Tuesday, October 14, 2008

food, fun, and philanthropy

One of my favorite restaurant row establishments is having a spectacular anniversary celebration. Looks like a good time!

Click on image for larger view:

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

denim bombshell!

I am so sad that I will not be around this year for this event...
Will be out of town at a wedding in Kansas. Yes, Kansas.

Click on image for larger view:


Sunday, October 5, 2008

white truffle time!

My favorite restaurant:

Sweets & Savories Annual
White Truffle Dinner Extravaganza!
Thursday, October 16th, 2008

$65.00 per Person


Opulent Seven Course Chef's Dinner
White Truffles Everywhere Right Down to Sweets & Savories' Notorious White Truffle Ice Cream! Wine Pairing will also be Available. 2008 is being being refered to as a truely Vintage year for White Truffles, and Chef David can't wait to get his truffle shaver on these Jems!

Last year filled up Fast and we missed some of you, so please call early for a Reservation.
We Hope Everyone has a Great Fall and Look Forward to Seeing You Soon!

Sweets & Savories is located at:

1534 W Fullerton
Chicago, IL 60614
Phone: 773.281.6778
Fax: 312.573.1077

For more information (dress code, parking, map, etc.) or to make reservations at
Sweets & Savories: http://www.opentable.com/restaurant_profile.asp?ID=5615&restref=5615

Thursday, October 2, 2008

pivot curates museum of sustainable style



Thursday - Sunday, October 2 - 5, 2008 12:00 - 6:00 PM
Museum of Sustainable Style (MOSS), 1109 W. Fulton Market
Pivot Boutique (1101 W. Fulton Market) is curating an exhibit October 2 - 5 for Chicago's Fashion Focus week and we hope you will join us!

15% off purchases at Pivot during MOSS!


MOSS features clothing, accessories and furniture from local designers using sustainable materials and processes.


SPECIAL EVENT - Saturday, October 4, 2008 (2:00 - 3:00 PM). Panel discussion on sustainable style featuring Sara Snow, Barry Bursak, Lara Miller and Iris Wang. Reception to follow (3:00 - 6:00 PM), with food and drink by VeeV and Cru Cacao.
Please visit www.mosschicago.org for more information.

mussels, good writing and karaoke!

I met up with some friends for dinner at the Hopleaf before the Bookslut reading last night. I had forgotten how great the food is there! We shared two orders of the always delectable mussels and fries, the brisket sandwich and the CB + J (toasted cashew buttered bread, fig spread, and morbier cheese). The two sandwiches and two orders of mussels were more than enough! After stuffing our faces we headed upstairs for the reading which didn't end up starting until 7:45 because Rolf Potts had a delayed flight. He came rushing in straight from the airport but had time to breath while the other two writers read ahead of him.

Peter Ferry, a lifelong teacher decided to finally sit down and write a novel. At age 61, his (first) truth based novel (he called this "walking the fine line between fiction and non-fiction by jabbing the reader in the eye a few times") Travel Writing was published. He read an excerpt from his book and you can definitely hear the maturity and grace in his writing. His excerpt was based on his travels to Mexico and reminded me of John Updike's short stories. His stories were extremely personal and almost too nostalgic - but he used "boob" twice - I mean, it doesn't get better than that.

Next Dubravka Ugresic read from her latest book Nobody's Home. Ugresic is already a highly acclaimed writer and has over 8 books to her name. A native of Croatia (formerly Yugoslavia) Ugresic's writing reminded me of Orhan Palmuk's writing. They follow a long line of classic novelists like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Gogol, etc who have lived under oppressive heads of state and governmental systems. They both came from countries in constant turmoil whether it be religious, political, or philosophical wars. She bring a different kind of perspective to the table - she much more aware of her surroundings, of the little cultural quirks that cause misunderstanding between people of different ethnicities, and of her own insufficiencies. Her sentences are crisp; her words sharp; and her accent beautiful. All her books have been translated into English which makes me wish I could read it in Croatian because it must be 10 times more powerful.

Finally, Rolf Potts shared one of his more famous short stories - Tantric Sex for Dilettantes. He got a lot of light hearted laughs. After reading that piece he read us some endnotes from his latest book, Marco Polo Didn't go There. This book compiles his last 10 years of travel. He actually expands his already published pieces and added the endnotes as a sort of commentary to fill in any holes. He admitted that he had to omit many direct quotes and character sketches of people that he encountered because they were so odd that they seemed unbelievable. He finds as a travel writer, he actually has to tone down stories to make them more believable. I can believe that!

After the book reading I headed over to Angels and Kings to hit up live karaoke with Pete Wentz. Last night's event was hosted by AM Vodka/Energy drink which happens to be something a friend of mine is behind. Everyone invited by AM got a complimentary bottle of the drink (which you can get 2-3 glasses out of). I test tasted it back in March and thought it was great - the healthier, tastier version of Red Bull + vodka. This was my first time at Angels and Kings - the space reminded me of Elm Street Liquors but with a LA punk rock vibe. It's a long space with the bar smack dab in the middle. At the furthest end of the bar is the stage which is the most crowded area. There are tables and lush couches at the space near the main entrance and then there is an elevated walkabout parallel to the bar that is lined with benches and more tables. Honestly, it's an uncomfortable space but has an energetic crowd. The live band was excellent and the karaoke singers ranged from professional to...lets just say took a lot of liquid courage.

All in all a fun-filled night.