Chicago skyline

As seen in the Cloud Dream.

For Paul T.

View in coach in case you have forgotten.

Chicago - Day 1: Bayless, Boats, and Berghoff

Arriving too early for our room at the Silversmith Hotel to be ready, but not too early for lunch, we headed to Frontera Fresco, a Rick Bayless "fast food" eatery at Macy's (the old Marshall Fields). Here Rick serves what he calls Mexican street food, which we sampled and very much enjoyed overlooking the 10 floor open atrium of the lovely old Marshall Fields building. I had a grilled shrimp quesadilla and Frank has shrimp tacos. And to top it off, Rick was there, very seriously tasting all the sauces and other ingredients prepared for the day. Oh how I wanted to ask him to snag us a reservation at one of his other restaurants, as they fill up 90 days in advance, but he was busy.

We still had a couple of hours before our previously reserved architectural boat cruise, so we spent some time "window" shopping at Macy's... who knew Lacoste has some may products, and I LOVE Lacoste, (so European, you know). The we walked up Michigan Avenue along The Magnificent Mile. The temp was in the mid 80's and sunny; a lovely day in the city.

We booked our boat cruise through Chicago Line Cruises, which offers multiple architectural and historic cruises throughout the day. The 90 minute cruise took up up and down the Chicago River and it's North and South branches with a very knowledgeable guide discussing the various architectural styles, the history of architecture in Chicago, and some general highlights about the city. It was almost an overload of information, but well worth the time and the cost. Plus it was a very nice way to spend 90 minutes viewing the city from a different perspective.

We headed back to the hotel to check-in and for a short rest. We were pleasantly surprised that they had given us a complementary upgrade to a suite. (Paul T. please note, you are not the only one who gets free upgrades, although you are still two ahead of us our our current journeys.), Our short rest ended up being longer than expected. But we had been up since O'Dark:30 and had walked a few miles in the Chicago heat, so the rest was needed and deserved.

Dinner was at a local institution, The Berghoff, which originally opened in 1898. The restaurant is past it's glory days as the premier dining establishment in Chicago, but still serves good basic German food. I would not go here for the food, but just to see this historic place.

We had a fun-filled, very enjoyable day. Day 2 will be our Museum day.

Chicago, Chicago

We are at Tampa International waiting on our flight to Chicago. Stay tuned for travel and food updated. We had to get up at O'dark:30 and now we sit and wait. But we arrive in Chicago at 10:30 so we get a full day to start our adventure.

Unsolicited Plugs

 Your attention please. Some of my very best friends have their own blogs, as I have mentioned before. I would like to take this opportunity to direct your surfing to them again.


First, Paul and Libby have hit the road again. Well actually the high seas as they embarked on another Mediterranean cruise. Paul is frequently missing from the blogosphere except when the travel bug bites in their quest of the travel trifecta - to visit 100 countries, 50 states and 7 continents. Follow their travels at Paul & Libby's World of Travel.  (Oh, and this plug isn't based on the mention Frank and I received in today's post as the ship sailed from Venice, Italy)


Next, is my often mentioned culinary guru, Liz. She earned another mention because she put a picture of the two of us on her blog, and she has issued me a culinary challenge; to cook my way through the lovely "Ad Hoc at Home" cookbook by Thomas Keller which she gave me for my birthday. She speaks the truth about our friendship and experiences, except for the risotto - she definitely taught me! Her blog is filled with wonderful recipes so fire up the oven and check Never Trust a Skinny Cook.


Liz dear! Do you think I can find pork belly for the Confit of Pork Belly at Publix, or will they laugh and say "What?" with the deer in the headlight look? 


Both of these blogs are listed in My Blog List on the right sidebar, including the blog of David Lebovitz who I have never met, but writes a fun, foodie oriented blog.

St. Supery is No Saint

... but the wine sure is good. Six times a year I receive a wine shipment from St. Supery a Napa Valley winery which we visited a few years ago. I have enjoyed every wine from them and have on occasion, restocked my chiller with special orders. The club shipments always arrive with a brief newsletter including a recipe to pair with each of the wines in the shipment. (Hang on, I'm getting to the point). A few nights ago, Frank and I fixed Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce from the most recent newsletter. It came out great, hence this rambling post. Here is the recipe:

Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

By St. Supéry chef, Ron Barber

Chimichurri sauce is a classic grilled beef accompaniment that originated in Argentina. It is also great with chicken or fish. You can substitute cilantro for the parsley if you prefer.

For the sauce:

1 cup flat leaf parsley leaves – also known as Italian parsley
4 cloves garlic – peeled
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well combined but not pureed.

For the steak:

2 -3 pound flank steak (or skirt steak) - I prefer Flat Iron steak if you can find it (D.)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Remove the meat from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before grilling.  Season liberally with salt and pepper and grill over hot coals to desired doneness. Serve with Chimichurri sauce. (Or if lacking a grill, like me, sear in a cast iron skillet.)

Serves 4

Now for the wine. The newsletter arrived with a bottle of 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. The St. Supery website recommends Petit Verdot, and we served it with a wonderful 2006 St. Supery Cabernet Franc. I thought the Cab Franc was great with the steak, but you can't go wrong with any of those mentioned.


For another Chimichurri recipe, click here --> Never Trust a Skinny Cook- Need Some Mint. My dear friend, Liz uses mint and cilantro and adds some red pepper flakes. I like the addition of the mint, which was included in some chimichurri sauces i have been served in restaurants. Both recipes are simple and very tasty with grilled meats.

The Sweet Life

I just finished "The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City" by David Lebovitz. It is a really fun read and is filled with recipes. David worked a Chez Panisse in California for many years. He has settled in Paris and the book is about his experience living there. I highly recommend it. 


I have added a link to his website on the right sidebar under My Blog List.

New Design; Same Blog

As you will notice, I have changed the design of the blog. Blogger added a lot of new designs so I may play around with them for awhile. I like this one since it had the Eiffel Tower. Tell me what you think.

To Blog or Not to Blog

That is the question. "Oh Hail, Yes", said Caesar. So, here we go (again). 


Dinner for One: Dining alone tonight, and feeling fairly good, I decided to prepare a simple but nice meal for myself. As I was roaming the produce section at my local Publix, I heard a tiny voice say... "Take a leek". So I did, then I had to decide what to do with it. Since I had steak frites last night, fish seemed to be in order. Considering I am on the verge of retirement and I need to learn how to budget (after all these years), I opted for a tilapia filet. End result... Tilapia with leeks in a mustard cream sauce, and a side of oven roasted asparagus. It was good, I say, but what isn't good with cream and butter. Since my dear friend, and culinary mentor, Liz, keeps encouraging me to post recipes, here it is, although don't expect measurements since I was winging it.

• Saute (properly cleaned) thinly sliced leeks in a touch of olive oil (extra virgin of course) and butter until soft. Remove from the pan, and set aside.
• Add more olive oil and butter if needed.
• Saute fish (any mild white fish should be fine), turning once, until done. You get to decide when that is, but a small knife should go through the thickest part of the fish with minimal resistance.
• Remove the fish to a warm plate and keep warm. Drain any excess oil/butter from the pan.
• Return the pan to medium heat, add heavy cream, then dijon mustard. Stir until combined, and heat until the sauce starts to thicken. 
• Add the leeks to the sauce for a minute
• Plate the fish and pour the sauce over it. 

I even took a photo of the entree, but as you can see, I was casting a shadow on the plate. I will work on food photography after I retire.

Break is over

Maybe... Since many of you seem to be checking the site periodical and since I feel the urge to start blogging again. But I will do so only for special travel, meals, or news. Don't look for frequent updates please.


We were in Savannah over Memorial weekend, so that will probably be my first new post... hopefully over the weekend.