To Master the Art

In honor of the brilliantly buoyant Julia Child,

my bestie Steve & I planned a full-day play date.

Literally. 

Our calendars have been marked for the last several months to make-believe Chicago is Paris for a day. And I gotta say, we kinda nailed it :) 

Brunch at Chez Moi

The 151 bus to the Broadway Playhouse to see...

We ordered tix so far in advance that it honestly felt like we were sitting at the dinner table with Julia & Paul :) 

Apparently 30-somethings aren't frequent goers of the Saturday matinee as we were the youngest people there by 30+ years (except for the lucky youngsters whose parents bought their play tix. Siiiiigh. I soo should have respected theater more during those years.)

The play was such a treat!

And left us wanting to be Julia & Paul

which we not-so-shamelessly tried to do ;)

And other passer-byers began to follow suit 
which made me smile :)

When you pretend Chicago is Paris for the day, you're allowed to start drinking wine at 4pm. Which we did gladly at Bistro Zinc

We couldn't have planned for an Indian Summer day but it sure did add to the awesomeness. A solid walk from downtown to Lincoln Park left us ready for a refill at Mon Ami Gabi

The evening ended with dinner on the patio at Bistro Campagne

as two very happy wannabe Parisians!

Voila, c'est fini to a beautiful day in "France" :)

      

"King"

I mean, could he be any cuter?!?

King was born on August 26th and as of this week, he weighs in a 250 lbs. (I'll never complain about my figure again). Few things/thoughts that fascinate me about this lil' rhino that I admittedly think in my head: 

(A) Dude, how is it possible that you're a vegetarian?

(2) Holy-amazeballs that you officially weigh one-eighth-of-a-ton and all you eat to date is your mamma's milk! Am I the only one that finds this wild? Bueller. Bueller. Bueller...

(III) At what point are you just kinda like, "All good mom, I got this. Gonna rock the grains today instead. I think I'm getting a little too big for the boob."

There's a 0.0% chance I'll raise these questions at Wine & Wildlife on Wednesday but am super excited to hear the behind-the-scenes scoop on how the zoo's researchers and animal care experts facilitated King's arrival and especially to hear how his momma's doing.

You can visit the Lincoln Park Zoo 365 days a year and if you have an aspiring artist on your hands, be sure to bring your little one tomorrow morning to check out Big Draw Chicago!

HAPPY FRIDAY, FRIENDS :)

     

Chop Shop

You know when you're little and your parents do their best to instill that you can be absolutely anything that you want to be? Well, the Moretti's did an incredible job at that :) And Nick has taken his rocket-ship to the moon with the Chop Shop. 

Words can't describe how proud I am of you, 

Mr. Nicky Nicky Nicky! 

And an engagement to boot?! 

SO MUCH TO TOAST TO :)

But onto the important stuff. 

FOOD...

Do your life a favor and start with the charcuterie board. Holy shit! The chicken liver pate literally melts in your mouth. Get.in.my.belly. 

The Sausage and Peppers has a spicy kick that will keep you coming back for more. Which you'll do, gladly.

The Ricotta Gnocchi makes you want to cuddle up with this carbohydrate scrumptiousness and take one home to use as a pillow. Order this. Often and always. 

The New York strip with Bearnaise sauce will turn a vegetarian into an omnivore. It's that good. 

Despite the fact that it's a chop house, 

the salmon might be tied for first!

And save room for dessert :)

The almond pound cake is legit. 

CONGRATULATIONS

NICK, MARIO & MATT!

Cheers to your continued success :)

     

Josh Moulton

While at the Green City Farmer's Market this morning I was trying to take pix to do this Fall-favorite justice; but none of my Kodak-moments seemed to turn out right. 

So I wanted to take this opportunity to plug my buddy, 
Josh Moulton, because his city-scapes of Chicago (and all of his other fine art collections) are absolutely spot-on.

They also make phenomenal holiday gifts :)

Hint, hint, wink, wink

 Check out his website or better yet, swing by his studio on Clark Street. Either way, you certainly won't be left disappointed!

 

Awesome.

10 Types of 30 Year Old Single Guys

Yes! This...

Sunday Funday

My mom & I squeezed in a kayak tour before the season ends 
{insert looming Winter weather and teeth chattering here} 
Was a great way to spend a Fall day :) 

Cheeseburgers and beers at Hackney's after? 

Yes, please, thank you :) 

Stella "Willie the Wildcat" Hall

  

FACT: 
Immediately following this (epic) photo shoot, my niece proceeded to puke in mouth when I went to aerial-fly-smooch her. After which I proceeded to borrow a shirt from my sister-in-law and put all of my beers on brother's tab at the corner bar. 

True story.
   

The Chop Shop & 1st Ward

Words can't describe how immensely proud I am of my buddies, Nick Moretti & Mario Minelli for their insanely hard work, dedication, and tireless drive that was put forth to open up The Chicago Chop Shop. 

Some have called it overly ambitious

but allow me to tell you first hand, 

it's just OVERLY AWESOME. 

Located in Wicker Park at 2033 W. North Ave this

multi-faceted gem is all that and a bag of chips. Literally!

 Butcher, bar, deli, restaurant, event space, live music, rooftop patio, Bears tailgate haven...call it what you may -- it's not everyday a 15,000 sq ft adult playground opens up in your 'hood :)

Chicagoans, 

I hope to see you LOTS at The Chop Shop & 1st Ward upon it's official opening this coming Sunday. 

Out-of-towners, 

Please be sure to add this culinary treat to your travel agenda. Just make sure to allow enough time to stay. You've been forewarned you may never want to leave!

***

Delivering bouquets to my boys

Proud friend = Me

 30 years of bestie-ship later...

 Introducing...

Business in the front:

Party in the back!

1st Ward Event Space & Music Hall

***

Now please stop reading and spread the good word ;)

Happiness :)

Bittersweet Farewell: CALI --> CHI

In the words of your former Governor, 

I'LL BE BACK, BABY!