Must try again. Joined a big crowd afterwards at the neighborhood frozen custard place.
Category Archives: Chicago
L.Woods/Chicago (by way of Wisconsin) and Sapp Brothers Gas West of Peru, Illinois
Uneventful drive from Des Moines to Chicago today on Interstate 80, which is the way I like it although it was strange to think that dirck was flying above me somewhere near on a flight to Chicago and then frankfort and Warsaw. The highlight of the drive was cheap gas at Sapp Brothers ($1.93 a gallon) just west of the bigger Peru exit where the gas was $2.24.
MAT, emma, Rocket and I had dinner at L.Woods in Lincoln woods, just west of the Edgewater neighborhood. The place looked like a real Wisconsin backwoods lodge with piney wood walls, rugged decor, outdoorsmen gear, dim lighting, leather but beyond the kitsch the food was good and yes, hearty. Excellent western style brisket, ribs and fried walleye. MAT liked table 133 (I think) in a less crowded rear room where it was easier to hear our conversation.
Filed under Chicago, Uncategorized
Manny’s! – Chicago
I finally got to the real Manny’s in Chicago (as opposed to the mini-Manny’s at Midway Airport) with Noah and Jill. It was a treat. Excellent kreplach soup, corned beef, pastrami, tuna sandwiches, latkes; great atmosphere (reminded me a bit of the Katz’s in NYC’s Lower East Side with its big open dining room). The cafeteria line moved quickly at 12 and all was right with the world! I’ll be back.
Burglary on the megabus? on the road from Chicago to Dsm
Written last night (before safely arriving, an hour late in Des Moines):
There may be a thief among us, here on the Megabus bumping along Interstate 80 in rural Iowa on a dark December night, but you have to wonder why someone on this bus would leave his diamond ring and watch in his coat pocket and then leave said coat unattended during a rest stop near Peru, Illinois. As the theft, or whatever it is was, was duly reported, my fellow passengers looked aghast. Now we had to wait for the police and a possible search of the bus and us (or so one rumor went) and our 7 hour bus ride (from Chicago to DSM, which should normally take 6 hours tops) suddenly threatened to get a lot longer.
Fortunately the police arrived fairly quickly (who knew police drive White Ford 150 pickups?), talked briefly to the alleged victim and the driver and we were on the road again after a 1/2 hour delay. It was a reminder of the downside of taking the megabus (along with yakking passengers and the overpowering smell, in close quarters, of McDonald’s cheeseburgers) but there are upsides too — including the affordability ($41 for this ride) and easy on-and-off – and so I am sad to see megabus service between Chicago and Omaha end, which it reportedly will as of early January.
Filed under bus service, Chicago
The Middle Eastern Bakery, Moholy-Nagy exhibit at Art Institute- Chicago
THe Middle eastern Bakery, Andersonville
The weather got colder, as expected, but the wind didn’t pick up and this is Chicago in late December so can’t complain. We had excellent middle eastern food at a restaurant in Andersonville that recently opened up in the front of a bakery/market.retail I strongly recommend the shawafel sandwich, a mashup of chicken shawarma and falafel (you guessed it) in a wrap with bits of pickle. THe sampler plate with tabouli, hummus, babaganus, falafel was also tasty. The meat in the beef shawarma sandwich was reportedly tough. If I wasn’t taking a 7 hour bus ride back to DSM I would load up an all kinds of hard to find middle eastern goodies in the bakery/market.
near the middle eastern bakery
Next stop the art institute which is always a treat. I’ve never been in Chicago at Christmas and all the skyscrapers looked Big City Magical, all lit up with holiday lights. I bumped into my first cousin in the members lounge, which was an unexpected treat. We also got some excellent free coffee (my stepdaughter and her husband are members). Learned about the Bauhaus design movement in Germany,Europe, and Chicago at the Moholy-Nagy exhibit.
Filed under Chicago
Hollywood beach in winter, Andy’s Thai kitchen in Edgewater– Chicago
After a miserably gloomy, grey rainy Christmas Day, just seeing sunshine when we woke up today was refreshing. As an added bonus, it was also unseasonably warm, in the 50s and a perfect day to introduce Millie to the beach and lake — her first for both. HOllywood Beach was very quiet and lovely, perfect for a game of fetch.
DInner was at the new Andy’s Thai kitchen in emma and rockets neighborhood of Edgewater. it was as good as the original one, especially the pork neck and pork belly with basil.
Filed under Chicago, Uncategorized
Hollywood beach, Rogers Park social club, Shaw’s — Chicago
So glad I didn’t spend this gorgeous day in the car driving home to Des Moines. Instead I got a long awaited swim in a lake, which I have been longing to do all summer. Better late than never and had a great swim in Lake Michigan at Hollywood Beach, a pleasant stretch of sand a short walk from where Emma and Rocket live in Edgewater — another great thing about their neighborhood!
Later we went to a funky place called the Rodgers park social club and made our own at the excellent Bloody Mary bar, which came with a chaser of beer or cider. Explored the neighborhood a little- a food store with lots of Midwestern products (and a shopkeeper from royal oak, Michigan …my hometown area; a little sculpture garden. Tonight we had a great dinner at Shaw’s where I tried a new dish that was as good as my aunt said it was – fresh grilled tuna in a soy ginger sauce with crispy thin sliced potatoes and chives.
Great to see our longtime family friend from Pennsylvania, Marjorie V., after so long.
Filed under Chicago, Uncategorized
Two new (to us) restaurants on Chicago’s Gold Coast
We had some good meals at two restaurants on Chicago’s Gold Coast, off of Division, earlier this week:
- Nico Osterio, on Rush, was a pleasant spot for a reunion with a long-lost cousin. Light Italian fare for lunch. Good salads (tuna raw, kale chopped) and sandwiches (tuna, canned) although some of our party liked our meals more than others. (Yes, I’m talking about you Mike.)
- Eduardo Enoteca, which pleased all. Small rustic interior, sunny front patio on relatively quiet street (Dearborn). We shared lots of small plates (excellent brussel sprouts, with pancetta and caramelized garlic; okay cauliflower, spicy but somehow bland) a thin crust pizza with pancetta and wild mushrooms, cheesier (mozzarella) than expected but still good, springy ramen-like pasta with a light sauce of lemon, pepper, Parmesan and rosemary. I particularly appreciated the bottomless glasses of fresh lemonade on a hot summer day and the four-year-old amongst us enjoyed her lemon ice cream! And I forgot about our chopped salad with raw tuna…so maybe it was forgettable? The menu also included bresaola (a beef version of proscuitto), which I love but didn’t detect similar enthusiasm from my fellow dinners. Next time.
Nearby Eduardo’s
Chicago’s Miami-esque strip
I’ve always thought the area just beyond Lake Shore Drive on Sheridan Road in Chicago looks more like Miami than the Windy City, with its old school highrises blocking the lake views, with names like “Malibu” and “Tiara.” So it was interesting to finally see what the public beach looks like beyond those highrises. Gorgeous views of the endless water and to the south, the towers of downtown Chicago looking like a glittering, far-away Oz.
We’re accustomed to a much closer view of downtown – from North Beach near my Aunt’s “Gold Coast” apartment. But the Edgewater neighborhood’s view is lovely in its own way – sort of a reminder of the leafy, relatively quiet neighborhood’s distance (but also proximity) to Chicago’s more hardcore urban downtown. We visited three small patches of beachfront – one by a Jewish temple that I’d never noticed before, whose sanctuary must have one of the best views in the city. There’s a little cafe at one beach, a snack bar at another with handy and fairly clean public bathrooms. Not many people were swimming but families and couples and other groups picnicked on the grass, played catch in the sand and admired the view on a rare holiday weekend when Chicago weather was at its best.
If you go: along N. Sheridan
Berger Park (with the Waterfront Cafe) north of Granville Ave.
Lane Beach Park (near Thorndale Ave.)
Hollywood Beach and Kathy Osterman Beach House (and snack bar), north of Hollywood Ave.
Filed under Chicago, Uncategorized
Terzo Piano, Maggie Daley Park– Chicago
- E
Another gorgeous day in Chicago and we had a great vantage point to see the Big City in all its glory– Terzo Piano, the sleek all white and windowed restaurant in architect Renzo Piano’s new wing of the Chicago Art Institute. A wedding party commadered the terrace but we had a fine view of the skyline and throngs of Sunday saunterers in Millenium park from the restaurant. Good food too – hearty bloody Mary’s served with a chunk of cheese, sausage and olive on a toothpick, the rim of the glass dusted with Aleppo pepper (which apparently is from Aleppo, Syria and getting harder to get as a result of the unending war there….and now, awkward transition, back to our relatively carefree existence…) Brunch was reasonably priced (apparently compared to other meals there) and delicious. I had brioche French toast, others had lox and bagel; biscuits and gravy, eggs with the best kale chips I’ve eaten (and I generally don’t eat them.)
We looked at a Gordon parks photo exhibit then took the cool elevated walkway over to the lovely gardens in Millenium park ((lots of purple and green and the occasional dazzling red poppies). Tons of bicyclists around (a reminder that someday we’d like to ride the bike the drive event, which took place today on lake shore drive. one fashion trend we have noticed this trip. Men wapearing heavy leather harnesses around their upper torso. Why?
ere
Filed under Chicago, DINING, Uncategorized
TakeBetsywithyou 