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Author Archives: steve
Songwriters Showcase
Last night we attended the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Showcase, where 16 incredibly talented young songwriters show off the songs they’ve written during the past week’s workshop. Last year it was the highlight of the summer shows we saw, and it … Continue reading
Painting
Last night an impressive storm blew through Evanston, knocking out our power five times. This morning 48 buildings on the Northwestern campus were still without power, according to an email sent to Dani. Fortunately, Dani’s German class was unaffected. The … Continue reading
Basil Chicken, Sweet Potato Casserole, Brussels Sprouts
Basil Chicken I thought I had memorialized Linda’s Basil Chicken recipe on this blog, but apparently not, so here’s my version: Ingredients Boneless chicken breasts Onion Lemon Basil leaves White Wine Milk Olive Oil Salt and Pepper or Poultry Seasoning … Continue reading
Lock & Lock Korma
One of my missions this year in Evanston is to make lots of one-serving meals for Dani’s freezer. I ran errands to Ace Hardware and Whole Foods, returning with about 50 pounds of stuff in the poor shopping basket cart. … Continue reading
Father’s Day at The Stained Glass
Dani and I spent a pleasant day in Evanston before the start of summer session at Northwestern. We walked up to Al’s Deli for lunch. Al’s is an interesting place, because it sounds very American, but is, in fact, French. … Continue reading
Deep Purple at the Ravinia Festival
Ravinia is an outdoor music festival founded in 1904. It’s a few miles North of Evanston. Dani and I went to see Deep Purple with the Ravinia Festival Orchestra and opening band Ernie and the Automatics. Dinner at the upstairs … Continue reading
Owl City
Dani and I went to see Owl City at The House of Blues. The first warm-up band, Unwed Sailor, consisted of a talented drummer and three people who stared at the floor. In the absence of any melody or words (no … Continue reading
Bull and Bear
Ron organized a last dinner before my trip to Evanston, and we met at The Bull and Bear at the Waldorf Astoria. Dani flew in Friday, so she was able to join us. The five of us spent a lovely … Continue reading
Mussels!
When I was at Publix I spotted these frozen mussels and thought I’d take a leap of faith. Wow! Linda fixed them on some scampi flavored pasta and they were delicious, as good as at a restaurant. They’re made by … Continue reading
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Blind Misconceptions
For our Wine Syndicate group’s quarterly dinner we challenged ourselves to correlate price with quality. We failed. Meeting at The Capital Grille, we poured six pairs of wine, completely blind except for knowing the wines’ prices, but not which price … Continue reading
Cocina 214
Most restaurants open to indifference and close within a year. But every once in a while someplace hits upon exactly what the public wants and is an instant success. Cocina 214 is not a place I would have predicted would … Continue reading
Nine 18
One of the under-appreciated restaurants in town is actually the closest to us (well, not counting sneaking in the back entrance to Victoria & Alberts). It’s Nine 18 at the Grand Cypress Golf Resort. The restaurant used to be The … Continue reading
Imperium
Somehow Imperium, a wine bistro in Celebration, had escaped my attention, although it’s been in business for three years. It’s a bit like The Cellar at the Stained Glass in Evanston, which we love. Maybe not a dinner destination, but certainly … Continue reading
Cuvée Wine & Bistro
Linda thought it would be a nice weekend outing to drive up to Ocala, about 90 minutes north, so we picked up Martin on our way and went to Cuvée Wine & Bistro. The place has an interesting business plan, which … Continue reading
Map of the Chefs
I think I first saw this take-off on the London Underground map somewhere in London. It shows most of today’s celebrity chefs, and purports to show how they are interrelated. You can try out the interactive version, which gives you … Continue reading
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Asparagus with Balsamic
This turned out pretty good, but I’ve reduced the cooking time from 25 to 15 minutes because it was overdone. Ingredients Fresh asparagus Spray grapeseed oil Seasoning 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar Directions Preheat … Continue reading
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Wines That Don’t Rock
Every couple of months there is a “Vine and Dine” event at the Everglades Restaurant at the Rosen Omni Center near the Convention Center. The events are usually quite fun, because the chef rises to the challenge of matching foods … Continue reading
The Science of Wine
This fund raiser for the Orlando Science Museum was everything we hoped the event two weeks ago at Dellagio would be, but wasn’t. There were over 100 wines arranged around the fourth floor of the museum. Each table had 4 … Continue reading
Pao Gostoso Bakery
I heard about this place that makes insane hamburgers, so Tommy and I had to try it. They are… insane. Tommy got their very craziest offering, which included beef, chicken, sausage, ham, bacon, corn, lettuce, cheese, potato straws and a … Continue reading
Yellow Dog Eats
Yellow Dog Eats is a wonderfully funky hangout that the locals fill every day at lunch for the best sandwiches you can get in Central Florida—and perhaps anywhere. The menu is filled with the eclectic creations of owner Fish Morgan. … Continue reading
LOST
Tonight Linda and I finished a six month project of watching all of LOST on DVD. For me, it was the first time to see seasons 1 and 2, for Linda it was her first time seeing seasons 5 and … Continue reading
Cigar City Brewing
I’d never been to a micro brewery tasting before, so when I heard about a Cuban dinner and beer tasting at Padrino’s, I asked Martin if he’d like to go. Since it combined two of Linda’s least favorite things—beer and … Continue reading
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1982 Bordeaux
Ron organized this 1982 Bordeaux tasting at Bull & Bear. Words cannot express how much better a tasting this was than the 1986 Bordeaux event in New York last week. That said, I still don’t see what all the fuss … Continue reading
Zucchini Casserole
A Somewhat different version than the one I usually make, this one has no marinara, just fresh tomatoes. Ingredients: 1 lb. zucchini 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 chopped onion 3 cloves garlic 1 lb. tomatoes, chopped seasoning 1 cup Italian … Continue reading
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Linda’s Gazpacho
Linda made some delicious gazpacho last night. She started with a recipe from Food Network and modified it. Ingredients 2 cucumbers, diced 3 large tomatoes, diced 1 red pepper, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 1 red onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced … Continue reading
Benoit
We finished our trip to New York with an authentic French Bistro lunch at Benoit. We’d spotted this place in our walks around the neighborhood of the hotel, and it looked just like a Paris bistro. So before catching our … Continue reading
Eleven Madison Park
A jam-packed day of culinary adventure in New York City! The City’s Top Rated Zagat Restaurant — But Why? Our day began with Lunch at Le Bernardin, the city’s top rated food according to Zagat, the only place rated 29/30. … Continue reading
Spiderman: Turn Off the Suck
When we first planned this trip to New York, I asked Ron if there were any Broadway shows he wanted to see, and he mentioned Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. Having heard how awful the show was, and that it … Continue reading
The 5 Browns
The 5 Browns is a classical music group of five siblings—Desirae, Deondra, Gregory, Melody and Ryan Brown—who play piano. Five pianos. All Steinways, all at the same time. They put on a great show last night at the Plaza, playing … Continue reading
13 Vintages of Dominus
Ron Siegel set up this tasting at Vintage Vino in Kissimmee, with dinner provided from the restaurant next door, Chef John’s Lakeside. We were joined by Keith and Parla Edwards. I contributed a bottle of the 1986 Dominus. I hadn’t ever … Continue reading
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