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Author Archives: steve
Smoked Salmon Flatbreads
Ingredients Flatbread or flour tortillas Smoked Salmon Crumbled Chèvre Sour Cream Lemon Diced onion Chopped chives Minced bacon Capers Black Pepper Preparation Preheat oven to 400F. Combine most of the Chèvre wit the sour cream and lemon juice. Bake flatbread … Continue reading
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Universal
For Christmas I gave Dani a VIP tour of Universal Orlando. She was sick after Christmas, so she flew back to town President’s Day weekend to do it. These tours are limited to twelve people. A guide takes you around … Continue reading
Posted in Dani, Linda, Orlando, Theme Parks
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Ron’s Birthday Extravaganza
Ron puts together a fantastic collection of wines to celebrate his birthday, and this year was no exception. We met in the private room at Eddie V’s. In attendance were: Ron and Bev Linda and Steve Keith and Parlo … Continue reading
San Francisco and Central Coast 2014
Prior to spending Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, we met Dani in San Francisco for a few days of sightseeing, and then drove down the coast. Our flight in gave us a spectacular view of the coast, the Golden Gate Bridge, … Continue reading
Posted in Central Coast, Dani, Dining, Linda, San Francisco, Wine
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Home on the Grange
We gathered for a most interesting tasting at Eddie V’s. The event was organized by Ron. Because of the cost of the wines and the desire to limit the event to ten tasters, the group was comprised of somewhat different … Continue reading
New York
Following our cruise we spent a busy four days in New York. Upon arrival we checked our bags at the Waldorf Astoria Towers and headed south to the World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial. The memorial is very well … Continue reading
Boston
Linda got to celebrate her birthday in Boston, our last stop before New York City. We were last here (on separate trips) when Dani was looking at colleges, so it had been a while. For lunch, we decided to check out … Continue reading
Posted in Linda, New England
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St. John, New Brunswick (Bay of Fundy)
As we arrived in Saint John New Brunswick we were greeted by a tug spraying water jets and turning pirouettes, which produced a continually animated rainbow. Our ship looked pretty tiny as it nuzzled the rear end of … Continue reading
Posted in Canada
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Portland, Maine
The ship arrived fairly early in Portland Maine and we cleared immigration on board and went out for a morning walk. Not too many shops were open yet, but we made out way around most of the visitor’s section along … Continue reading
Posted in New England
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Halifax
After a week at sea it was nice to stretch our legs in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We were greeted by a bagpiper and drummer, who filled the space between the ship and the terminal building with a rather impressive amount … Continue reading
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Sea Daze
Repositioning cruises are semi-annual events for many cruise ships, as they move from their summer European itineraries to their winter Caribbean ones. Unlike most schedules, they feature a fair number of consecutive sea days, when the ship is simply trying … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
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Dublin
I’ve never developed much of an affinity for Dublin. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with it, it’s just that there’s nothing to draw me here. It’s a city of writers: Joyce, Wilde, Shaw, and so on. But frankly they’re … Continue reading
Titanic Belfast
Titanic Belfast is a visitor center opened in 2012 adjacent to the Belfast docks where Titanic was constructed. It is, without doubt, the best visitor center I’ve been to. Our day began with a short tour of downtown Belfast, a … Continue reading
London
After Linda’s push to get “Tree” (AKA “A Bug’s Life”) open at Animal Kingdom, we were able to slip away for a transatlantic cruise. On Friday we picked up a rental car at Disney and on Saturday we packed it and … Continue reading
NASDAQ Powered by…
It’s not every day you see your logo in Times Square!
Posted in Alcorn McBride
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Quinoa Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing and Crunchy Cashews
Ingredients ¾ cup uncooked quinoa 2 cups shredded red cabbage 1 red bell pepper, diced ½ red onion, diced 1 cup shredded carrots ½ cup chopped cilantro ¼ cup diced green onions ½ cup cashew halves 1 cup edamame Fresh … Continue reading
Chicago Architecture Boat Tour
I really enjoyed this tour of Chicago’s architecture, as experienced from the river. The volunteer docent on the 90 minute trip was a professional architect who provided great insight into the history and design of the buildings. I had been … Continue reading
Bristol Renaissance Pleasure Faire
Having grown up in Southern California in the 1970s, I thought I knew what a Renaissance Faire was: a collection of tents and small booths set up temporarily on sprawling farmland. Bristol Renaissance Faire is something completely different, and closer … Continue reading
Next: Trio
Next is Chef Grant Achatz’ “next” restaurant. Achatz is the creator of Alinea, regarded by many as America’s greatest restaurant, and Chicago’s only 3-star Michelin restaurant. I approached Next with some trepidation because I’m not a fan of Alinea. I … Continue reading
Three Dots and a Dash
I’ve always loved Tiki bars, since I grew up in Los Angeles, frequenting Trader Vic’s, Don the Beachcomber, the Islander, Beachbum Bert’s and many others. It’s sad that they’re all gone. But the good news is that Three Dots and … Continue reading
Boka
Of all the Michelin starred restaurants in Chicago, Boka must be one of the greatest bargains. For little more than the cost of a typical restaurant you can have a spectacular meal. And the cozy yet classy, relaxed yet professional … Continue reading
Pride Sushi and Thai
What a delightful surprise! This small fusion restaurant is creating some of the most beautiful—and tasty—sushi in Chicago. The menu is about half Japanese, half Thai, and many of the fusion items are spicy, such as their take on … Continue reading
Grace
Grace is certainly deserving of its two Michelin stars. Everything about the experience is near perfection, from the extremely professional yet friendly service to the plating of the food, which turns each dish into an individual work of art, combining … Continue reading
Mars Cheese Castle
We passed this place on a drive to Milwaukee, and although we didn’t stop, I felt compelled to return. It’s a little over an hour north of Evanston, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It was everything I expected, and more. Actually I … Continue reading
Chicago Dining – Summer 2014
L2O Having dined at nearly all the top places in Chicago, this one stands out. Just on the basis of the exceptional wine list, L2O (which stands for Lakes to Oceans) deserves its Michelin stars. Each offering is so well … Continue reading
Really Old Burgundies
You know you’re drinking some great Burgundies when the DRC shows up and it’s not even in the top ranks of the night’s wines! That’s what happened last night at the Chef’s Table at the Edgewater. Ron, Bev, Linda and … Continue reading
Grilled Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients 1 eggplant cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices 1 cup grated parmesan 12 plum tomatoes EVOO thinly sliced fresh basil minced garlic Preparation Heat barbecue. Combine tomatoes, garlic, basil and EVOO and set aside. Coat eggplant with EVOO. Grill about … Continue reading
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Moto 2014
It had been a couple of years since we went to Moto, Chicago’s temple of molecular gastronomy. We had a very different experience on this visit from our past visits. It began with a table downstairs, in a space we … Continue reading
Chicago Museum of Science and Industry
Linda flew in to Chicago for a long weekend and to escape her Disney projects. Dani and I met her at Midway with Korean Barbecue tacos from the nearby Dos Ricco’s Mexican and Asian Cuisine. I like the Korean taco, … Continue reading
Bottles and Bottega
Last month Dani and her friends visited Bottles and Bottega to drink some wine and paint a picture. It looked like so much fun I suggested we go there on the evening I arrived in Evanston, and Dani eagerly agreed. … Continue reading
Posted in Art & Sculpture, Dani, Evanston, Wine
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