Awesome Aviary

Mike ordered the classic "In the Rocks"

I thank my super-foodie friends Andrea and Javier for introducing me to Aviary last summer. They don't even live in Chicago and know all of the hippest spots! Aviary is perfect for a special occasion, a birthday or other celebration or just a fun night on the town. What makes Aviary such a great place to take out-of-town guests is the unique presentation and careful detail in each and every drink. It represents some of the most innovative culinary presentation the city has to offer. When Betsy and Mike were in town a few weekends ago and we wanted to grab drinks before dinner, we knew just where to take them.

Betsy's drink

Aviary accepts reservations if you email them in advance. Seating times are 6 p.m., 8 p.m. or 10 p.m. I recommend making a reservation to avoid waiting an hour or more on a typical Friday night. Guests dining at Next, which is adjacent to Aviary, have preference at Aviary.

My drink--"The Ginger". Seems better suited for Mike.

Don't come to Aviary expecting to eat a full meal with your drinks. The menu features delectable bite-sized portions, but you'd have to eat the entire meal at least twice to get a decent meal.

Pina Colada--My favorite drink of the evening

Magnificent Maude's

Tenderloin steak tartare and chicken liver mousse at Maude's

A few weekends ago, we had some celebrating to do. My sister Betsy and her fiance Mike were in town to celebrate their engagement and spend some time in the big city. We took a (calculated) risk and took them to, Maude's Liquor Bar.  

The happy couple at Maude's

A week in advance, the earliest reservation for four on a Friday night was 9:30 p.m. Now I understand why. 

Walking into Maude's, I felt like I had stepped into a quaint roadside bar in Europe. The interior, down to the soap and towels in the restrooms, is tastefully done and appropriately French. Maude's food is refreshingly pure and simple, yet rich and flavorful. We started out with a platter of oysters, carefully comparing East Coast and West Coast. We ended up with a two-two split on the winner. 

Z and me and the oysters

Then came our small plates. The tenderloin steak tartare was one of the best preparations of tartare I've tasted in Chicago. The chicken liver mousse had a lovely flavor, not too pungent and appropriately creamy. I've been on a foie gras kick recently and I found the foie gras pate a bit plain, but that's only in relation to the other fabulous dishes on the menu. I could have skipped the Traditional Cassoulet, too. I felt guilty eating all of that meat without some veggies, so we ordered the Brussels Sprouts. They were good, but the 'sprouts at The Gage still have my heart. Smothered with brie and bacon, they're the best I've found in the city. 

Although Maude's full name is "Maude's Liquor Bar", go to Maude's for the food. The drinks are good, but they pale in comparison to the food.

Wednesday night at the Goodman

My friend Nicole and I have a very limited subscription to the Goodman Theater. Recently, we had the privilege of seeing "The Convert" in the Owen Theater.

The play takes place in colonial Zimbabwe around the turn of the 19th century in the home of Chilford, a native Zimbabwean man, with aspirations of becoming a priest in the Roman Catholic church. Chilford employs Mai Tamba and later Jakesai, who comes to be known as Ester As the title of the play would suggest, Chilford works tirelessly to convert the natives in his town. His efforts have varying degrees of success. But no convert seems as pure or as righteous as Ester.

And that is the crux of the play. Throughout "The Convert", Ester struggles with fully adopting her new way of life, while feeling a sense of duty to her family and her culture.

The first act of the play was slow and full of context-setting dialog. On a Wednesday night, it's difficult for me to sit through a performance that doesn't immediately grab my attention. But I persevered and the acts improved. The third act was by far the best. Suspenseful, dramatic and compelling, I was disappointed when the play was over.

"The Convert" plays at the Goodman Theater until Sunday, March 25th.

Jazz & Classical Music at Julius Meinl

A few weekends ago, I met my friend Tamara for a late afternoon coffee beverage at Julius Meinl, a cute European-style coffee house at Southport and Addison. Our beverages came on an adorable tray.

Tamara was running late, so I had a few extra minutes to scope out the pastry case and read the menu. After settling on a mango smoothie (Tamara had a chai tea latte.), I flipped to the back of the menu and noticed a line up of concerts at Julius Meinl's Southport and Lincoln Square locations. Concerts are Friday and Saturday nights and often feature musicians who play for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or have won or been nominated for a Grammy. I'll let you know when I check one out!

Julius Meinl is a Vienna-based coffee purveyor with a few locations in Chicago, including a soon-to-open cafe in Ravenswood. My mango smoothie probably had a lot of sugar, but it was delicious.

At Julius Meinl on Southport

Mom's first sushi

Sushi spread at Sushi Mon in Lincoln Park

I'm so proud of my mom! A couple of weekends ago, she finally took the plunge and fully embraced sushi. And not just California rolls and spicy tuna rolls. She went off the deep end and tried a dragon roll, a cucumber roll with raw tuna and a salmon appetizer, also raw.

We took her to Sushi Mon in Lincoln Park, a quaint BYOB place with some of the freshest, most affordable sushi in the city. Z and I stop by at least a couple of times a month and have never been disappointed. (Our favorite is the fresh gold uni they often carry.)

We started with miso soup and green salad, followed by the salmon appetizer--a piece of raw salmon wrapped around cucumber, avocado and crab meat.  Next came the crunchy California roll, which turned out to be Mom's favorite and contrary to her customary position of refusing shellfish or "bottom feeders" as she calls them.

We finished up with a Dragon roll of the pressed variety, another Sushi Mon specialty, a Vienna roll and a Viola roll.

Mom before her Vienna roll

And after! Yum!