Movin' On Up To The East Side....... (Okay actually south four blocks)

I cannot believe that it's less than a week until Christmas! The past month has been insanely busy, which is no excuse for no blog love I know but between Christmas parties, shopping, and cooking there has been little time.
Plus to top it all off I decided to move during one of the busiest times of year - yay me! However, this move isn't overly difficult as I'm only going four blocks down the street, yes, that's right I'm moving in with the S.O. When my current lease was terminated I did start to look for new apartments but we chatted and figured that it didn't make sense or dollars! that I get another place so here we are together and cohabitating. I'm not entirely "officially" moved in yet but by next weekend I will be and I'm sure his life will be vastly improved not only by my constant presence but also now by the constant presence of food in the refrigerator and an abundance of t.p. on hand (things that somehow didn't exist over there previously). I've never had a male roomie before so it should be interesting, but unlike my past female roommates I'm sure we will never fight for time in front of the mirror in the bathroom or decorating styles. The only issue so far is that I prefer to flip between GMA, VH1 and Saved By The Bell reruns while getting ready in the morning while his preference is Squawk Box, but after he's experience a few mornings with Diane and Robin or some Forgive videos at 7a.m. I'm sure that will all change.
A few other random asides:
I have been stating since the beginning of football season how I despise the pink, female jerseys that are worn by women. In my opinion if you are going to wear a jersey then you need to wear the real deal, not some pink and white combo, but even more importantly the pink jersey screams "I am a semi-trashy bimbo who doesn't even really know about sports" (I have yet to see someone in a pink jersey that disprove this theory.) Then to provide a classic illustration of this theory, who appears in a pink jersey last week? None other than Jessica Simpson - thank you, case in point.
I am bracing myself for a crappy Christmas gift season, to date, nobody that I expect to be receiving presents from has bought me anything yet - it's December 19th! Now I know the season isn't about presents, but let me be clear, I love presents, I take the time to pick out nice presents for people so please be kind and return the favor! I am going on the record now and saying that I may need to develop a Christmas list in October of next year and distribute it to those in need (and by in need I mean in need of a clue of what to buy me). Fa la la la la la la la la!

A Few Things

've been a bad blogger, I admit it. Although I have a personal mini-drama on my hands, I was told this month that my apartment building was sold and I have to move by the end of January!
Moving in Chicago in during the holiday and winter season how fun!!! There's also the additional fact that I loathe moving, it is such a pain, packing, unpacking - I despise it all. So needless to say
that has take up a majority of my time as of late - still no solution yet but hopefully soon!
In the meantime, two pet peeves that crossed my mind this week for you to ponder (and hopefully discourage in others).
Random spitting on the public sidewalk. It's 8a.m. in the morning, do you REALLY need to hawk a big loogie right in front of me when I've just had my breakfast. Honestly, unless you've just ingested something awful or poisonous there really is no reason to spit (unless you're playing baseball then I condone it, I don't like it but I condone it as part of the sport).
Women who don't observe the courtesy stall policy. Say there are five stalls and I am in stall three and the rest are empty, you do not choose options two or four, options one or five are the acceptable choices. If there's space available make use of it. Really, if men have mastered the art of urinal etiquette why can we not do the same?
That's all I've got for now!

Can You Tell Me How To Get To ...........

So it happened to me again this week so I felt that I needed to write about it - I get stopped on the street and asked for directions at least once a week. Since my office is right next door to the Sears Tower I can somewhat understand that I get approached for directions often as there's always a number of tourists wandering about on the sidewalk (and walking four wide during prime commuting hours) BUT this also happens to me in other parts of the city and here's the kicker, when I'm on vacation in other countries!
This as lead me to believe that either 1) to the general public I appear like woman in the know, someone who will definitely given them an answer or 2) the most non-threatening person in their line of sight. I prefer to think that it's option 1 because really, I don't want to look that non-threatening to the general public, I don't think that can lead to anything good.
I will confess though that my all-time favorite ask for directions was when I was in the Knightsbridge area of London and was stopped by two Scots who were asking for directions to Harvey Nicols, I was thrilled because they thought I was a Londoner - I didn't stick out as an ugly American! I was doubly excited because I also knew how to give them directions to where they were going, for a split second I contemplated responding in a British accent but I think would have known it to be fake and S.O. would have never let me hear the end of it.
So do I need to walk faster, look meaner or just enjoy the fact that one of the reasons I'm here is so assist those that are directionally challenged. And next time you're lost anywhere in the greater Chicagoland area or Western Europe just give me a call! )

A Thorough Examination

So just when I was thinking that I had nothing fun to blog about as of late, I had my annual gynecologist appointment today. (How many of you are just hating that you read that sentence right now!) Actually, it was a fairly quick and uneventful trip but as I am sitting on the examining table making the initial polite small talk (honestly if you can make small talk in that situation you should never fear cocktail parties - just a thought) the doctor pulls up my file on the computer and is just reviewing my file when he says "So are you still dating your boyfriend? It's been about four years, what's going on with that - when's he going to get to it?"
Oh no he didn't! I couldn't help but crack up and ask "what else do you have written in there!", so I can't wait to tell my "significant other" - he really wouldn't want his name tied to this post, that he lives in infamy in the computer system of Northwestern's gynecology department.

M. Herny - A Review - Three Stars

Now that it's that cozy, fall time of year I did one of my favorite things last Sunday, I went to brunch. Brunch is lovely all year round but you really don't want a big breakfast when it is 85 and 100% humidity so fall is the perfect time.
There's so many delicious places to go but for this trip I ventured to a new spot (new to me) called M. Henry in Andersonville. While not a locale I would typically venture to for brunch I recently had a friend move to the Ravenswood neighborhood or as she refers to it "the suburbs" so I thought I'd be nice and meet somewhere closer to her turf. We got there at 10 and I'm so glad we did because it was already packed although we were seated immediately (yay! bonus points for M. Henry right there!) but sadly that meant I was whisked away from the waiting area before I could peruse all the tantalizing baked goods on display - the smell of those alone is enough to make me want to come back.
A warm and welcoming spot, M. Henry is comfortable but a no-frills place, simple colors on the walls, minimal decoration and ample seating make for a snug but appealing spot for brunch. The menu isn't overly extensive but there were plenty of items to choose from, Benedicts w/out the egg, omelettes galore, quiche, pumpkin pancakes (they almost got me!), along with all your standards, egg/bacon, french toast, etc. My eye for some reason immediately went to the fried egg sandwich, (although to be fair you could put a fried egg on any type of sandwich and I would select it )and my brunching companion got the classic french toast with berries and whipped cream. M. Henry also has a full sandwich listing for those that interpret brunch with more emphasis on the the "unch" but that's not me - it's strictly breakfast all the way.
Both our dishes looked gorgeous and were quite tasty, the egg along with applewood bacon, goat cheese and sun dried tomato all served on a perfectly pressed pannini style sourdough baguette - can we say heaven? It was so good that I didn't even touch my side of potatoes - but to give them props they did appear to me perfectly crispy and delicious. The french toast was equally tasty per my brunching friend and from my perspective just plain pretty to look at - berries and whipped cream are beautiful! M. Henry was jammed but they didn't rush us out even after we had paid and lingered a bit at the table - a sign of a classy joint. So head out to M. Henry for a totally satisfying meal next time you are in the mood for brunch, just be sure to get there by 10 a.m. - the whole street was packed with would-be diners by the time we left.

Where I've Been Hiding

It's been an inexcusable three weeks since I've last posted but I was busy vacationing and the laptop just does not come with on vacation, that is a mandatory rule! I won't bore you with the details of my vacation, I know most people don't really care when they ask "how was your trip" but here it is in a nutshell. First went to Prague, gorgeous, colorful, classic European city - beautiful architecture, haunting setting, great local fare and beer - a must for anyone serious about seeing Europe. Next on to Vienna to visit friends, just the city you would envision it to be, lots of baroque, chandeliers, cafes, kuchen and more. I could easily envision Freud hanging out there in the day. If you visit definitely check out Schonnebruen (sp?) palace just outside of central Vienna, beautiful grounds and a zoo that will wow you! Finally, wrapped up the trip in Paso Robles, CA (can anyone say "jet lag"?) for a weekend celebrating the harvest in the Paso wine region. Lots of pinots, rhones and the like, while great, left me craving a beer by weekends end, a fun trip but I was ready to come home a nest a bit.
So now it's fall officially in Chicago after many weeks of glorious 70+ weather in October, I finally feel like cooking again and actually staying indoors during the weekend so I promise more faithful posting. I'll have a lot to discuss I'm sure, with half of my group of friends all being with child it provides for plenty of food for thought (and leaves me discussing breastfeeding far more often than I ever thought possible) .
That's all for now!

Saltaus Review : Two And A Half Stars

Another restaurant review coming your way, but before I progress I should provide some explanation to my rating system. The standard "1" is bad, "4" is the best scale doesn't apply here, my scale is modeled somewhat like Phil Vettel's (Tribune's food critic). 1 is okay, 2 pretty good, 3 a definite delight, I will be back and 4 means a place is made for you in my Chicago favorites list. So with being said, here's my review of Saltaus.
A restaurant also located on the West Loop restaurant row that is Randolph Street, Saltaus is a recently new edition opened for about a year and a half, located at the far west end of the strip of gastronomy. A contemporary American spot, Saltaus is housed in a very contemporary storefront, light woods, sparse white and black furnishing, a bit reminiscent of what Avec might be like if it were more spacious. The effect is sleek and modern, not at all cold as one might think. The menu is fairly brief with only about 5-6 items on the appetizer, first and second courses. However, this does not mean that the menu decisions were easy, I thought almost every entree on the list looked like a worthy selection. The salmon blinis with caviar tempted my palate but I was in a fall mood and went with a special for my first course, an heirloom pumpkin soup, it was tasty, I'd actually like to try and recreate it at home myself but the server failed to mention that the soup was served cold. While it didn't take away from the flavor of the dish I would have probably preferred a hot option instead. Since I'm on the subject of service, it was a bit lacking - we sat for awhile after being seated and then once drink orders were taken they promptly rushed back to take our dinner orders leaving me to finish my cocktail with my first course, not something that should ever occur. Back to the important matter at hand though - the food! All four of us dining opted for different entrees and everyone appeared to be quite happy with their choices, there was a beef fillet, pork tenderloin with accompanying entree du jour of late, the pork belly, a ricotta gnocchi so light and delicious I was happy to have been offered a bite and then my Colorado lamb chop on a bed pureed chickpeas with a hint of bleu cheese - I happily ate every last bite I am a bit proud and ashamed to say. Dessert was a bit standard, creme brulees, molten chocolate cakes, all fine but they could stand to notch it up a bit in the dessert department. My biggest disappointment with the evening was the wine selections, the server really wasn't that knowledgeable and most everything we tried to order off the list was unavailable as they were apparently in transition from summer to fall wine lists. (Suggestion: back that clear up front and have your sommelier provide some suggestions to the table rather than letting us suffer through only to be displeased with the option). The service and the wine list could both stand to grow up a bit but the food and sleek Randolph setting were enough to still make it a solid standout night in my mind. Next time I'll give them a try in a solid mid-season and be a bit more aggressive about wine preferences and I'm sure it will be a stellar night. Saltaus worth a visit next time you're considering a trip to Randolph's Restaurant Row.