Supperclub afternoon

the other day chris and I met up with one of his coworkers for midafternoon delight at one of our very favorite places to eat, club lucky, quietly glamorous, tucked away on a residential corner of bucktown– for exquisite “traditional” italian fare. we love the old-timey supperclub feel of the place and the gracious swoop of the front room bar and seriously considered hosting our wedding party here before settling on a restaurant in our neighborhood. still, it’s one of our very favorite food haunts.

icy cold gin and tonics expertly served by a polished bartender

tender calimari grilled to perfection and served in a light tomato sauce

penne arrabiata, perfectly dressed in savory sauce

 

A visit to the sugar fortress

not exactly what you’d expect to encounter rising monolithic from the cornfield-lined secondary highways of indiana: albanese candy factory, purveyors of all things gummy and whizbang with a vivid, spectacular, and psychedelic front of the house, live, perpetually-glurping chocolate fountain tower, and a nifty rampway peepshow of the sugar-dusted manufacturing floor, scuttling with head-to-toe white-plastic-clad workers– but no taking pictures of the factory, they pray you!

one can only presume the shyness of oompa loompas or, more darkly, defense against  slugworths of the plains states.

Buckets o’ crustaceans

for father’s day we took chris’s mom and pop to a restaurant where the seafood comes in giant galvanized tubs and the wait staff bursts into whooping dance medleys every 20 minutes on the nose– kind of like a tired frat beach party, but dad was happy so all good.

Fat, in its myriad delicious forms

Supper fare not for the faint of heart– quite literally. the sheer cholesterol depicted below is doubtless capable of outright blowing an artery or four. But, crazy delectable summer meal? You betcha.

New York Strip Steaks with Pan-Seared Mushrooms

Dress steaks with olive oil, salt and pepper. Get grill good and hot, then slap ’em on. Chris uses a standard stab meat thermometer to determine doneness.

Brush clean (not with water) mushrooms and slice. Be sure to use a sautee pan large enough to accommodate all the mushrooms without crowding, otherwise they’ll sweat and stew. Add 2-3 T olive oil to pan and heat, then add mushrooms. Let stand without stirring 4-5 minutes to allow a good sear on the downside, then go through and flip them all to do the same on the reverse.

Grilled Asparagus with Cilantro Lime Aioli

Clean and end-stem asparagus. Dress with olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay crosswise on hot grill, turning occasionally to sear slightly– remove from heat while still firm.

In a bowl whip together with a fork the yolks of two eggs and juice of a fresh lime. Continue beating while slowly drizzling in a thin stream 3/4 cup olive oil. Stir in fresh chopped (but not bruised) cilantro leaves and salt to taste.

(for the record, what’s shown plated above does not truthfully represent what got consumed at a single sitting– while it made for dramatic photography, when it came time to eat, I actually cut the big beasts in halvsies)

Ravinia with the girls

tammy made it happen: the conjunction of diversely dashing city bodies to converge on a metra train headed north for an evening of 1980’s heyday bands B-52’s and Go-Go’s.

and so we assembled, as women are wont to do laden with far too much food, for a picnic en plein aire surrounded by the reveling ravinia hordes and a steady dancebeat.

the evening was clear and fine with a touch of briskness that banished any evidence of insectlife.

general consensus was less than impressed with bored-looking B-52s :-( and enchanted by a swingy-haired, lilting belinda carlisle.

the tipsy train ride home was priceless.