The Past Week

 

Good Week

It was a busy week and so I am exhausted. But the work week was sprinkled with social events and yummy food that made it all worthwhile.

First was dinner at Tank on Broadway and Argyle--with a big group of friends.

I don't think I've ever had Vietnamese food before. I've meant to--I think. But I'm crazy picky about Asian food. I love Japanese and Thai, am only mildly interested in Indian food, am apathetic about Chinese and can't stand Korean. And so, I'm a little nervous of trying new Asian cuisines. My working philosophy has been that having Japanese and Thai might be enough culinary interest in my diet--fun to eat out, fun to cook. . .

but Tank was awesome. I was a little under the weather and had a giant bowl of shrimp/pork/scallop in a yummy chicken broth over noodles. (And yes, Eunice, even though I'm not a huge fan of the wrappers, Tank's spring rolls are second to none).

It was full on comfort food and I will go back regularly.

Here's my food:

Here's Dan's food (his included tripe. . . ew. . .):


Later in the week, lunch with Kari at Eleventh Street Diner on campus. And I saw this--one of the snow sculptures from the little winter festival Chicago threw last weekend. We don't go to the winter festival here and it's kind of fun finding these, after the fact, out of context--as if they just sprung fully formed out of a bank of super bored AND super industrious snow.


I should go to Eleventh Street Diner to eat more often (though, I should also pack lunches for work more often as well). But Eleventh Street is a traditional Jewish Deli (and they have all of the back issues of Heeb to prove it). I miss that food from home. Cincinnati has a much larger per capita population of Jewish folks than Chicago does. And as a result--despite Cincinnati being so much smaller, it has always had a much more frequent appearance of lox, bagels and cream cheese with capers, tomatoes and red onions on menus and a much freer use of sarcasm and humor in conversation than does Chicago.

Eleventh Street Diner feels a little like home, plus, check this out:


And then we wrapped up the week with Dan's show at Uncommon Ground. . . next post. I promise.

Zoo Lights v Festival of Lights

Maybe it's not in keeping with the Christmas season or the general good cheer of this blog to say that if the Lincoln Park Zoo Lights went head to head in a death match with the Cincinnati Zoo Festival of Lights, that I feel pretty confidently that the Lincoln Park Zoo would get schooled. I will be going to the Festival of Lights soonish and will also take photos and maybe you can be the judge. We loved our time at the zoo here in Chicago on Saturday, but I think the Cincy Zoo has a much better overall plan/scheme/design than the kind of stripey frenetic thing happening in Lincoln Park. . . but we'll wait and see when those pictures go up.

What I know for sure, though, is that the Cincy Zoo doesn't do anything confusing like throw a wreath around Tutankhamun and try to dress him up as a Christmas guy. Pretty sure that wasn't really his bag.



The one thing that the Lincoln Park Zoo does have that the Cincinnati Zoo doesn't, is the impressive back drop, as evidenced here. Chicago is an unimpeachably beautiful and grand town and really shows off during the holiday season.

Suspension Bridge

Cincinnati also boasts a gorgeous suspension bridge--designed by John A. Roebling (the same gent who designed the Brooklyn Bridge) and completed in 1866. Back in the days when Cincinnati was the first major city in the "West" with five times as many residents as Chicago.

Plus a Great Cincy Yarn Shop

One More Stitch--so great for knitters or needlepointers in Cincinnati (though properly for knitters, it would be called "One More Row"). I scored a very short #36 circular needle there--very hard to find. Mama bought yarn for a sweater for my favorite new (only, but still, she's exceptional) niece.

I'd give you a link, but they don't have a website. They're located on Madison Ave., across from DeSalle's and Purcell.

More Cincinnati

Carriage House Farms LLC

The "vineyard." Clearly there's a lot more growing these little grape vines need to do, but they're on their way. And for now, they make a pretty walkway down the center of the "truck garden".

Maybe the family farm shouldn't be on this list because not everyone can visit it. But it's a draw for me and it's an appealing reality of Cincinnati and lots of smaller cities--in that there's nature and farmland nearby. Cincinnati is an incredibly green town--in the traditional sense, meaning tons of trees and green expanses. And then right outside are these beautiful gems: family owned farms, wildlife preserves, huge public parks within a 10-20 minute drive from home, instead of an hour.

There are city folks who faint at the sight of mud or bugs or views unobstructed by tall buildings and cab stands. But for those city folks like me who like a mix of rural and urban, maybe the smaller city makes more sense? We'll see. . .

Chalk Food

Leave it to Dad to find the most "bar food" item on the menu to go with his beer. Fries. . . but "Duck Fat Fries". We all had a taste and they were amazing.

Mozarella and tomato salad

The Market Cheese Plate and smack in the middle of the plate is a piece of honeycomb from Richard's hives.

Melon Cucumber Salad

Mushroom Ragout

Lobster Risotto

Ribeye steak over beans and marscapone potatoes.
(Blurg, that was yummy).

Chalk

Okay, so Chalk Restaurant isn't technically in Cincinnati. It's located in the rejuvenated riverfront area of Kentucky directly across the river. . . but it's all part of the package of Cincy living (as is the York Street Cafe--which is one of my favorite restaurants of all time, also in Kentucky).

Chalk is an amazing upscale restaurant that crafts new menus every week, based on what local produce is available to them in the area. And Cincinnati is a small enough city that there are farms close by--making that local shopping and eating so much easier than in a big city like Chicago.

Chalk showed up on my parents' radar because the chef came to buy produce from the family farm in Cleves, OH--Carriage House Farms LLC. He buys honey and bee pollen from my brother--plus seasonal veg and flowers for his table centerpieces. Read the fine print at the bottom of the menu and you'll find CHF listed in the thanked farms.

Giant hanging garlic scuplture. The restaurant host made fun of it, but I think it's clever.

Findlay Market

Why, oh why, doesn't Chicago have a big old food market in the European tradition? One big building filled with Butchers, Fishmongers, Pastry shops and Cheese makers all indoors with local produce vendors in outdoor stalls while the weather permits? A cathedral ceilinged cavernous building filled with the noises of families picking out good food from local vendors?

Cleveland has the Westside Market--Dan and I visit it with his brothers every Thanksgiving and get gorgonzola stuffed olives, lil smokies and Israeli couscous.

And Cincinnati has Findlay Market:

This is the parking lot side of the market, but essentially, it's a large central building (not shown here), with a collection of shops on either side of it in these amazing old structures. And there are butchers in those shops that have been in business in Cincinnati for over a century.


When I visit Cincinnati, I always make my mom go for a Findlay run, if for no other reason than to visit Silverglades--home of the best Spanish Chorizo in the Midwest. Why in a town with such a strong German history? Who knows. . . but I get two Chorizos every visit for paella back at home where you can only get Mexican Chorizo.

This time, I also bought four of the German Veal Bratts. . . nothing like 'em in Chicago.
Sometimes, I have dreams about living in the top floor of one of Cincinnati's beautiful old buildings--buying it for a song and renovating it with Dan. We would stabalize the top floor so that it could hold the weight of a rooftop garden--so that I could finally be the perfect blend of city/country mouse. And then we would go to Findlay Market every Saturday for freshly made belgian waffles and coffee, and return home with arms full of baguettes and fish and fresh produce. I'd work for Cincinnati ArtWorks and Dan would be a computer genius for some lucky company, right downtown, both within walking distance of our beautiful home.