Wicked

I finally got around to seeing Wicked the Musical. It was really good. I have never really been to a musical before so I didn't really know what to think, but like all the reviews have said it was not to be missed and I'm glad I didn't. The seats were in the middle and up one level. The view was really good and the price of the ticket was not too ridiculous, though they were still expensive. I really wish I had read the book, but still understood and enjoyed all of it. It really does make you feel like you are watching a movie. It's impressive how they change the sets so fast and so smoothly. The costumes are well made and the actors I thought did a great job. The songs they sang were overall well done. Some of the songs were catchy and some were just funny, and the choreography went well with all the songs. The whole thing was worth the money and should be checked out if you can get a ticket. I think it has become a lot easier to get good tickets where as before you couldn't get anything without spending over $200. Thanks Erin for coming with me and finding my ticket.

16" Softball National Championship

If any random crazy fans of 16" softball were interested the "No Gloves" Championship is going on this weekend in Forest Park.

For the schedule click here

Philadelphia

Ok there is a little to much to talk about and I'm a little late so i will say a bit and then have to let the hundreds of pictures I took tell the rest of the story. First things first, I love Philly. This was my first time there and I did not know what to expect and I was blown away, blown away by the history, the layout, the diversity, the night scene, and the people of this city. Nothing, the whole time I was there, didn't make me want to just move there. I cant believe how strange it is to walk around and see buildings that are hundred and hundreds of years old, and yet inside them might be a new restaurant or a bar. I went to Philly a week early for my cousin Mike Gawlicks wedding, he married Erin Victory. Mike was nice enough to let me be in his wedding as a groomsman, that was a lot of fun, but I'm getting ahead of myself cause I was there a whole week just experiencing the city before the wedding, which by the way was great and went really well. When I got into Philly it was about 8 pm and I actually didn't have any clue as to where I was and or where I was going, I also didn't have a place to stay and no one to meet up with. The Nondorfs got in earlier that day, but were out to dinner and Erin's sister Joy did not get off work till 11 so in the airport I followed some signs that got me to a train it said it was going into the city so I hoped on it. I was kinda hoping like in Chicago, DC or even New York the last stop on the train would be in the heart of the city, turns out its not. So I missed my stop, but not that big a deal, easily recovered. After turning around I got of in the middle of what they call Center City (the heart of Philly). Hmmm... well then I just kinda wondered around with a tux, a bag of clothes and a backpack for awhile and tried to find maybe a bar or restaurant that looked inviting to just hang out in till either the Nondorfs were done with dinner or Joy got off of work. The problem was that not only did I not see anything to go into, but it actually all looked kinda shady and therefore caused me to keep walking, I ended up in Chinatown for a little while which was nice cause there I didnt feel like anything would happen to me. I really didn't mind any of this except that the bags where getting heavy and there is no real way to hold a tuxedo bag. Finally I saw a sign, which I later realized where all over the city, that pointed directions towards landmarks. Al had told me that the hotel and where they would be around was near Independence Hall so I followed the sign, which was just an arrow pointing up, but it made me feel better any ways. Little did I know that I was still kinda far away. Eventually wondering through the streets of Philly at night I was able to meet up with the Nondorfs right near Independence Hall and I realized that I was able to be in the same spot as the signing of the Deceleration of Independence on the 4th of July and I that this is exactly where I wanted to be for the next week. All this happening within only 2 hours of being in Philly. Ok all that was just an intro and I feel it was already to long so I am not really going to say much else except that Lorenzo's on South street was the best pizza and of all the steak sandwiches, Geno's, Pat's, Jim's Ishkabibbles and others, Ishkabibbles in its little pink open window storefront had the best sandwich. I did try the wiz, I didn't put gum on a tree, but I did see "the playground where I spent most of my days" and ran the rocky steps among many other things. The whole trip was unbelievable and I cant wait to go back. I'll have pictures in blogs below.

Mr and Mrs Gawlick

Not to many wedding pics I think I was to busy dancing. The wedding though was amazing and the reception afterwards was in the Penn train station and was the coolest setting I've seen. Thanks Victories. Some pics here

Philly Photos

Independence Hall

The First Bank

Rocky and Joe

Masonic Temple

Geno's Steaks

Click on the Pictures to get my sets, or here

Happy Village

I thoroughly enjoy this bar and hope to be frequenting it more often, not because of the booze or the people (not that there was anything wrong with them), but because of there beautiful beer garden and there ping pong room. The actual bar area is kinda dark and dive-y with a good bartender and a small crowd, so therefore liked by me. When you walk in there are the arcade games and the jukebox with small tables lining the left wall. The long straight bar is on your right and goes pretty much the length of the room. Behind the bar on the walls are your standard nic naks like a clock with Bobby and John Kennedy, along with the classic Christmas lights and beer promotions hanging all around the ceiling. At the end of the bar you can either go straight or you can go right. Right is the bathrooms, which for some reason have an unusually large urinal, no problem, except it is contrasted hilariously with an extremely small sink. Passed the bathrooms and in a second room was the ping pong room. Nothing crazy just two Ping pong tables with a bar in the back and little tables all around the room for people to watch or wait. What I thought was really cool about this room is that they have a little boom box sitting in the front of the room with a pile of cds people have left, the cds are all burned and mostly mixes that you have know idea what are on them, but it is definiatly an ingenious idea. Right next to the boom box is a port and speakers for an ipod. Say if you came early on a Saturday morning and not a lot of people are there, just throw on your ipod and play some pong to what you want. Back out through the bar and out the other door is the beer garden, its real simple, but looks amazing. Immediately to your right is a pond and a garden, straight in front of you is an archway covered in ivy and through that are the tables and chairs. It is not huge and I could see it getting packed on a nice day, but it is worth checking out. There is no food or at least none that I noticed, but the beers seemed cheap and reasonable and the place is really worth checking out.

I Know I Suck

Sorry about no posts forever, Ive been in a funk, but I will be back and more reliable. I have several posts I want to do so I will get them going as soon as possible. I doubt I can get to all of them today but don't worry they will follow shortly. I will start it off with a short one...

I saw this bike on the street the other day and it is the coolest thing I have ever seen, I have actually had a concept in my head to make a bike for the last couple of years and this is about the only bike that has come close to looking like my design. Its made by Puma and costs a ton of money and I don't think you can get it in the US, but its really a pretty sweet bike. That cord in the picture actually helps hold the bike together and if you were to steal the bike and try and ride it without the key that cord snaps off and the bike becomes unrideable (I think I made that word up). This is one of the many cool things it can do besides its awesome look.

more pics

more info http://www.puma.com/bike/pindex.jsp

Happy Birthday Erin

A Globe

My Aunt Peggy Macnamara, who makes awesome watercolor paintings and has a couple of books out, was asked to paint a globe for the city of Chicago. Its sort of like the "Cows on Parade" they did a while back, but now they are using huge globes. Anyway if you are ever by the Shedd or the Field Museum check it out.

Platform 29

"The Next Generation" are playing another gig and this one is important. the last show at Tommy Nevins was awesome but this seems like it is going to be much bigger and better and since they are movin on up they decided they need a name change, they will no longer be called The Next Generation, but instead they are going to be PLATFORM 29. They will be playing at the Irish heritage center on this Friday the 13th, so come down and show some support.

Here is the link http://irishfestchicago.com/irishfestchicago.aspx

(They are still called The Next Generation)

or click here

I'll Get To It I Promise

Well, I have been out awhile first I had Connor and Molly's Wedding on Friday the 29th, then I had to wake up at a nice 5:45 to go to the airport so I could be back in time for the Patriot Games, and after that crazy weekend I went to Philedelphia on Tuesday night. I stayed in Philly from Tuesday till Sunday for a vacation and more importantly Mike Gawlick and Erin Victory's wedding, which Mike was nice enough to let me be a groomsman in. The whole week in Philly was awesome. I cant get it all in right now, but I will soon. Many stories to tell.

Can You Name That Bug?

5$ to the person who can tell me what this is. Found it on the stoop.

Manu Chao

I was able to go see a show last Sunday at the Aragon and it was a pretty cool experience. The person I went to see was Manu Chao. His band that plays behind him is called sound system. The Aragon was packed when we got there. Luckily we had tickets cause it was sold out and there was a line literally around the block. Manu Chao was born in Paris, France and after, forming a band, he moved to Madrid, Spain. That alone makes his music interesting, but over the years Manu has played with all sorts of different people - groups from Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. Manu is very much influenced by the places he has been and therefore his music is very diverse. At any moment you will be listening to French, English, Arabic, Portuguese, but mostly he sings in Spanish. The concert was crowded, ridiculously hot with no AC, the sound was not the best (not to mention in Spanish most of the time) and yet this concert was one of the best I had ever been to. The atmosphere was unbelievable and it felt like at any moment the people in the crowd would run out into the streets singing his songs. The crowd felt as though they really were hanging onto every word that Manu Chao spoke. He would stop, say some words in Spanish ("papers for all") and the whole place would erupt into cheers with several different flags being flow in the air. Also, the music itself was like nothing I had ever heard before. He would go from a slow style of rock to reggae to what sounded like Rage Against the Machine all in the same song. Being down in the middle of the madness will not be forgotten. Once it was over and I was leaving with a shirt that was now completely covered in sweat and my ears ringing all I wanted to do was go out and by one of his CDs and if he is to come to Chicago again I will with out a doubt be there again.

The Patriot Games Part 4

Well it is almost time again for one of the greatest events of the summer, The Patriot Games 4th Annual at Oz Park (Webster & Larabie, Chicago, IL). This year it is being held on Saturday the 30th of June. As usual we are expecting a great crowd with some real competitive games going on. Hopefully this year we can exceed our numbers from last year because like last year we will be donating money for a cause. This year we will be giving much needed money to the children of Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (Our Little Brothers and Sisters), a home for orphaned and abandoned children in the south of Mexico. Ellie has been volunteering at this home for the past 5 months now and has come to know and love all these kids. As usual there will be tons of food and plenty of beer along with great people and a ridiculous time. Shirts and teams will be decided around 11:30 this year so get there on time. We are hoping for 80 plus people which would be a similar style tournament as last year, but we are expecting something more around 70 more like the second year. The cost this year is the same as last year, $35, with that you get a shirt, food, beer, an amazing day and also a donation. If you are going and can mail a check early it is always appreciated, 1848 W Henderson Chicago, IL 60657. I hope to see everyone there.

The Next Generation

Last Thursday I got to finally see The Next Generation and they were amazing. They are made up of Tommy Sullivan, Eddie O'Connor, Johnny Russo and Liz Sullivan. They also had a drummer but I don't know his name. The band played at one of my old suburban hang outs Tommy Nevins Pub in downtown Evanston. The concert showed a wide range of what this crew can do. They played I would say almost every song you would want them to from Wilco to the Grateful Dead and from Jurassic 5 to Irish Music. They have also written their own songs, which are all unbelievable. The band was made up of two guitars, a bass, a violin, a keyboard and drums - it was an impressive set up. The strange thing I heard over the weekend though is that Tommy Nevins stiffed them and they were not paid at all. They were told that the bar would collect a cover at the door that they would get and then any money the bar made over a certain amount they would get to split with the bar. Instead they didn't even collect a cover and they also didn't give them a cut of the bar money even though they made 300% over what they were supposed to. Anyways, whatever, bands life I guess. They are playing again real soon at the Irish Heritage center. I' ll try and figure out when.

Guess I'm A Truck Guy Now

Just bought a brand new Toyota Tundra last night, I really like it. This is actually the first car I have really bought that was sold by a real dealership so my experience last night was interesting to say the least. All the stories are true and it is for sure intimidating walking into that little room were you are negotiating your deal, but it all went well.

More pics here

May St. Cafe

May St. Cafe is a little place in Pilsen. It's a real "diamond in the ruff." This place is way off the beaten path, but that doesn't mean it's not frequented. The restaurant from the outside is a nice bright color green, impossible to miss from the road. The size is a little misleading and though it's definitely not all that big, there is plenty of room. The menu is Latino mostly, but like its deceptive size, it is much more than it looks. The menu is actually Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban food, but has both Asian and French influences. The food is truly unique and has its own style. All the food I tried was excellent and enjoyed by everyone at the table. We had two different kind of quesadillas for apps - the Cuban with beans and cheese and one with chicken in it. For entrees I had the shrimp diablo, an amazing dish that I thought was going to be small, but actually turned out to be the biggest meal. It was mostacolli type noodles with a spicy, rich sauce and a hefty amount of shrimp mixed up inside it all. Some of the other meals at the table were a pork tenderloin that was cooked to perfection and was very juice. It, too, was a good sized portion. The salmon came out with rice, beans, and tortillas which made awesome little tacos. Last, but not least and easily the most interesting of all the meals and probably the bravest order was the chipoltle cinnamon chicken fajitas. This was exactly what it sounds like and that's what made it so interesting. Cinnamon and chipotle don't seem like they could possibly work, but it did. It was something new and different, but still good. The price isn't too bad either. I mean it's not cheap, but it is a really nice restaurant and it is BYOB which cuts down on the bill greatly. Transportation really has to be by cab; you could find public transportation around, but it's a walk.

Looptopia

This looks like it is going to be a lot of fun. I will be checking it out later tonight it is located all over the loop and Kim's show is actually projected onto the buildings in the city so it should look amazing. I highly recommend people see what this is all about.

"Commute"
by Kim Alpert
1 S. Dearborn

This surreal installation features distorted video of commuters in the morning and evening over the Chicago bridges zigzagging down the side of a building. The bridges will be replaced with clouds and the endless loop of commuters walking represents the waking like of the influx of people who come to work downtown.

Starts around 6:00pm and goes into the night.

Quenchers

I love this bar, it is on the corner of Fullerton and Western across the street from an old school diner. This bar looks real sketchy from the outside and is sketchy looking on the inside, but the place and people are not. The crowd usually starts out consisting of old timers but has a younger crowd that shows up a little after work usually to sip on some nice beers from around the world. They have hundreds of beers in this small place. It is set up so that you pick what you want to drink by the country. So if one day you want some beers from a country like Brazil well then you can choose off their giant blackboard under the Brazilian flag and grab say a, Xingu (a great black beer) or you can get a Belgium Kwak in a hilarious glass that actually needs to be held up by some wooden contraption. Quenchers also has a back room where they almost always have something going on, live shows, parties, karaoke, etc. They have the usual bar food not all that bad but not anything special, they do have a popcorn machine if you don't want anything, something I always enjoy in a pub. This is a bar to definitely check out.

Asak's New Blog

In honor of Asak's new blog, sportstalk19512 I thought I would talk about some of the amazing sports we had this weekend, minus one horribly disappointing Bulls game. There were five Cubs/Sox games, The Kentucky Derby, the NBA playoffs and a big time boxing fight. One thing the weekend really did was remind me of how much I like horse racing. It is truly the most exciting 2 minutes in sports. I forgot the thrill of the build up and the back stories. What was really amazing about the Derby this weekend is how "Street Sense, the 9-2 favorite, rallied from 19th under jockey Calvin Borel to pass the pacesetting Hard Spun in the stretch and draw away to a 2 ¼-length victory in the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs." It actually was amazing even after they showed the replay 20 times. Street Sense just rode the inside post passing everyone one by one and with only two or three horses left he moved right, threading the needle and then just flew in front of the leader. It was really fun to watch. That was only one of the many great events that happened, but the other sports talk I will leave up to Asak, such as is it really going to help the Yankees that they signed Roger Clemens or is there no way they can catch the Red Sox anyways or can the Bulls bounce back from such a crushing defeat.

Everyone check out asaks blog here

Lotties

It used to be great till they decided they didn't feel the need to treat their regular customers with any sort of respect. Lotties is were we watched every single bears game, unless of course we were at the game. The bar has good food, really nice waitresses and tons of TVs. It's a perfect place to watch a game, there is only one problem and it is big enough for us to switch our location for next year, everything is overpriced. This wouldn't be that big of a problem except that when you bring 25 friends to a bar and they all spend hundreds of dollars you would think maybe once they would by you A drink back, but NO. We went the whole season without anyone we knew getting one thing free or even on discount. The other ridiculous thing about there stupid operation is that they don't keep a correct tab. They just charge you anything they want and always more. I had three beers once and was on a tab with Al who also had three and our bill was 80$. They just give you a receipt with millions of extra beers on it and when you say something they make up something to get out of it. The end all though was on the NFC Championship game against the Saints the Lotties decided they were going to raise there prices, almost every other bar in the city had specials that day to celebrate. Other bars realized that they would be making more money because the Bears were so deep in the playoffs instead of alienating people. Well their lose. Next year we will be at a different bar.

Cans

This place is not all that great, but I still find myself here every once in awhile. This place is more of a frat bar then anything else. It is called Cans for the obvious reason that almost all their drinks come in cans. The food is decent but I recommend sticking with the appetizers. Cans almost always has some deal going on. Mondays used to be 20 cent wings - I think it still is - and Thursday is $4 tall cans which is a pretty good deal considering they are twice as big. The downfall of Cans though is the crowd and the TVs. I mean are you a sports bar or not, the TVs are in the most awkward spots and you usually need to break your neck just to get the best view. The crowd is made up of mostly meat heads in tight shirts looking for some action. Cans also loves playing bad music way too loud even when no one is there. The service is also terrible; the waitresses are for the most part good looking, but they thing they are the shit so don't expect them to smile, hang out or even come back with your drink any time soon. They do have a pool table though, a plus, if you could use it. Usually it is too crowded to get in a game since it doesn't have much room to begin with. I guess this bar might be good on a Monday, Tuesday after work, but definitely not that great any other time.

The Bucktown Pub

The Bucktown Pub is one of my favorite spots. It's a simple corner bar with a chill atmosphere, and usually not that many people are in there, which I like. The bar used to be an old biker stomping ground just off the highway, but since then has gone through some major changes. It looks as if at one point it was more of a hippie rock n roll bar with black light posters and old 1960's concert posters. It is not that way anymore, but still real laid back. Some little perks that make this bar better than just the normal dive is the stale popcorn and the games in the back. They have, obviously, Golden Tee and pinball which are great, but the real reason I go back each time is because they have old school shuffle bowling, a great game in which you slide a small metal puck across a slick waxed surface sliding underneath what looks like pins hanging from above. Once underneath it triggers the pins to pop up and you play like regular bowling, a great game, that has been the start of even better nights. Another good thing about this bar is their summer beer garden which isn't the biggest in the world, but it's never crowded. The beer and liquor menu are nothing special but they have everything the average drinker would want. The only downfall is they don't have any other food besides the popcorn. This place is real good for a pint after work or before you go out on the weekends. The bar is ok on Friday, Saturday night, but it does get a little crowded. I like going there with a small crew and hanging out watching a Bulls playoff game before going out. Like I said, it's one of my favorite bars.

Floyd's Pub

This is a nice little corner bar. I know one of the managers so I have been attending it whenever I can. I like how Floyd's is presented its dark and looks like a dive bar in its intended apperance but, the food is amazing and the beers range from a 2$ PBR to a 12$ imperial porter. The music is usually classic rock with some Al Green in there so I obviously like what they play. The food I ate there was a grilled cheese and cheese fries, both of which were amazing especially the fries. The grilled cheese was a double decker and actually had one layer of cream cheese. The sandwich also come with some veggies and ranch, the only reason I mention that is because there dip is made at there bar from scratch along with all there other sauces and dips. The cheese fries are what really caught me off guard because of how good they were. I'm not saying they are the best I have ever had, that title is held by Mustard's Last Stand, but its not really a comparable product because there cheese is smooth and almost like nacho cheese at a ball game but, not exactly. They also add their own spices to the cheese which gives it a nice ting. I also ate the mahi tuna sandwich a different time I was there, and this was a nice relief from tuna sandwiches I have had at other places in the past, which for the most part have been horrible. The Tuna was not dry it was not over spiced and sauced and it had been cooked very well. The price isn't to outrageous for food maybe a dollar or two more than normal bar food, but you do get more than you can eat. I saw the cheeseburger and it would more than fill any appetite and also one thing that looked amazing was the steak salad which I think had a full giant steak dinner that smelled amazing on top of some lettuce. That might be what I get next time. Beers are priced accordingly from like I said 2$ to 12$ bud, bud light at I think 3.50$. Over all I really enjoy this bar and will go back I need to see it on the weekend though.

I have been severely slacking lately so I am going to try something in the next couple of weeks, I am going to try and critic bars in my neighborhood on a daily schedule. I feel since I have been to a few and probably to many this would be the best way to get me back into writing, also some of the bars in the neighborhood might not be around for very long considering the amazingly fast pace that buildings are being bought sold torn down and rebuilt, so hopefully I will be able to keep up.

Souper Cup O Noodles

Cup O Noodles is trying to kill me with there newest concoction. As some of you may already know, I actually used to only survive on noodles that came out of a cup, that is until the massive heartburns every night made me stop, but I have never fully let go of my favorite after work meal, but this, this is suicide. It has 270 Calories, 90 from fat, and it is 25% of your daily SATURATED fat. This ticking time bomb of a soup actually contains 53% of your daily sodium. The thing must be just noodles and salt. All of that is only if you eat half of the Cup which isn't likely, holy crap, If I am not at work on Monday you know why.

Greek Corner

Great little Greek restaurant on the corner of Damen and Augusta. Its a small restaurant with a little seating area but this place would probably serve just as well getting your food for pick up. I'm not actually telling a big secret but I hadn't been here before and had always heard of this place. Its been written up in Timeout Chicago a few times so I knew It wasn't going to be terrible, but I was still pleasantly surprised. I got my standard Greek meal that I almost always get, a chicken gyro with all the toppings, feta cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions and tsatsiki sauce. This thing was huge, it was overflowing the pita and had cheese and sauce every where. The food was great and, for sure, it was filling. Also something I had never had before caught me of guard as being really good, avgolemono soup (egg lemon soup made with rice and chicken broth) For under 2$. At the end I took some bites of there baklava which was really sweet but also really good. If you are ever in the neighborhood you should check it out. In the summer they have an outdoor patio you can sit at but it is gated so you feel kinda like you are in jail. Also they are BYOB and its not hard to get really full for 10$ so its a nice little spot.

Chicago Baseball

Wrigley

US Comiskular

I some how have already been able to go to both a Cubs and Sox game this year and both were a success. Sox won on a walk off hit by a pitch, strangest ending t o a baseball game I have ever seen and the Cubs straight blew the Reds out of the water. I am real excited about the rest of the year. Sorry Ray.

Bizarro World

Snow on April 11th

Game On

Im am officially being stalked. Interficio has begun.

Ron Of Japan

I cant believe I have not written about this place before. I have loved their food since the first time I went there years ago. The other night I went to Ron of Japan in the city and as usual it was amazing. Ron of Japan is a teppan style restaurant, which means that they cook the meal at the table you are sitting at, with usually strangers sitting next to you unless you have a group of eight or more. Your plate which is steel sits right there on the grill and as the cook finish each portion he just scoops it on to your plate, some times there is a little theatrics involved. a giant flame or flippin knives and slapping spatulas

Now the eating, the waitress comes out and gives you a fresh towel to clean your hands and face with then takes your order. For dinner I ordered the crown fillet which starts off with some miso soup, delicious, then a salad, which has a spicy thousand island type dressing, also amazing, then the chef comes out with a cart full of meats and sauces, oh and a bucket of butter and egg sauce. The egg sauce which goes on everything is what makes their food so good. I know that it is probably not good for you since it is a heart attack in sauce form but its just so good. First he cooks the shrimp with egg sauce appetizer and then some vegetables everything cooked to perfection. Next maybe my favorite is the beef fried rice which I like to add my grilled veggies too and then dowse it in terryaki sauce and have them put some of the egg sauce in, later after eating some of it I add my main meal. The main plate is the Fillet which is unbelievable and cooked exactly the way I like it. So after trying to even fit all that goodness into my stomach, which normally doesn't happen, but this time I finished it all, there is dessert. Ice creams or pineapple I went with the rocky road. Another overall very enjoyable night out at the old Ron of Japan.

Ron of Japan

230 E. Ontario,

Chicago

Tel: (312) 644-6500

make reservations

Big 10-4

My cousin Jimmy is the drummer for the band Big 10-4 and they are coming to Chicago on Friday so if you are around on Friday check them out they will be playing at the Park West at 9, tickets are $20.

The Manufacturer

Started a new blog dedicated to the strange stuff I make when I can, its called The Manufacturer. Stevie designed it for me and it looks really cool. Check it out at http://themanufacturer.blogspot.com/

States I Have Visited

create your own personalized map of the USA

Stevie showed me this. I think these are all the stateI have been to.

Giardiniera

Well its getting warm outside which means BBQ season and that means hot dogs, burgers, and brats. Of course when making these you need ketchup and mustard, but don't forget the best condiment of them all Giardiniera. I didn't even no the greatness of giard until a few years ago when Cerone and Asak had me try out a brand they were marketing from That Pickle Guy, a good fresh giard with a lot of different vegetables, but not my personal favorite, although there muffalata is really, really good. Another good giard to check out is Bari, there's is a lot more about the peppers. There "spicy" is good, homemade, fresh taste but they have very little or no other vegetables, I do hear that there "really spicy" is unbelievable hot. The reason I am even talking about giards is because of one I had from a place called Heavenly Hot Dogs in Riverside. It was so delicious I found myself eating almost the entire jar with a spoon. All these Giardiniera's are really good and I am sure everyone has there own personal favorites, but I still claim that the best Giardiniera is Racconto, an authentic Italian giard with the perfect amount of spices to vegetable to oil ratio, in my opinion, but I am always open to try new ones.

Well Spring Is Here

Spring is definitely here. It was a nice warm rain all day today.
more here

A Tavola

Every once in awhile, I like to go to a fancy restaurant. This time I chose A Tavola. This unassuming place came recommended to me by a wine connoisseur named Ryan. When driving west down Chicago Ave. you would have a really hard time finding the place unless you were looking right at the addresses of the houses and three flats as they pass by the window because this restaurant is actually in a little house. At first I thought I was walking into the wrong place because the entranceway has two paths - the first goes up the stairs and the second is blocked by a curtain. A man then opened the curtain and said, "Welcome to A Tavola. Can I take your coat?" We sat down in the only room they had, which was no bigger then someone’s living room. There were probably 8 or 9 tables over all, but none had more than four people in them and most had just two.

The service right off the bat was quality. Not only did the host treat everyone with respect, but he also helped the servers out and would come to the table often to check on things. The place seemed as though there was not one server but instead two or three people serving the whole room with the host helping out. Even though you did not have your own personal waiter it instead felt like you had three personal waiters.

The menu was simple with a few appetizers, some pastas and chicken, beef or fish for an entrée. They have great seasonal food, which I tried and was very impressed. I had "the grilled marinated leg of lamb with roasted parsnip puree and toasted garlic spinach." I went with Erin. She got the oven roasted chicken served with parmesan polenta and garlic spinach. It looked really good but somewhat plain. She said it tasted good but was nothing special. Overall, though, everything at A Tavola was very enjoyable. For a pasta I got the tagliatelle Bolognese, which was amazing. It’s very small, but you can split it with someone if you get an appetizer. The entree was really good and the spinach was perfect. What seems to be their deal is a simple but fresh and well prepared dish with some good wines to complement it. The wines, which are predominantly, if not all, Italian wines, are all really good. I did not try them all but have heard of a few of them and they are all nice wines. We got the Nino Franco Prosecco Rustico, obviously one of my favorites, and Fattoria Del Cerro Vino Di Noble Montepulciano 1999, which was really very tasty.

This place, overall, was really good and left me full and with a smile on my way out. I recommend people check this out, but a piece of advice: don't go as a crowd. It is more of a date atmosphere.

Almanac Magazine

A really cool new site that needs to be looked at called almanacmagazine.com which is an online magazine that showcases photographers and there stories, which was started by an old Chicagoan I know just started. So definitely give it a look.

The Blackberry Pearl

Just got this amazing new Blackberry phone, The Pearl. Its Tiny and has a ridiculous amount of features. I cant wait to actually figure out how it works. I've never had a Blackberry so its going to take a little bit to get used to, but so far it doesn't look that bad. So happy to also be rid of Sprint.

Rosa's Lounge

A couple weekends ago I went to this small, dark, hole in the wall blues bar called Rosa's with a few friends. It was easy to find, but not easy to get to. The only way to get there is by cab and this place really is all by itself. There are no bars, clubs or late night restaurants anywhere around that I could see. The atmosphere and the style in Rosa's was all it's own and quite amazing. It was like being at the bar Blues Halsted, but in the atmosphere and surroundings of Marie's (Rip Tide Lounge) This place had loud blues music playing from a small stage at the front of the room, but was not so loud you couldn't talk to your friends. The name of the person playing that night was Guy King, who I thought was really good and was nice enough to sing happy birthday to a friend of mine towards the end of the night. Rosa's is also not very crowded and makes for a more personal atmosphere. If you want you can sit in the front row or like us you can sit near the pool tables at the back and have the same experience. The prices seemed to be standard, I didn't notice them to be higher or lower than anywhere else. The one problem and it is a major problem is how hard it is to get a cab out of there. We called 2 cabs, we had the bar call 2 cabs, we waited for an hour, hour and a half and still nothing came. Finally we started walking, not to go home, but to find a cab. After a few blocks one finally stopped, but by this time the damage was done we were all somewhat pissed. Next time we are getting a designated driver if we go.

Well I Jinxed It

So much slushy wet snow/hail/rain. It was like being in a snow globe this weekend.

Cubs Tickets On Sale

Just a friendly reminder, Cubs tickets go on sale tomorrow. Here is some more info about getting tickets at the Chicagoist.

The Snow Is Meltin

I'm so excited I can finally the ground again. The snow and ice have started to melt and the temps are getting warmer. Man I can't wait for the spring, the winter was starting to get depressing.

Interficio

Well, just signed up online for a water gun assassination game for the spring, its called Interficio. It looks hilarious and hopefully fun. The basic rules are that you upon signing up you give your home address, work address and a picture of yourself to the mediator, at which time your info is given to an assassin. Once you are signed up you are later sent your own "mark" with all there information. So then for 28 days in April I will stalk and be stalked as I try to take out someone with a water gun. If I can get to my target before I am "off'ed" I will then receive a second assignment from the mediator and so on. The winner gets 1000$ so its worth the frightening realization of how easy it is to be taken out by water balloon. I'm starting a team that I am told Al, Mike and Vorrel are supposedly joining, if not I will be rollin solo, April should be an interesting month. I'll let you know how I am doing.

New Fan

I made a new fan yesterday, well I didn't really make it, but I did upgraded it. I replaced the electrical sockets on it, I got a new glass cover for it and finally I made new blades for it. The old blades were laughably small and ugly so I thought I would make them longer and out of aluminum. I like how it turned out and hopefully it can make the room cooler in the summer.

Dumpstaphunk

Went and saw this band last weekend at the House of Blues. Dumpstaphunk was really good, the show was to short though. They were the opening band and since its the HOB everything has to be in a perfectly timed and structured order. What they did play though was worth way more than the price of admission. The House of Blues on the other hand is ridiculous. They go overboard on how strict they are. I almost didn't get let in when they carded me, I guess they thought I was using a fake ID. They pass you through a security checkpoint, pat you down and wave the wand all over you before you even get in. In the HOB they also do not allow picture taking, so if you attempt it they take your camera and delete all your pictures then charge you while they hold onto your camera. All this didn't matter though because Dumpstaphunk put on an awesome show. The main act on the other hand was horrible so we didn't stick around past his first song. If Dumpstaphunk is in town again I will definitely be there, I just hope they play at a different venue

Las Vegas

Well I haven't written in a long long time, lots of work. The Bears lost the Superbowl, I don't want to talk about it. Afterwards though at 5 am I flew to Las Vegas to set up for a convention. For the last couple of months I have been working really hard manufacturing some huge displays for a flooring company. It is very time consuming because there are massive metal displays that nobody has made before, so I need to not only figure out the best way to make them but at the same time show everyone else how to make them.

Las Vegas was cool I have not been there since Al and Shea's 21st birthday years ago. I was lucky enough to stay at the newest hotel on the strip this time, the Wynn. This hotel was no joke, it was huge and portrayed itself well, as being one of the nicest on the strip. It had all the normal casino amenities, but then added in a few things that made you realize you were in an expensive hotel. Things such as the Ferrari dealership right near the front, the three Italian named stores right in view of the entrance, stores so fancy that when you walked in they ask for your financial statements and all the stores have the guys in black suits guarding the doors. What was also nice was the layout some casinos just blast you with lights and noise but this one was... well obviously not subtle, but not at all annoying. As you walked into the registration area they had a nice little outdoor patio that looked out at a man made waterfall and lake, at night the lake would light up with all different colors. I didn't really have time to enjoy the casino though once I got to my hotel room I was off to the convention center across the street. Here is where most of my time would be spent.

For the next several hours Chris, my customer, and I were setting up displays for the Surfaces Show, a convention showing off any product that covers a surfaces, in our case wood flooring. When I walked into this place I could not believe how big it was, the ceilings was as high as the United Centers and the overall space was probably 500,000 square feet. The booth or area that we were to be setting up our product in was something like 5,000 square feet. The space next to us for another flooring company was 10,000 ft. These things were massive, one booth had several rooms and even stairs going up to a second level. All the stuff for these booths were being made as we stood there. People were erecting lighting systems, huge plasma screen TVs, anything to get people to come to there spot was being done. We even saw people walking a group of attractive women through there booth who would later be the ones working the space in some what scandeles outfits.

After the first day we were still not done but we had to eat. Also we were waiting on the other display people to move some equipment around so we could work. You would think this would be a good thing that I got to leave a couple hours early the first day, but I was stressing out so much about something going wrong the next day that I couldn't bring myself to go crazy in the casinos, plus its weird being in Vegas all by yourself, it makes you feel depressed. I did gamble but very minimally on the first day. Sat at the bar and played the slots while I had a drink then went looking for food.

The next day went really well and I got everything set up, luckily before I had to leave, my plane flight was for early afternoon. Before I left though I told Chris I needed to quickly stop and give the casino some of my money so we sat down at a roulette table and 5 minutes later, literally, maybe even less I lost $40, so not bad, but I wish I could have spent a little more time. I did place a bet on the Bears to win the Super Bowl for next year, 8-1 odds, not bad. They have the Chargers winning it all, ha, not without any coaches. Well works been slowing sort of, so I will start to try and write more often.

more pics here

I Love the Bears

I was taken on a Bears city tour the other day by Al and Bill, it was great. I got to see all the amazing Bears lights and support throughout the great city of Chicago. Here are some pics from the tour....GO BEARS.

I know I havent been writing much, but I have been super busy at work and I will be writing some stories ( of wich I have many) in the next week I promise.