Game 7 – Monday, April 29, 2013

Cubs vs. Padres 7:05 - Heather, Wigs & Julie

Finally a game without snow boots!  Yea!!!  It was a nice spring night, albeit a little windy.  I still think people dress crazy – shorts, tank tops, tank dress, skirts.  I mean it was warm, but not July warm! 

Cubs back home after a 4-6 road trip (can we play Miami all the time??) to face the 9-15 Padres.  (Cubs were 9-15 going into the game.  Even matchup!)  A 9-game homestand against the Padres, Cincinnati and St. Louis.  We better take advantage of the Padres. 

It must’ve been a lefty pitching because all the slugs were in.  Sappelt – who has a slight edge so far for the MHC (Most Hated Cub) this year.  Not one ball into the stands between innings.  Please go away.  Hairston – who hit a home run and I couldn’t even clap for him.  (Hey – he broke his 0 for 15 streak!)  He’s probably LFC (Least Favorite Cub) vs. MHC.  Cody Ransom.  He’s young, so I at least like him.  I clapped for his home run.  He and Barney had a slick play late in the game to get an out and save a run from scoring. 

Samardzija started and looked kind of shaky (in terms of walks/hits), despite striking out 8.  He has 47 K’s on the season, which is near the top in the NL.  (Yep, too lazy to look up his exact ranking.)  He was followed by Bowden, Camp (who got his era down to 6.97!), Russell and Gregg.  Both Russell & Gregg have 0.00 ERA.  I’m shocked by this.  Especially for Gregg.  Walking out of the park, the announcer was recapping game stats, and the Padres left 11 men on base; the Cubs left 6 men on base.  Yep, kind of evenly matched. 

Game Notes – random occurrences or things we talked about: 

·         On way to the park, the Peanut Vendor on the Rockitt corner says to me as I walk by “I bet you’re sexy without those glasses on.”  Hahahahahha

·         Pittsburgh in 1^st in the Central!  It’s early; give it time. 

·         Padres catcher Nick Hundley is not related to Randy Hundley or Todd Hundley (MHC circa 2001-2002).  Seriously – this guy was never good:  http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/2325/todd-hundley

·         Rule of thumb on getting thrown out of park: 

o   Skinny tatted up guy without shirt on – high probability

o   Drunk 20 somethings (or under 21’s caught drinking) – low probability

·         Big guy in 3^rd row couldn’t let go of the fact that some dude didn’t bring a cup of Cheese with the pretzel.  Ok, maybe funny the 1^st time you said it.  But after the 30^th “No cheese”, not so much.

·         Who is Julio Borbon??  I don’t know, but he had a pretty good throw in to 2^nd base on a hit to right field.  He’s making $496,000. 

·         When did Cody Ransom get called up?  He’s making $550,000.

o   And while running across that tidbit – Darwin Barney is making $562,000.  No wonder he has to eat at RJ Grunts.

o   Trish – did you know Darwin was born in Portland?? 

·         Kevin Gregg is 34. 

·         The wave at Wrigley is starting way too early.  Meaning April.  And 6^th inning.  While the Cubs are batting.  Fools.

Recap:

Cubs win 5-3.

Weather was windy, but warm.

Trish & John sold parking for $20 to Eric, who is quickly becoming a regular, and $25 for the other spot.

My season record:  Visitors 4, Cubs 3.  Almost to .500!

Next up:  Hawks play at the same time as Cubs on Tuesday night.  Dilemma! 

Detour to NY – April 26-28, 2013

Detour to NY – April 26-28, 2013

Saturday, April 27^th is Kevin’s cousin’s son’s 1^st communion in Riverdale, NY.  Kev & I decided to make the trip.  Kev more from the family aspect, me from the dining aspect.  We had planned to get in around 9:00 PM, and I thought we’d grab a late dinner at Babbo, which is a Mario Batali restaurant recommended by Heather. 

Kevin was flying United and I was on American.  His work now requires him to use United, so we are a family divided when it comes to flying.  Unfortunately, we were sequestered.  Or just delayed because of Friday night traffic at O’Hare.  Fortunately both of us were delayed about the same amount of time, and we ended up landing within minutes of each other.  By the time we got to the hotel, it was probably 10:30 or so.  I was starting to panic that the restaurant would be closing their kitchen soon (I thought I read somewhere that it closed at 11:30).  And so by the time we got to the restaurant, it was about 11:15.  It was mobbed.  I went from panicking about getting there in time to eat, to panicking about getting a table!  Fortunately, we grabbed a couple newly opened seats at the bar which worked out perfectly.  We love eating at the bar. 

We started with an appetizer “compliments of the chef” of BBQ Chickpea Bruschetta.  I have no idea if that’s what it was called, but that’s what it looked/tasted like.  Yum –EEE.  Then we split an Arugula salad with smoky cheese.  For entrees, I had the Branzino (fish), while Kevin had the Fettucine with Stinging Nettles (asparagus and prosciutto).  Everything was really, really good.  It was getting late, and we were being picked up at 10:30 the next morning, so we didn’t walk around much or see anything else.  We Uber’d a car back to the hotel. 

We stayed at the Club Quarters right across from the World Trade Center.  Saturday morning, we walked around a little, and went into Trinity church. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_Church,_New_York

Then we went to the WTC memorial – got in line around 9:30 and it took us almost half an hour to get into the sight (which opened at 10).  There were metal detectors, show your ticket 3 times, snake through lines, etc.  The park is really pretty; the pools/waterfalls are beautiful. The names of all the people, firehouse #’s, ladder #’s, battalion #’s, etc. were etched into the “rails” surrounding the waterfalls.  It was moving and emotional.   Very nicely done.  The one thing that bugged me was people posing for their Christmas card photos in front of the falls.  Really??  I don’t have words for this.  After the park, we went to the rooftop restaurant of our hotel, which looked right over the memorial park.  Really good view.  Truly incredible to try and imagine the buildings and the airplanes being right there.   We heard on the news that they just found landing gear from one of the planes – can you imagine?  12 years later?!  We didn’t go by where that was, but it seems weird that it wasn’t found before now.  Wow. 

Cousin Tess’s driver Carlos picked us up and off to Riverdale we went.  We dropped our bags at Tess & Marty’s and then walked down to the church to see Ryan eat Jesus.  The priest was horrible, and kept talking about how the bread was the same Jesus that was swaddled in the blanket in Mary’s arms and hanging on the cross.  I’m like “Dude – you’re talking to 7 year olds!!”  So after the fire, brimstone and guilt about showing up for mass on Sunday (um, dude – maybe you’re the reason people don’t want to come??), we went to the lunch party at the Bronx Fieldhouse.  (I think that’s what it was called.)  Very pretty setting, with an open air veranda, overlooking the tennis courts and pool.  Good to see the family and chat with family friends.  After the party, we went back to Tess & Martin’s and hung out there, ordering pizza and salad for dinner.  

Then up the next morning for flight back to Chicago.  Fun weekend – but went by fast!  Back to baseball on Monday night! 

Restaurant 6 - Fork

Restaurant 6 - Fork

Saturday, April 20, 2013 – Lincoln and Wilson in Lincoln Square

So as we continue through this, I am really realizing that we are on a dual track:  to document our fun at attending 40 games and to make sure we don't do any repeat restaurants.  So we'll see how close we are to both 40 games and 40 restaurants.  Fun! 

On Saturday, Kevin and walked over to Lincoln Avenue to see what we could find for dinner and watching the Hawks game.  We stopped in to Bad Apple, and I couldn’t believe how mobbed it was.  It was around 7:30 and probably 3 deep at the bar.  We moved on.  All the places seemed really crowded.  We didn’t want bar food, but something a step up.  And we wanted a tv.  We ended up at Fork, which was also very crowded.  We saw that a couple was paying and so we hovered behind them to grab their bar stools.  Good thing – right after we sat down, it was probably 2 deep behind us. 

Fork bills itself as a craft brew and wine bar, and they had flights of both beers and wines.  We ordered a bottle of French Bordeaux which was very good.  We ordered some charcuterie (Spanish sausages and Spanish cheeses), while waiting for Heather and Wigs.  By the time they arrived, we managed to grab one more seat right next to Kevin, and things started to clear out a little.  Next bottle of wine we ordered was a Tempranillo (to go with our Spanish charcuterie J).  Wigs ordered some kind of beer – it was dark, so maybe a stout? 

For dinner, I ordered popcorn crusted Halibut with fava beans.  It was too salty, and the fish was actually kind of stringy.  Weird.  Kevin ordered Macaroni and Cheese, and he thought it was kind of “bleh”, which I took to mean bland.  Heather ordered tomato soup and a small Mac and Cheese.  And Wigs ordered mushroom soup and Shrimp and Grits.  I like how the serve the soup, where they bring you a bowl that has stuff in it like croutons, mushrooms, etc. and then pour the soup in from a separate carafe.  Unfortunately, Heather’s soup wasn’t hot, and Wigs’ was lukewarm.  He said his Shrimp and Grits were good, but it’s hard to screw that up. 

Overall, like the mac and cheese, the place was “eh”.  I’d probably come back for a wine or beer flight and charcuterie, but not for dinner.  Here is what Heather had to say:

Yeah, I guess tasteless is probably a good word (for the Mac & Cheese). It was pretty blah for pasta & I really like pasta. The soup was cold and not really that good at all. It takes a lot for me to not like tomato soup. I even like canned campbell's tomato soup, so I don't think it's hard to please me in this category...would it have been good if it had been hot? Not sure, but it seems like a simple soup to me, how do you screw this up? How many times has this place changed hands/names? Wasn't it just Fiddlehead (?) over the winter? Now it's Fork, but with the same (essentially the same) menu? I like the big beer/wine list...I guess you can serve mediocre food if your place is packed every weekend night.

Wigs said neither places from the last two nights would be restaurant #41. 

Next weekend, Kev & I are going to NY for cousin’s son’s First Communion.  We are staying in the city on Friday night (near World Trade Center) and my goal is to try and go to Mario Batali’s restaurant Babbo.  Jimmy – if you’re reading this, let us know if you want to meet up!  We get in late – 9:00 to La Guardia.  Sat night, we’ll be at Cousin Tess’s in Riverdale area of the Bronx.  After that, we’ll be back to baseball on April 29^th! 

Restaurant 5 - D’Candela

Restaurant 5 - D’Candela

Friday, April 19, 2013 - D’Candela (4053 N. Kedzie)

We chose this place for a couple reasons:

1.      Shelly went a few weeks ago and said it was great

2.      BYO

3.      It is across the street from the Bistro (where “TJ” (Tuscany John) works and we wanted to watch the Hawks game

They serve Peruvian food, and the place itself was kind of weird – you walk into what looks like a fast-food takeout joint, and then cross into a more cozy dining room.  The menu was way bigger than I expected – 3 full pages with 2 columns each listing chicken, fish, beef, etc.  We started with a plate of ceviche – probably the biggest dish of ceviche I’ve ever seen, and a good value for the price.  There was tons of calamari, a couple shrimp, and something scary looking that we didn’t know what it was.  Wigs ate it.  (Maybe a clam??)  we also had a beef empanada – that was good too.  Really flaky crust stuffed with ground beef and hardboiled egg.  Weird.  There was bread and two dipping sauces on the table – one sweet, and one superhot.

For dinner, Heather had the chicken & mushroom special.  This looked really good.  Wigs had the ribeye, which he said was good, although he was expecting a thicker cut steak.  It was more like a skirt steak.  The yucca (I think that is what it was) in sauce was good, although it wasn’t very warm.  But he did like the sauce mixed with my rice.  I had the grilled tilapia with vegetables and mashed potatoes.  The spices on the fish was really good, but the vegetables were cold and potatoes kind of soupy. 

Heather brought a really good bottle of wine left over from her Napa Valley trip, and Wigs brought some beer.  Overall, the food was OK.  But the service was really sloooooooooow.  I got there about 15 minutes after they did, and they had just gotten the wine key to open the wine.  Took forever for Wigs to get his 2^nd beer out of the frig.  Also the check.   Everything was slow. Considering there were only 3 tables in the place, it shouldn’t have taken that long for things.  Here's what Heather had to say:

D'Candela - I liked my food so I liked this place better (than restaurant #6)....grilled chicken with mushrooms & a red wine sauce....good. Yeah, the service was bad...how long did we sit there between being done & getting the check? That was the longest/worst part. I could have gotten up & asked for a wine key.....so not the biggest deal, just glad we didn't really have any place to be, but generally when I'm done w/dinner I like to be done & get up. I can "lounge, drink more, hang out" somewhere else....like the bar across the street.

After the game, we went to the Bistro, and had some more wine and beers.  Kristen also showed up and we had some lively conversation and watched the Hawks beat Nashville and the Cubs lose to Milwaukee. 

Cubs Rained Out - Thank God!

Cubs Rained Out – Thank God!

Wednesday night’s game was rained out.  I couldn’t bear the thought of trucking down there in the rain and snow boots, so I am very happy they called it early.  Not sure when it will be made up. 

I don’t know how they got Thursday’s game in, but they did.  Cub Win 6-2!!!  Yippee!!  And Soriano hit his first home run.  Yea!

Cubs are heading to Milwaukee, then Cincinnati and then Miami. 

I’m finally caught up on my games, so we better start planning our restaurants.  LMK if anyone has suggestions, and of course everyone is welcome to join us!  Heather is scouting places – she found a couple cards from when we went to Mole Fest in Pilsen last year (where they had live Mexican wrestling with the crazy masks!).   

Next game:  Monday, April 29 vs. SD

Next Restaurant/Game combo:  Friday, May 3 vs. CIN.  I think we are heading to Pilsen if anyone wants to join us!! 

Game 6 – Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Game 6 – Tuesday, April 16, 2013 vs. Texas Rangers

Back to winter coats, hats and boots.  My sister-in-law gave me a pair of snow boots for Christmas this year.  I think I only wore them once during the entire winter, but boy have they come in handy for the Cubs season.  Thanks Tracy!!! 

We all got tacos for dinner.  Heather & Wigs go to the place under the el tracks on Addison.  We don’t know what it’s called, so Wigs took a photo for me on the way out of the game:

 

Good News – the Cubs got rid of Lillebridge! 

Bad News – the Cubs signed Kevin Gregg!  Really??  I think he was in the running for my MHC title in 2009.  Seven blown saves for the Cubs that year (out of 30 tries).  Yes, I looked that up, which then takes me down a total rabbit hole.  Check out the roster and pitching staff that year. 

Batting:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/stats/batting/_/name/chc/year/2009/chicago-cubs

Milton Bradley!  Wonder if that was the burrito year?

Pitching:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/stats/pitching/_/name/chc/year/2009/chicago-cubs

Ah, memories…

Attendance has been way down this year, which isn’t a surprise given the crappy weather and crappy team.  I should modify that to say crappy bullpen.  While it’s nice to have the extra room to spread out, I’ve realized the downside of this is that you can hear every stupid conversation going on in the entire right field (vs. the usual case where you only hear the stupidity going on behind or in front of you). 

Heather wants to start a blog or website about how girls shouldn’t wear leggings or jeggings. 

During the 8^th inning, they played Sweet Caroline.  At first I thought it was more evidence of Theo trying to turn us into Boston.  But then realized it was a tip of the cap to the tragedy Boston endured and is recovering from.  Weird, but whatever.  I think the fans were too drunk to realize it. 

I was really hoping that drunk dancing girl would fall down the stairs. 

Kevin is somehow now in love with this team.  They have Heart.  They are Trying so hard.  They never give up. 

To his credit – the starting pitching has been pretty good.  And tonight, the Cubs did load the bases in the bottom of the 9^th with 2 outs, and there we were (all 1000 of us left in the stadium).  Yelling for Darwin Barney in his return from the DL.  What a great story that would make.  And he hits it to center…… And it’s caught.  Sigh.  I do agree with Kevin that it’s good to see that they haven’t given up in April, but it’s frustrating that the outcomes are the same. 

I know I sound cynical and I really do love the Cubs and baseball.  Maybe I’ll cheer up when it stops raining and being cold. 

Recap:

Cubs lost 4-2.

Weather was cold and rainy.

Trish & John sold parking for $30 (to a repeat customer already!) and $25 for 2^nd spot.

My season record:  Visitors 4, Cubs/Snow boots 2

Detour to a Hawks Game, Restaurant 4 - bellyQ

Monday, April 15, 2013

We are detouring from our Cubs games to go to a Hawks game!  But not from our Restaurant quest.  We are counting this as #4.

Heather/Wigs chose bellyQ – it’s pretty close to the stadium, so a perfect choice. 

Description:  Forged from a unique partnership between Chef Bill Kim, Cornerstone Restaurant Group and Michael Jordan, bellyQ redefines Asian barbecue.

http://www.bellyqchicago.com/

We had previously been to Belly Shack, and Heather/Wigs have been to Urban Belly – all same Chef.  The first thing we noticed on entering the building is how big it was!  The other places were smaller, and we just assumed this would be the same.  Heather told our server if we would’ve known it was so big, we would’ve come sooner.

Appetizers:

Asian Pancake – with Kimchee, Bacon and Salad

Ramen Noodle Soup in bacon broth with pastrami, egg and dumplings

Sides:

Kimchee

Spinach with Quinoa and Chinese Sausage

Dinner:

Spicy Lemongrass Chicken

Braised Lamb Shank with Red Thai Curry & Chickpeas

Korean Short Rib

Everything was really, really good.  We shared all appetizers and entrees, and there was plenty of food for the four of us.  I think the chicken was everyone’s favorite.  For Wigs, the lamb was a close second.  I loved the sauce that came with the lamb (Red Thai Curry & Chickpeas).  Kimchee was spicy, as was the chicken. 

 The short ribs were definitely least favorite, but they weren’t terrible – just kind of thin, and I don’t think there was much flavor.  Maybe I should have used some of the Fire Sauce on the table.  (Don’t know what it was called, but it was hot!)

After dinner, we drove just a few blocks to the secret free parking space, and walked to the stadium.  We needed to rush but landed in our seats just in time for the National Anthem. 

Hawks took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission (Toews goal).  And then the kids competition – I love this one.  This kids in hockey gear race to the other end of the rink, around a cone, then on the return have to dive under cones holding a hockey stick, and have to jump over another set of boxes holding the hockey stick.  It’s a relay, and the last leg is done by the goalie.  Poor kid is always gassed by the time they get back to starting line.  Haha.   

It was 2-1 Hawks at the second intermission (Stalberg), and time to shoot the goals during intermission.  Always some chick in crazy high heels.  I don’t know how she could walk on solid ground in those, let alone on ice.  But she was walking normally, and not like some teenager wearing her first pair of heels.  We went downstairs to people watch, and saw Kev’s hockey buddies James and Silent Mike.  Good thing Kevin/Wigs decided to come to the Party that time. 

Third period the Hawks scored 3 more goals (Shaw, Hjalmarsson and Hossa).  One of which was an empty netter.  That was hilarious – it was close about 3 or 4 times before it finally went in and the crowd’s response each time they missed was cracking me up.  I almost felt sorry for Dallas!  Both Dallas goals scored by Benn.  Game was closer than score made it look. 

Recap: 

Hawks win 5-2!!!

Dinner at bellyq

It was raining.  Again. 

Game 5 – Sunday, April 14, 2013

Best weather of the week so far!  We could take our coats off and soak up the sun.  Box score said it was 42 degrees, but with the sun, it felt like mid to upper 60’s.  And there was extra innings – Free Baseball as Trish calls it!!

We started out the day at Bernie’s (shocking!) to watch the 1^st two periods of the Hawks game.  Trish & JO stopped in to say hello.  JO was heading to MI, so Trish was responsible for letting the cars out of the garage today.  Stay sober Trish!  We went into the park at 1:15.  Good crowd but we still had no problems finding 4 seats together.  And Wigs and I got chocolate handed to us on the way in - milk chocolate, a butter biscuit and a marzipan.  That's a good sign, right?

As for the game itself, here is what Joey Nowak of MLB.com had to say about today’s game:

“By the end, a balk was really all that remained.

The Cubs had been hurt from the mound in just about every conceivable way -- wild pitches, walks, a passed ball and a home run -- up until that point in the 10th inning before the last blow proved to be the most devastating.”

Ouch.  Supposedly, Camp’s spike got caught on the balk.  OK – the only non-rainy day in about 8 weeks??  On the good side of things, the Cubs did get off to a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the first.  On the bad side of things, there were 5 wild pitches in the 6^th inning.  A Major League record!  Well.  The Cubs did re-take the lead in the bottom of the 8^th, but the Giants tied it up in the 9^th on a Hunter Pence homer.  Boo.  The Giants then scored 3 runs in the 10^th, and the Cubs couldn’t overcome. 

Kev & I stuck it out til the end of the game.  If the sun wasn’t shining, I don't know if I would've stayed for all 10 innings.

The Cubs were in all four of these Giants games, and they kept coming back in this one.  Their bullpen is bad.  The sun makes all the difference in the world though, and it was a really enjoyable day.  Except for the guy behind me who kept burping really loudly. 

Recap:

Cubs lost 10-7.

Weather was sunny and pleasant.

Trish & John sold parking for $30 per spot – Opening Day prices!! 

My season record:  Visitors 3, Cubs 2

Game 4, Restaurant 3 - El Maya

Saturday, April 13, 2013 vs. San Francisco Giants.  Jeff Samardzija vs. Madison Bumgarner.  I always thought it was Baumgartner.  Huh.  Heather, Wigs, Kevin, Julie at the game.  Another gray, chilly day in Chicago – box score said 38 degrees and wind at 16 mph.  This has been an awful April.  At least today I wore my winter coat.  Maybe the schedulers will realize it’s a dumb idea to schedule 12 home games in April in Chicago.  Heather & I had this discussion yesterday:  we are amazed at how poorly people dress for these games.  Some people in just hoodies or fleece jackets.  They have to be freezing.  Today, I brought these reusable handwarmers that Santa got me for Christmas. 

 

Kind of weird – you “pop” this metal thing in the warmer (lower left corner of photo), and then it fills up with white foam.  If you put it in your glove or pocket, it gets really hot!  And then to re-use it, you have to put it in water, bring to boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Which Kevin felt the need to do at 10:30 PM that night when we got home.

Samardzija wasn’t as sharp as he had been, but only gave up 2 runs and struck out 5.  And we learned today that Jerry Hairston, oops, I mean Scott Hairston doesn’t know how to hit the cutoff man when throwing in from right field.  And that Hairston and Sappelt (the “D” team when lefties are pitching) are not fan-friendly and did not throw ANY balls to the fans after warming up between innings.  There is some serious competition for MHC (Most Hated Cub) this year.

Bright spot in the game:  for the 2^nd day in a row, Dioner Navarro hit a pinch hit home run.  The organist was playing The Beatles “Yesterday” when he came to bat. 

Cubs lose 3-2, after Steve Clevenger struck out while clutching his back and falling to the ground at home plate.  Yikes – he was clearly in pain and had to be helped off the field.  I like him, so I hope it’s a minor injury. 

Other funny game happenings: 

·         The giveaway was the Darwin Barney Gold Glove, and we saw 2 people buying them from people in the bleachers.  The one guy looked homeless and said he bought his ticket for $15, so that’s what he would sell the glove for.  They negotiated down to $12. 

·         The couple in front of us were inhaling hot dogs with mustard, and it was all over her face and his hands.  He was literally licking the palms of his hand to get the mustard off.  Gross dude!!!  Get a napkin!  And seriously, when was your last meal?! 

After the game, we went to Bernie’s (where else), where the back garden was closed again.  Based on cold and crowds, they really didn’t need to be open, but it still seemed weird.     

The inevitable question:  where to go for dinner?  After way too much time trying to figure it out (and again, part of the reason for this blog…), we decided upon El Maya over on Montrose, just east of Ashland.  It’s a BYO Mexican place.  We walked there with a stop at our house to feed the mongrels.  Liquor store right next door to restaurant where Kevin /Wigs picked up some beer and red wine.  Our friend JO joined us (after collecting his parking fees and letting the cars out of hock, er garage). 

This was a cute, colorful place with good service and really good food.  Spinach seemed to be in almost every dish.  For appetizers, we had Guacamole, Pulpo and Abondigas (meatballs!).  From the menu description:  Mexican mini meatballs made with chorizo, boiled eggs and epazote. Topped with an arbol salsa and mojo de ajo. Served with toasted garlic bread.

My description:  YUM!!

For dinner, we had a good variety of choices.  Everyone thought it was great, and most of us had leftovers. 

Heather & JO – Piramide 

From the menu description:  Three layers of shredded stewed chicken with melted Chihuahua cheese and three layers of golden corn tortillas. Served over a mole poblano sauce accompanied by arroz verde and spinach.   

Heather’s Description:  Like a mexican lasagna or an enchilada in the shape of a pie.

Wigs – Molcajete

From the menu description:  Your choice of grilled chicken breast, skirt steak, or Atlantic shrimp with melted Chihuahua cheese, grilled cactus and scallion onions, diced cilantro and white onions. Topped with a colcajete salsa. Served with corn tortillas and black beans.

JO’s Description:  a big bowl of meat (and he was jealous of Wigs’ choice)

Julie – Pechuga de Puebla

From the menu description:  Pan seared chicken breast filled with spinach over a creamy poblano salsa. Served with garlic potatoe puree, wilted spinach and sauteed mushrooms.

Kevin – Pollo Oaxaqueño

From the menu description:  Pan seared chicken breast stuffed with sauteed mushrooms and Mexican squash, topped with roasted tomato honey chipotle salsa and melted chihuhua cheese. Served with cilantro potatoes and wilted spinach.

Kristen & Trish joined us towards the end of dinner and then they and JO headed over to Shelly & Joe’s for post-dinner drinks.  Joe was pushing some new Caribbean rum and apparently the details are fuzzy after that.  I think they stayed way too late and Uber’d a car home.  Ha ha.  We went home and Kevin boiled his handwarmers. 

Recap:

Cubs lost 3-2.

Weather was cold but no rain.

Trish & John sold parking for $25 per spot.

Dinner at El Maya. 

My season record:  Visitors 2, Cubs 2

Game 3, Restaurant 2 - Socca

Game 3, Restaurant 2

Friday, April 12 vs. San Francisco.  Heather & Julie at the game.  Came unprepared in terms of coat and raingear.  It was kind of sunny when I left the house.  The radio said a high of 48!!!  I should've worn my winter coat.  And brought a rain poncho.  Will I never learn??  The rain seemed to change direction every half-inning, and I still have my stupid $25 umbrella bought in St. Louis years ago that is broken and kept turning inside out.  I can't seem to lose this umbrella, but manage to leave every new one I buy on the bus.  Heather was thankful I didn't poke her in the eye. 

After the Giants pulled ahead with a three-run rally in the top of the ninth, pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro tied it up for the Cubs with a home run.  Yippee!!  David DeJesus got a hit and Starlin Castro hit a walk-off double scoring DeJesus for the win.  All off uber-closer Sergio Romo.    

What an exciting win!!  These are few and far between so we have to enjoy while we can.  On to Bernie's for celebratory beers (too cold to drink at the game!).  Wigs met us while we tried to figure out where to go for dinner (and this idea was born).  Kevin traveling home from Houston and able to get on the earlier flight leaving Houston at 3:30. 

Dinner Winner:  Socca!  We had to travel the gauntlet of Clark Street (south of Addison, with the strip of bars and drunkards) into the relatively quiet (by comparison) intersection at School Street.  We've been here before, and thought the food and atmosphere was great.  We like to sit at the bar for dinner and chat with bartenders and other regulars.  We couldn't sit at the bar right away, but soon enough, 4 seats cleared up for us.  We order a pizza appetizer (Smosh - chickpeas and spinach - yum!) while waiting for Kevin. 

After Kevin landed, he went home to lose the luggage (although last time we were here, Wigs showed up with luggage), and feed the mongrels.  When Kevin arrived, we ordered our entrees:

·         Sea Scallops for Julie:  with english pea puree, cremini mushrooms, jalapeno bacon, asparagus, pickled red onion.  Yum!

·         Gnocchi for Wigs: Bolognese sauce with whipped goat cheese  

Heather & Kevin ordered off the specials listed on the chalkboard, so I don’t have as detailed of a description on those:

·         Pistachio encrusted chicken for Heather

·         Seafood pasta for Kevin.  He said it was great and there were tons of scallops and shrimp.

Recap:

Cubs win 4-3 on Castro walk-off double.

Weather was cold and rainy.

Trish & John sold parking for $20 per spot.

Dinner at Socca. 

My season record:  Cubs 2, Visitors 1