This Weekend In Eating
It's Friday afternoon! If you're like me (and deep down, as much as you'd deny it publicly, you are), then dreams of weekend culinary delights have been dancing around your head ever since that unusually sour pad thai you had for lunch settled down and you regained control over your stomach. You know what it was? Mediocre tofu. You should stop ordering from that place.
Anyway, the weekend. One option is to go to a recently opened restaurant.
Plusses: 1) You scoop all your friends, who are endlessly impressed with your stories of champagne-soaked soft openings and such. 2) More likely to be BYO! 3) Smiley, befuddled service
Minuses: 1) Smiley befuddled service 2) BYO's not so rare anyway 3) Your friends are not nearly as impressed as you'd like to think 4) You're a guinea pig for the kitchen (which means if it's a Peruvian place, watch out 'cos you might be on the menu!)
Let's ignore the minuses - this weekend's star attraction is Aigre Deux Restaurant and Bakery (well, the Bakery's not going to be open for a few weeks, but hey). It's a French-influenced New American, a style that husband-and-wife team of Mohammad Islam and Malika Ameen have perfected in top kitchens aroung the country. It's right by the Merch Mart, which is important because...oh, I know! There's a thing to do at the Mart on Sunday after the jump...
Are you on top of Chicago Winter Delights? Neither am I, but hear this: one of the delights is dining, and on Sunday there's an intriguing, if contrived, mash-up of film and food at The Chopping Block (No.107). They'll be screening four food movies, and chefs will be cooking their interpretations of the on-screen delights, for your delight. It runs $50 per person per film, but, what the hell, you've earned it. Phone them (312-644-6360) for the movie schedule, which is still under construction. This will prep you, though.
Finally, for a more mainstream option. While you could watch the Bears-Saints game at 2pm on Sunday alone in a dark room, but wouldn't you rather spend $25 for AYCE wings, brats, and chili at The Spot in Uptown? No? What if I told you that the package included AYCD BEER. It's another $25 if you want to re-up for the Colts-Patriots game at 5pm, but you'll probably be full and drunk by then.
