January | 2008 | gogochicago

that’s the wittiest title i could come up with.
this weekend was filled with a successful photoshoot for frei designs (with images to be posted later) and plenty of caffeine. the week was a blur of work and fighting the midwinter ennui that strikes all chicagoans. cooking is the paramount way for me and my friends to fight the good fight, stay sane, and save money.

last sunday, gerard and i made potato-arugula-leek soup. we both felt it was a bit bland. any tips on how to make a flavorful potato soup without tons of cream?

we also made chevre and leek filled croissants, which we delicious.

we paired the two with a white wine, and had a delicious meal

on wednesday, i met up with my friend shannon and had a delicious meal at the west town tavern. west town tavern is one of my favorite restaurants, and if you are serious about food in chicago, i would suggest stopping there for a meal.
my salad was delicious, although i didn’t get a picture of it- argula, pears, crispy prosciutto, and a cheese that i don’t remember the name of (whoops)

for dinner, i had pan friend east coast skate over a bed of whipped parsnips and caramelized brussels sprouts.

the picture doesn’t do the meal justice. i don’t normally finish anything i order (which i know is a bad habit, luckily someone is usually there to help me finish) however i was nearly licking the balsamic reduction off the plate.

for dessert i had the lemon chess pie, which was amazing particularly considering my current obsession with anything sweet and lemon flavored.

on friday we made a salad, partially inspired by the one from west town tavern- but with some romaine, tomatoes, and blue cheese in addition to arugula and pears. it was delicious.

we also made homemade grenadine (easy recipe- get some POM juice, boil 32 ounces so it reduces by half, add 2 cups of sugar, boil that and let it cool) you will put it on everything, and it is SO much better than the corn syrup that passes for grenadine currently in the united states.

then we played a rousing few rounds of blokus, which might be one of the most fun games ever.

more soon. i keep trying to perfect deviled eggs, this weekend’s were better. i don’t think tarragon is a good idea in retrospect.

well it’s 2008. last week was fun that weird week between christmas and new years. it always feels nearly imaginary. and now it’s a new year, at least by my calendar.

on friday sarah and i had a dismal meal at azucar, a tapas restaurant in logan square. i don’t want to knock independently owned businesses, so i won’t, but let’s just say the meal steered sarah and me away from ever really wanting to cook or eat spanish food again. whoops, knocking.

the evening, did however provide for a lot of hilarious photo opportunities, most notably