Gettin' it on in the Darkroom

In an effort be become more hip, the Elders decided to visit the popular Hipster enclave, Darkroom. Again, the lighting was pleasantly dim and flattering to all. Perhaps this is in keeping with the 'darkroom' theme. I love themes. Everyone should have one. Elder StillGotIt and I partook in some adult beverages and found them to be very tasty. The DJ spinning was uber-hip, so we started to cut a rug on the dance floor. This was short-lived, however, as some British rockband with a Seal wannabe lead singer came on and totally killed our hipster vibe. The otologically offensive music caused us to migrate toward the rear of the establishment. Here, the Elders were able to observe the hipsters in their native element. That is, all but Elder Jointz who fell asleep while standing up. That signaled the end of the Elder outing. 

As an aside, while wandering the Darkroom I, Elder TalkIntoMyGoodEar, was approached by a hipster and complimented on my 'hip' hair. That just goes to show you all that this Cougar is still on the prowl...Rrrrrrrr-ow!!!! 

Whining and Dining in Little Italy

Always on the lookout for bargains, The Elders made a recent trip to Little Italy to check out an all-you-can-eat/drink UIC MBA event at Francesca's. My first observation was that there was a group of whippersnappers wearing Hawaiian leis. I was told that they were the organizers of the event; however, that is no excuse for wearing something so obviously unthematic to an event hosted by an Italian restaurant. How about wearing wreaths of Italian sausages around their necks? Perhaps even macaroni necklaces? There are many possibilities, so why leis?? Once I had a glass of wine in hand, I was able to get over the fashion faux pas of the young and naive. Unfortunately, the glass of wine brought on a whole new set of issues, namely that the wine was bad. Limited to a selection of only Pinot Grigio or Merlot, I chose the Pinot. Bleh. That is all I have to say about that. And the Merlot was no better. Perhaps the wine quality was a reflection of the open bar format, but still. Bleh. The wine situation was even more tragic in light of the fact that the event began at 7pm (we were there promptly at the start, being that we are punctual Elders) but by 7:50pm there was still no food. With bad wine and no food, how is an Elder supposed to get her drink on, or her eat on? Faced with such a situation, this Elder decided to continue drinking the bad wine. Afterall, eventually if I drank enough, I probably would not realize how bad the wine actually was. (This is the sort of deep knowledge that only comes with time, thus only Elders may possess it.)  Eventually the food arrived but sadly the Elders found the 2 varieties of pizzas to be bland. Most of the Elders found the Buschetta to be good (slightly crunchy but still chewy). Elder Jontz really liked the calamari so we hoarded several plates of it on our table. 

As for ambiance, we found the electronic music to be enjoyable but with my bad hearing, it was often difficult to make out what was playing. Perhaps the young whippersnappers should have used their 'inside voices.' The lighting was pleasantly dim. I found that it hid wrinkles well--always a good thing for an aging Elder. The decor was also pleasant. I'm old so I can't remember exactly what it looked like, but from what I do remember, it was nice. 

All in all, I would say I'd like my $25 back. Or actually, SuperBen should get his $25 back. I don't think I paid. Damn Social Security just doesn't support my lavish lifestyle. What was I talking about again? Nevermind. Where are my teeth? I thought I left them around here somewhere...

When did I become soft and easy?

During a recent car ride with my good buddy, MyThighsRGoodFriendsNowThatTheyTouch, we were cranking up the tunes when we noticed an odd trend-- it seems that somewhere between 1998 and now, all of our favorite songs have moved from being 'hip' and 'alternative' to being Easy Listening and Soft Rock. How does this happen? WHEN did this happen? How come no one told us? Does this mean that we are no longer hip? No longer 'alternative' and on the cutting edge of music?? Discuss amongst yourselves. 

P.S. I'llNeverForgetYouDaveMatthews!!!!

FLO you messed up my FLOW

So let me start with saying that I didn't care for FLO. I originally said that it was just a bad restaurant but that was an unfair statement. FLO's food wasn't bad tasting and the service was quick and the restaurant clean i just expected more especially since i waited 45 minutes. Before i continue let me break down the Sunday plans.

The elders planned an outing in the Ukrainian Village to take in the hip vibe and to see speakintomygoodear's apartment from the inside and to tour some open houses within the area. We attempt to arrive at the appropriate time but we were redirected around the major streets due to a saints parade. the detour caused us to be 15 minutes late. We finally arrive at the location and join speakintomygoodear's for a mimosa at her apartment.

We head to FLO, eatatflo.com(really don't eat here unless you have a bunch of time on your hands) . We walked which was different for us because most of the elders reside in skokie where walking isn't necessary. We walk through the Ukrainian village and head into West Town and take in the wonderful smells. About a block away we spot FLO because of the line of crowd of people waiting or leaving the establishment.

I knew that the that the crowd outside was the first of many bad signs because it means we are going to have to wait. I don't believe you should wait on food especially because of all the choices that are available. I also knew that the cuisine was "new mexican" which to me translates into there shouldn't be a wait. Well since i was with guests i knew i couldn't throw a fit and the place was new so i thought that i will wait and give a try.

I should have thrown the fit. The SECOND BAD sign arrives in the menu. While we are waiting the elders reviewed the menu and were not very impressed. I had taken the time to view the menu before the gathering so I knew in general what was being served. I thought that a restaurant in an ever crowded restaurant scene in chicago wouldn't dare serve the same food as every taqueria in town but charge you twice as much. I also thought that MAYBE the menu was written in generic terms to attract customers fearful of "new mexican" cuisine but what would be served on your plate would be spectacular and different. I WAS SO WRONG.

StillGotIT ordered Blueberry Pancakes with a side of bacon, Talkintomygoodear ordered french toast with blueberries, Jointz ordered Chorizo and Egg Scramble and I(superben9) ordered chicken enchiladas. The thick pancakes lacked any flavor but they didn't have any sweetness nor were the blueberries bountiful. The French Toast looked nice but was it really worth 10 bucks and an hour wait? The Chorizo Scramble was alright but i think it needed some salt and more spice. My enchiladas weren't very tasty whatsoever. I know new mexico is near a desert but does that mean the enchiladas have to be DRY. My tortillas were crunchy but not because they were fried in grease but because they were left under the salamander for too long. The chicken had been sitting in the stewing pot for too long so that it reminded me of a tire rather than a bird. The green sauce which is just Herdez green chile sauce with a touch of yogurt was extremely bland. i guess they ran out of salt in the back. overall the food was lacking and if i had to wait for an hour to get it then it better be damn good but it wasn't.

I will waste only two more paragraphs on the restaurant. I need to ask some people out there what is their interpretation of the interior design of the restaurant. there is one main wall with one half a book shelf filled with plates and the other half the wall is filled with mirrors. i don't understand how that theme works for a new mexican restaurant. my only thought is that its supposed to represent somebody's home in new mexico and that you are supposed to push past your expectations about a new mexican restaurant. what ever the decor the food still sucked.

I don't take pride in insulting another person's art especially if its being shown. Restaurants are different because you're asking me to pay for an art form regardless if liked it or not. i guess i could have sent it back but what would be the point. Nothing on the menu tasted any good. I guess i can only write this blog and try to prevent others from making the same mistake.

We ended the day returning to talkintomygoodear's apartment and had more mimosa's. i almost took out the light fixture with the champagne cork. We also colored which was really nice. Also the long wait at flo prevented us from seeing any open houses. next time next time.

Sunday matinee

Elders Talkintomygoodear, Superben9 and myself took in a Sunday matinee today. Senior discounts are all the rage. I don't remember much - it was rather long and my short term memory isnt' what it - wait, where am i?

I think it was called The Chronicles of Narnia part 37: Susan's Bitchface

it went something like this

The kids are pissed because they've already lived several lifetimes over and now they're being forced to do it all again (I feel your pain, kids). Susan has a bitchface. They have some hallucinations in a train station. There is a lion. Susan has a bitchface. There is this cute Prince who spends several minutes talking about what it was like to star in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Point Break, the Devil's Advocate only to fall suddenly from the limelight (it was a short fall). Susan has a bitchface. Alpha males jockey for who can be king of the hallucination. There is a rat and a dwarf. Trees move around and throw rocks. Jesus, Moses or Neptune rises from the water. The rat talks for about 20 minutes, never once revealing the Secret of Nimh.
The lion performs some magic (I really liked the trick where the cigarette went through the quarter - NEVER saw that coming!!!). A statement is made about illegal aliens and pirates. The Prince kisses Susan (NEO is an anagram for ONE).
Credits roll.
Susan still has the bitchface.


Honestly, it was the best movie I've ever seen - between the hours of 1:30 and 4 on Sunday, May 18th 2008.

am i cheap or just old ????

One thing you must realize when you grow older is that everything costs more. I don't know why as you get old you begin to demand more for your money. I feel as if im starting to understand the statement "in my day milk only cost fifteen cents". When i first bought my suv it was only ninety seven cents for a gallon today i paid 4.05.

i feel as if i'm being overcharged for everything. Take for instance last night at a mba party that i attended. My friends and I paid $25 per person for drinks and dinner. What we got was endless piles of bread, tomato, crappy pizza, cheap pasta and some calamari. I also forgot to mention that we got cheap wine and beer. i stuck to the wine because i don't do beer. I'm still trying to understand how that was worth $25 bucks. I didn't eat $25 dollars worth of food or drink $25 dollars worth of booze. i did make a valiant effort but to no avail but i couldn't do it. Maybe if there was show or something i could have felt better about the money. unfortunately there was no entertainment to be had.

Today to make matters worse i spent 18 bucks on a crappy sandwich, a soup, a salad and a old chocolate pastry. I don't think those items were worth the price that i paid. i think i'm going to institute another policy with my current policy of not eating burgers and restaurants that don't have drive-thru's. my new policy is that i'm only going to eat appetizers at restaurants. i refuse to ever order an entree again. hopefully this will allow me to save more money, save inches on my wasteline and save me some angst.

who's with me?

Washed up at Comiskey

I'm counting on Elder Jointz to wax poetic on this one but all I have to say is that it was so cold that my bones hurt. The kids seemed to be having fun though - the fire of youth keeping them warm. Or maybe it was the overpriced beer.