Ahh back to the city where everyone you meet is from Michigan or has some ties to Michigan…I’m talking about Chicago. Case in point, shopping at very cool store called Haberdash in downtown, I start talking to the salesmen and turns out he was dating a girl from Chesterfield,MI. “Oh ya 23mile and Gratiot, we use to detox there to get away from the hustle and bustle”. Really?!?!, is that what I just heard? Apparently and ex g/f slash business partner. Not sure what went foul, the business or the fact they use to travel to New Baltimore, MI to detox. A little strange for me, but ok.
I was in town one of my best friends, Harold’s wedding starting on a Thursday and staying through the weekend. Pretty much had two plans: the first, to be part of a great day seeing Harold and Marissa get married in Crystal Gardens in the heart of Navy Pier. The second reason was to eat – a lot.
After getting a good tip from a co-worker I decided to piecemeal my drive into Chicago by parking at the Indiana Dunes state park and train it the rest of the way. I had mixed feelings about this, not because I was leaving my car for 4 days in the middle of nowhere but rather train transportation. I was spoiled for two years using the best public transit system in the world when living in Japan. Public transit in the states, even in major metropolitan areas hasn’t exactly been herald as the best type of public transportation. I have heard horror stories about delays, the slow moving trains, and frankly because I was so spoiled with the amazing public transportation in Japan I almost have no desire to ride one in the states because I never enjoy the experience. Although, this time cost won out. With the Hyatt McCormick place charging $32/day, I parked at the dunes and the roundtrip cost was $14.50 with an hour train ride to downtown.
The festivities started Thursday afternoon with some bowling and drinks at Lucky Strike close to Navy Pier. My first time here and was a pretty sweet place to hold a rehearsal. The food was unexpectedly amazing. Really good artisan pizza combined with several trays of small plates of spreadable cheesy deliciousness. Definitely an up-gradable experience since everytime I step into a bowling alley I start to conjure up reminiscent thoughts of greasy sorrentos pizza and NBA Jam ; or Mortal Kombat, I forget which one came first. After the meet and greet of the wedding party and bowling the lowest score of anyone there, we walked to Navy Pier to check out the venue, the CrystalGardens. This was an amazing space for a wedding venue, open, bright, and some good diffused light for photos.
In Typical fashion the wedding party kicked off with a little pre-party traveling to various locations around Chicago for some great wedding shots with an amazing background. We arrived at the Pier in the knick of time and for the few minutes we had prior to start, scarfed down some damn good appetizers. The wedding was spectacular. Saw some good friends I have not seen in years, met some new ones, the food was amazing and I tried to out-dance and 10yr old, bad idea. Harold and Marissa looked amazing, and did a great job with everything. I can’t thank you guys enough for letting me be a part of your special day!
Saturday – A day of gluttony
Being a foodie has gotten me attune to some of the amazing things happening in the city of Chicago when it comes everything food. Besides Detroit (or metro Detroit for those who will nick-pick…lol), it’s the closest place for me to have some amazingly unique food. Whether it be Hot Doug’s, some of Graham Elliots recently opened places, or Alinea – a place that has never left the back of mind since I once saw it on No Reservations. Recently, I have been watching Around the World in 80 Plates on Bravo that features chefs traveling and experiencing different food cultures, ultimately having to re-create an interpretation only to be judged by the locals – why?!?!; because that is who you asked when you’re traveling looking for places to eat – they know best! 3 chefs, including childhood friend, John Vermigilio was one of those contestants on the show, were all in Chicago doing there thing. Yes, of course I was was rooting for him all the way, but in the end it was the chefs themselves who vote others off. He had made it to the last 4. Now heading to G.E.B, one of Graham Elliot’s gig’s on the north side, I paid him a visit since we haven’t seen each other in years.
My g/f and I ate brunch and long story short…the immediately walked to the hostess and reserved a table for dinner the same night. To start; Walnut scones with orange marmalade and clotted cream. It took me back to the beginnings of my travels toEnglandwhere we would stop every other hour to snack on this amazing treat. Next up was Smoked Sockeye salmon with crème fraiche and dill and my g/f having chicken ‘n’ waffles with a sweet collard greens. Like hipsters rotating their chucktaylors, the fare was simple and fresh, focusing on only a few ingredients. The ambiance was equally as fresh and hip, with menus attached to old records, artisan cocktails and at the bar which showcased old school record cases and an open kitchen where one could watch the talented crew at work. I immediately thought this place in could do well downtown Detroit. I wanted to see something like this in Detroit, and as John had mentioned his desire to one day come back to the D, hopefully soon. It wasn’t outrageously expensive; it focused on local fresh foods to create its menu, and had an attitude in the air just as its creator, Mr. Elliot. The, “I don’t care what you think, because I know what you want…damn that was amazing I want some more of that!…feeling. Even our waiters were extremely knowledgeable about what we were about to eat as if they just got off break previously chowed down. These are the places I love. Where everyone loves food, just as much as myself. It makes the experience even better, gives you the sense that the place was created solely for those who know about and what to talk about amazing food. A place were people, who venturing out to try something different, just might find themselves edging toward that foodie culture. Dinner was even more impressive. John had hooked us up with a couple of extras including red pepper cappellini, and linguine with fennel. I ate a total of 5 courses; including warm house baked chocolate chip cookies with milk. Briskly washing it down after with a can of beer…(cause beer and milk go together) they don’t give you glasses, instead crack’n’ it open making you feel as you want to be in your backyard smoking some pork shoulder or whatnot.
I left excited knowing I would be back in two weeks for Lollapalooza and would make time one of my weekend mornings to gorge myself and probably have a bloody mary to shake a hangover.