So the comment that was attached to my last post SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO got on my last nerve. Excuse me, are you providing a helpful criticism as to what should be on my idle mind -hmmm kind of defeats the point of blogging, I am tempted to post several long and detailed restaurant reviews out of spite but I will resist the urge (repeat: I am the bigger person, I am the bigger person). Another restaurant review will be forthcoming though as next week we have reservations at the newly re-opened Schwa - so readers beware!
On an unrelated note as it has continued to be sub-zero polar ice cap weather around here I realized that I have transitioned into another life stage, the "not caring about looking cute and more focused on being bundled up a warm" stage. I so used to be that girl who didn't want to wear boots because they looked big and clunky and ugly or I would never dream of wearing a hat as it would mess up my perfect coiffure. Unbeknownst to me at some point I passed this stage and now when it is cold I resemble the unabomber (albeit a wool-blend, Chanel sunglass wearing unabomber) but the general look is about the same. I'm not sure if this is another byproduct of growing older or just a byproduct of a particularly freezing Chicago winter. If I start wearing a caftan and straw hat this summer then we'll know it's the former and not the latter.
A few Oscar picks for tomorrow, although in full disclosure I have not watching all the nominees this year so I feel a bit like a cheater picking them.
Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett - she convincingly portrays an iconic male singer, enough said.
Supporting Actor: I have not seen No Country for Old Men (nor do I plan to) but word on the street is Javier Bardem is a lock, what should be a lock is for him to never re-create that hairdo again.
Actress: Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose- haven't seen it yet but I love the original song! She's beautiful and animated, Julie Christie is too much of a sourpuss in my opinion.
Actor: Daniel Day Lewis, again haven't seen it but he is scary enough in trailers to have me believing in that performance.
Director: Coen Brothers, everyone loves a director who can go from funny to serious
Movie: Atonement, I loved it, thought it was beautifully done, still a get a little pang in the chest when I see a commercial for it - it better win, the only other choice is Juno but the academy would never give an Oscar to a little indie comedy.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Thalia Spice - A BYOB You Shouldn't Miss
This past weekend I checked out Thalia Spice a new Asian spot in I think what we can call West Town (Chicago / Halsted). Tucked away along an industrial alley Thalia is definitely a little find in the rough. The decor in lots of deep purples, reds, draped fabric giving almost a Casbah-like feel but not too much, just enough to be exotic but not in any overpowering way. We were ushered in to a little nook and that is when I realized my error of the evening - I had forgotten it was a BYOB spot! BYOB is great (but not so great when you forget your own B or W). We still stayed and ordered even though it would be a tee-totalling dinner - the menu at Thalia is quite expansive with one menu dedicated to what I'll call a more Thai-styled menu, with curry, noodles, claypots and most of the traditional dishes you'd attribute to Thai cuisine.l Then there's a second menu for the more Japanese / sushi focused items on the menu. So many things looked good and I'm sure I could have been happy with any number of them but we did take the easy way out that night and ordered a special pre-set menu they had in place for the evening. In my opinion it took many of the highlights from both menus and pre-packaged them for us, we got shrimp rolls, perfectly seared and seasoned ahi tuna, fish balls (don't laugh they are tasty) thai beef lettuce wraps, mee krab and then the finale, claypot lobster in a f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s lemongrass broth. Everything and I mean everything I had was delicious, it had the classic Asian flavors but what I especially liked was that the meal and flavors while memorable were still light, nothing oily or heavy that stuck with you after tasting. I must confess that we didn't linger too long after dinner, somehow it's not so fun to stretch out a meal over your water glass as it is a glass of wine so dinner was lovely, and relatively inexpensive (alcohol notwithstanding) but I would love it all more with a great wine or beer to accompany the meal. Thalia Spice a definite addition to my dining repotorie when I'm in the mood for Asian in the future.
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