lofts have priced out some residents. Historic sights such as Sutter's Fort, the first European settlement in Sacramento, are located in Midtown. Midtown is known for being pedestrian friendly and bike friendly with continuous marked bike-lanes throughout the neighborhood and a bike path connecting to the American River Parkway which extends all the way to Folsom. Public transit consists of light-rail lines running down R st. connecting the neighborhood to the metropolitan area and bus lines serving the central city area."

***

Thursday, 27 July: Packing

Packing everything up sure turns moving into a reality. Two crews came on Thursday. One to pack everything up. And another to load it all into the moving truck. Why the same people can't do both jobs is beyond me.

The packing crew came first. They wrapped everything. I mean everything. I think they even wrapped our newspaper with newspaper.

And I think the moving crew was high. By late afternoon our place was empty.

That night we slept on the hardwood floor in our living room watching movies on our laptops, eating ice cream out of the carton with the one plastic spoon we had between the two of us.

Friday, 28 July: Leaving

With all the furniture out, we had the apartment wide open to clean.
It was 3:00 in the afternoon by the time we finally left Sacramento.

Nevada

We landed in Elko, Nevada after a very uneventful drive. Somehow I broke my camera along the way (the lens jammed), so I have just two photos to document the 2,100 mile drive. And they’re not even in this blog.

http://www.nevadaweb.com/cnt/cc/elko/

Saturday, 29 July: On the Road Day #2

Utah

Driving through Utah on highway 80…sucks.

(We did see some neat rocks along the drive,
but not like we would have seen at a National Park)

(Salt Lake City)

We only argued once along the drive, which happened to be in SLC, when Patrick said, “Ugh, I CANNOT get this car up this hill,” while we were climbing up mountain in Salt Lake City (probably that mountain range you see in the background). Actually it was the third time he said it, that I finally took it as some sort of underhanded comment about my car and snapped, “Well I’m sorry I don’t have a Subaru WRX!” which is what he says. That was one of the lamest things I have ever said.

***

Wyoming

Wyoming was a much better, scenic, and even beautiful drive! We stopped the night in Cheyenne. Get this­­-- the rodeo was in town!? I swear, we got the last hotel room in the city. I guess the rodeo is a big deal. And everyone in Cheyenne wears a cowboy hat. That was a new experience.

I’d definitely say that Wyoming has good BBQ sauce.

"Welcome to Cheyenne, Wyoming, your Rodeo and Railroad Capital”

Sunday, 30 July: On the Road Day #3

Welcome to Nebraska...and Iowa

Driving though Nebraska...back to sucking. Iowa was a better drive, but everyone at Target was very…white. We stopped at my friend Trish’s place near Iowa City. She made us dinner. And cupcakes. I love her!

Monday, 31 July: We made it!

Only 4 hours to Chicago, so we were easily there by lunch: