Beer and Chicken Sandwich c/o Chili's...Yes, Chili's

Once in Chicago I learned that my flight to Philly was cancelled, which was annoying. I called the airline, they put me on a later plane, I asked what they would do for me as a result of the inconvenience, and they gave me a $250 voucher for my next flight (I didn't even make that big a stink...everyone should try even a bit of irked-ness in their voice and see what they can get). The fact remained, I had four hours to kill, so I went to the terminal Chili's and ordered a ridiculously expensive Budweiser and an incredibly underwhelming chicken sandwich.

Best of 2009, Meal Edition

Well, another year has gone by; another 365 days of eating and drinking and living all wrapped up. With 2009 on the verge of being over, never to be seen again, it's time for my second annual 'best of' round up. Last year I included 17 memorable meals, but this time around I tried to be a little more discerning with my choices. Taking a tougher approach wasn't too difficult. I ate a great number of meals and had my share of fun times, but the truth is, I feel like I didn't quite eat as well as I did last year or in the years before it. That is not the right attitude, however, for a best of meals list, so let's pretend I didn't say that. Instead, let's take a look at all the great stuff I did eat.

While technically a 2008 meal, the Christmas lobster from last year deserves a mention.
While I have had my fair share of oysters this year, the crispy salmon skin salad and oysters from Aqua Grill were truly marvelous.
K.'s visit to Philly, and our trek to South Philly, led to the surprising find of the best donut of the century.
When I lived in Chicago, anyone who knew about the blog would ask me if I had eaten at Lula Cafe. Their main suggestion was that I try the banana cream pie, which just made me not want to try the place due to my unfortunate lack of interest in bananas. But when I went back for L. and B.'s wedding, M. Lady and I went for brunchy breakfast, and I really loved the earl grey tea and eggs Benedict from that I consumed in their entirety.
My first, and only thus far, visit at Zahav, was great from the opening pickled treats to this perfect bite of lamb.
Sometimes the circumstances of a meal can accentuate its overall awesome-ness. This was certainly the case when M. and I shared a smoked salmon, tuna fish and triscuit snack by Crystal Lake.
Just having L. visit Philadelphia for the first time this summer was great, but the lamb I cooked in her honor made it that much better.
When A.S. invited me up to her family's house on Cayuga Lake, I expected a lovely few days of reading and swimming, but I didn't expect some of the best pizza of the year (sorry Luigi's).
The seven course tasting meal at Le Bec Fin was a lovely eating experience, from the first course that really woke my tongue up to the marvelous cheese cart.
Thanksgiving at XIX included everything from butternut squash to pork crackling, but the seafood aspect really made it special.

Chicago, Adieu

After dim sum I returned with the crew to the Lincoln Square crew because I decided that, instead of taking the predominantly underground red line, that I'd like to take the all above ground brown line to get one last few of the city. When I first visited Chicago, trying to determine whether SAIC was a good move and whether I could live in the city, I only took the brown line, and fell in love with all the back porches and hidden yards and maintained (or not) alleys that one could look down upon from the vantage point of a train car. It, like dim sum as a last meal, seemed fitting that the brown line would be my mode of conveyance to, well, another train line (the blue line), which would whisk me (in a rather mediated not whisk-y fashion) on to O'Hare. I took photographs, of course.

Dim Sum c/o Furama Part 39

On Sunday I packed up my belongings and headed north to meet up with T., C., M. and D. for dim sum at Furama. Oh Furama, my dim sum stomping grounds of old. How often I used to sit at your tables, flagging down waitstaff for more hot pepper or soy sauce (or the occasional bubble tea). We were seated at a relatively large table for five people, complete with lazy susan. All the regulars of the meal were in attendance...though no taro.


So many of the Furama faces remained the same: the dude with some sort of disability (is that passe? am I supposed to say learning difference?) pushing the same cart of sticky rice around, the sullen teenagers closer to graduation wearing team Furama tee-shirts, new babies running around the stage at the front of the large banquet hall space, the same tall skinny guy seating each one of us, the same older gentleman with a scar on his face filling our water and adding up our check. Oh man. There were changes, Furama now has a strange gift shop area in its entrance area and the oft strewn beer bottles and cigarette butts from big parties on Saturday nights seemed to be a thing of the past. I did not expect to be remembered, and I wasn't, though the fact that the ebf and I managed to go so frequently is a feat in and of itself...seeing as how I go to dim sum in Philly once every three months or so. It was a good last meal for Chicago; a fitting last meal. Afterwards D. drove us back to his and M.'s house, taking a circuitous route that took us all through Andersonville's streets...the streets I knew so well, sniff sniff. Enough of this.

Mexican c/o I Forget

After the wedding festivities ended a few of us went on to Innertown Pub for a little more drankin'. Once that portion of the evening was properly done, M. Lady and I returned to her hood with dreams of pizza, which were quickly dashed...it was 3 in the morning you see. Instead M. Lady and I went to a nearby 24 hour Mexican restaurant. I had a combo platter and a horchata. The horchata was quite good, the food not so much.
Then we walked back to her place as the sky became decidedly morning-like.
I don't know if this would count as a late second dinner or an early breakfast, so I'm labelling both ways.

B. and L.'S Wedding, Part 3: The Mother Lode

Because a bride and groom can never have too many photographs taken at their wedding...
This begins the dancing part of the evening, which I also participated in (ironically, of course, and with no photographic evidence to support it happening).

The pig prop from the photobooth got around for sure.
Find the bride in this photograph.

Too lazy to make right, sorry.
C. and I made friends with this little girl.
Again, I'm lazy.
I forget what prompted this, but it was great.

C. tried to a similar move to T.
But may or may not have only ended up showing him her boobies...it's unclear.



The couple had no privacy, not even in the santified space of a photobooth.

Most disturbing picture of the night by far.
Obviously.
Again, why M. Lady s touching L.'s boob escapes me.






And that's that. I had a great time and it was just lovely to see so many familiar faces. A little weird in my own heart and head, but in the bigger picture just fantastic. I would go to this wedding all the time.

B. and L.'s Wedding, Part 2

Once we all arrived at the 19th Century Club there was a nice cocktail hour while the new husband and wife had more photographs taken. Next up was food. Mmm, food. A nice salad wth blue cheese, strawberries and (maybe?) candied walnuts.
A cupcake tower of power....I just realized that blogger has, once again, decided to switch up the order one needs to upload photographs, thus these are not in chronological order. Oh well.

During the cocktail reception...I really thought my hair looked better before we left the house...it didn't stay sleek. Or I should have worn t shaggy. Whatever, too late now. This was the best of about six photographs of M. Lady and myself...with the exception of the hilarious photobooth photos that were taken.
This was originally one of two photographs that went in order...now you'll just have to wait.
M. Lady and J. have big plans for the summer.
The above and below photographs happened in reverse, if you can believe it.
L.'s sparkly with unnecessary shadow.
The main course was either chicken or lasagna. I went with the chicken and it was quite good.
They had some sort of funny point/reference in what they were doing. It escaped me at the time and it escapes me now.
Fist pumping and looking surrious.
Remember when I lived with these two? We do.
A bunch of winners.
And this will end part two.