chicken and stuff with RAS

We hadn't seen Rachel in some time, so we thought it would be good to invite her over and have a nice casual dinner together. The original plan was to do takeaway, but I didn't really feel like ordering in or picking up food. I cooked instead. Nothing too complicated, just a reliable old recipe. We had some baked chicken breasts marinated with lavender and lemon, served atop a salad of fava beans, radishes, tomato, and feta.
A clear evening out. It never really warmed up all that much today, and despite the sunshine, we were a bit chilly.
Just the same, though, the tall cold cocktails we concocted were welcome: sparkling pomegranate juice with vodka, Grand Marnier, and a twist of lemon.
Awwww. Such happy people are we!

I also had a simple green salad for us to go alongside.Conrad and I switched to red wine for dinner as well.
Dessert was simple as well. Some raspberries, slices of the lime cake I'd made a few weeks back, and chocolate covered candied orange peel.
Quite evidently, Rachel and I are not afraid to ham it up!
At a certain point, as sunset came on, Conrad and Rachel became engrossed in a book about the classic apartment buildings of Chicago, so I let them go at it while I tidied and started to blog.
A fine dinner, though. Rachel just left about ten minutes back, and Conrad and I have made plans for a pancake feast in the suburbs in the AM. Mmmmmmmmm...

sunset, sunrise

After dinner last night I was sitting in the spare room, sorting through some personal papers that had begun to accumulate in untidy piles. At some point I glanced out the window and was struck by the colour of the sky and the buildings surrounding us. I've posted sunset and sunrise photos before, I know, but last night seemed unusual and awesome. This first photo hints at what I saw from the room I was in - looking northeast-ish - but doesn't do it justice.
I grabbed Conrad, and we went out on the balcony to check out the western sky. I don't recall ever having seen quite such a sunset here in Chicago, though I likely never paid close enough attention.




Skies like that bode well for the next day, don't they? I was rather looking forward to my run in the morning. A very cool evening and the promise of good weather in the morrow put me in a good mood for my run. Sure enough, when I got up this morning at 4:30, the sky was mostly clear. Out the door by 4:45 into a lightening morning and comfortably cool temperatures. I finally saw an orange sliver of sun over the lake by about 4 miles into the run. Everything was just so right about it that I decided on an extra mile and ran 10 instead of 9. The map gives an indication of my route out and back, even if it calls it 4.93 miles each way. The mile markers along the lakefront route wouldn't lie to me though, would they???

:-)

Conrad is at swimming, and I'm relaxing with a grande misto before starting on housework. It's sunny and mild outside, and it feels like a good weekend already!
2007.07.21. ETA: Blogger and Map My Run are not playing nicely together, at least not given the number of photos I work with. I’ve removed the map and instead provide you with this link: http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/il/chicago/543245842

sausage and salad

It was kind of brisk out last night, but we tossed on an extra layer or two and sat outside for dinner. A simple meal of chicken sausage, a caprese-style salad, and some green salad,all cobbled together after a run for groceries. We flipped through books as we snacked on the cherries and walnuts for dessert,and only came back in when the wind kicked up and sent my wine glass spilling across the table.

dining in Virginia (Restaurant Eve)

At the end of my conferences this year I've gone out for good dinners with a few fellow (I kind of hate this term, but I guess it applies) foodies. RAD is a colleague, of course, and a good dinner companion here in Chicago. Mary Augusta has worked on a committee with me and with RAD in the past, and she and her husband, George, both work for the Smithsonian. In Seattle it was Dahlia Lounge and a fine meal capped with the delightful performance of fresh doughnuts shook with sugar in a paper bag. This time Mary Augusta and George, the locals, chose for us. RAD and I hopped the Metro on Tuesday evening and made our way out to Alexandria, VA. Dinner was set for the bistro at Restaurant Eve.

(An aside; now that I've had a meal in Virginia, do I count this as visiting the state?)

It was a very warm evening, and vanity dictated that I wore a suit and tie. It's fun to dress up, after all. Given the heat, though, I wanted a cold drink. All of us were in that frame of mind, and rather than go right to wine we selected from the special cocktails. A drink of gooseberry, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and vodka caught my eye. Unusually, the gooseberry was Cape gooseberry (physalis), and the drink was sweeter than I expected and hoped. Pleasant, but it left me still a bit thirsty. We moved on to two bottles of a Viognier from a Virginia winery (and had a good chat with the sommelier in the process), and they proved quite satisfying.

I am sorry not to have taken photos of the company because I greatly enjoyed the conversation over the course of the evening. Shame on me. I do have food photos, though (would you expect otherwise from me?). Some are blurry, a pity as the food was well-conceived, handsomely plated, and generously portioned. I was pleased with all three of my courses, believe me, though I secretly, greedily, also coveted the mary Augusta's charcuterie plate, RAD's salad, and George's cheeses!

Photos, then:

RAD's bacon, egg, and cheese salad

My house smoked ham and salted cod brandade (this was wonderful, in fact, and I thought, "Screw the no carbs, this is marvellous smeared on bread!")

Mary Augusta's glorious housemade charcuterie

George's pâté

RAD's softshell crabs with sungold tomatoes and avocado emulsion

George's wrapped Arctic char with herb pesto and black walnut cream

Mary Augusta's sautéed Atlantic sturgeon wth Dragon Creek oysters and Ostera caviar

My stuffed salad of rabbit with chanterelles and carrots. Okay, this was a real winner. The rabbit was ridiculously tender. Outstanding. I love it when I find rabbit cooked quite well at a restaurant.

I get a little fuzzy on dessert because I was caught up in conversation, I didn't taste any of the others' save for a smidgen of George's cheese, and I don't have a copy of the dessert menu with me. Ah well. I'll wing it:

My linzertorte with raspberry ice cream

RAD's selection of ice creams

George's cheese plate

Um. Gah. Peach? Mango? I can't recall what Mary Augusta had. Darn.

Another fine meal in my life, and a terrific way to end the stay in DC. Thanks much to Mary Augusta and George - I hope we all get together for a great meal in Philadelphia in January!