Happy Hour Pops for Champagne

For another great happy hour Mom and I hit up was at Pops For Champagne. And I now my favorite food accessory is truffle oil. Mmmmm.... Nothing says decadence quite like truffle Gouda cheese. It explains the new plethora of truffle items on my Amazon wish list (hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more). A plate of that fantastic cheese started off our fantastic happy hour.

Vie en Rose

Of course, it wouldn't be proper to go to a champagne bar and not get champagne. Mom got a glass of bubbly, and I enjoyed their cocktail "Vie en Rose," which consisted of St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, a sugar cube, Peychaud Bitters, and Brut Champagne. Indeed, life was good.

Blue Crab Packets

We ordered their truffle-Parmesan chicken wings, but they took over an hour. In the meantime, we munched on fries with garlic aioli, scallops, and blue crab packets- which consisted of crab, green tomatoes, avocado, and curry mayonnaise. It was bite-size 

heaven. Eventually, the wings came, by which I was on my second glass of bubbly.

Scallops

Happy Hour 1492

Now that I have a bit of time, I can post about some of the great places I got to experience while in Chicago.

I love vacationing during the week.  It means I'm free to enjoy the wonderful world of happy hour!  Today we bring you, gentle readers, the 1492 Tapas Bar.  $3 tapas 

and half off selected bottles of wine during their happy hour.  Mmmmmm... 

I love tapas, appetizers, prix fix menus, and anything else that lets me sample a ton of food.  (And Craig wonders why I always have to try some of his food when we go out.)  

http://www.1492tapasbar.com/

The waiter suggested a wonderful wine.  Not on th

e half off menu, but only $20 for the bottle.  It was amazing.  Light and sweet and so, so

 very drinkable.  We polished off half the bottle (ok, Mom had a glass, and I took care of the rest), and then took the rest of the bottle home (which made for wonderful late-night, post-hospital drinking).

We ordered six tapas, and by far my favorite was the lightly fried artichokes.  Chicken croquettes were also delish.

And the dessert- so simple, and yet so wonderful.  Vanilla ice cream wrapped in a thin crepe and covered in strawberry sauce.  I was almost licking the plate by the end of it.

Mom's probably wondering how much dessert to eat.

Outside 1492, there was a psychic doing $10 palm reading deals.  Well, we couldn't beat that, so Mom and I got our palms read.  Seems she gave us the same fortune- you'll help people, you're a strong person...  Though she saw me with 2 kids (couldn't say if they were biological or not- I asked!) and that my fiance would be very successful.  Oh good.  Later that night I talked to Craig.  He was stressing about finding work, and I told him to relax, since the psychic said he's be very successful.  

His response?  "She must not know me very well."

I Fail

Good News:  Craig got Franklin adopted.  A nice family with a few other cats got their 13 year old daughter a kitten for her birthday.  After careful kitten inspection at the adoption fair today, she chose Franklin.  Yay!  We wanted Franklin and Bootsy to go to a home together, but a home is better than no home.  And 'the orange kitten' was so popular before, I'm pretty sure we'll get Bootsy a home soon.

More Good News:  Dad's white blood cell count is two thousand!  You need 500 to fight any infection and 1,200 is normal-ish.

Bad News: He's still spiking fevers on and off.  But they say that's normal.  Sucks, but is normal.

This was supposed to be a goodbye photo

Bad News: I can't read a calendar.  I was supposed to fly back to LA today.  After some issues with the self-check in at the airport this afternoon, I went to an attendant.  She let me know that the ticket was for 6.27 - next Saturday.  Oh shit!  I booked the ticket for a week in advance.  Damn.  Ironically, I also sent my itinerary to Dad, Mom, and Craig, and not one of us caught that.  Guess I should buy tickets when stressed out with finals.  American Airlines told me it would cost a thousand dollars to re-book this weekend.  I nearly died.  

4 hours later, my parents got me a ticket back to LA tomorrow on Jet Blue- for far less than a thousand too!  Thanks Mom, Dad, and Jet Blue.  AA- you failed me.  A taxi ride back to downtown Chicago.  I've had better days. 

Better News:  I got to have dinner at Karen's, a favorite vegan restaurant of my mom's out here.  I had an amazing polenta, and an pomegranate soda martini with natural vodka.  Most tasty!  My mom got 'ribs'- which tasted like good hotdogs with amazing bbq sauce.  The cornbread and carrot cake were ok (bit dry, not sweet enough for me), and the mead wasn't as sweet as I like it.  But overall, super fantastic food.  And not even 'fantastic for vegan,' but really tasty.

Even Better News: Now I get to spend Father's Day with my dad.  I tell him I arranged all this to spend father's day with him.  Ok, it's a lie that he knows isn't true, but it's a good lie.

It's 11:45 pm just got back from the hospital.  Kinda tired.  Miss kittens.  But Mom and I picked up brunch stuff Father's Day brunch tomorrow.  Yay.  Ok, nap time.

95 Floors Up

We've been to the John Hancock Center twice this week.  First time- winner.  Second time- looser.  

Mom and I went their for lunch during the week and it was great.  After riding up the 95 floors in the elevator,  we got to their Signature Room.  We decided to do their lunch buffet.  For $18 it was all you could eat of chicken, lamb, soups, veggies, and fish.  Pair that with a fruity martini and a spectacular view, which I did, and it makes for a wonderful lunch experience.

Even the bathroom has a to-die-for view!  

Bathroom View- no joke.

I wonder if I could rent out a stall...

While the view was amazing, we thought it would be even better at night.  My favorite thing about flying as a kid was to go over cities at night and see the lights.  It would be just like that, only with a chocolate martini.

So Mom and I fought the rain to get over to JHC one night around 9:30pm.  We were all excited for a great view, some appetizers, and I was looking forward to a chocolate martini.  Sadly, the martini was the only part that was up to par.  The view that we were so looking forward to was nonexistent.  

No view tonight.

The chicken tenders were cold.  And they were so heavily fried... it wasn't any better than fast food.  Probably worse, since it was cold.  I asked for ketchup and mustard for the sliders.  And that never showed.  I had to hunt people down to get it.  My mom asked for tea, and they said they just had black tea.  From our lunch there, I know they had other teas. 

 Service was pretty lame, though our waitress did take the chicken tenders off the check, since we had to send them back.

Slowest condiments, ever.

Back at the hotel, things got much better.  Nice hot shower to warm up.  Nice warm strawberry and rhubarb cobbler from the farmer's market.  Nice warm pjs and a little Steven Colbert to round out the night.  Ok, still couldn't fall asleep, but had a nice evening.

Sad night 95 floors up.

What's Wrong With My Genes?

Friday night I took a red-eye to Chicago.  It was too cramped and too cold to sleep much, but I made the effort.  I get to the hotel around 6am and my awesome mom makes me awesome egg on toast.  Finally, I get to nap for a few hours.

Around 1ish we got to the Saloon Steakhouse, which is right next to the hotel, for lunch.  It is incredible.  For $13 I get filet mignon covered in blue cheese with mashed potatos and green beans.  It is bliss on a plate.  Knowing the hospital is the next stop, I also pair it with their house Cabernet Sauvignon, which was pretty good.  It is the lunch of kings.  Or at least Brandies.

Sometimes I feel like just a number.

Ok, fun part done, time to get my butt to the hospital.  Dad's up on the 15th floor, and in serious get-no-freaking-germs-in-here condition.  There are 2 sets of automatic doors, with a sink in the middle.  Enter one set of doors, wash your hands, exit the second set of doors.  Only one set can be open at a time.  I felt like I was living in "Andromeda Strain" and almost expected infected crazy monkeys to run by.

See any crazy monkeys?

After the doors, we went to the end of the hall, where we got disinfectant goo to rub on our hands before entering my dad's room.

I was a bit shocked, ok more than a bit, to see him laying on the bed.  He was weak, half conscious with his head shaved.  Lots of the usual tubes and wires of any serious medial stay.

Mom and I wear face masks for the first part of the visit, though they aren't really needed later.  Despite her saying we could draw happy faces on them, seems no one remember to bring a Sharpie.  Maybe next time.

I just sat for a while.  Stunned with the situation and still pretty tired from my trip.  I felt a little lightheaded.  Somehow, the whether or not I'm going to have kids came up.

Let me preface- I have no intention of having kids now, near now, or possibly at all.  Craig doesn't really want kids and I can't imagine trying to be responsible for a small person right now.  So, we may not have kids, and if we do, it will be quite a ways away.  If (and it's a big IF) we have kids, we have discussed adoption.  Craig and I both feel that there are enough unwanted children in the world, that if we ever have a home for kids, we might as well give it to them.  Or as Craig puts it, "Puppies, kittens and children- if we get them, we're getting them from the pound."  Ok, the sentiment if there, even if Craig lacks subtlety or tack.

So, somehow the topic of me having kids came up at the hospital, and I casually mentioned that I wasn't sure if I was having kids, and if I was, they would probably be adopted.  My dad's eyes got really big and he very seriously demanded, "What's wrong with my genes?  Why don't you want to have your own kids?"

I couldn't believe we were even arguing this.  This, coming from the man who kept telling me not to rush things and make sure I did my own thing free from the responsibility of others.  I'm trying to get through grad school and my dad is freaking out because someday I might adopt- MAYBE?  My dad, who is trying to get me to shop for a husband and gets 'nervous' when I even tell him the date of our wedding (2 years mind you), and now he's getting upset that we might not have biological children?  Seriously?!

I try to remain calm, and see the absurdity of the situation.  Remember, he's on a lot of drugs.  I try to calmly explain that there are no plans for kids in the near future (or even the not-so-near future), but if we decide to have kids, I will let him know.

He still really wanted to argue the point, even compromise with 'you know, you could have one of each.'  And I tried to politely tell him, that really, he had no say in how I decide to reproduce (or not).  I can't believe I'm even having this conversation.  I can't believe he is seriously concerned about this.  I can't believe he's trying to tell me how to have kids.  And I really can't believe that he's asking what's wrong with our family's genes as we sit in the isolation floor of the hospital because he's going through chemo for auto-immune problems, which run in the family.  It's pretty much too ridiculous to get upset about.

I also didn't mention to him that I have a hard work ethic and Craig had a penchant for mischief.  If we have a kid- he/she might inherit both of those traits.  And a mischief maker who works hard at it... well, evil world domination is clearly the next step.