Chicago MMXII

Nice nice--turned out to be perfect weather for that place. Good dinner?

Horro folks, just noticed this:

The Halloween double feature to remember: XTRO and TRICK OR TREAT is this Thursday at the Portage Theater for only $5.00!!! The schedule for this evening is as follows:

7:30pm: Doors open
8:00pm: XTRO
9:30pm: A ten minute intermission
9:40pm: TRICK OR TREAT (1986)

A dream of the Chicago Cinema Society has come true: The only known 35mm print on the planet earth of XTRO is currently in our possession. We are also excited to have here a very rare print of TRICK OR TREAT (courtesy of American Genre Film Archive). We hope to see you on this incredible night of MINDBLOWING CINEMATIC INSANITY! For more information, please vist our website:

http://chicagocinemasociety

http://www.grindhousedatabase.com/images/thumb/Xtr0.JPG/220px-Xtr0.JPG

oh wow. i don't know that movie, but i want to!

but damn, somehow it got to be 2 a.m. and I had a long night on the heels of working on 3 hours sleep, so I'm gonna have to very regretfully pass

Plus personal trainer this morning! I should be dead now. Only reason I'm not is that before the show tonight (AMAZING, btw) I took a 3 hour nap that was only supposed to be 90 min. but I slept through 2 alarms, 2 missed calls, and several texts.

A certain ChILX spouse and occasional poster is going to that XTRO double feature and I would, too, did I not already have exciting plans for this evening.

GTFO

"Xtro" is grim and gross even by horror standards.

Everest was good, but for the price there are more interesting meals to be had. A bunch of us went to Acadia a couple of weeks ago, and it was awesome, with more food, better vibe and two bottles of wine for about the same price as two of us at Everest for app/dinner/dessert and a couple of drinks.

Yeah, in my admittedly limited experience with the Big Fancy Restaurants of Chicago, although I have enjoyed myself, I ultimately find I prefer eating good food more than I prefer having a dining experience.

Like, I'll take a beer and the steak and fries at Owen and Engine over the fancy tasting meal at Tru any day.

The price also makes me feel shitty. I'd rather have two meals at a third of the price and donate the balance to charity, tbh. Sort of like a food equivalent of a carbon offset for my indulgence.

A certain ChILX spouse and occasional poster is going to that XTRO double feature and I would, too, did I not already have exciting plans for this evening.

Who??

Oh, wait. I think I know.

Josh, I have Opinions re $$$$ meals, but I don't feel up to expressing them. carl a has written a concise OTM post that reflects my opinion though. Basically, it sucks that you didn't get the full value, and while it's good of you to be conscious of the state of the world and such, your treating yourself to a special occasion doesn't rise to the level of moral failing or ethical crime.

Most of the Mag Mile/Loop dining 'experiences' are geared toward people with more money than sense, it seems to me. Still want to try Purple Pig, though.

Well yeh, 1st point somewhat OTM (never tried PP so don't know) but just saying generally, spending money on a special dining outing is like spending money on going to a concert, travel, or other interest. If Josh were mindlessly blowing money to live it up or show off, then he probably wouldn't be reflecting on the matter anyway, so I'm figuring he was doing something that mattered to him.

Nice view, nice treat.

PP is awesome. Luckily when I went I was with a friend traveling for work, so she expensed it all.

I haven't been in awhile, need to get back. I don't recall it being too expensive.

The last time we went to PP it was kind of awful bc it was crazy crowded and they stuck as at a tall communal table in between a couple on an early date (lots of talk about favorite cereal) and a large party. Not only did I feel like I was eating on a crowded bus, but the location of the table was such that my back was to the main thoroughfare between the door, the kitchen, and the bathroom so I was also constantly buffeted by people walking by.

So, in conclusion, fuck that place when it's even remotely crowded. Go at like 4:00 on a Tuesday. Food is pretty good.

Never been to Purple Pig, nor have I ever heard many great things about it. For that price I'd rather hit Bristol or Publican.

Communal seating really needs to die. One reason I'll probably never go back to the publican. I should at least be able to avoid communal seating if I have a goddamned reservation. Not according to them.

Bristol was nice, only been there once for a beer/bourbon dinner.

You can avoid communal seating at Publican. Just ask for a booth when making your reservation. Once I made a reservation, then at the end asked if it would be possible to get a booth. They acted a little surprised and said, sure, we can note you down for a booth. After I hung up I wondered who in hell would prefer communal dining.

Once had reservations at GT Fish and Oyster, and when we got there the seat was at a communal table with a family of 6, including two kids. We were at to dinner to be away from the kids, let alone someone else's, so we said fuck it and sat at the bar, which was great.

jesse did they play mother of the world for an encore last night? i need to know!

sorry je55e

I shouldn't have to ask for a non-communal table.

When making a reservation.

Nightwood is one I really like for a nice-but-not-fancy dinner. I'm doing some work with Tr3nch3rmen and would very much recommend it for something that's innovative but not intellectual. Their brunch is really good, too. Publican I went to with someone who works there, and so they fed us a ridiculous amount of good things. Balsan, Embeya, T-men, and others are all starting to have Sunday-night multi-course prix-fixe dinners for around $30, which is a great deal at any of them.

But sometimes if conversation is good, I don't pay enough attention to the food for it to matter much, in which case I'm happy doing BYOB at 90 Miles or Penny's or Old Jerusalem. Maybe we-all should do one of those this fall or winter.

Publican brunch rocks because they actually take reservations.

Trenche ... er, Tr3nch3rmen is on our collective short list. Nightwood is an absolute safe bet year-round. I like L&E for weekday lunch, which is essentially brunch, minus the crowds, but plus the best Cuban in the city.

i have never been to any of these places

You should go to Nightwood ASAP. What an easy great meal. Publican, too. Those are two I always recommend to visitors, since they are awesome, local and take reservations that are actually easy to make.

I liked nightwood a lot but it was nearly impossible to catch a cab home from there.

I only remember making joke after joke about the name of Nightwood, but I guess I could eat there. Is it easy to park? I need to chauffeur my date most of the time.

It's in the middle of Pilsen, so parking is easy and hailing a random cab might not be.

Also, Publican Quality Meats has a burger night on Tuesdays that would be very worth trying.

Kr and I had our 1st anniversary dinner at T-men. E's take is good -- creative food, unusual flavor combos w/o any conceptual gimmickry. Cocktails were great, too.

I like Publican, but I'm less eager to return there than to check out their offshoot, Publican Quality Meats. Keep meaning to hit it up for a weekend lunch.

Was so-so on Bristol the first time I went (late 2009) but enjoyed it a lot more when Kr and I went on a whim a few months ago and sat at the bar. Seemed like the menu had changed a fair amount. (More pescatarian options, at least.)

I still don't mind communal seating, but I guess I haven't had any experiences that have been worsened by it.

xposts (Didn't see that PQM had been mentioned.)

Would like to try Nightwood again. The location sometimes feels like a hindrance, but I know that it also makes it easier to get into than a lot of comparable establishments.

I'm a broad broad so communal tables mean having to sit hunched up and curled in all through a meal to avoid encroaching on my neighbor. And that only works if the neighbor is equally as mindful, which never happens. I just hate it. I like to relax when I go out to eat, which means I want a constructive bubble around my table. Having someone else's knife on my napkin or elbow in my ribs shatters that illusion.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Btw, Lula is continuing its tradition of "dressing up as" another restaurant/bar for Halloween. This year's it's "The Violent Hour."

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2012/10/durhams-bridge-death-will-decapitate-any-tall-truck/3707/

I encourage you to watch the video of all the trucks trying to drive under the bridge.

the campers were my favorites

ahahahaa

The ones that just keep on going, leaving the top of their trucks behind, are my favorite.

Actually, no. The two hay trucks are my favorite.

The hay trucks are awesome.

great video.

we have nothing planned this weekend
i'm so excited

lol @ your display name

La Lachera (or any chilxors ?) hitting Afghan Whigs tomorrow ? Gotta highly recommend - good musicianship all around ... Now to gear up for Metro oversold BS...