getting our gay on

Maybe a few months' break is a very good thing.

I'm tired. It's gone 11, and I've been up since not long after 6 this morning. Yes, yes, I had a nap this afternoon, but I blame Conrad for his devastatingly effective tactic of spooning around me. Puts me to sleep every single time.

Anyway, a few months' break is what we've had since our last real dinner party. I think. I can't recall anything bigger then three or four of us sitting in the kitchen. Tonight we had six of us, so we were forced to use the dining room and clean the house accordingly.

You know what, though? Sometimes I rock. Oh, I'll give credit to Conrad - he's support and encouragement and he cleans the place well. But seriously folks (all three of you who read this): tonight I did well in the kitchen. Nice to know that I still can. Mayve the break helped.

We got our gay on tonight, setting a table in a rainbow of colours. In the kitchen I had more plates and the like lined up for dishing up the various courses. We started prep last night, and consequently had a fairly easy day of it today.


In fact, with over a half hour to go until the guests were due to arrive we had sufficient time to pose for shots.

All in all, it was an easy evening, and I can brag and say that clean up got completely done a good 45 minutes ago almost.

Up first, some radishes, ricotta salata, olives, tomatoes, and walnuts to munch on out on the balcony. We enjoyed these with some Sokol Blosser Evolution.

Everyone came inside after that, and along with a bottle of a Venturi Schulze Schönburger we had a chilled green pea and mint soup with sour cream.


And then on to the main course. Conrad photographed me plating it. Red wine glazed back ribs with steamed Swiss chard and a chick pea salad. I used a whole bottle of the Payva we drank alongside it - a Spanish Tempranillo - to make the glaze. A little dry, but all in all I was pleased with the ribs, as well as with the sides.




Ah, and then the cake. Can I confess? I SUCK at cake decorating. This represents a good effort for me, and let's be objective: it's not pretty. Also, the cake was dry, but that was mitigated by the frosting and homemade ice cream. Dessert then: Yellow cake with cocoa frosting and raspberry swirl ice cream.


Six of us, as I said. Dan, Bryan, John in the one photo. Jim in the next. Conrad in the last. The temperature was quite ideal for sitting outdoors.



We must owe a lot of people dinner at our place, though next weekend will simply, happily, be CG and Martin. I hope we might sit outdoors again.

Meanwhile, a closing a shot of the tulips I picked up yesterday. So springlike, but somehow the way Conrad captured them here makes them seem so much more a sophisticated flower.

last breakfast with the NBF

Conrad is still in bed - it IS before 7:00 on a Saturday, after all. Heck, if he could, he'd be in bed EVERY morning later than this. But really, it's his own fault for taking up with an irrepressibly (and irritatingly) morning person like me.

His dozing, though, means I can't be too loud out here in the kitchen. I have butter softening to make some cake layers for tonight's dinner, but until he's up, the KitchenAid stays silenced. Time, instead, for me to read the morning news, check Facebook for messages (a new friend this morning - yay!), and continue the catching up with the blog efforts.

Let's go back to last Sunday, then, and our last breakfast with the NBF and Brett. The vote was against anything too fancy (and pricey), and happily a longtime-ago favourite came to mind.

The swim team used to go to Ann Sather all the time when I first came to Chicago (wow, waaaaaay back in 2000). Eventually it became too tough to get a big table, and we shifted to other restaurants. Also, I have to say that the food wasn't good. The point of Ann Sather was the cinnamon rolls that came as a side with every egg dish. They were good, slathered with icing and warm. The rest? Passable at best, disgusting in the case of the side potatoes.

It's the cinnamon rolls that lured us back, and since we were up reasonably early on the Sunday, we headed down there. You know what? It's still busy, but the food has improved nicely. We all enjoyed it, and we have the photos to prove it. And look, I'm all appropriately Swedished up, wearing that t-shirt!

An errant beard hair. Um, ow?


Brett deals with the indignity of being fed some cinnamon roll. No, that is not my finger. Much as I may crush on the man, I, too, have some dignity.



Breakfast. No, I'm not detailing what each item is. Eggs. Egg-related stuff.




Look, other people photograph their food, too!

The wide-eyed look - cute in a chipmunk way.

The woman behind Jeph looks a little angry, no? Also, let's pretend Conrad's eyes are open.

date night: tapas

Wait, if this is a date night, shouldn't I be getting to second base (or beyond) instead of blogging the dinner?

A point to ponder. For now, some dining out photos. I was lazy, and Conrad doesn't cook. Hence, a date night. He had suggested some sushi at Wakamono, but we tend to turn to various Asian cuisines when we want to order in or have a quick dinner all too often. Either that, or we head to Whole Foods. I wasn't in the mood for either. Middle of the afternoon today, though, and inspiration struck me: Spanish.

We. Freakin'. Loved. Spain. Alright, I'll amend that and say we just don't get why people think Seville is so terrific - we didn't care for it at all. But we loved almost everything else about the two weeks we spent in Spain in 2004. Cordoba, Granada, Ronda, Madrid. Side trips to other towns for a day. The food. The food. Ahhhhh, the food. Yep, date night would be a walk down to a restaurant, Arco de Cuchilleros, we haven't popped into in years. Shame on us. We'll be back, I hope.

So then, photos of us, happy to have a night together (and starting out with some manzanilla sherry).
I really like that shirt of mine. Why yes, I am vain, why do you ask?

And the food...

Marinated olives.

A cheese plate.

Sole on sauteed spinach.

Cod with a lot of garlic. Oh so much garlic. This was lovely, truly.


Chicken in a sauce of red pepper and wine.

Artichokes with pancetta (wait, that's Italian).

All of it was good, and to top it all (and the wine), we came home to have some white chocolate chip cookies. So much for me being in good shape for the reunion this summer!

And now, back to my date...

two KC dinners (and a post-dinner stroll)

Me again, still catching up on bygone times. So then, back to the KC weekend (and yes, even more to be posted - hey, we take a heck of a lot of photos!)...

Kansas City gave us the opportunity to have a couple of nice meals together with Conrad's family. His mother was down from the UP for the weekend before her birthday while Conrad's nephew, Justin, and his wife, Tonna, are KC residents. Happily, that meant that we had local knowledge of where to dine. On the Friday night, their suggestion was quite fine.

Blue Bird Bistro is a funky place that was not nearly so busy on a Friday night as it deserves to be. It was one of those places where I read the menu and I am boggled because there are so many enticing options. In the end, the plating was not refined, but we left very happy. We almost decided to go back the next evening!

But on to dinner there, and fine group it was to dine with.

House cured salmon. Flavoured with lime, jalapenos, and cilantro served over organic mixed greens and sprinkled with chipotle-orange vinaigrette. Conrad and I shared it.

Conrad's dinner: American wild-caught scallops, pan-seared and served with seasoned rice and raosted asparagus, drizzled with cumin brown butter. It didn't look refined, but the cumin brown butter was delightfully fragrant, providing some evocative flavour to the meal.

My dinner: Grass fed bison tenderloin prepared in a Boulevard Wheat (beer) reduction, greens and roasted potatoes.

We declined to have dessert (though there were some attractive choices). Ah well. Our wine was a bottle of Seghesio Zinfandel. A fine dinner, and again, we were dismayed that the palce was not packed when we left. If you got to KC, drop by this place - it's worth it.


The next night - a finer restaurant and a little bit less casual a look. You know, I'm really loving wearing the ties these days.

Saturday dinner was at Starker's Restaurant down in Country Club Plaza. How interesting that KC has a shopping precinct like that - so far from downtown but so much like a downtown, not a mall. The restaurant itself is a little finer, known for its wine. The light fixture gives that away.

So we all made ourselves pretty...



Again, a lot of interesting menu options. We all started, though, with a non-menu item: an amuse-bouche of asparagus soup. Tasty!

We didn't photograph everyone's meals as we wanted them to enjoy their meals while warm. Rest assured, they all enjoyed what they had. As for us, well, first up for me was foie gras. This came just a day or two after Chicago repealed its (frankly silly) ban on selling it within the city. Justin had never tried it before, and he was surprised, when I offered him a bite, to find that he liked it.

Conrad had a crab duo for an appetizer. Alas, the photos were not good. Ah well. Instead, here's his dinner: Free range veal rib chop with wilted local greens, grilled spring onions, English peas, and crawfish Bordelaise.

My dinner of Circle 7 Ranch sprng lamb "en crepinette" with potato puree, fava beans, local mushrooms, and picholine olive puree. It doesn't look pretty, I concede, but gosh darn was it substantial and good.

Conrad, by the way, famously (in our house) hates peas (also sweet peppers, and he's not wild on liver). He was a good boy that night.

After dinner we walked around the Plaza neighbourhood. Brush Creek runs through the area, and walking along it in the twilight was a good way to regain space for a stop in a gelato shop for dessert.

first balcony dinner of the year

Roof repairs. Gosh darn roof repairs. We've not been out on the balcony for dinner once this year, and now that we've got a rare long weekend of fine weather, we're taking advantage as much as we can.

A shame, though, it was too breezy out last night for dinner out there with Max. Ah well.

I baked tilapia with some fennel, shallots, olives, tomato, and asparagus in parchment. Nice treatment for fish - keeps things from overcooking thanks to all the steam that results. We had a lovely dinner of it, paired with some Mark West Pinot Noir, chocolate budini to follow, and guidebooks for planning a New Zealand trip in 2009.

how to feed Brett

Ah Brett, bless him. He suffered a lot this weekend. We teased him mercilessly about the purple t-shirt as well as his new "friends" Jason and Matt (I think - I only saw the photos of their meeting on the IML exhibits floor). And then there was all the angst about what to feed the man. I was sweating bullets over our dinners, believe me.

Here's the thing: Brett is funny, handsome, and sweet. But he's, well, kinda fussy. No, more than kinda. No matter. He has a long list of foods he won't try or plain doesn't like, and for everyone who teases me about being a foodie who won't go near nasty little button mushrooms, I ask you to consider those who have much longer lists of mundane and exotic food no-nos.

I actually had a frozen pizza and a box of mac and cheese on standby for Friday night dinner at home. No photos of the food, but I am pleased to say the braised boneless country ribs and the chocolate budini passed muster.

Saturday night I had less control over. Jeph has heard sooooo much about Yoshi's, we couldn't not take him there. And we like it there anyway, so fingers crossed that the burger would appeal to Brett.

It did. More intriguingly, despite my mother-hen advice to him to have it without the funky cheese, he opted to get the wasabi blue cheese on it. And he ate it. My heart pitter-pattered a little with that one.

So then, dinner, with Jeph wearing a shirt with a collar (see, we tease him, too!), enjoying the edamame.

Conrad ordered the tuna tartare with oyster shooter as a starter.



I went with an old favourite, the grilled radicchio salad with goat cheese, basil, and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Conrad had the halibut for dinner, with a grilled shrimp atop and a lobster bisque sauce.


Jeph and I had the same item, a new item on the menu: Duo of pork ribs and short ribs in a Japanese BBQ sauce, potato potstickers. Very yummy! Shallowly, I admit to loving that shirt and how I look in it. Yes, still vain.



And then there's Brett and his burger. A success, I think. He did eat it all, plus a bunch of fries and some dessert. I'm so proud of him. I know, it's silly.


Speaking of dessert...

Jeph's chiboust - poached pear layered between creamy goodness in an almond pastry with a serving of mango sorbet on the side.

Conrad and Brett each had the molten chocolate cake.

My new favourite dessert at Yoshi's - a layered concoction of cake, purple potato mousse, white chocolate mousse, coconut, and a center of red bean paste. Green tea and ginger ice cream on the side.

So, kudos to Brett for stretching a little this weekend. One day I'll get him to eat seafood. And zucchini.

taking the NBF to IML

Many initialisms in that title, though as a librarian, I trade in initialisms and acronyms daily. So...

NBF = New Best Friend = Jeph. A joking title bestowed, I think, by FXK. It caught on and now it's just habit to type it and even use it in conversation.

IML = International Mr. Leather. It's an annual, predominantly-gay leather fetish celebration staged at one of the bigger downtown hotels. This year it was at the Hyatt Regency, which makes me giggle when I think that one week earlier the same hotel was crammed full of medical librarians. It's not TMI to say that we were there - Conrad and I always go only to have a cocktail with our swim teammmates and to point and titter for a bit. We're tourists in that world, and beyond the cocktail, we seldom visit for long.

Conrad and I swam Saturday morning, then gathered up the NBF and Brett to get some breakfast/coffee at Whole Foods.

We had some time after that before we were due downtown, so we enjoyed the May sunshine, strolling down Broadway until we got Jeph to Threadless where he shopped some. A cab ride later and we were downtown heading to meet some of the other Smelts.

My IML photos are pretty tame - I like to keep this blog fairly family friendly. Ask Jeph to see some of his photos and videos from the exhibits - they were a little more NSFW than these ones. What follows are photos of some of the small group of us gathered for drinks up in the bar.

Dana and Conrad.

Brett and Jeph. Poor Brett, we teased him mercilessly about the Barney-purple of his t-shirt. Jeph's own Threadless shirt (You Are What You Eat) was a fitting choice for the event.

Jeph and I scope something/one out, then stand and pose.


Dana, Conrad, and me. By this point, Conrad's broken toe was very unhappy with all his walking and standing.

Frank.

Jeph, Frank, and Brett.

Howard. Not a Smelt but a longtime friend of Conrad's from San Francisco. In town for IML. Conrad didn't get to see him much because of his own work travel, alas.

Dana (background), Luis (sweating up a storm in his latex vest), and me.

Luis, sensibly vest-less. Poor guy. Fetish gear has its own issues, I guess.

Paul, who blew me away by showing up in that leather shirt - very unexpected from a man who has brilliantly coloured swim suits with flower patterns on them!

Eventually we all went downstairs, though I got Conrad back up to the couches to rest his foot after only a half hour or so. Jeph and Brett enjoyed it immensely, however, and I rather suspect next May they'll be back in town.

very behind on blogging

So it's been a busy weekend, what with Jeph and Brett staying with us and the resultant dining out and sightseeing. And now that they're safely at O'Hare, it's time to get dinner going for Max, who'll be here in an hour and a half. Only a quick post then - and yes, I still have more to come from a week ago in Missouri!

Hit and run tactics - a selection of photos and comments with each. And then I must get in the kitchen!

Coolest looking library parkade EVER. Kansas City, MO.

Sunny spring day overlooking Kansas City, MO. Impressive view.

Dinner at Frontera Grill last Thursday with Conrad's friend Howard. Another very good meal there - I'm sorry Conrad missed it.

Ah, Barney, still very handsome. Jeph is lucky, but then, he's a good guy, so you are too!

Jeph's encounter yesterday with the mothership.

A new dish at Yoshi's: Duo of pork ribs and short ribs in a Japanese BBQ sauce, potato potstickers.

Still the most adorable, wonderful man ever - this was at breakfast at Ann Sather this morning.

look who's in Chicago!

You never know who will be found down in Boystown. Must be something in the noodles! Either that, or IML coming up. Hmmmmm...

Jeph's golden noodles.

My pad kee mao. I hope I spelled that correctly. And I know - carbs. Bad me.

Welcome to Chicago, my friend. We look forward to you and Brett staying the weekend.

Allison, recognize the restaurant? An old favourite revisited twice now in recent times.

horticulture (a quiz for Jeph)

Not just a quiz for Jeph - fun for the whole family. Well, maybe not you, Allison.

;-)

Speaking of Jeph - because I was a moment ago - I'm awaiting his arrival at my doorstep. He's supposed to be in a cab en route from an airport hotel. One problem with Chicago is that it's not always easy to get to points that are not on particular El lines, and so it is that it's easier to have him cab here rather than meet up someplace distant from each of us on the Blue Line. I hope to see him by 7, but...

In the meantime, more photos from last weekend, again from Powell Gardens. Rest assured, there are more shots of the weekend to follow - have I even done any of the food yet? - but for now, some of the more interesting flowers and plants we saw there.

Jeph? Care to try guessing what all of them are?

Missouri wine

Apparently Missouri was once one of the nation's leaders in wine production. Before Prohibition, it ranked second in output. Given the state of American wine way back when, we shan't comment on quality.

Nowadays the state is hardly one most people think of when they think domestic (US) wine. Maybe that's fair - it doesn't have the quantity of the California, Washington, or Oregon, nor does it have the cachet. If the one (and only one, I admit) winery we visited is any indication, they don't have Old World grapes to any great degree either.

Still, let's be fair. And let's have fun. We realize we may not like ALL of the wines we taste, but that's no reason not to give them a go. So it was that on Saturday we stopped in at Stonehaus Farms Winery on our back into the city.

I won't dwell on the bad. Or rather, let me say that I won't dwell on the ones that I didn't care for. Interestingly, all of us had similar reactions. The Traminette was one of our least favourites, as was the aged Cynthiana. On the other hand, the newer pressing of Cynthiana was quite decent, and the port made from that grape would be lovely with some cheese. Conrad, Justin, Tonna, and I tasted them all, while Conrad's Mom tasted some and poked around the shop.

Ultimately we brought home two. Come for dinner at our place, and you might just find an interesting discovery from our trip poured into your glass.

back home from MO

Home from MO? There's a gay joke buried in those three syllables, but I'm too lazy to tease it out.

Conrad was on a separate flight from me, flying with his mother to ensure she made her connection comfortably. He's a good son. He's only just in the door some 20 minutes ago and not yet fully unpacked and refreshed from his journey. While he does that, and before we head to Yoshi's for a bite of dinner, I have time to post a few random shots. More blog posts to follow through the week, rest assured!

We spent a few hours on Saturday enjoying the warm weather by strolling the grounds at the Powell Gardens east of KC. Set amongst the plants is an installation of Zimbabwean sculpture under the title "Chapungu". I liked only some of the pieces, though perhaps it was because they weren't installed in way that made sense of them in the gardens, rather unlike the Chihuly at Garfield Park Conservatory some time back. Still, a few of the works were striking, and this one was my favourite: "Beer for the Wedding" by Gift Muchenje.

not in Kansas

Not anymore, we aren't. Heck, not even in the first place. So close, but so far away from adding another state to my tally on this visit (and thinking about it, this week I've done Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri - in that order).

Some views, then, from a high point near downtown, overlooking the warehouse district and the Missouri River (plus the confluence of the Kansas River with the Missouri) and looking west toward KC and a state I just won't quite make it to on this trip.

Green Zebra (dinner with Dale)

I'll get this post started, at least, before we head out for the day. A sunny morning in KC, and it promises to be warm. Summerlike, in my view, but then, I have the skewed northern Canadian perspective on what constitutes "warm".

Backing up to Thursday...

Dale (a better shot, though blurry - he cursed me already this morning for yesterday's photo) is vegetarian. Apparently not even bacon will work its magic on him, and accordingly, I picked a restaurant I thought would offer him many good options. I am not a fan of the bean-y/rice-y/tofu-y approach of Chicago Diner and its imitations of real meat dishes, and I've enjoyed Green Zebra in the past, so we met there at 6:30.

I'll deal with the food in a moment. I should say that dinner was enjoyable for the company - Dale and I have known each other through mutual friends and through social networking for some time, but this was the first time meeting face to face. He was utterly charming, his haircut was quite fine, and I hope I held up my end of the conversation well.

I especially hope that because the restaurant was noisy. We each had to lean in a number of times and ask the other to repeat what was just said. When we'd finished dinner I badly wanted to head for a quiet place so that we could chat and hear each other. Strike one against Green Zebra.

Strike two was how off the timing and some of the service seemed. At times there seemed to be a lag - getting our drinks was the first such I noticed - and Dale eventually commented that he felt he was losing his appetite because of the pace of the meal. As for the service, mostly it was reasonable if not especially attentive. The oddest instance was the soup service. The bowls were set before us and we heard what the soup was (the tasting menu was not printed, so we had nothing to refer to). The person bringing the soup left, and we sat there, wondering if we were meant to drink it directly from the bowl because we had no spoons. After a minute or two, we caught the attention of someone who was supporting the waiter in the section and asked him for spoons. He told us that he would get our waiter but that it would take a few minutes because the waiter was with another table. Hmmm. So we sat politely until the waiter came. He told us what the soup was, and we thanked him and asked if we should drink from the bowl or could we have spoons. That got us spoons. We can laugh - and the soup was chilled, so no worries on that - but funny as it was, it shouldn't have happened.

So I felt a little badly about the choice of restaurant, and worse when Dale told me he had enjoyed Chicago Diner the night before. Still, the food was no less than interesting and some courses were very good. Onward (and without the assistance of a menu)...

Amuse-bouche: spiced eggplant and pine nut.

A salad of papaya, grilled white asparagus, and champagne sabayon.

Soup. I loved this despite the spoon issue. So clean and simple and lovely. Green pea with creme fraiche.

Curried potato potstickers with coconut, red pepper threads, and a lime-cilantro sauce. Dale had mushroom-filled potstickers instead, though I don't think he cared for them.

Another tasty course: gnocchi with artichoke, parsnip, carrot, fava bean, and lemon zest.


Dessert. Another strong showing for the restaurant. Mint panna cotta with a topping of bittersweet chocolate and two chocolate macaroons. The flavour of mint was green and herbal, not the cloy sweetness of extract. Good stuff!

Alas, unless another vegetarian friend comes to town, I may not be back to Green Zebra soon. Conrad, CG, and I are trying another of the owner's restaurants in a couple of weeks, though, and I feel a little anxious now. I am sure the food is fine, but I hope the overall experience lives up to it. Dale, we'll head up to Devon for Indian food next time you're through town.

Friday night check-in

A quick hello to the three of you out there who read my blog (hi Dad!)...

We're in Kansas City. My first time ever in Missouri, so I'm already quite thrilled to add another state to my list. A fine dinner with Conrad, his mom, his nephew, and his nephew's wife at a place called Bluebird Cafe. After a vegetarian dinner last night (photos to come in a later blog posting), I was glad to dig into a bison tenderloin this evening. And speaking of dinner last night, for company I was joined by a friend in town for a medical librarians conference. He'll hate me for this photo, but I rather like it because Dale looks so mirthful in it. Sorry Dale.

More to blog in the next few days, of course. It is, however, gone 11, and I think I'd like to treat myself to a long night of sleep.

Max is 39 - tomorrow

Conrad is out of town. Again. I'm used to it by now. Sort of. I wish he were here for more than 36 hours this week, but I'll join him in Denver tomorrow night. If we can't be together in Chicago, we can be together somewhere. Snivel snivel whine whine.

In lieu of Conrad's company, Max joined me for dinner tonight. It's been a while since last I sat in Katachi over at the Red Line stop, and I swear the portions used to be larger. Kind of an odd and deflating experience, though the food was fine if unexceptional. Hmmmm.


Anyway, Max is new to Chicago and soon to be my colleague (Monday, in fact). A nice evening for a casual dinner and a chat, with the added delight that tomorrow is his birthday. 20, he says, but I know better. No matter, he's good company.

I didn't take photos of dessert, but we did make it to Yoshi's to finish with that course. Has it been three or so weeks since last I was in Yoshi's? I feel guilty about that. Lovely desserts, certainly, but by that point I simply thought it nicer to sit and chat without the camera flashing away.

And the last photo? Just Max's sexy look, or so he claimed. Not bad for a man of his age, though, right? He'll get me for that comment, and deservedly so.

lamb shanks, done differently

I've been making a lot of lamb shanks lately. They're a relatively cheap cut of meat, and they lend themselves to a style of cooking that borders on neglect: put them in a roasting pan with braising liquid, pop into a slow oven, and walk away. Three hours later, dinner is pretty much done.

I had a long day of work today, and I knew I would, so I started on the shanks yesterday. In a manner similar to how I cook ribs, I seasoned them, wrapped them in foil, and popped them into a slow oven for a while last night. After a couple of hours or so I pulled them out and let them cool in the foil before refrigerating them.

I got home at about 6 this evening and started back to work on them. The fat rendered off the shanks had rendered off, and I was able to remove it easily. Better still, the lamb juices had gelatinized, so I was able to remove them from the shanks and pop them into a pan. Once they had re-liquified, I strained them and started gently reducing hem with red wine (a David Bruce Petite Sirah I also enjoyed with dinner) and a bit of black currant balsamic vinegar. The shanks, wrapped, went back into a low oven to reheat gently. I lightly caramelized some onions, fennel bulb, and garlic, and I cooked up some fava beans and peeled them.

All of this came together into a reasonable meal. Heck, I'll enjoy it tomorrow evening as well, though with fewer steps, just reheating.

As for dessert (there MUST ALWAYS be dessert): a plate of walnut pieces, Manchego cheese, dried apricots, and chocolate.

Indeed, I do treat myself well!