Really? All at the same time ?

I feel compelled to share what I have observed on my daily commute. While I have only come across her a handful of times the walking/smoking/reading lady immediately draws my attention whenever I pass her on the sidewalk My question is - why???? I can understanding walking and smoking (well actually I can't because it's horrible and nasty) but they are two activities that aren't entirely strange when paired together, but reading and walking? Is that really the best time to get a few pages in, when cruising in morning rush hour on the sidewalk with hundreds of others THEN pair all three together, picture her, ciggy in one hand and book in another fully engrossed at 8:30a.m. Is she reading the best book ever? Does she have no other free time than during her morning commute - I just don't see how she is compelled to do all three. I can barely managing walking and talking on the cell phone, you don't see me trying to blow bubbles or fly a kite while on the phone. It's weird, I don't get, I want to know why she does it - maybe one day when I've had enough I'll stop and ask her.

Also, just got back from Miami - after a Jennifer Aniston sighting and the sighting of lots o' fake boobs I am back in Midwestern winter. I didn't expect to really like Miami but I am a fan- it's a little fake and ridiculous but the weather (in March) is fabulous and the hotel lounge/bars are beautifully designed - go to the Setai now for dinner and drinks - classy and sexy without being over the top. Michael's Genuine Food & Drink for a non-South Beach destination that is delicious and unpretentious. I couldn't handle it all the time nor in any season where there's massive humidity but I can now see why Will sings his song.

Home, home on the range

Just a few comments about my absolutely lovely dinner at Schwa last Saturday. If Michael Carlson can pair sea urchin ice cream and pine flavor ice cream cone and make it a delicious option that seems natural to pair together then honestly the man is an ARTISTE! That dish couldn't top the grand finale of antelope, butternut squash and white chocolate though - I'm sure reading this you think ewwwwwwwww, when I read the menu I was really skeptical about how it would work but it was the best three bites I've had in the past year. If that's not an endorsement I don't know what is.

Recommendation: Don't go see The Other Bolyen Girl, if you have read the books or are at all family with Elizabethan history you'll be irritated with the large portions of history that this movie glosses over and when you're in a movie where Scarlett Johanssen is the "other" sister you know the casting is all off. It just comes off as annoying rather than entertaining, if you do go just enjoy the SATC trailer - yay! Can't wait till it comes out in May.

A Question for Dr. Nunes

I am so over winter, I sound like a broken record but I AM! Next week I head to Miami for some work and some fun and while I have a fear of not being tan, thin or owning enough white clothing to mingle in Miami that will not stop me!! I'll be sure to share all my pasty exploits after I get back.

A question that came to mind today, per a conversation with my new mommy friend (but trust me not a cute, cuddly, baby question) do you think you could fake out your OBGYN and tell them you've had 3 kids when you've had none or can their all seeing eye detect that? I want the new mom to ask but I don't think she will - guess I'll have to wait for an answer on this one until October!

And I know, I know some of my Oscar picks were wrong but honestly at this point who cares - they were sooooooooooo boring, and this coming from an Oscar extreme fan (hmm what's the equivalent of dressing like an Oscar super fan? Do I wear an evening gown and updo while sitting on the couch??) something to consider for next year................

How Rude & Why I'm Okay Looking Like The Unabomber

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.

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.

To Blog or not to blog, plus a Takashi review.

So I haven't posted for awhile but I have received "feedback" from people commenting on the topics on my blog, some saying less baby talk, some saying bring back the restaurant reviews. I just found it amusing that people were telling me what to blog about, isn't the point of a blog that you post on whatever you're thinking about or intersted in at the moment? For example, a few things that popped into my mind this week 1) you know those drop down menus you have to use when completing order forms online, my pet peeve is that when you have to select country you scroll all the way down to the bottom to pull up "United States", I know it's petty but really are there that many people in the Ivory Coast or Madacasgar purchasing books online or ordering Laura Mercier blush? I highly doubt it, so can we just get it moved up to the top? I'm just asking.
Another one of my "critics" wanted me to go back to purely restaurant reviews, I am totally happy to do restaurant reviews I commented but that means I need to go out to new restaurants! During the busy holiday months and this past, cold depressing January I didn't have too many reservations on the calendar but I am now booking up the calendar so that I can again comment on our Chicago dining.
This past Friday I went and checked out the new Takashi, a Japanese/French inspired Chicago newbie located in the old Scylla space in Bucktown. I was a big Scylla fan and sad to see it go but I had heard nothing but raves about the new Takashi so a visit was due. The former cozy and cramped decor is gone and while the space is still a bit small, it is much sleeker and modern than it's former occupant, complete with a tiny but inviting bar to sit at while you wait. Takashi's menu is a number of cold and hot small plates along with a shorter "large plates" aka entrees selection. A number of the small plates looked delicious, fluke, bluefin tuna tartare, scallops, pork belly, the of the moment dish, and many others, in fact, I had a bit of struggle deciding upon the small selection, I think I could have been happy with three small and forgone the large selection altogether. I finally settled on the pork belly for a starter and was happy with the selection (although I did suffer from a little jealous after having a nibble of the scallops). The pork belly came with several steamed buns, a pungent mustard and little greens which allowed you to combine all four elements for a tasty bite or mini Asian sandwich combo. The belly perfectly prepared, not too crispy, not too fatty (ridiculous I know!) a definite recommend if you go, my fellow diners were also big fans of the scallops and duck. The large selections with the exception of the duck didn't really "wow" our table, fish dominated the selections with cod, bass, and salmon all making an appearance along with some claypot chicken and a wasabi steak selection. I split the salmon and the chicken with a friend and while both were tasty and fine, I wasn't wowed but that's not a criticism, not every meal is wow-worthy and there's nothing wrong with that - I was happy to find in Takashi another enjoyable and quality dining experience and in one of my favorite hoods to boot! The service is still new and not as steady as it could be but not at enough of a level to detract from the dinner. I am positive once real spring comes to Chicago (read: late May) I will make a visit to Takashi again for some fresh, spring flavors and maybe a spot on the patio.

A Scary Moment

So I had more comments than usual to my last "baby" post, and I was accused of writing about babies a lot - but I'll just this- I write about what's going on in my life and currently everyone is having or has recently had babies. When I get my puppy in the spring I'll focus on that!

So I have to confess to a scary thought that popped into my mind the other day as I was driving down the street. I passed a store and a top in the window happened to catch my eye and I thought to myself "that's cute" then to my horror I realized that the store was Chico's!!!!! Aggghhhhhhh. I did NOT just think a top in the 40+ trying-to-be-sassy-lady store was cute, Chico's is some weird more casual stepsister of Talbot's - does this mean my life is now in it's downward spiral? In full disclosure the top had some sparkly stuff on it and anything sparkly catches my eye and interest so it was kind of sneaky of Chico's to do that to me, luring in that way with sewn-on sequins.

So between everyone procreating and my Chico's incident occurring this past week I really am feeling that transition out of my 20s!!!! I will need to make the most of the last few months - I am heading directly to Express and Bebe and buying something highly inappropriate in order to balance this all out.