win win

This movie has a small but universal message – A.O. Scott describes it as “a good movie about trying to be good.” In life, Alex Shaffer is champion wrestler and first-time actor. As Kyle, he captures a detachment that seems so common among kids from his generation. He and Paul Giamatti put a genuinely human face on New Jersey, as they try to get through to one another. These are not the cartoon characters that you see on Jerseylicious, etc. They have faults. They face temptation, and they try to redeem themselves. Win Win reminds us that it is how you deal with consequences and how you embrace opportunities that test the real strength of your character; that determine whether or not you are good.

other delightful thingS:: Luol Deng shooting from half court and making it! Also, Bulls crushing the Heat in Game 1.
:: Peter, of Peter Bjorn and John, jumping around on stage. Wouldn't it be amazing if you found this much unmistakeable joy in your job?
:: Bridesmaids! Go if you want to laugh, and enjoy a most excellent cameo.
:: Chick-fil-A in IL. Nuggets and lemonade!

jam

Mmm jam. Both brunch items we ordered were surprising. I ordered the egg whites that had some vegetables listed after, like an omelet, and Charlie ordered the blueberry pancakes. The egg whites arrived poached and served like a salad with some lemon zest - very light and refreshing. And, the pancakes were blue, blue, blue! I've never seen food this blue. On previous occasions, we've had the Spanish omelet (with and without anchovies) and the French toast with pink peppercorns. It's hard to order badly here.

highS :: going on a weekday - avoids the weekend brunch crowd,
very pleasant
:: food - everything we've had is good

lowS :: cash only - but they have an ATM

xoco

Pronounced JOco...I think. It's a Mexican sandwich place. The seating/serving is confusing - they sort of help you along with this with some things but not others. They get you a seat and bring you your food, but not your drinks?? There are a lot of sandwiches to choose from, but they are not all created equal. For instance, the short ribs in my Pepita were bland, but somehow overpowered the pickled jalapeños, which, on their own, were good. Charlie's sandwich was good, but the old switcheroo doesn't work well when one one person (me) orders badly. Churros are good, corn-y, but good. Some people seemed to get chocolate sauce with theirs. We did not. We got the Mexico City style hot chocolate, which when eaten with the churro was good. When you drink the hot chocolate on it's own, it's begging for a finger-dipped-in-sugar chaser. I would try this again but not without studying the extensive menu first.

highS :: pork? - pork sandwiches seem the way to go
:: pickled onions and peppers - mmm
:: churros - once I accepted the corn taste, they were great

lowS :: service - weird. We were seated in this crossroads of servers and cooks going in and out of doors with big dirty pans. This crossroads smelled like bleach and garbage - yuck.
:: short ribs

l2o

To celebrate Ian and Charlie's birthdays, we did the 12 course tasting menu. The service was impeccable; the silver domes made an appearance. These are probably unrelated, but the restaurant was unnervingly uncrowded and service was super-attentive. We must have each used 50 pieces of silverware, and there were no tablecloths...

highS :: fantastic service - servers had vast knowledge and were not arrogant in any way. everything was by last name, so there were no valet or coat check tickets to lose
:: diver scallop with cauliflower passion fruit and vanilla, thai snapper with a deconstructed green curry
:: gold-leaf wrapped honey and yuzu consommé with raspberry pearls, mascarpone sorbet and white chocolate crisp, pineapple with kaffir lime foam and coconut meringue

lowS :: the location was fine, but it was in what seemed to be an apt building, and the restaurant had no windows

a week in pictures

We got a couch this week. Come relax on our chaise.










And, we got a Christmas tree this week, and appropriately decorated it with barware (see inset).

a week in review

* I think they named the Chicago football team the Bears because it is so cold that all you want to do is hibernate in the winter. It was 2 degrees the other day and, according to weather.com, it felt like 20 below with the windchill factor! Wind has been blowing this week up to 38 mph. I almost blew away.
* Fantastic Mr. Fox is excellent. Go see it — it lives up to the hype (that I've heard on NPR). They had to beef up the storyline a bit, but it's done successfully without messing with the integrity of the slim novel I remember as a child. If for nothing else, see it for the workmanship of the animators.
* The Bristol has a nice brunch. Big salty bloody marys with a splash of beer in them. Chilaquiles of a manageable size, with braised pork.

highS :: bloody mary, chilaquiles, everything was good to eat
lowS :: the bar didn't have enough leg room — not a horrible low

In NYC :: try Schiller's Liquor Bar

* Time Out Chicago came up with a list of 100 best things we ate (or drank) this year. We had already eaten the pork sliders at Goose Island. And this week, we were able to get the chile relleno at Rustico Grille. The chile is not stuffed with the usual cheese — it is served room temperature, stuffed with a vinegary mix of carrots, potatoes and chorizo. Excellent appetizer for a lactose-intolerant person like myself.

highS :: chile relleno, braise pork, pumpkin mole, blackberry açaí margarita, bathroom was nice and warm
lowS :: none to speak of

In NYC :: Rosa Mexicano or Dos Caminos, but really the Mexican food here in Chicago is unparalleled.

some new eats

Folklore... looks nice, but isn't. This Argentine steak house made us wait 3 times longer than they original estimate, with no effort made to compensate for this oversight. Good chimichurri and melted cheese appetizer, but I'm not going back.

In NYC :: I'd go Brazilian at Churrascaria Plataforma

Vong's Thai Kitchen... serves decent pad thai (it seemed a bit Italian, somehow), but not much else. Some pan-Asian appetizers were decent, but curries seemed inauthentic. Doughnut dessert was the highlight. This is the second Thai restaurant we've been to in Chicago, and the second with NO green papaya or green mango salad. WTF? Do Thai restaurants in Chicago not have access to these fruits?

highS :: doughnut dessert
lowS :: pretty much, everything else

In NYC :: try any other Thai restaurant in NYC or NJ.

Le Bouchon... has a $25 prix fixe dinner on Tuesday nights - any appetizer, any entree and any dessert. The escargots were a little funny - my suggestion would be more garlic, a little salt, and a new snail supplier. We were mystified by old fashioned cocktail, ordered at the bar, that featured grenadine - undrinkable. The skate special was decent, but would have been helped by some salty capers. Profiteroles were tough, and they were pretty stingy with the creme anglaise. Service was decent, considering a slight wait at an unlawfully crowded bar and the fact that we had a reservation.

highS :: waitress service, bread
lowS :: escargots, old fashioned

In NYC :: Schiller's Liquor Bar, Balthazar, Cafe D'Alsace, French Roast, Pigalle, Maison