Erba - A Review

Discovered another delightful dinner spot this past week, Erba in Lincoln Square. I had noticed the place for the past year or two but had never heard a word mentioned about until recently so I decided that I must check it out.A small, modern Italian place that doesn't take reservations, set up along what is quickly becoming Lincoln Square's restaurant row (next to Tank and Bistro Campagne). They have a outdoor patio but sadly it was not yet open the night I was there even though it was easily 75 degrees out.
The menu while not lengthy, is carefully thought out and represents a modern take on some Tuscan fare as well as the Piedmont region of Italy (I personally had no idea there was a place called Piedmont in Italy - my new learning for that day).
While I waited for my dining companion I enjoyed a limoncello and soda, any place that serves limoncello automatically rises a few notches in my book (I never realized I had so much in common with Danny Devito). Since there were so many delicious options to choose from we decided to share a few, first a creamy polenta with mushrooms for a starter - I tried to be polite and only eat my share, really I did! Then for dinner we shared a light risotto (if risotto can be light???) with parmesan, lemon and artichokes, followed by scallops wrapped in pancetta served on pureed bed of cannellini beans. Both items were delicious and even though we were splitting the items they still brought us ample portions served individually. No room for dessert that night but they too are supposed to be outstanding. There was so much more on the menu that caught by eye, great pastas, veal, several appetizer nice and light and perfect for eating out on a patio - so if you want to try it for yourself, call me and I'll go again!

The Most Under Appreciated Man In Show Business

There is a man in Hollywood who I believe is firmly underrated, he's been around for quite awhile and although he's old enough to be my dad I still think he is fabulous. That man is Mr. Tom Selleck, not only is he the only individual who has successfully pulled of the mustache for over 30 years but he has also been able to remain and attractive and appealing to several generations of tv viewers. While I vaguely remember him from his Magnum P.I. days where he sported the Tigers hat and short shorts (again a tough look to pull off but he manages!) to his brief stint on friends. I believe that in a large part Tom is responsible for my belief that the mustache can be an acceptable form of facial hair. The other person responsible for that is my dad (I cried when he shaved his off finally - I think I was about 13 at the time - it was traumatic!). So mustache disgressions aside, Tom is an all-around nice guy, you never hear anything bad about him, he's never been involved in any weird sex scandal (to my knowledge) and come on, anyone who can remain hot from 1980 to 2007 - that should be rewarded in and of itself. So take a moment and appreciated the mustachioed man (see I used the word mustachioed - ten bonus points!) who is highly underappreciated, and then pull up your tv guide and see if there is a rerun of Magnum on the classic station.

What's The Fascination Gentleman ?

You've heard me chat about my book club on several occasions - I love book club for a number of reasons (excuse to drink wine, gossip and snack - isn't that enough?) but the one thing that I really love about it is the interesting conversation topics it brings up. Take last week's meeting it ranged from the miracle of birth, to an in-depth foray into circumcision (interesting) to the topic that really struck a chord. Specifically, men and their propensity to spend extreme amounts of time in the bathroom doing all sorts of activities. While I profess that I am not quite sure how we got onto this topic, I assure you, it was one of interest and amazement to our group. After a brief comparison of tales we all learned that the respective men in our lives love to camp out on the john. Reading, emailing, drinking coffee, talking on the phone - the variety of tasks they can engage in while otherwise indisposed was quite impressive. However, what really got us was the duration of their little vacation to the porcelain throne. Twenty, thirty, forty-five minutes - all times that have been clocked in various bathroom marathons around the northside of Chicago.
Why ????
We could not fathom what is pleasurable about hanging out in there for so long? Truly, it's puzzling. It's not the most comfortable seat in the house, there are definitely better smells in kitchen, there's no tv in there (at least to my knowledge) so why, oh why, is this such an appealing spot for the male gender to hunker down and camp out for some quality alone time.
Now I love to hang out in the bathroom as much as anyone else, but in front of the mirror primping, not sipping my latte and reading The Times, and to call a girlfriend for a little chat while I let it lie - unheard of!
So again, and quite unintended, I have unearthed yet another example of why we are really the most reasonable, rational sex. Are my girlfriends and I are missing some great meaning of life that lurks in the bano? What drives those with the Y chromosome into this tiled haven? I can find no logical reason for it!

What's Her Secret ?

So I had this thought pop, unprompted into my brain the other day "why has Paris Hilton not been in rehab yet?" - while it's probably disturbing that these are the random thoughts I have (although understandable given all my celebrity gossip reading), think about, I have a valid question here! This is the girl who made a sex tape that everyone in the free world has seen, has dated every starlet's ex-boyfriend, has been pulled over by the cops how many times, is in a fight with every famous female under 25 at some in time - and yet she is not the one who's been in rehab.
It's especially odd these days when going to rehab is apparently in vogue - so shouldn't she have gone already at least to remain fashionable ? So I think the real question is, is Paris more together than we actually think she is (scary!) or is she such a mess and so wealthy that she can avoid rehab indefinitely ? I have no good answer to this, but I'm inclined to believe the former - and what a world we live in if Paris actually deserves more credit thank we think!

What's Your Favorite Molly ?

The other night I was sucked into watching Pretty in Pink (I'm a sucker for any classic 80s movie) and although it was a fine way to waste two hours, at the end I knew it really was my least favorite Molly Ringwald 80s flick. So of course that led me to a deep introspection of the great film trifecta (no, not The Godfather series) but The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink - all 80s classics and all Molly Ringwald.
After a deep and intense mental debate, all of 30 seconds, I determined that Sixteen Candles is my favorite of the three, for a few reasons: #1 Jake Ryan (the name just sounds hot) was the best guy to have a h.s. crush on #2 The Donger, for his lines along this movie is a classic "Dong, dong - where is my automobile?" #3 Anthony Michael Hall, while we all like to think we were the Jack Ryans of the world, really AMH was more on par of what reality was (for you all I'm guessing : )
The Breakfast Club comes in at #2 because of it's classic h.s. stereotypes, Molly Ringwald applying lipstick hands free (I have tried this and, yes, I can do it) and the important message that detention unites us all! Pretty in Pink has to remain in third, while it does have a great soundtrack and I love the height of hideous fashion that Andie sports there are just a few things that aren't right. First of all Blaine, someone named Blaine is the love interest, come on, there is nothing appealing about Andrew McCarthy in this movie, he is a pathetic, scrawny rich kid, I would have picked Judd Nelson in Breakfast Club over Blaine in a heart beat.
And that's the Molly trilogy for you!

Book Review: The Red Tent 3 out of 5 Stars

Last week I finished my book club's April selection, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. The story of Dinah, Jacob's only daugther, among eleven brothers was a wonderful one. The author took the briefest mention of an individual in the Bible and expands upon it to provide a full picture of what the life of Jacob's only daugther might have been like. I loved this concept, taking a brief mention in history and fleshing it out to provide us with a story that we would otherwise never hear. It also provided some additonal perspective on some of the well known biblical stories that I gre up with - I always envisioned the Donny Osmond version of Joseph (heretical of me I know) but this book provided a very different picture of what Joseph ultimately became. Another reason the book was so compelling to me was it's very detailed description of daily life in biblical times, these are the things I've always wondered about but things that were never touched upon in more known works: what did people do all day, what were the customs, what were the other gods they worshipped - all pieces that brought the puzzle of those lives and times together for me.
Finally, my favorite component of the book was the emphasis and strength of female relationships all throughout the novel. While the concept of Jacob's four wives, all of whom were sisters is fodder enough for a novel, it was the web of their relationships and how their unique gifts all came together to provide for their family that I found so fascinating and inviting. In what would definitely be material for the Jerry Springer show today, there was power and unbelievable capability among these women - I found myself being envious of the tightness of their relationships, when I live in a society today were women are so catty. The work also served as yet another example of all that women did and still do, Dinah and several of her companions were essentially the first OB/GYNs and what they accomplished all on their own amazed me.
If you're looking for a fresh perspective on an old biblical tale or an story that will leaving you feeling in awe of women then this is a must read for you.

If You Can Feel A Breeze It's Wrong

I mentioned in my last posting that I had the distinct pleasure of hanging out with an old friend this weekend, what I failed to mention was the not so distinct pleasure he had while we were out. Out enjoying some drinks after dinner, my friend had the unlucky seat right next to a group of very drunk women in their mid 30s (okay I'm being generous it was more around early 40s) and although their drunken state at only 10:30 at night was sad enough, it only got worse when suddenly one of women went crashing directly backwards off her stool and onto the floor (at 10:30). My friend, being the polite individual that he is, immediately bent down to help her up off the floor and back on to her unsteady feet. Once she was safely propped back up at her table we learned the really sad, and actually unacceptable, act of the evening - her drunken fall had revealed her lack of underwear.
While receiving an unexpected flash of a stranger's business is usually almost always unappealing (unless you're somehow into public urination or peeping toms - if so don't let me know), it's actually so much more than that. Nevermind this day and age of YouTube, camera phones and paparazzi frenzy, which means that one accidental moment can leave you forever imprinted online in the most up close and personal of ways. Fundamentally, you do not go out of the house without underwear on!!! I am quite fine with breaking most rules of etiquette and style to accommodate your own perogative but this is one that you cannot ignore.
Unless you were a dramatic DCFS case growing up, I am most assured that your mother always enforced the importance of underwear, especially clean underwear, in case any emergency situation should arise where strangers might see your drawers (although I think mom was thinking of the paramedics vs. the paparazzi). And don't scoff at this mother's wisdom because it's not wise - it is a common sense matter - cover yourself up! There is enough over exposure in the world as it is, I don't need to see more of you, in fact, I rather quite obviously know that you are wearing underwear, than fear that you're not. Pantie lines and fashion issues I also don't care about, I firmly stick to the belief that it's better to know that you have it on vs. having some tragic clothing accident that leaves you adam and eve'ing to the world with not so much as a fig leaf.