Game 29 - Cubs vs. Brewers

Game 29

Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Heather, Wigs, Kevin & Julie

Second game of a day/night doubleheader. The Cubs lost the day game of the doubleheader 6-5 after the Brewers scored 4 in the 7th to take the lead and win the game. This was after last night’s game when the Brewers scored 5 in the 9th to take the lead and eventually win. Oh boy, let’s see what tonight brings.

First things first: Luche Libra mask giveaway. I have no idea if that’s the right name, but that’s what I’m calling it! I don’t even know who/what that is. Mexican wrestling mask modeled by dude in front of us:

I think they were only giving them away to bleacher fans, but the bleachers were still pretty empty and they had tons of masks left when I came in the gates around 6:59 PM for a 7:05 PM game. Kev got there at some point in the first inning, and H/Wigs in 2nd or 3rd, and they were all able to get masks too.

Cubs debut of Jake Arrieta, who the Cubs got from the Orioles in the Scott Feldman trade. He actually pitched a good game, not giving up any runs until 1 in the 5th. And that was all he gave up. He went 6 innings and only gave up 2 hits! Bowden came in for the Cubs, and only gave up 1 hit, 2 walks with 4 strikeouts in 2 innings. Why did I feel like he was doing worse than that?

In the bottom of the 7th, Cody (#1 in my heart) Ransom and Cole (#2, he’s no Theriot) Gillespie reached base on back-to-back errors by the Brewers. Then a passed ball and they both moved up. Barney grounded out and David DeJesus doubled to right scoring Cody and Cole. Cubs leading 2-1. Cubs hung on to this into the 9th inning, when in comes Kevin Gregg. Fasten those seatbelts as Pat Hughes would say. Oh and the Father and Son in front of Heather put their game faces/rally caps on:

Single. Pinch Runner. Fly out. Strike out. PH singles. Walk. Bases now loaded. Bianchi hits line-drive to Starlin, who does the full extension dive to his right and closes his glove as the ball pops out. Two runs score. Before Bianchi, I said to Kevin, “I’m leaving if they score.” He said “me too”. Off we went, to miss out on the Cubs bottom of the 9th:

Pop out. Strike out. Single. Strike out. Buh bye.

Good News: DeJesus 2 hits, Navarro 3 hits, Arrieta pitching, Arrieta sac fly.

Bad News: Lake 3 SO’s, Rizzo 2 SO’s, Assorted others 4 SO’s for 9 on the night. Castro caught stealing (again). 19 men left on base. Yikes. Gregg – goes without saying. (His ERA is 3.05 by the way – those early games where he didn’t give up any runs are really helping him out now…)

This is the first sweep of doubleheader since 6/28/11, when they were swept by Giants..

One more against the Brew Crew. And trading deadline 3:00 Wednesday!!! Please take Gregg, please?!

Recap:

Cubs Lose 3-2

My season record: Visitors 19, Cubs 10 

Game 28 - Cubs vs. Milwaukee

Game 28
Monday, July 29, 2013
Heather, Wigs, Randy, Kevin & Julie

It feels like forever since I’ve been to a game. I guess it’s been 17 days, which kind of is a long time for me. So I was looking forward to a nice night at the park and playing the Brewers, who are worse than the Cubs, so we should have a pretty good chance. According to Paul Sullivan (who is leaving the Cubs beat – boo!!):
The Cubs had the fourth-best record in the NL since May 26, trailing only the Dodgers, Cardinals and Pirates. And there are those 20 blown saves that can't be erased.

Samardzija was on the mound, and Wigs was hearing on the radio that even though he has a long-term contract, his name was still swirling around with the trade rumors. He ended up with a no-hitter through 4, giving up a hit to Caleb Gindl with 2 outs in the Top of the 5th . Serves us right cuz we were commenting on how short this guy was (he’s the new right fielder). Randy called him Ron Cey – the Penguin. Hahahaha. Randy thought it was the 4th game in a row where our starting pitcher made it to the 5th without giving up a hit. Close – here is what Paul Sullivan had to say:

Samardzija kept up the Cubs' dominant starting pitching that began over the weekend in San Francisco.
Chris Rusin allowed no runs over seven innings on Saturday and Travis Wood allowed no earned runs over seven on Sunday. Monday marked the first time the Cubs had three straight starters with at least seven innings and no earned runs allowed since Bill Hands, Milt Pappas and Juan Pizarro did it on Aug. 3-5, 1971.

Interesting. The game was moving along pretty well (I guess no hits will do that…), and we were all hopeful to make it home at a reasonable hour. Well, 5th inning started to slow things down. Samardz was pretty solid and pitched 7 innings allowing 3 hits and striking out 7. The Cubs wasted plenty of opportunities, stranding 9 guys. They are hitting .107 (9 for 84) with runners in scoring position since the All Star break. Yikes.

Scoreless into the 9th inning and by this time, the game was really dragging. I went from “Yea, I haven’t been to a game in forever!” to “OMG, I have 6 straight days of Cubs games this week” in a matter of 3 hours and 5 minutes. Strop came in during the 9th and quickly proceeded to give up a run and then our friend the Penguin bunted to load the bases after throw to 3rd pulled Valbuena off the bag. Grindl was 2-3 on the night. Bianchi (who has a weird pronunciation of this name – I thought it was “Bee-on-kee”, but on the radio this morning it was “Bee-yankee”) doubled home 2 runs and Rickie Weeks doubled in 2 more before we got out of the inning. 5-zip bottom of the 9th. This is so Cubs. A pretty close, tight game gets blown wide open in the top of the 9th spoiling a nice outing by Samardz. I guess better then vs. top of the 1st…

Cubs did nothing in the 9th – well Darwin walked, and then Castillo grounded into double play, followed by PH Borbon flying out to center.

Funny game event: After the bottom of the first inning, the left field doors opened and the ground crew came running out to re-do the lines between home and first. Never saw that before!

Trade deadline approaching quickly, so we’ll see what the rest of this week brings!!!

Recap:

Cubs Lose 5-0
My season record: Visitors 18, Cubs 10
Parking update: No update…

Restaurant #21 – Cosina Grill

Restaurant #21 – Cosina Grill
Friday, July 26, 2013
Heather, Wigs, Kevin & Julie

Finally – we’ve passed the halfway point in our restaurant quest!! Wigs and I were trying to figure out a place to go while we were waiting for our respective spouses. We chose Cosina Grill, a BYO Mexican place at 1706 W. Foster. Their description: Mexican gastronomy with a touch of contemporary flavors. All dishes come from recipes passed down through generations in the families of the owners.

The décor was warm – kind of darkly lit with lots of oranges and reds, and decorated with cool pictures. We started with guacamole and queso fundido with chorizo. The guac was really fresh and flavorful. Queso was as you’d expect – kind of greasy. I just tried a small bit of that, but everyone else filled the corn tortillas with the gooey mess and said it was good.

For entrees:
Heather – Enchilada Trio – one steak with mole sauce, one chicken with green mole, and one plantain and Caribe cheese with guajillo mole covered w/fresh cheese. The presentation was cute on these – red, green and yellow.
Wigs – Carne Asada with (I think..) black mole sauce
Kevin – Adobe chicken enchiladas
Julie – Tilapia Hidalguense - Wrapped in cornhusks and filled with fresh herbs, nopalitos, onions, fresh garlic and medium spice arbol sauce. This was awesome – enough kick to it to feel the burn, but not enough to want me to ask for a glass of milk. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been hot enough for wigs 

All dishes came with black beans and rice, except mine which came with rice and potatoes. Because if you’re ordering fish, apparently you need more starch. It was all really good, and with BYO, totally affordable. This one for sure is worth a repeat. I like their web address:
http://co-si-na.com/

After dinner, we walked down to Big Jim’s (or was it Big Joe’s???). They had turtle races going that night. Which I thought were hilarious when I was 20-something. Now I just felt sorry for the turtles – they were in this cardboard box and taken out for the races and then back in the box when it was over. Poor things. The guy putting them on the table and back in the box actually put plastic gloves on to handle them. I don’t want to think about why. Ick. And the announcer was pretty annoying – you were either a Turtle Virgin or a Turtle Whore. OK, funny the first time he said it, but after the 50th time, it got old. The bar was pretty crowded though and each time you bought a drink, you got a ticket that went into the pool that they drew from to participate in the turtle races. Heather won! She gave the ticket to a guy we were chatting with at the bar and let him do the race. He was a Turtle Whore. Their turtle lost. (If you won, you got a t-shirt – not sure if it was just the bar name on the shirt or something about the races.)

Anyways – we watched the end of the Cub game (Cubs win!), and then headed home. Fun night. Great dinner.

Restaurant #20 - PitchFork

Restaurant #20 – PitchFork

Sunday, July 21, 2013
Heather, Wigs, Kevin & Julie

It was a beautiful day in Chicago, and we wanted to spend some time outside. Kev had to leave for Houston this afternoon, so we decided to find a lunch spot outside before he left. We thought about Cantina Pasadita, which is on Irving about 3000 west. Wigs called them to find out if they had outdoor tables, and the guy said Yes, they had 2. So Kev & I hopped on the bus, and Heather/Wigs walked over. When we got there, sign said open at 4. Hmmm. We texted Wigs to let them know. And I thought the address Wigs gave me was 2925 W. Irving, which is the little Pasadita takout place across the street. And Yes, they did have 2 outside tables. Haha. The Yelp listing Wigs was looking at had the wrong Address/Phone # associated with the restaurant name.

Ah well, next option – a few blocks east is PitchFork. We went here a long time ago when it first opened (with the former Cordis Brothers bartender and manager – they are now long gone). We were all trying to remember, but I think we weren’t that impressed at the time. But it was close to where we were and they had outdoor seating on the side street, not Irving Park, which offered a little bit of piece. (Except for the guy working on his front porch a few houses down.) We got there around 1:15 or so and they were still serving their Brunch menu.

We started with red Sangria’s for Kev, Heather & I, and Wigs ordered a Bourbonade - Maker’s Mark, lemonade, ice tea & sweet vermouth. We also ordered the Roasted Corn Salsa, which was fresh corn, black beans, onions, cilantro, tomato & avocado cream served with chips. This was really good – much thicker than normal salsa. The chips were super thick and crispy. Yummy. For entrées:

• Heather - Breakfast Polenta: Crispy cheddar polenta, chorizo sausage and sauteed peppers & onions. This looked good – she even took some home for leftovers. Wigs reheated them in the microwave and then to a hot frying pan to crisp it up. Said it was perfect.
• Wigs – Brisket & Gravy: 2 buttermilk biscuits topped w/ brisket, homemade gravy & 2 eggs any style. Wigs said it was good, but not great. The biscuits were nowhere near as good as those at Endgrain.
• Kevin – BBQ Beef Brisket sandwich. He gave it a thumbs down.
• Julie – Southwest Salad: Romaine lettuce tossed in cilantro lime vinaigrette w/black beans, corn, tomato & crispy tortilla strips topped w/marinated chicken breast. It also came w/avocado, but had them hold that. This was just OK, primarily due to the chicken. It tasted rubbery and fake. Blech. The dressing on the salad was really good (and not over-doused) – so the salad itself with the corn, tomatoes and black beans was good; it was just the chicken that made it icky. I didn’t even finish the chicken, but did the rest.

Overall, it seems like Heather had the best meal, and everyone else’s was so-so. Probably won’t go back for food. But I did like the salsa, so yet another place that’s good for drinks, apps and sitting outside. Although service was super slow.  I think there was only 1 waitress for both inside and out, and while there were only 2 tables outside, the inside seemed pretty full. 

After lunch, we walked back down Irving and checked out the swimming pool on California while Wigs ran the leftovers home. Kev caught the bus back home while Heather, Wigs & I went to Benfest (St. Ben’s school). As you can imagine, lots of families, kids and as Wigs put it “adults making fools of themselves for the kids”. Heather bought a couple cute little Cubs/Hawks barrettes for her nieces and we watched some Irish dancing (and lots of people, including maybe the guy who played Miranda’s boyfriend “Steve” on Sex and the City. If it wasn’t him, he was a dead ringer. We did see someone taking his picture.).

Made it home before the rain to pack for another lovely week in Pittsburgh.  Where a GIGANTIC bug in my hotel room walked under my work desk.  Looked like a Palmetto - which is basically a cockroach, right???  Yea, there was no sleep Monday night...

Restaurant #19 – Endgrain

Restaurant #19 – Endgrain

Saturday, July 20, 2013
Heather, Wigs, Kevin & Julie

Heather had made reservations at this BYO place for last Friday, but due to pre-vacation stress, we didn’t go. On that day, we couldn’t get in until 8:30. Kev called earlier this afternoon, and we were able to get a table for 4 at 7:30 tonight. Kev & I walked over (it’s on Addison and Wolcott), and the place was pretty wide open. Upon later discussion w/server, he said their slowest night was Saturday. Huh, who knew?? After going and reading on Yelp, their Saturday and Sunday brunches are their most popular times. Too bad for you people – you’re missing out on a great dinner!

When we first walked in, Kev says “wow – big bar”. (You know we love eating at the bar..) And the host offered us a normal table for 4 or to sit at the very end of the bar, where they could accommodate 2 stools on each side (vs. 4 in a row). Sold on the bar seating! The term ‘endgrain’ refers to wood and woodcuts (I’m sure I’m saying that incorrectly), and so there was a wood/2 x 4 theme to the décor. Nice setting, with lots of artwork on the wall. (I didn’t ask, but presume it’s all for sale??)

For appetizers, we ordered 3 things:

• Shaved Vegetable Salad, with mixed greens and garlic croutons
• Braised Pork Hand Pie with soybean sprout kimchi, ramps and radishes
• Pumpernickel pasta with heirloom tomatoes, roasted artichokes, zucchini, chevre and basil

They accidentally brought us a Mushrrom and Rapini Tart with cippiloni, parmesan and greens. So we got a bonus app!

  All were scrumptious. (This is getting embarrassing trying to find new adjectives for YUMMY.) The Hand Pie, was like a tart with 4 folded over corners and the delicious kimchi goop peeking out from the middle. I didn’t think the kimchi was as spicy as others I’ve had (and that’s not a bad thing). Just different. And delicious.

  For entrees:

 

• Heather – Smoked Chicken Pot Pie, masa corn crust, poblanos, mushrroms and peas. This looked fantastic.

 

• Wigs & Kevin (no, they didn’t share; they just both ordered the same thing) – Ham chop with beer chili glaze, cornbread crumble, rainbow chard, bacon and cheese curds. I asked the server what a ham “chop” was, and he gave us a great description… that in no way can I remember. It was basically a thick/fat piece of ham on the bone. (Not a round bone – it looked like a pork chop.) I had a taste of Kevin’s and it was super tender. Flavor was well, ham-like.

 

• Julie – Crispy Perch (yes, fried – I broke my fried food embargo for the evening) with cherries, snap peas, fennel, smoked maple ponzu sauce. I have no idea what ponzu sauce is/was, but it was served in a separate little bowl for dipping the fish in. It was very light, yellowish/clear/watery in color. Oh fine, I’ll look it up. According to Wikipedia (ha ha – my Go To):

 

o Ponzu (ポン酢) is a citrus -based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is tart, with a thin, watery consistency and a dark brown color.

 

o Mine was definitely not dark brown, but yes, light and citrus-y, but not in your face citrus. I should also mention that this was an appetizer that I ordered for my main dish. It was 3 little pieces (2-fingers wide and a little longer), but was perfect for me.

 

Oh, and Wigs & I both also ordered a homemade biscuit which came with peach preserves. OMG - this was awesome. The peach preserves were so good – it was like eating peach cobbler. (I miss my Mom’s peach cobbler!!!) I couldn’t even finish the biscuit, nor could Kevin finish mine off.

  The waiter was also telling us about their homemade donuts, which got rave reviews on yelp. Some of them are flavored (I think – I didn’t look it up), like maple syrup and bacon. They are open for breakfast on weekdays, so people can stop by on the way to the El.

 

All of us give this a Thumbs Up. And since it was BYO, our bill was only like $120.

 

It had started raining while we were there, so thank goodness we had 3 bottles of wine to finish off. By the time those were gone, the rain was done and we headed over to Black Rock (on Damen) for post-dinner drinks. We’ve driven by this place a hundred times (on the way to Costco!), but never in. It’s way bigger inside than it appears, very deep. Great beer list, including Chicago brews. We sampled a couple and then headed home.

  It was a warm night (my favorite kind of summer night!), and just a laid back evening all around. All good. Yea Summer!!!

Game 27 - July 12 vs. St. Louis Cards

Game 27
Friday, July 12, 2013
Heather, Kathleen & Julie

Hey Everyone - Sorry for the radio silence. I’ve been off the grid. Literally. Today’s game was the day before vacation “Up North” to Wisconsin. I had been in Pittsburgh for work, and had a 6:30 AM flight out of PA, landing in Chicago about 7:00 AM. I am so totally unprepared for this vacation… This isn’t a place where you go to a hotel and boom you’re just there. No, we have to bring towels (beach, kitchen,bath), food, booze (LOTS of booze), soap, shampoo, etc. – the whole nine yards. Cell service up there is really spotty, and the emails on my phone download maybe once a day when the planets are aligned and the skies open up. Being in PA all week, I didn’t do any prep. Luckily Kev was in town and could shop (sunscreen, snacks, booze – did I mention booze??).

Anyways – landed at 7 AM, and took El, then bus home and then worked for half day before the game. It was a 3:05 game (yippee!), except for my sister, who would have preferred the 1:20 start to give her enough time to get back home and get her crap ready for Up North.

To pile on to my unpreparedness, I was chosen for today’s Season Ticket Holder Autograph Session. We had a couple friends who were chosen for this a few weeks ago (remember that 4:00 Hawks game/6:15 Cub game, rain delay and giganto glasses of wine at Bernie’s? Yea, that game. Our friend Mary was doing the autograph session. I haven’t seen her since, so not sure who her Cub signer was). This also meant I needed to get to park by 1:30. (Ugh – today’s game of all days??). Well, I guess I’m done w/work and onto vacation mode! It was also Cubs Cowboy hat at the ballpark, and I wanted to make sure I got that friggin hat!!

Done!

I went to Window 11 for my Autograph packet, and then into the VIP entrance right under the red marquee entrance (and worried about my bleacher ticket scan – whole ‘nother story that I’m not going to get into…). I was trying to follow the map the Cubs gave me to find the autograph room. I really should have taken a picture of this map, cuz it was terrible. I went up the ramp as they told me, and then was hopelessly lost after that. It would’ve been way more helpful if the map had section numbers on it! So I finally asked an usher, and showed him the map, to which he said “This is a horrible map!”. No shit!!! So these 2 usher dudes didn’t know where to send me, and then they called over another dude, who said “I think it may be this way…”. And off we went. He found it, so yea for him!! It was on the Clark Street side of Wrigley, right across from McDonald’s, but on the outside of the “bowl”, not in the stands. I’m not sure I could find it again today.

So, I got to the right place, and it was this long, rectangle room and a bunch of people were in line inside. (Maybe 50??) And we were just hanging out waiting for the Cub player (to be named later…) to show up. He was supposed to be there at 1:45, but we were told there was a team meeting called after batting practice and so he was running late. Around 2:15 (maybe?), they finally told us it was going to be Cody Ransom - #1 on the field when lefties are pitching . After the announcement, the 2 couples in front of me walked out. They were kind of douchy anyways ( eavesdropping on their conversations) but really??? Who were you expecting – Soriano? Rizzo? Castro? Smardzija? DeJesus? Um, yea, not gonna happen. In talking to the Cub workers, the other players doing these autograph sessions were Valbuena, Marmol (?!), Hairston, Sappelt – you get the picture. Pretty much the B Team. (Although, one could argue this entire Cubs team is the B team…).

The “rules” said the Cub player would only sign a picture (provided by the Cubs during the session), and people couldn’t take pictures with them or ask them to sign anything else. Of course, there are always rule-breakers, and so people were doing the exact opposite of that. Whatever. Here’s pictures I took while waiting in line, and a copy of the signed picture I got. He looked like he wanted to be anyplace but here. Poor guy.
Here's some photos:

And I also thought with a name like Cody Ransom, he’d be an All American white kid from the heartland. Nope. Looked Hispanic. So I went to my Spring Training Guide and found he was born in … Hmph. He wasn’t listed. Where did he come from?? So I went to ESPN. Holy Crap – he’s 37 years old!!! And making $550K. Wow. (And born in Mesa, AZ for the record.) Now I really feel sorry for him. Too much to write; read for yourself:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/4945/cody-ransom

Here's the signed photo:

OK, and since this is long enough (and way late), I am going to super-summarize the rest of the day. Cubs lose 3-2 vs. the Cards. (Another 1-run game, although it’s good to see them play the Cards tough). Beltran (ugh!) had 3 hits, and was a HR short of the cycle. Castro had a homer in the 8th to make it close, but the Cubs couldn’t pull it off. Game over. Kathleen scooted out to catch the Addison bus to catch her 7:00 Metra train – she texted she made it with 1 minute to spare. Yikes - thank goodness!
We headed to Bernie’s after the game, were met by Wigs, Kevin, and then later Trish. Stayed way later than we wanted to and picked up tacos from Azteca d Oro on the way home.

Up at 6 AM to get ready for Up North. A week at the lake in the middle of nowhere with 25 of my relatives. This vacation is a combo of Yea (relaxation, fun, family)!! and Ick (gross cabins, lots of bugs, family)!! We go to Phelps, Wisconsin, which is 20 miles north of Eagle River, WI and south of Land of Lakes, MI. The lake itself is half in Michigan and half in Wisconsin. More to come…

Recap:

Cubs Lose 3-2
My season record: Visitors 17, Cubs 10
Parking update: No update…

Game 26 - Sunday July 7, 2013

Game 26
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Kevin & Julie


Date Day at the ballpark! Well for us. Not for the 5000 kids who can run the bases today. Although I think there were definitely more kids in the bleachers yesterday than today.


It was mostly hot, sunny and very hot/humid at the game today. We got there around 1:00 or so, and it wasn’t too terribly crowded – we got an aisle seat in row 7, so all was fine. Except for the guy in row 8 who was explaining how the entire game of baseball was played. Not to foreigners or kids - to his adult kids. Oy - it was kind of annoying. We’ve gone to games with foreigners (e.g. Kev’s co-workers from India) where Kevin was doing the exact same thing (only worse cuz these guys only knew cricket!) and I can’t imagine what those poor people I front of us were thinking. (I actually apologized to them when Kevin went for beers.) But these Row 8 people were his relatives and I don’t think they needed the explanations. I’m just saying.


Cubs playing the Buccos for the rubber match. AJ Burnett making his 1st start for the Bucs after a 15-day DL stint. Villanueva was making his reappearance as a starter in this game, after the Feldman trade opened up a spot, marking his return from exile in the bullpen. His last start was May 14. He lasted 4 innings (69 pitches), striking out 5, giving up only 3 hits, and allowing 1 run on back to back doubles to baby-stealing Tabata and my FAV McCutchen.


Cubs scored 2 in the bottom of the 3rd – a leadoff hit by Villanueva started it off. He ended up scoring after an error by first baseman Garrett Jones, and Soriano hit a sac fly to score the next one. (To which we were awarded with an explanation from Row 8 about how that was really just a guy trying to hit a HR, and not a sacrifice. #earsbleeeding…).

Bucs tied it up the 5th, but the Cubs Jerry Hairston HR-Machine hit a homer in the bottom of the 7th to give the Cubs the lead 3-2. Yea for trade value going up!! So bullpen held up and our closer Kevin Gregg comes in for the 9th, gets two outs, everyone standing, cheering, yelling, clapping, and BOOM – HR by Starling Marte. Seriously??? We decided this is why Gregg sucked in 2009 – there were fans in the stadium then. In 2013, no fans, no pressure. Hmmmmm.

Free Baseball ensues!! Guerrier (pronounced career) came in for 2 scoreless innings, just like on Saturday. On to the bottom of the 11th - Rizzo & Soriano had back to back singles to get things going. Bad throw from catcher to try and pick off Rizzo failed – and both advanced after which they then intentionally walk Valbuena. Navarro to the plate – nobody out – and he hits a sacrifice fly to right to score Rizzo. No comment from 8th row on this sacrifice since they left after 9.

Yippee – Cubs win!!! There was also an awesome run-down (can’t remember which inning) that saved a run. Which Kevin totally missed while people were coming in the aisle. Does it seem weird that Cubs are winning after they start unloading their “good” players??

Recap:

Cubs Win 4-1

My season record: Visitors 16, Cubs 10
Parking update: No update…

Game 25/Restaurant #18 – El Tipico

OK - i am having serious issues with my crap-ass laptop and can't do anything on this site and mouse appears to not be working.  So i can't post the post the pictures.  when i get it figured out, i will post the Stanley Cup pictures.  I can't tell you how annoyed i am right now.  Worked fine yesterday...

Game 25/Restaurant #18 – El Tipico

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Wigs & Julie

Kevin had to work today and Heather was in SF/Sonoma, so it was just Wigs & I at the game.  The Stanley Cup was supposed to show up so we wanted to get there early to make sure we saw it.  It was a 3:05 game, and we got there around 1:30 or so.  Of course after we got there, we read on Twitter that the Cup was going to be there at 2:30.  Oh well, it’s fun to watch batting practice and I feel like I haven’t done that in forever.  Remember back in the day (2003, 2007, 2008…) when we’d actually wait in line for the gates to open 2 hours before the game so we could get our seats??  Fun times, and batting practice is always good, but it’s also nice to have the extra 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon to get some crap done. 

Anyways – there were a TON of kids at the game today.  Usually that happens on Sundays (where they can run the bases) so it was kind of weird for a Saturday. 

We ended up sitting right in front of dumbass/douche/divorced dad – I don’t even know how to describe it.  He was this 40-something dude with his 2 boys who got 8 balls during batting practice.  And one of his kids refused to give a ball to a little girl who asked if she could have one after just missing catching it.  I’m calling him mini-douche.  Wigs and I kept exchanging looks on the comments we were eavesdropping on, and at one point he says “we have so much to talk about”, to which I responded “I was just about to text you”.  DDD Dad was this total meathead, muscle guy with bad back acne.  (Wigs said a sure sign of steroids.)  The funniest part of the day was when the girlfriend finally showed up (2 minutes before game time) and kept trying to convince him to put his shirt back on.  It was a totally overcast (albeit hot) afternoon, but honestly the sun was not out once.  She’s like “no one else has their shirt off” and when he was going up to concession stand, she says “oh, don’t you want your shirt before you go up there?”.  Ha ha.  Wigs also heard him say something like “I can’t believe my girlfriend is embarrassed that I have my shirt off at a ballgame.”  More haha.  Oh and the girlfriend griping about the “mean lady at the Ashland post office” who “kicked her out” of the post office because she tried to sneak her dog into the post office in her bag.  She got all the way up to the counter, and her dog poked her head out of her bag at the last minute!  She was so outraged.  Um, couldn’t you just leave the damn less-than-5-pound dog in the car????  So annoyed by all of them.

Anyways – the Stanley Cup was brought out by Coach Q who basically walked it to the interview deck by 3^rd base, sat down for an interview and then he went to the pitcher’s mound, set it down there and threw out the 1^st pitch.  Then lifted it again over his head and walked off the field.  Boo.  I’m going to have to pull out the pictures from 2010 and show what a different atmosphere it was.  I feel like Wigs & I were the only ones who knew the Cup was going to be there. 

So off we go to the game.  Felt like it was going to be the longest game ever.  1^st inning took 30-35 minutes.  Ugh.  E Jax was super-slow when runners were on which felt like it was every inning, but really just the first 3.  I think the annoying DDD Dad/girlfriend/mini-Dousch added to the length of the game. 

There was a bachelor party from Indiana to the left of us who kept chanting “baby stealer” to the Pirates right fielder Jose Tabata.  I finally asked one of the guys what that was all about, and learned that his wife stole a baby and then told Jose that it was his.  Crazy?!  Our DDD friends googled it and confirmed the story.  But only after we had to tell them to google “Tabata baby” and not “Schierholtz baby” as DDD Dad was telling girlfriend to do.  I am not kidding.  Here is what I found:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4021552

I feel kind of bad for the guy after reading this.  I mean the poor kid was 20 and from Venezuela and this crazy woman was 43, with a prison record, etc.  I am assuming he divorced her, but didn’t look that up.  And how did we never hear of this before??  We were like “was this dude in the AL or something?”  Nope – he was a Pirate prospect and been with them ever since (he’s only 24 now).  Again, I do feel kind of sorry for him.  Crazy people stalk baseball players.   

So to quick-cap the game – Soriano had 2 two-run home runs for all 4 RBI’s.  Cubs won 4-1.  The first 8 innings lasted like 3 hours, and the last 2 innings lasted minus 30 minutes.  I know that doesn’t add up, but that’s what it felt like.  Guerirer (pronounced like “career” according to Kevin) had two 1-2-3 innings to really move things along late in the game, so that was a relief after a long game.  Yea Soriano!!!

On to Bernie’s, where we met up with Kevin, Trish, OB, Jay & Michele for a couple drinks.  Then we went to dinner at El Tipico, which was at 1905 W. Foster Ave.  We were going to go to Cosina Grill, which is near 1700 W. Foster.  However, this was a BYOB and we asked the driver to drop us at a liquor store near the restaurant.  Which turned out to be like a convenience store vs. a liquor store, so the wine selection wasn’t the greatest.  We saw El Tipico across the street and decided to change our plans.  We got a table outside and it was a perfect evening. 

We had a pitcher of margaritas, chips & salsa and some queso fundido as an appetizer.  The queso was greasy (as expected and as it is everywhere – so I’m not dissing it).  They gave us 2 kinds of salsa, and one of them was served warm – I loved it!  For dinner – another pitcher of margaritas, and I ordered the Chicken Fajitas.  Kevin had the Chicken/Carne Asada Fajitas and Wigs had the Combination # Ocho (8).  I don’t remember what all was in there, but I think it was Carne Asada, Chicken Taco and a couple other things.  Awesome description – I know.  Sorry L  What I will say is that everyone loved their meals.  The salsa included with all the entrée’s was super-fresh and delicious and there was plenty of food, including leftovers (for me).  The service was good, and the server was extremely patient with helping us idiots fumble through our attempts at Spanish (helping us to sound out the exact sentence we were trying to pronounce – funny!).  This was a good find, as it was something we weren’t even looking for.  

Recap:

Cubs Win 4-1!!

My season record:  Visitors 16, Cubs 9

Parking update:  Trish & John in Michigan, so no parking today.

Game 24/Restaurant #17 – The Piggery

Game 24/Restaurant #17 – The Piggery

Friday, July 5, 2013

Game - Colleen, Kathleen, Kenny, Kevin, Dan and Julie (and then another Julie, Eileen, Erbie & Bob)

Dinner - Colleen, Kathleen, Kenny, Kevin, Wigs, Barry, Erin and Julie

Summer – finally!!!  A hot summer day – we’ve been waiting all year for this.  Yippee!!  Cubs back home to face the Pirates (who astoundingly have the best record in baseball!!).  Too bad for the Cubs that we are now the doormats of the NL Central instead of them.  Oh wait – that title belongs to the Brewers.  Which I’m kind of surprised about – how/why are they that bad??  When we play them next, I’ll do some research on this.   

Bickell and Bollig from the Hawks had taken batting practice with the Cubs and I read that a couple of balls were close to going out of the park.  We missed the BP, but did see them throw out the first pitch.  Which were pretty dead on! 

As I said, a hot day at the park, and Samardzija struggled.  He lasted 6 innings, throwing 111 pitches, giving up 9 hits, 5 runs (including 3 triples), 5 walks with 3 strikeouts.  He’s lost his last 3 games vs. the Pirates.  Liriano was pitching for the Bucs and threw a complete game with 103 pitches.  Smardz was followed by Rodriguez, Rondon and Strop.  (Who????)  Poor fielding by Dave Sappelt (yes, he’s back – boo!) led to an RBI triple.  The lone bright spot for the Cubs was a homer by Hairston to the left field bleachers.  His 7^th of the year.  Please someone take him and his .160 batting average!! This was his first game since June 23^rd.  Huh.  I’m sure no one will take Sappelt. 

Despite the loss, it was a fun day at the park – Dan (friend of Paul’s who had the “hot dog” friend)had an extra ticket that Colleen bought.  Then Julie & Eileen showed up (we had met Julie at Bernie’s with Paul on Derby Day).  And then Erbie & Bob showed up a little later.  Oh, and it was Kenny’s birthday!

After the game, we swung by Bernie’s, and then walked over to the Piggery to meet Wigs, Barry & Erin for dinner.  There was a fire in this place a couple years ago and it took them forever to fix it up and reopen it.  (Almost 2 years.)  They reopened about a month ago on June 4^th.  They have a nice side patio so we sat outside.   We had some appetizers – pork nachos, Firecrackers (bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers stuffed with cheese) and bacon wrapped artichokes.  The bacon ones were pretty darn good.  Nachos – eh.  For dinner, I had the Buffalo Chicken Salad – the sauce was super-hot, but it was good.  Colleen also had a salad.  Kathleen had a buffalo chicken wrap – she said it was good – and Kenny had ribs.  Kev & Wigs had the pork chop, which they basically said was a pork chop with buffalo sauce poured over it.  Nothing special, and no special rubs or anything on the meat.  Wigs said sideways thumb; Kev said thumbs down.  So, I’d go back for cocktails and bacon wrapped appetizers, but that’s about it. 

After dinner, we had a drink at the Long Bar, and then headed home.  Happy 4th!!!

Recap:

Cubs Lose 6-2

My season record:  Visitors 16, Cubs 8

Parking update:  Trish & John in Michigan, so no parking today.

Restaurant #16 – Big Jones

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Wigs, Kevin and Julie

Another lovely day in this Chicago summer – 60 degrees and raining.  Happy 4^th of July.  Boo.  We were going to go to Digger’s boat for a dock party, but since it was raining and cold, we decided to go out to dinner.  I chose this place because I’ve been here with Heather and book club girls several years ago, but Kevin & Wigs haven’t been.  The restaurant is in Andersonville, and serves upscale Southern food.   (Not Table 52 upscale – although I’ve never been - but not standard bar-fare.) 

We got there around 8:20 PM and they couldn’t seat us right away.  They took our name/number and said it would be about 30 minutes.  So we went over to Hamburger Mary’s for a beer.  They brew their own beers and also have “guest” beers available, so quite a big selection.  I had the Speakeasy Saison, a Belgian farmhouse ale.  Wigs had a sour stout, which is fermented with wild yeast.  Kev ordered a dark beer that was something about peanut butter.  Ick.  But the keg ran out, and he needed to change his order.  (The bartender did get a quarter of a glass, so we were able to try it.  I didn’t think it tasted very peanut-buttery, which was a good thing.)  He then ordered the Van Damme Good Belgian IPA, but they were out of that too.  At which point the bartender (who was really knowledgeable about all the beers) pulled the menu out of his hands, and recommended the Black Widow, a Cascadian dark rye.  All very good.

At 30 minutes (almost on the dot!), the host from Big Jones called Kevin and said a table still wasn’t available but that he could set us up at the bar and would buy us a drink for the trouble.  Extremely nice.  So we finished our beers and headed back to Big Jones.  It isn’t that big on the inside, and they do have a patio out back, which wasn’t open because of the rain.  So that may have been why they were so busy. 

We sat at the bar and ordered some fancy drinks.  I had a whiskey rhubarb mint julep, which was served in a tin cup.  Kevin had a gin & cranberry creation (more than just that in there, but I don’t recall what), and Wigs had a whiskey and something else creation.  Very descriptive, I know.  Theirs both looked kind of the same, so maybe his also had some cranberry in it.  They were all really yummy.  We ordered the Boucherie Board, which was a charcuterie sampling that had Andouille sausage, Tasso Ham, Hogs Head Pate (made with brandy and peppercorns, with bourbon-brown sugar mustard and homemade rye bread).  A table opened up for us, so we moved from the bar to a table.  The Board came and the presentation was really pretty and the food was delicious – in addition to the meats, there were some cheeses, hot mustard, cute little “whipped-looking” deviled eggs, rye bread and crackers.  We pretty much demolished it.  The waitress was impressed that we put such a good dent in the Hogs Head Pate – apparently that’s the one most people leave behind.  This photo doesn't do it justice.  This is after we ate most of what was on the Board:

For dinner, Kevin ordered Virginia Fried Steak (circa 1834 according to menu), which was a breaded veal steak crusted in bread crumbs, with creamed barley and peas, garnished with green onions.  It was gi-normous.  Literally bigger than Kevin’s head.  This picture also does not do it justice (we need to work on our food photos...):

He was able to only eat 2/3 of it.  He said he could’ve killed it, but used some restraint J  Wigs ordered the Chicken & Dumplings (circa 1920).  I really wanted to order this but decided to go healthier.  This was simmered chicken with hearty egg dumplings, butterbeans, carrots, and thyme, garnished with onion tops.  It didn’t look as heavy as I was expecting, but after finishing it, Wigs was stuffed. 

I ordered the Reezy-Peezy (circa 1730), which was basically grilled spring vegetables cooked on the wood grill, served with Charleston gold rice cake and creamy sea island red pea gravy.  Mine was good, but I thought it was over-priced ($18) for grilled veggies, and there wasn’t a huge variety in what I got – a mushroom, some scallions, the little red peas and zucchini in addition to the rice cake.  

   

With the meal, Wigs & Kevin ordered a tequila cocktail, which was basically a half-glass of straight tequila garnished with a lemon slice.  I had a glass of wine, which wasn’t that good, so I wonder if the bottle was opened for a while. 

All in all, a good dinner.  The staff (especially the host, but also the bartender and server) were really, really nice.  Kev & Wigs were stuffed.  I was comfortably full.  It was starting to warm up slightly and we ended up walking back to our place where Wigs then grabbed the Irving Park bus home. 

Second City at the Civic Opera House

Second City at the Civic Opera House

This wasn’t a dinner or a game, but I wanted to post the pictures if anyone is interested.  Michele Mahoney found out about this a few months ago – Second City comedians doing a show at the Civic Opera House.  The show was geared towards opera – lots of “inside” opera jokes that sailed over many of our heads.  Joe Spellman though was cracking up.  Which was cracking us up.  It was very cool – the seats were all on the stage.  Maybe a couple hundred people at the most.  They had waiters who brought drinks and food.  Very cool.  It was interesting to be on the stage and see what the actors see when they are up there.  Here you go:

There is also this chalk body outline in the orchestra pit. 

I have no idea what the story is behind this.  I did a quick search online, but didn’t come up with anything.  If anyone knows, pass it on!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_Opera_House_(Chicago)