Toad the Wet Sprocket, Chicago

Venue: The Vik Theatre, Chicago IL. Cool and antiquey, kind of like the Opera House in Toronto. There are interesting fixtures and lots of intricate details on the walls, but I’m not sure how I feel about the huge disco ball. The best part of the show was the padded seating and unobstructed view from the balcony. I’m too old to stand and crane my neck for the duration of a concert, so sitting down and still being able to see is fantastic!

view from the balcony

Sound: The instruments were well balanced with Glen’s crisp and clear vocals. I was particularly impressed with the addition of the ukulele, keyboard and other random instruments played by Kingham; they really brightened the tunes – just lovely! Best of all, the overall volume was appropriate, so we didn’t need earplugs!

Set List: The band focused on a variety of hits from each album, with a number of new songs added sporadically.

Best songs of the night: Something’s Always Wrong, Crowing, Brother

Songs I could have lived without: Nightingale Song, Rare Bird

Best new songs: The Moment, California Wasted

Notable missing songs: Fly From Heaven, Throw It All Away 

The Bad: The worst, most unattractive venue “security” people I’ve ever seen or heard.

The Best: When asked by a fan “Is Glen coming out soon?”, the (worst) venue person saying “9 times out of 10 they say they are coming out and they never do”. Lady (if I can call you a lady)…you’re a jerk. Relax! He’s on his way and you’re clearly trying to deter fans from lingering and pushing them out of the venue. Shortly after that, the whole band came out. We were soon directed to form a queue UP a flight of stairs (why?) and we filtered down until we all got to meet each band memeber and get autographs and photos with them.

The Weird: Glen and Dean asking us about Rob Ford.

Can’t wait to catch these guys on their next tour. Maybe it will be in Toronto…and maybe they will be touring with the Gin Blossoms. Wee!

Vik Marquee

Food: Pret a Manger... lunch, yes! Breakfast, no.

Location: Clark and Monroe + other locations

Order: Steel cut oats and a 12oz skim latte ($5) + various lunches (usually <$15)

Service: Great!

I’ve never had bad service at this kind of fancy lunch spot. Someone always greets you when you enter, whether the place is empty or there’s a huge crowd and they’re attempting to replenish the fresh sandwiches and hot soups. They’re really into service with a smile, even when they’re asking you if you need a bag. Great service.

Flavour Experience: Some mediocre, some awesome!

Breakfast - I’ll start with the bad – my breakfast trial this morning has been a complete failure. Steel cut oats are a big deal and are offered for breakfast at most places in the Loop, so I’ve tried a few. Pret is one of my go-to places for lunch and dinner, but I would never get breakfast from there again! First of all, you pick up the container from the “hot” section of the store, and then ask for the toppings at the register. I wasn’t clear if I only got to pick one kind of topping, or if I could have them all. I could have asked, but the guy was already mumbling and I didn’t want to prolong our conversation. I picked the granola topping, which didn’t even cover the top of my oatmeal. I needed more! This was quite disappointing compared to my usual oats from The Corner Bakery which are loaded with walnuts, almonds, currents and a side of brown sugar. Also, Freshii makes a superior apple cinnamon breakfast oat tub which is chock full of green apples and cinnamon – I’ve had these twice this week! Now I know – Pret’s good for everything except breakfast. The latte was fine, but not as rich and frothy as the one at The Corner Bakery.

Steel cut oats + small latte

Lunch – Pret has a rotating soup menu, so I’ve tried a few of them…favourites include Chicken Noodle and Butternut Squash & Apple. I tried the Mexican Chicken & Cheddar today and didn’t like it at all. Next! There are a few seasonal sandwiches, but for the most part there is a standard selection of freshly made (Made today, gone today). My favourite part about Pret sandwiches is the “Slim” version (half sandwich), so you can mix and match to make a whole. Favourite sandwiches include: Chipotle Chicken, Bacon & Avocado or the California Club. Don't have the holiday ones with the "nut roast stuffing", that stuff sounds good in theory, but is actually not good at all. The stuffing bits had a strange texture which actually made the sandwich inedible for me.

chipotle chicken, bacon and avocado + butternut squash and apple soup

I should also note that Pret makes the best Chicago Style popcorn I’ve ever had: Sharp Cheddar and Caramel, of course. In my opinion, it’s better than Garrett’s. Omg! Another must have is the chocolate chunk cookie. I used to love the Little Cup of Goodness yogurt pot, which was plain greek yogurt, with shredded green apple, cinnamon and granola until I realized it was 300 calories. Delicious, but I probably won’t get it again unless it’s my entire breakfast.

Likely to Return: Yes, regularly for lunch…never for breakfast!

Food: Roly Poly

In the spirit of keeping up with my travels, it’s becoming rather cumbersome to review all the new places I’m trying. I’m going to try and write “express” reviews that mention the highlights and failures of my experiences in CHI town! They will likely be inconsistent (which I hate), but will hit on the key points and allow me to keep up…

Location: LaSalle and Monroe

Order: Hot rolled chipotle chicken sandwich + small seafood bisque for <$10

Delicious!

Service: Good

A friendly chef was ready to take my order before I’d even placed it or paid for it. I guess he was trying to be efficient. The credit terminal was failing, so it was several minutes and a long line of people behind me before my order was actually paid for. The friendly chef continued to take orders from the kitchen window. I heard someone submit a Groupon, and get their lunch for $1.50, which made me envious and realize that I should sign up for Chicago rather than the Toronto mailing list. Side note – I just found a groupon that will provide me with 3 lunch combos for $17.25. Excellent.

Flavour Experience: Good

Overall, I was happy with this place – the lobster bisque was surprisingly rich and full of flavour. It was a bit heavy on the cream and a bit more sweetness (think cornbread!) than I was expecting. I would still recommend it. The rolled sandwich, which is a wrap, took longer to prepare than I would have liked, but the end result was fresh and delicious. I asked for a side of salsa as an alternative to the ranch that originally went with the chipotle wrap; I only had a few bites dipped in salsa, but the wrap didn’t need it!

Likely to Return: Yes!

I will soon have a Groupon for 3 more visits!

Food: BenjYehuda

Location: LaSalle and Monroe

Visited: November 13, 2013

Service: Helpful, good suggestions
This place has an assembly line ordering system similar to that of Subway. This seems to be a common trend among Middle Eastern eateries, so no surprises here. Service was quick and efficient and the server spoke coherently (always a positive for me!) It was my first visit, so the guy there nice enough to explain my options. When I was unsure about whether or not I wanted any red cabbage salad, he encouraged me to try it, saying “it’s good!”. I like that.

Atmosphere: Dark and modern
For a quick lunch, I don’t care about the ambience that much. In fact, I prefer a quiet locale, although that doesn’t exactly scream great reviews. There were a number of tables and stools available, and since it wasn’t jammed like Starbucks, I was more inclined to sit down. While I was sitting at a booth, I noticed a few pedestrians walk up and try to open the door, but then they walked away. I almost did the same thing, since the wind was blowing so hard that it seemed like the entrance was actually locked. That’s probably not great for new business.

Order: Chicken Laffa
A grilled flatbread filled with my choice of toppings. I included hummus, Jerusalem salad (cucumber), corn salad, mediterranean pickles, tomato, cabbage sauce, tahini and hot sauce.

chicken laffa unwrapped

Prices: Medium
I opted for a middle of the road order – it was $8.30 with tax. Other options would have been falafel (less) or steak (more) on a pita or in a box format. In my opinion, this is an average lunch price, and would be willing to pay for it again.

Deliciousness: Good
I had high hopes, as I selected this place based on Yelp reviews. I’ve had my share of shawarma and other Mediterranean options, and at first bite, I would have raved about the flavours and how they exceeded my expectations. By the end of the wrap, I was wondering whether my enthusiasm was actually the result of waiting until 2pm to have lunch. The toppings were actually lacking the punch I’ve come to expect from pickled turnips and cabbage; the good news is that I didn’t receive a sodium overload, which is common at American establishments.

Overall rating: Average
If I was at home, an $8 lunch would be on the low-to-medium side since it’s more of a fast food meal. The laffa was comparable to other fast food meals in size and equivalent in value to the average shawarma joint. I would return to BenjYehuda, because the food was solid in flavour and satisfying. The downside for me was that it wasn’t anything I haven’t had before – just another acceptable shawarma in my books. Overall it was a tasty lunch, however not good enough for me to rush back within the next week.

Food: Devon Seafood Grill

Location: Wabash and Chicago

Visited: November 12, 2013

Service: Friendly but not well informed

I’ve perused this menu several times in the past while looking for the ultimate seafood joint, but the fancy look has always deterred me from entering. I decided to call in an order from my hotel a few blocks away since Yelp told me that they do take-out…exactly what I’m looking for when I’m travelling on my own! The person that answered put me on hold several times, which led me to believe they must have been quite busy. When she finally took my order and I asked for suggestions, she didn’t seem to know what to recommend, so I made my own choices after obsessing over the menu and many Yelp reviews.

Atmosphere: Dark and contemporary

I walked over after about 15 minutes to pick up my order and was told to inquire at the bar. The bartenders tried to serve me cocktails immediately; after all, it was $7 signature martini night. I passed on the temptation of an Asian pear martini since they will also be available on Friday evening! The dining area was moderately busy with lots of business types milling about. The bar area was empty (other than me), but featured a nice looking cocktail menu and smooth white countertop that I found very appealing.

Order: Lobster Cobb Salad w/ side of lobster mac and cheese

By the time I got back to my hotel, the curly macaroni was luke warm, and was fairly absent of lobster. I could have easily passed on this $5 side order; I knew I should have opted for the highly recommended lobster bisque! The cobb salad was full of large succulent piece of lobster…far more than I anticipated. The bits of applewood smoked bacon were a plenty and avocado and dressing really smoothed everything out. A very rich salad which had high moments (lobster) and low moments (ranch dressing)… generally a delectable salad, although trying this once was enough for me.

lobster cobb salad

side of lobster mac and cheese

Prices: Medium-High

Seafood and steak restos run up a high tab rather quickly in this city. The entrée sized salad ($23) and side order of mac and cheese ($5) came to $30.94 with tax and no tip for takeout.

Deliciousness: Above average

Both dishes tasted like they had less salt than the average resto meal – I know that’s a sad statement, but my salt expectation is now at a dangerously high level when I eat out in Chicago! Otherwise, the taste-rating for the salad was very high with the absence of the hardboiled egg halves thrown in. The lobster to salad-bite ratio was greater than one-to-one, which is unheard of. I didn’t have to ration my lobster pieces, and each fork had a good amount of each ingredient. The combination of the bacon and lobster was the clincher… I would recommend this as a meal to try, even though it is quite rich. Not a bad choice, but I’d like to try something else next time – especially that lobster bisque.

Overall rating: Good

The concierge mentioned that Devon would be a preferable choice to McCormick’s across the street, although I’m not sure what that statement was based on. While I enjoyed the salad, I must say that Devon can’t compete with Shaw’s Crab House in the seafood arena. On a positive note, Devon was slightly more affordable and offered generous portions of lobster in my entrée. I would return after further investigation of other seafood options in River North, and there are many!

Reading: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Author: Mindy Kaling

Style: Honest and silly

Let’s just be clear that this book isn’t an intellectual read or very deep and insightful. I got the e-book because I’d followed Mindy’s blog for a while, but shortly after finding it, lost track of the bookmark and stopped reading online blogs in general (ironic.). A similar story follows from my experience with The Mindy Project, which also has a number of hilarious and relatable moments, but inevitably carries a joke on for too long and soon loses my interest. I generally enjoyed the informal whimsical narrative; the placement of “Oh my god.” at the end of a sentence made me feel like I could hear Mindy reciting passages from the book - I liked that. It made for a casual read that was easily picked up while on transit or trying to fall asleep. The book was segmented into unrelated chunks and stories which made it easy to start and stop as needed.

Content: Mindy’s anecdotes on family life, dating and career struggles

Just like the Mindy Project, I found the same pattern with this book. Extremely relatable content, however somewhat tiresome in the areas that were too serious or what I considered “not interesting”. I was less interested in the details of Mindy’s career, hoping to hear about her traumatic (and funny) experiences, social observation and random lists. She herself acknowledges her penchant for making lists, which I also share…perhaps we are more alike than I had thought!

Desire to finish: 100%

The fact that I finished this one so quickly means that despite my commentary, I did really enjoy the book. It kept me smiling and wanting to get to the next disparaging comment. What else do you think about, Mindy?

Other comments: Tell us more about how a one-night stand could murder you at your own apartment.

Overall recommendation: Read it.