On December 28th, the morning after Seth's birthday get-together, Lisa woke me up, on very little sleep, to go with her to pick out new glasses.
Afterwards we had breakfast at La Crema. Lisa ordered chilaquiles, which were a bust, and I had some so-so bisquits and gravy.
We like the place, the location, the atmosphere, but the food continues to miss. I'm not sure we'll be back anytime soon.
Afterwards, although I was completely exhausted, I accepted Seth's invitation to go down and spend the day in Chicago. His wife was going with, and he told me that instead of his normal ride, he'd be taking her Suburu. He sent a text saying he was on his way.
So a few minutes later, when a Suburu pulled up in front of the house with a woman in the passenger seat, I walked over, opened the rear passenger door -
aaaaaand it wasn't Seth and his wife.
That's not the first time I've made those types of mistaks. Once, a few years back, I got into a silverMazda CX-9 at Dollar Tree, and got upset when my key didn't start it. You guessed it. My car was parked a few spots down.
It's a good way to get shot, to be honest.
Anyway, we drove down to Chicago, scooped our friend Eladio from his north side home, and traveled to the south side of Chicago, to Ricobene's.
Eladio seconded the propaganda the restaurant puts out: that they serve the best sandwhich in the world. This "masterpiece" is breaded steak on a hoagie bun, toppped with marinara sauce and, if you pay extra, peppers and shredded mozzarella.
It was fine.
Was it worth a ride to Chicago when I was that tired? No
Was it worth a ride to Chicago had I been fully rested? No
Was it worth a ride across Milwaukee if there was a location there? No
Was it worth stopping in if you're in the neighborhood? Yes.
Afterwards, after driving past Seth's alma matter of Loyola, we stopped in Lincoln Square.
First stop, an upscale meat market called Gene's Sausage Shop, on the site of a famous defunct Chicago deli called Meyer's.
Then it was down a few doors to a bookstore, The Book Cellar. I guess the identically named store in the Central Milwaukee Library isn't as uniquely named as I thought.
Lastly, to a tourist shop, where I saw the Taylor Swift ornaments below, and then an apothecary.
Our departure from Lincoln Square was delayed by a heavy police and fire presence. that boxed in the car. At first I thought they were there to treat a man I saw trip and bust his nose on the sidewalk, but it appears they were there to prevent any trouble at a televised interview at the large menorah in Lincoln Square.
From there we dropped off Eladio and then headed back to Milwaukee.
Suprisingly, sometime after the meal, I broke through my wall of exhaustion and felt pretty darn good, so in the end I greatly enjoyed the Chciago trip.
A good day start to finish.
