30 Days of 30: Week 4, Part 2

Here’s the play-by-play of my actual birthday weekend:

Friday– Although I’d been drinking since Tuesday, I officially kicked off my birthday weekend with  Happy Hour at The Esquire with work peeps.    I was impressed by the turnout– Leslie, Steve,  Janet, Lisa, Paula, Paula’s Husband, Dave, and Andrew all came out.   Peggy was also there and came over to wish me a Happy Birthday– right before the first shot!!

It was Leslie’s day and she bought me a “Birthday Princess” Tiara (pink–which matched my shirt)  and a shot glass necklace (which matched my bracelet).  Here I am modeling my new gifts:

After Esquire, we went to Bentley’s.  Lisa’s husband’s band was playing there, so we had to check it out.  Here’s a shot of “the girls” at Bentley’s:

And me doing my first “shot” out of the shot glass necklace (note: it’s a shot of beer… this is after a Rock Lobster/Red Lobster shot at Esquire)

We drank a little more and then I headed home. It had been one hell of a week and I knew I had more festivities planned.  It was a great night. I really love my work friends.  Another successful “meeting” on the books!!

Saturday– 

Since Friday was a relatively early night, I was able to get some things done around the house on Saturday.   When I went to check my mail, I got the COOLEST SUPRISE… my mailbox was FULL…. of CARDS!!    At first I thought it was a mistake–that my doctor’s office or vet and accidentally sent me multiple cards or something.  And then I noticed that there was the same handwriting… on each of them.  And no return envelope.  

I tore open the envelopes and discovered that Tracy, Cynthia, and Julie had sent me 30 cards… for my 30th birthday!!    And all of them were different.  Yeah, they had to get creative a couple times… turning a “birthday boy” into “birthday girl”  and “congratulations” into “congratulations, you’re 30” but it was great!   Coolest idea ever.

stack of cards--before they were opened

 

cards on display

Saturday night was the big bowling extravaganza.  Once again, I was thrilled with the turnout:  Cory/Bobbi, Lindsey/Luke, Steph/Drew, Kim, Red, Jeff/Erin and the kids all came out.   And we had a BLAST.   I actually won the first game (well, on my lane) with a personal high of 122.  Yes, 122 was my personal record AND the winning score on my lane.  We’re clearly not professionals!   It was such a fun night and I have TONS of pictures (some I took, but mostly taken by Macie and Elyce).  Here are some highlights:

 

Circle Girls

Cory and the chicks

 

Red and I... fine as hell

 

the obligatory self-portait

After bowling it was off to Rock’s to meet up with some boys.   They were there for a UFC fight, which –honestly– sucked the life out of me, but once it was over, the party was on!!    

 

Kfish showed up

And so did the Siemsens

 

Clennon and Drew stopped by for a drink (Not pictured: Drew)

A SUPER fun night with many of my very favorite people!

Sunday–  Superbowl Sunday!!!   I gotta admit that after such a long week/weekend, I was a little spent.  I went to a Superbowl party at Ron’s and had a great time– good food, lots of drinks, lots of laughs.    We watched the game, got out the 3D glasses during the commercials, the boys played poker, etc.   But after the game was over, I CRASHED!  It wasn’t time to go home yet, so Ron let me sleep in the back room while everyone else continued hanging out.  Turning 30 will do that to you.

Monday–  My actual BIRTHDAY!!   I took off work, lounged around the house and hung out with Kyle most of the day.   We didn’t get going until after 2 in the afternoon, so we just had a late lunch and went to the mall.  OMG– I couldn’t believe how many stores have closed at the mall.  So sad.  After lunch, we piddled at the bookstore for a bit and then I went to O’Charleys to have dinner with my mom and he met his mom and step-dad for dinner.  

Since I had a late lunch, I wasn’t hungry and just got a side salad and a slice of chocolate (dare i say “birthday”) cake for dessert.   It was PHENOMENAL and HUGE!!  My mom got me a bunch of much-needed gift cards and my brother sent up a  “SO IL” hoodie.  It was perfect.

After dinner, I met Kyle back at my house and we went to see The Wrestler.  I liked it a lot… it was pretty much exactly what I expected. Plus, it had a killer late-80s hair metal soundtrack.   Shopping, eating, a movie– what a perfect day to spend my 30th bday.

So, folks— there you have it.  The 30 days of 30 experiment fully documented for your reading pleasure.   The 30 days aren’t officially over yet, though.  I’m heading to Chicago for the last leg of my birthday celebration.    I hope you all have enjoyed following my little experiment.

30 days of 30: Week 4, Part 1

I know this post is a bit late, but hey– I’ve been busy.  I’m doing the final week re-cap in two parts.  Look for part 2: The Weekend soon.  And there should be a couple more 30 days posts next week.  And then I’m done… promise :)

Monday–  Officially slated as an “off” day, I’m giving this one to my co-worker Kara.  We took a much-needed Jimmy John’s break at lunch.  Plus, her day kinda got usurped later in the week, so it all works out.

Tuesday–  After dinner at The Courier, Lindsey and I braved blizzard-like conditions to attend Tuesday Night Trivia at Boltini.   Let me tell you… it was hard!!  At one point we were going for “funny points” and even those were getting rejected.  When we wrote “condoms” as the answer to a word riddle, the announcer said:

 “Just FYI– the letters don’t actually spell anything… it’s just the next letters in the sequence.”   Uh, we know.   We just didn’t know the letters.  We were trying to be funny.  D’oh.

Needless to say, we didn’t win… or even stay for the whole thing.  But it was fun and we’ll definitely do it again.  In the summer.  With a much larger group!

Wednesday–  I was triple-booked on Wednesday.  I had a lunch date with Jacelyn (my co-worker), plans with my friend Doug, and plans to watch Lost with my co-worker Kara. 

I knew I couldn’t do it all, so Kara joined Jacelyn and I for lunch at a new sandwich place in Urbana (on Race, across from the Courier… I’ll find out the name).  The food was good, but it was clear that they were just opening.  I’ll go back after they’ve had a chance to get their feet wet.

After work, my friend Doug picked me up (and helped clear my driveway–thanks, man!) and we went to 7 Saints.  As you may recall, this is one of the places I hadn’t yet been, so I was excited to go.   It didn’t disappoint.  It was actually fairly crowded for a Wednesday night and of course we ran into people we know– a mutual friend of ours and then a co-worker of mine and his friend. 

Doug is a Republican, but we managed to hang out for at least 3 hours w/o getting into any fights… a pretty successful night in my book ;)  Oh, and thanks to all the “practice” I’ve had lately,  I managed to drink him under the table.  Thank goodness he was driving!  I didn’t make it home in time to watch Lost,  but it was okay.  A perfectly lovely evening.

Thursday– Another day of multiple bookings.  First it was lunch at Dos Reales with Jennifer (aka Red).  Red is my BFF from high school and even though we’ve stayed in touch over the years, we don’t always get a chance to hang out, so it was super nice to sit and chat with her. 

Thursday night was officially Tonya’s night.  We decided to meet for drinks and were trying to decide where to go when  Cory said he was going to Bunny’s to watch the game  (The Illini game– remember that horrible loss to Minnesota?  Yep, that one!).   So, off to Bunny’s it was– for the nth time this month! 

It was super fun, though.  Bobbi came out and Cory’s friend Harper was there.   AND… the Illiniettes.  We had a great time making fun of their drama.   No, not nice, but fun nonetheless.   And I convinced Ron to come out later, after he got off work and we had already had multiple buckets.  Maybe not the best idea in retrospect, but it was a good time.  

 One more work day until the Birthday Weekend Extravaganza.

To Be Continued . . .

Dear Body

Dear Body,

Hang in there– the 30 days of 30 are nearing an end.  Yes, that means you’ll be older, but  I promise to treat you better when it’s over–only a few more days! .  I vow to feed you better food (maybe even stuff I make myself!), to exercise consistently and to return to a normal sleeping schedule.

You have served me well for nearly 30 years and I know the last month has been hard on you.   I’m especially grateful to you, liver, for the hard work you’ve put in.  There’s a break coming real soon.  I promise.

Best,

Cari

P.S.  Please give my regards to Roxie.  I know she has  had a hard time as well.  There are long walks, car rides and trips to Petsmart in her future.

30 days of 30 Q & A

Whenever I go out for my 30 days of 30 (or even talk about it), people tend to ask the same questions.   Here, for your reading pleasure, are the answers:  

Q:  Do you have all the days filled up?
A:  Almost .  I don’t have anyone signed up for Sunday (today) and my Monday “date” backed out on me.   But I’ve had plenty of days where I’m double-booked so I can always count those for any “missing” days.  (And, yeah, if anyone wants to hang out tomorrow. I’m free.)

Q: What’s your favorite day so far?
A:  There’s no way I could pick.   It was kinda cool to go to an Illini game and sit so close.  Janet’s day was special because of the thoughtfulness she put into it.   And the most unusual  thing for me was to go see a story teller*.  But all the days have been fun.  I’ve hung out with tons of people I don’t see on a regular basis and that’s cool.

Q: Are you getting sick of it? Are you tired of going out all the time?
A:  Honestly, no.  I’m having a ton of fun. It’s nice to have some time to myself, but it’s great to know there are actually this many people who want to hang out with me.    

The downside is that I have been eating–and drinking– a lot!   Plus, everyone wants me to pick the destinations and I’ve run out of ideas!  I’ve definitely learned to slow down and pace myself, so it’s a little better.  I’m hoping my 30 days doesn’t turn into Supersize Me.

Q: Are there any things you haven’t  done?  Any places you haven’t been?
A:  A few.  I haven’t been to 7 Saints, The Blind Pig, or Ko-Fusion.**  I’m also dying to try out Jack’s Grill , a new Mediterranean take-out joint that looks really good.   I haven’t been to a single movie and I haven’t seen any live bands, yet, either.   I think I’ll get a chance to see a band on Friday, so that’s cool. 

Q: What are you going to do when it’s all over?
A:  Well, by that time I’ll be 30, so I guess I’ll apply for a membership in AARP,  scope out the senior citizen’s discounts at area restaurants, and check to see if dentures are covered by my dental plan. 

No, seriously… I’ll probably slow down a bit in February, but I already have some fun stuff planned, including the resurrection of Bunco!!

———

* Oh, and the entire ski/snowboarding weekend was awesome and different.  I can’t believe I forgot that.

** And Guidos.  I haven’t been there once, which is odd ‘cuz I used to spend a lot of time in that bar.

30 days of 30: Week 2

Whew… what a week!   Here’s the rundown:

Monday— Lunch at Luna with co-workers Kurt and Scott

Tuesday— Lunch at Houlihan’s with Tracy, Cynthia, and Julie. I used to play Bunco with these girls and now we keep up via facebook, so it was nice to see them in person after way too long!

Wednesday— Janet’s day (see earlier post).

Then I went to the Illini game with Cory, Bobbi, and Lacey.  They were the best seats I’ve ever been in:  12 rows up, right behind the Orange Crush (cell phone pic doesn’t do it justice.)

view from our seats

Thursday—  Book club.  We discussed Freakanomics, which was universally enjoyed.  I’ll consider this day Bonny’s, since she hosted and Scott and Kurt both have their own days.

Friday—   Ron’s day.   The plan?  To go to bars we don’t normally go to.  Ron was going to pick 3 and I was going to pick 3.  Cool.

Then Cory called and wanted to do Happy Hour.  Since Ron had dinner plans, it worked out well.  I met Cory and Co. at Bunny’s for happy hour. (If you click the Bunny’s link, you’ll see a pic of Cory at a parking lot party last summer– he’s as famous for Bunny’s as I am for the Esquire–ahah!). We drank buckets, ate Bosco sticks and played some Euchre.  Ron showed up, hung out for a bit and then it was off to meet Chad for the bar crawl.

First stop:  The Embassy.  There was a band, so we had to pay a $5 cover charge, even though we only stayed for one drink.  Then we went to Crane Alley, The Brass Rail and Bentley’s.  The last two bars are the only ones I hadn’t been to before.  And  I don’t ever need to step foot in the Brass Rail again, but I’ll definitely go back to Bentley’s.

All in all, it was a good night… but Happy Hour + Bar crawl was probably not one of my best ideas.

Saturday– Saturday was like two nights in one.

First I met Andrea and Amanda (from boot camp) at La Gourmandise Bistro for dinner and to listen to a storyteller.  I’d never been to the bistro before and I’d never heard a storyteller, so it was a bunch of firsts for me.  The bistro was cute (although I made a poor soup selection) and the storyteller was entertaining, but nothing to write home about.   We left after the first act and went to Crane Alley for drinks and dessert.   It was great to be able to hang out with those girls.  I miss boot camp!

After that, I met Erin, Jeff, Jaime, Dave, Chachi, Bubba, Nikki and Andrea at Boltini.  They had been out for some family birthdays and were getting ready to leave when I got there.  I had one drink and then we went to Fat City.  If you haven’t been there yet, it’s exactly the same.  Only nicer.  If that makes much sense.   Erin, Jeff, Jaime, and Dave left and the rest of us headed to Tumble Inn.

Chachi & I @ Tumble Inn

Erin & Chachi @ Fat City

As usual, TI was a late night Mecca for Unity grads, so there were plenty of people I knew there (some of whom I didn’t actually talk to).  I stayed until close, but this was a much calmer night than  the bar crawl.  It pays to pace oneself.

Sunday—  Since Monday is a holiday, my sister Kelli signed up for Sunday night.   Kelli, her boyfriend Doug, and my brother David picked me up at noon and we went to Radio Maria for lunch.  To my surprise, my mom, Aunt Linda, and Uncle Denny were there as well.  We had a nice lunch and I think I was able to introduce some of them to a new restaurant, so that was kinda cool.

After lunch, we had a drink at the Esquire and then went back to TI to watch some football. (Okay, it was mostly so some of the crowd could smoke, but whatever.)   It was a fun afternoon, but I was super tired from the rest of the weekend.   I came home with full intentions of watching the Steelers game, but fell asleep on the couch.  For 12 hours.   I must’ve been tired.

Definitely a super fun-filled week.  It’s so cool to be able to hang out with so many different people and try new things. After the first week-o-lunches I was starting to think all I was going to do was eat… but now I’m looking forward to some low-key non-drinking events in the days to come!

A few observations at the half-way point:

• If “professional storyteller” is a real job, then I think I might have a new career path.  If that lady can get up and tell stories–so can I!!
• I really need to try to take more pictures, but I’m usually just having a good time hanging out with people that I forget I even have my camera.  Maybe next week.
• Pacing is key.  Even though 8 bars in 3 days sounds like fun… functioning the next day is important!  I really am starting to feel almost 30.

30 days of 30: Week 1

Yes,  Carich’s 30 days of 30 are officially underway… Yay!  

Last week was all about eating (which is awesomeconsidering it’s the first week of the new year when most people are dieting. Lol.)

Monday– Lunch w/Lindsey at Chili’s after a school photo shoot

Tuesday– Dinner w/my mom at The Courier

Wednesday–Lunch with co-workers Sharon and Kara at Milo’s

Thursday– Lunch with Lisa at Jupiter  (the original, of course)

Fri/Sat/Sun– Skiing/Snowboarding weekend in Galena.   I went with a group of people, so I’m not sure who gets credit for each day, but I’m not really a stickler for the rules anyway.

SUPER fun times, but–alas– I don’t have pictures to share.  I didn’t want to be “the dork with the camera” on the slopes, so I have no evidence of my snowboarding adventure.  Other people in the group took some party photos, so hopefully I’ll get some of those and post them later.

This post is turning out lamer than I’d hoped.  Don’t get me wrong– the lunches were good and it’s nice to be able to catch up with people, but writing about my soup/salad combo is probably not blog-worthy.

I have a couple more lunch dates this week and then some other intersesting stuff planned for the long weekend, so hopefully I’ll have more to report on next week.   Stay tuned.

2008: A Year in Review, Part 2

Welcome to the 2nd half of my year. I just realized that I probably should’ve done these in reverse chronological order, but whatever.

July–I took my blog public, making it a whole lot easier to remember what I did for the rest of the year.  I also started biking to work and we had Kristi’s Bachelorette Party Boat Trip:

 

August– I took two vacations this month, plus a Tour de Philo.  First up was my staycation and then a second trip to Nawlins for Kristi’s wedding:

 

September— I started running, became obsessed with Mad Men and reconnected with an old friend via Facebook.  We also had Bunco at Erin’s in conjunction with Philo Fest, but-unfortunately- I have no corresponding photos :-(

 

I do, however, have a photo of this thing that I found on my fence (I know you all needed to see it again)

 

 

October– was downright insane.   There was a crazy gas station incident,  my cat died, and I was involved in train accident on the way home from seeing Cross Canadian Ragweed in Carbondale.  To top off the craziness, this was the first year in a long time that I *didn’t* dress up for Halloween.  Odd.

 

And then there was the trip to Chicago to see the New Kids on the Block:

 

 

November– is always a busy month.  This year, I went to San Antonio for work. And had the usual Thanksgiving with the family.  Oh, and there was that whole historic election thing.

I also made a trip to Chicago for Nikki’s Big Ten Bar Crawl:

 

And attended my only (gasp!) U of I tailgate of the season

December–

 

Family and friends of Ryann Smith held a benefit in Tuscola and raised a bunch of money. I realize that I haven’t blogged about Ryann at all.  She was born a couple days after Christmas with a rare birth defect called CDH.  She is a fighter.  Please keep her and the family in your thoughts and prayers. If you want to know more, visit her caring bridge page:  http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ryannsmith.

 

I also had Christmases with my Grannie Rich,  my brother, and the rest of my extended family.

 

(And, because I know you can’t get enough of me and firearms, here’s the infamous gun shot one more time…)

 

I spent my Christmas break lounging, watching movies (Marley and Me and Seven Pounds), reading (still making it through the Twilight saga… I’ll reserve judgment until I’m finished with all the books), and spending time with friends and family.

 

I rang in the New Year in Chicago, but failed to take a single photo.  Maybe I should resolve to be a better chronicler this year :)

 

Reflections on 2008

All in all, the year turned out pretty good.  In some ways, this is one of the hardest years I’ve ever had, but I’ve learned so much.   I’ve learned how to ask for help from those closest to me.  I’ve learned to say “no” on occasion and I’ve learned to enjoy myself in less-than-ideal circumstances. I’ve made some new friends, reconnected with others, and have spent more time with some of my family members than ever before.

 

This blog has really been a great outlet for me and I appreciate each and every reader, hit, and comment you all have given me.

 

Here’s to happiness and prosperity in 2009!

A SoIL Christmas

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas with my brother and sister-in-law in Southern Illinois (affectionately referred to as SoIL).  It was a really great time.   After a quick lunch, we toured some of the wineries on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.

We started at Alto Vineyards and worked our way north.  We toured a total of 5 wineries that day:  Alto, Hedman, Von Jakob, Pamona, and Hickory Ridge.  Each one was different.  My favorite wine was either the Cabernet Sauvingon from Von Jakob (the only 100% cab sav grown, made, and bottled in Illinois) or the Kir (pronounced Keer) from Pamona.   Pamona was the most unique in that all of their wines are made from fruit other than grapes.    Here are some of my tasting notes*:

I was planning on giving wine as gifts, so of course I had to buy bottles at almost every stop.  Here’s a photo of all our “loot.”  It’s not all mine, but I picked up quite a few bottles:

Then it was back to the house to open presents. We’re nearly 30 years old, yet our mom still goes overboard for Christmas.  Check out the number of presents under the tree. I kept telling my mom it was “garish.”

 

Ryan and Jo don’t have many pictures of the two of them together, so Jo asked me to take one by the tree.  In typical fashion, Ryan wasn’t playing along.  So I took one of Jo pretending that Ryan was in the picture:

Then one of Ryan doing the same thing:

And, finally, one of them together:

Everyone got a lot of really great presents, but Ryan wins the prize for most creative wrapping materials.   Jo outlawed bows this year because the dogs just chew them off, so he came up with a compromise…. Yep, that’s duct tape on my present.  Classy!

After gifts, we went to dinner and then came back to the house to play some games.  We had been snapping photos all night and Ryan noticed there weren’t many of me.  Maybe I should take my very own photo in front of the Christmas tree with a gun.    My brother is a hunter and is very pro-gun and I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum.  We argue the gun control issue all the time and he’s always trying to get me to go out shooting.  I never do.  

Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the warm, fuzzy holiday spirit, but for some reason I agreed to taking pictures with the guns.   And, I must say, they make me laugh every time I look at them.

After that, we drank some mulled wine, played board games and went to bed.   The next morning Jo, Mom, and I went to breakfast at Harbaugh’s Cafe.  Our friend Lesley has been raving about this place for quite some time, so I had to check it out.   The food was good, but the atmosphere is what really caught my eye.  

It was kinda funky and kitchy.  None of the furniture matched, the dishes looked like they came out of someones lake house.  It was just really eclectic and fun.  Here’s a shot of my chair at Harbaugh’s:

As we were getting ready to leave, Ryan suddenly remembered that there was one more present under the tree.  As you may recall, there’s a bit of a tradition in our family for both surprises and somewhat extravagant gifts.   The surprise gift this time was a flat screen TV for our mom.  She cried.   Over a TV!

All in all, it was a super great weekend.   I loved being able to go do stuff with my family without the usual pressures of Christmas.  I think this may become an annual tradition. 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

—————-

* I apologize for the poor quality of the scans. I just got a scanner for Christmas and I’m still playing with settings, etc.  The good news is that new scanner = more pictures/documents to share!!

My best of C-U list

Inspired by this post from Whitney Matheson (of PopCandy fame), I was thinking about all the things I’d miss about C-U if I should ever leave this town.    

So here, in no particular order, are my personal picks for the Best of C-U.  For most of these, I’ve linked to the official site. Where none were available I linked to the listing on yelp.  I love yelp, btw. You should check it out.

Best happy hour bar:  Esquire
Peanuts, beer, and homeade pineapple margaritas–what more could you ask for?  (Plus, they put me and my friends on their web site!)

Best last call bar:  Tumble Inn
The only bar on the list I’ve been going to consistently since I was 19.  (Okay, 17–but don’t tell anyone).  It’s a bit of a hole-in-the wall, but it has improved in recent years due to the smoking ban (and the smoking-ban inspired “beer” garden).   Tumble Inn… Stumble Out, always open late. (yet, curiously, they don’t have Red Bull… for that you’ll have to go to The Phoenix, nearby)

Best beer deal:  Bunny’s
You can get a bucket of 5 beers for $10.  Can’t beat it with a stick.  Speaking of sticks, Bunny’s also gets a shut out for their Bosco sticks.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Bosco stick, it’s a breadstick stuffed with cheese and then deep fried.  Horribly unhealthy, but delicious!

Best beer selection:  The Blind Pig
Hands down.  There might be isn’t a larger beer selection anywhere in C-U, and the Pig wins for atmosphere. 

Best nachos:  Guidos
I’m kinda picky about my nachos and Guidos never disappoints.

Best lunch spot:   It’s a toss up between The Courier Cafe and Farrens.

Courier— Skinny dippers, milkshakes and salad bar.  Great atmosphere.  Courier gets the award for Best Breakfast, too.
Farren’s-– Home of Farren’s Fridays, I adore their Kobe Burger, tacos, and daily specials. 

Best pizza: Jupiter’s
Thin, crispy and great sauce, Jupiter’s (downtown) is the best.  Jupiter II creeps me out.  
Honorable mention: Papa Del’s.  Jupiters wins because I prefer thin crust, but if you’re in the mood for a deep dish pizza, the Del is the best.  (Note: this is my Best of  C-U list… if you’re willing to go a few miles South, I highly recommend the original Monical’s in Tolono.)

Best ice cream– Custard Cup
 Duh.  Okay, so it’s custard, but why would you go anywhere else?  Unless, of course, it’s closed.  Then you can go to Cold Stone or whatever.  But only until Custard Cup opens back up.  Seriously. 

Best cockails:  Boltini
I highly recommend the Bellini-tini from Boltini  (say that  ten times fast!)

Best sandwich— Chicken pesto at Crane Alley

Best wine selection: Friar Tuck
I especially like how they list the wine ratings and “best value” wines.  I’ve never been disappointed.

Best wine tastings:  Sun Singer
I enjoy their little cafe and bar area.  You don’t really feel like you’re tasting in a store .

Friendliest wine staff: The Corkscrew
Although I buy most of my wine at Friar Tuck and I go to more tastings at The Sun Singer, I’ve always found the staff at The Corkscrew to be incredibly friendly and knowledgeable.  Plus, I needed to show a little Urbana love. 

Best place to see a show:  The Highdive
I know, I know, the Canopy Club is bigger, but I like the openness and set up of the High Dive better.

Most anticipated bar re-opening:  Fat City 
I spent a great deal of time at this bar in the old days.  I hear they’re re-opening on Friday.  I cannot wait!

Best place to take a date: Radio Maria

I recently had this discussion with a bunch of guy friends.  Although we couldn’t come to a consensus, Radio Maria was mentioned most often.  Other top selections include:  Cafe Luna (now apparently called just ‘Luna’), Milo’s, and Bacaro.  Kamakura is also fun for group dates.

Best chicken strips:  The Boomerang  
Honestly, I haven’t been there in years, but their chicken strips are phenomenal.  Honorable mention:  Rocks

Best sushi:  KoFusion
Is there any other choice?  It’s also fun for a swanky after-work cocktail. Or three.

Best way to spend a Saturday in the Fall:  Tailgating before an Illini football game

And so you don’t think I spend ALL my time eating and drinking:

Best place to buy gifts:  Art Mart
Go there.  There’s lots of cool stuff from stationary to jewelry to lotion to household products.

Best bookstore:  Pages for All Ages
If I’m needed something cheap, I’ll buy from Amazon.  Otherwise, it’s Pages all the way.  Support local bookstores! 

Best way to spend a Saturday morning in the summer:   The Market at the Square
Call me crunchy, but I love strolling through the various vendors, buying locally grown produce and bread.  Its close enough that I can walk… and right by my gym so I can fit in a workout afterwards

So, those are my picks.  Do you agree?  What have I missed?

San Antonio Stories, Part II: Eating and Drinking in Alamo City

One of my favorite parts of traveling for work is the opportunity to try out new restaurants in great cities across the country.  I really enjoy researching various places and trying to find somewhere interesting to go.

By far, my favorite restaurant of the trip was 20nine, a wine bar in the Quarry Market district of San Antonio.  (The Quarry Market is essentially an upscale strip mall.)  20nine is named after California Route 29, which goes through the Napa and Sonoma valleys (it also happens to be my current age, as Lisa pointed out).  Since it’s been a few years since I’ve been to wine country, I was interested to see how a California-style wine bar would translate in Texas.

I was not disappointed.  In addition to wines by the glass and by the bottle, we had the opportunity to try various flights of wine.   The flights were grouped by varietal (Chardonnay, Merlot, etc.) or by region.  I chose a flight of spicy reds from Chile and Argentina to begin with.*  The server brought them to the table using this really cool carrier and each wine was accompanied by incredibly amusing tasting notes.

[photos courtesy of Lisa. She likes to take pix of food.  We make fun of her, but it comes in handy when trying to spice up a food blog.  And, yes, these are white wines and I had red, but I didn’t take the photos. Beggars can’t be choosers.]

We ordered cheese plates and antipasti.  They were so delicious, I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy my dinner. 

Lord, was I wrong!!  I ordered the sea bass with a side of gnocchi.  It was phenomenal.I also had some really great homemade ice cream (unfortunately I didn’t ask Lisa to take any pix–next time!) We had some other nice dinners in San Antonio, but 20nine was definitely my favorite. 

The other highlight of the trip was Bar Rojo at the Grand Hyatt, which was next to the Convention Center and across the street from my hotel.   It was pretty fun for a hotel bar and they had the best raspberry mojitos, made with real raspberries.  I bet I had 10 of them while I was there*, and each one was slightly different.  Yum!

—————————————–

*I should probably note that, although my employer pays for our meals while we’re away… drinks are on us.  I spent a pretty penny on wine and cocktails this trip.  I just didn’t want y’all to think we were pulling an Enron or something!