Chicago: They paved a fetid swamp/and put up a parking lot

It's a few blocks away from Superdawg, so you can have a total 1955-in-Chicago night without credit cards.

A - the joke is that they are wacky and novelty for using Flash to display text (which is really annoying and I guess more complicated than just regular text in HTML) and not taking plastic in 2011. And I thought it was funny that Jenny was on board until she saw that juxtaposition.

no CCs is the only thing I hate about Flying Saucer — however Bite does accept them so I'll probably be going there more often as the nearest BoA is a mile and a half away

I emailed Jeff for help the other day b/c one of our clients, a learning institution, sent us a 20-some page manual for review. It was in Flash, so we couldn't mark it up, couldn't print it, and couldn't copy and paste from it. Very annoying!

Eazy that's what we did last year for D's birthday, that exact thing.
Superdawg is fun, but a little overpriced I think -- also they force you to get fries with every dog! That's weird.

I was saying never mind as a joke that Jeff wouldn't go there bc of the Flash on their website.

I don't like when businesses don't take credit cards at this point bc it feels hostile to customers for no good reason. I wouldn't avoid a business for that reason but it does blow to get all the way to, say, Lincolnwood and then have to hunt down an ATM. Or pay $5 total in fees to use the ATMs businesses that don't take credit cards so kindly put on their premises.

I feel the same way about restaurants with long ass megawaits that won't take reservations.

I kind of like the principle of not having to give 1.5% or whatever to those companies that are tearing apart americaaiunadsiuadgn;aierubge5gubheruern;oaern;on;odbnmagtrb

Oh hey guys.

Alinea was very good. It's hard to say whether it was "worth it" because it's the only 20-course meal I've ever had, but I'm glad we had the experience. Only downside was that I booked a reservation for 9:30 PM, not considering how long the meal would be. We left the restaurant at around 1:15 AM.

I also saw Steely Dan twice this weekend at Ravinia!

I think it took us about 4 hours at Tru too. At least 3 and change.

I kind of like the principle of not having to give 1.5% or whatever to those companies that are tearing apart americaaiunadsiuadgn;aierubge5gubheruern;oaern;on;odbnmagtrb

Hahahaha OTM? Ha.

I kind of like the principle of not having to give 1.5% or whatever to those companies that are tearing apart americaaiunadsiuadgn;aierubge5gubheruern;oaern;on;odbnmagtrb

I feel this, too, pretty much verbatim. But I usually wind up handing some asshole corporation even more in ATM fees, so it's a draw.

xp - do you want to provide details, j?

We often go to bed around midnight, so it wasn't like obscenely late or anything, but the wine pairings made me pretty sleepy by dessert.

http://i.imgur.com/W8nqe.png

Come on.

I gotta say, there weren't too many dishes where I was like "this flavor combination is making unexpected explosions of pleasure in my mouth!" -- but nearly everything was really well-prepared and fresh and flavorful and fun. (One exception: a frozen pea soup that was kind of tasteless).

Highlights:
*fried banana/ginger/hamachi on a vanilla-bean stick
*a long strand of shrimp wrapped around a stick of yuba (tofu skin) with sesame seeds and orange miso
*wild mushrooms with pine cream and pickled ramps
*Escoffier-inspired lamb (I had carrots -- and appreciated that they didn't just mindlessly substitute seafood) on puff pastry with tiny potatoes and rich sauces
*cubes of gelatin flavored with peach, basil, jasmine, balsamic

Lots of fun presentations, too, e.g.:

*clams that slid into our mouths from a long shell
*one bite of mackerel (with celery, mango, and juniper) eaten with no hands off an antenna
*about eight forks and spoons artfully arranged and interlocking on a plate, each holding a bite (the server claimed this was inspired by a Miro painting)
*a mound of soil upon which grew fresh greens that we were instructed to cut and place in a bowl of gazpacho
*make-your-own raviolo with a tomato-pasta square, a protein (Kr had short rib, I had lobster), and an array of other ingredients

I found a blog written by someone who had dined there the week before us, and so the menu looks almost exactly the same (I think it's everything except for the Miro course; also we obviously didn't get his birthday chocolate):
http://evancartwright.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/alinea-spoiler-filled-version/

Btw, the wine pairings were very nice and well-chosen, although I guess that's one part of the meal I'm not entirely sure is worth it. It was great having another component to the meal, and I liked being a bit buzzed, but we got "petite pours" (supposedly 2/3 of what they normally pour) and it still cost us quite a bit. I liked the beverage pairings (wine, beer, cocktails, etc.) at Next better.

Ah, here's a more recent blog post that mentions the Miro course:
http://shakingthetree.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/dinner/

(Photos on both of those blogs, btw.)

Yeah, the video of that stage collapse in Indiana was horrifying to see and it haunted my dreams last night. Then I found out this morning that the woman from Chicago that was killed was a friend of a friend.

1. I just got a check in the mail at work for $50 for a survey I did regarding our business' AT&T U-Verse products. I remember doing a survey, but I don't really remember when or what it was about.

2. My dream, sans the stuff that is interesting only to me: I was taking an elevator at the Daley Center from the highest floor. It was express and it was going so fast that the passengers were floating. A passenger accidentally opened the door while we were descending and outside in the shaft were howling winds and scary landscapes. I said "When you gaze into the C00k C0unty C!rcu!t C0urt, the C00k C0unty C!rcu!t C0urt gazes back into you." And I woke up laughing.

John, I saved your post and the blog for later. Looks interesting.

I did too!

Jesse, that dream is fucking amazing. I want an illustration of that with your comment as the caption.

It is still funny to me. Like, if someone said that IRL in a normal setting at the CCCC, I would LOL because it's true. I'm pretty proud of my unconscious mind!

I also dreamed that my aunt called me from Mexico and said "Jesse, your mom was here and somebody drank all the coffee she made and she's dead." That was a really unpleasant dream.

so i've got jesse and maybe dan for pub quiz tomorrow?

I'm not around, but when I'm back around I'd like to come around to pub quiz.

Yes... Which means basically you have 1 asset.

i've been considering pub quiz...do i have to commit right now?

i'm better at eating curly fries than i am at answering questions, but still

you don't have to commit but unless at least a couple of people other than me commit then i might want to wait for another week. but this week is good for me because sarah and the baby are going out of town so i'll be bored and lonely.

I won't be offended if you change your mind. Nick, if pub quiz doesn't work out, you can watch Return To Sleep Away Camp with Courtney and me tomorrow.

JENNNYYYYY were you aware that this variation of that comic that you so adore existed???

http://www.marriedtothesea.com/011607/outdoor-puke-plates-now-available.gif

I'll do pub quiz.

Have you guys been in a CVS lately? Those MFers are crazy. They're like little Wal-Marts.

That reminds me: Recently, I bought razors at CVS and paid for them at the self check-out. When I walked out the door, a series of loud beeps sounded, but I was just like "whatever, it's not me." Then I got home and realized that the razors were still one of those shatterproof plastic cases that require a special tool to open. So now I have to go back and sheepishly admit my mistake.

Surely a hammer and/or a screwdriver would win that fight.

Do you have the receipt? Your anecdotes always have the funniest details. I appreciate them.

Why would you bring a receipt that lacks the item you're bringing back? I mean, I guess it shows some kind kind of good will, but.

I thought maybe she rang it up but forgot to take off the box? At least he won't look like he's trying to get cash for stolen goods (even if he is totally not doing that). People do that.

I think you guys may be misunderstanding things.

John used self checkout

He needs the receipt in order to prove that he didn't steal the razors when he brings them back to have them opened.

Just smashy smashy

Oh, SELF checkout. Sorry.

Or do you have a dremel?

And yeh, what jeff and W said. Smash that box.

John's process and attempts at smashing the shatterproof razor case he didn't steal would be something I personally would watch on youtube.

Once at Sears in GSO the cashier didn't remove the exploding ink packet from a jacket I bought. For some reason it didn't go off when I walked out the door. I only noticed it was attached after I threw out the receipt, so I wrapped it tightly in grocery bags and duct tape and pried it off with a screwdriver.

Actually it probably wasn't an explosive device bc that wouldn't make sense since it would destroy the article as it saved it from being stolen. I think the point of it was ti ruin the coat if you try to remove it at home.

Oh, I did try smashing it with a hammer, believe me. If anyone else wants to try your luck, you're welcome to come over.

I was at a CVS in Evanston on Saturday and noticed that there was a little sign attached to all of the self check-outs that said something like, "Package for Mach 3 razors must be removed by an employee." That might have been helpful.

Btw, the CVS I usually go to, by my office, has a whole different setup for razors. It's like a vending machine: you pull a lever, and one drops into a bin.

(And yeah, I have the receipt.)

is that cvs also in the future?

btw you guys were right -- LOST is beyond sucking and is into cheaply and poorly produced middle grade adventure lit. I will continue watching on those merits, but this is not the same show that gave me nightmares.

Pub quiz rounds:

1) Why My Hell Narrates 12 pts
2) Draw Owl Wort 11 pts
3) Match- Blocks My Toss 13 pts
4) Chemical States Round 16 pts
5) Dead Or Canadian 11 pts
6) Pictures 15 pts
7) General Knowledge 22 pts

1 = WHEN HARRY MET SALLY
2 = WORLD WAR TWO
3 = STOCK SYMBOLS

cat 4 sounds sublime

Oh man I would be really bad at most of those categories, unless I have retained a lot more information from the rabid WW2 reading I did in junior high than I think I do.

For years (and even now still rarely), I have this feeling in stores--when I'm carrying anything in my backpack/bag that the store carries--that I'm going to be stopped and accused of shoplifting and have to earn their trust that the book/CD/whatever is something I brought in to the store.

That happens to me a lot with food and grocery stores because I often have a snack in my bag.