I took a brief trip this weekend to Chicago. The official reason was an interview in the city, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone that what I really did was eat my way through the greater metropolitan area. I keep flirting with the idea of a food blog, but in an effort to not eat any more than I already do, I’ll just show my 1.5 loyal readers here the good stuff.

Thursday:
Afternoon tea service at Russian Tea Time.
77 East Adams St, Chicago, IL

I got one of those towers with lots of little finger foods. Prettier to look at than to eat, unfortunately. Not terribly impressive, but still a cute little snack before hitting the CSO. As I was told previously, the Russians aren’t exactly known for their food, although I did like their potato dumplings.

Friday:
Dinner at Avec.
615 W. Randolph St, Chicago, IL

This cute little place serves Mediterranean-inspired new American food. Too hip to take reservations, Avec also doesn’t believe in purely savory or purely sweet concoctions and tends towards dishes that combine elements of both. Hints of citrus and mint found themselves everywhere and I started wondering if the head chef really loved mojitos.

But I really can’t complain. Everything was delicious, and the communal atmosphere made talking to one’s neighbors less awkward, which makes Avec the place to go to get additional recommendations for local foodies! I loved the stuffed Chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates.

Dessert from More Cupcakes.
1 E. Delaware Pl, Chicago, IL

Tons of delicious cupcakes. I liked the white chocolate (vanilla cupcake with buttercream frosting and white chocolate curls on top), but I ate it too quickly to take a picture.

Saturday:

Brunch at Richard Walker’s.
1300 N Roselle Rd, Schaumburg, IL

Known for their massive baked apple pancake, it puts IHOP to shame with its deliciousness. This pancake was about the size of a small pizza and around the same thickness. Filled with apples and covered with cinnamon sugar, it was love at first sight. But what was really unexpected was the excellent service we received. From the moment we walked in, the level of down-to-earth personal attention was incredible, and it never stopped. No wonder it’s such a local breakfast favorite.

Dinner at Emilio’s Sunflower Bistro.
30 S. LaGrange Rd, LaGrange, IL

A classy but cute restaurant in downtown LaGrange reminded me of what Main Street America is supposed to look like. Well, but a little too bourgeois to be truly Main Street. “See, if it weren’t for you, I would be way more blue collar,” T told his elder brother. “I’d be drinking beer and watching ESPN. Not sitting here having a cheese plate and pate.”

But to be fair, our cheese plate was fairly grounded in the Real America. It even included a Parmesan to ensure that there was something familiar. The garnish pairings were quite nice though. I was also happy to see a salad made of leaves other than iceberg. Plus, the cushy couch seating was great.

Dessert at Tru.
676 N. St. Clair St, Chicago, IL

The trick to trying some of the best restaurants without becoming immediately homeless afterwards is to go for dessert. And so we did. My favorites? The exploding truffles, which release a burst of cold caramel liqueur immediately upon entering the mouth, the apricot jelly, and the mini rootbeer float, which I again consumed so quickly, I forgot to photograph. You’ve got to love a serious restaurant that makes their own lollipops.

Sunday:

Dim sum at Happy Chef
2164 S. Archer Ave #A, Chicago, IL

Your typical dim sum place in the New Chinatown complex. Nothing terribly special that I could find, but a fun place to go with a big party. No photos of food as I was too busy talking with friends and scaring them by ordering internal organs.

Dessert at Leona’s.
1419 W Taylor, Chicago, IL

Enormous portions seem to be the norm at this Italian restaurant. We dropped by for desserts on a rainy Sunday and were treated to a pleasant surprise as the Kitchen Sink really was about the size of my sink. Don’t try to eat this by yourself unless you plan on visiting the nearby University of Illinois Medical Center for stomach surgery immediately afterwards.

Dinner at Twist: A Tapas Cafe.
3412 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL

After a long day of eating, we decided to eat some more. But since there wasn’t much room remaining, and we wanted to squeeze in as much variety as possible, we thought we’d try a tapas place. This isn’t really the authentic Spanish tapas experience, but its European fusion cuisine in tapas sizing was perfect. I wish there were more restaurants willing to try their hand at small plates. Don’t miss the poached pear in raspberry mascarpone sauce!

I tricked my friend into seeing Adventureland with me, which was a really sweet, touching movie. (Read my review here.) Afterwards, we were both craving guacamole, but woe is me! Forgetting that it was Easter Sunday, we didn’t think that every Mexican restaurant in miles would be closed. So instead of avocado deliciousness, we stumbled upon a bizarre police chase involving an officer shouting, “Everyone out of the building!” and a lot of police on horseback.

After seeing barricades topple and police officers chase a group of people, we decided to run away from the scene of the crime, and ducked into the subway. I still haven’t been able to figure out exactly what happened in Times Square this evening. All I know is that by the time I came home, my foot was bleeding profusely, 80s music was stuck in my head, and I still had a massive craving for avocado.

Anyone have a good recipe for guacamole?

I love watching movie trailers. I know the hip thing to do at the theater is to arrive fashionably late, miss all the trailers, and sit down just in time to see the name of the production studio roll by and the real film begin, but I can’t help it. Trailers are great, trailers are fun. The coolest thing about movie trailers is that some of them actually make you want to watch the movie!

Now, for the downside. Trailers make an art of false advertising. See, for instance, the above trailer for The Young Victoria. I think Emily Blunt is delightful, and the story between Victoria and Albert is one I’d love to watch unfold on the big screen. But just listen to the music. Right at 1:18, hear how the theme from Love Actually ramps up until it’s at full blast. Maybe my knowledge of British history is a bit off, but I’m pretty sure that Albert and Victoria’s romance was not much like any of the 15 billion stories told in that Richard Curtis film so beloved to estrogen-sensitized women everywhere. I’m especially sure that The Young Victoria won’t follow the storyline of those two adult movie stand-ins from Love Actually

Anyway, if I could tell you the number of movies I’ve watched due to their trailers alone, it would be a long list, riddled with pleasant surprises and utter disappointments. Here are some trailers I’ve seen recently whose movies are on my to-watch list.

• Adventureland – The trailer didn’t excite me, but have heard good things (and not from A.O. Scott).
• Sugar – Doesn’t it just look touching?
• The Young Victoria – See above.
• Public Enemies – Johnny Depp + violence = good? And special bonus: Marion Cotillard!
• Monsters vs Aliens – An animated movie with Hugh Laurie! What more could I ask for?

Please add to my list!

PS: Is anyone else confused that Rupert Friend (The Libertine, Pride & Prejudice) is listed as a “newcomer” by these folks at The Envelope? Or maybe I just happened to have seen every movie he’s ever made.

Deception

Some things in life make sense, and others, we just weren’t meant to understand. Deception is a film that seems to fall into the latter category. It follows Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor), a bored accountant who merely goes through the motions of life, until one day, he meets Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman), a lawyer at a firm he audits. They become acquainted while under the influence of mild-altering drugs, the sparks fly, and they live happily ever after…. Not!

Well, it wouldn’t be called Deception if it were that easy, right? Bose introduces his new friend, who appears to have little luck with the ladies, to an anonymous sex club they call The List, and then things get complicated. Rendezvous with Charlotte Rampling, Michelle Williams, and Maggie Q, as well as intrigue and money laundering ensue. And, as the movie promoters would have you think, nothing is as it appears.

Now, the idea might be somewhat interesting, and about 50% of those “nothing is as it appears” movies tend to actually be reasonably good. Sadly for this film, it fell to the other half of the good/bad divide. The lovely cast-members were painfully wasted on this unfortunate script. Even the fun lines were painful to hear.

The plot was full of holes and character development was close to nil. Even worse, all the twists and turns they’d hoped would impress you were unexciting and relatively predictable. On the plus side, I did enjoy the slick production values, which leaves you with a glassy, Mies van der Rohe, “shot in Chicago” feel in this New York-based film. But ultimately, this is a disappointing story with disappointing dialogue, and an ending that leaves you asking, “Why did I just watch this?”

Also, was it just me, or was Hugh Jackman’s American accent just a bit off the entire time? It appeared to improve as the movie went on, but still, it was yet another distraction in a movie I could hardly get into in the first place.

Note: This review is cross-posted at The Natty Reviewer. For more reviews, please hop on over to our new review blog, run with Miss MX. Movies, music, books, food, and who knows what. Nothing shall be left un-criticized!

Joy in our everyday lives is one such thing….

It’s still cold and drizzly in back here in New York, but I discovered that there are cherry blossoms nearby too! I saw this just a few hours ago, only minutes from my apartment. Isn’t it amazing how we oftentimes miss the beauty that surrounds us?

And these days, mobile technology is another.

In other news, some of you might have noticed how distressed I’ve been for the past two days. Have no fear, it’s not life-threatening, in the traditional sense, but the emotional strain has been immense. You see, it was my beloved BlackBerry 8120. On Wednesday night, it suddenly stopped working. Well, not the entire thing, just the trackball. But a BlackBerry Pearl with no pearl is basically non-functional. So I’ve spent the better part of yesterday and this afternoon trying to set things in order.

And to give credit where credit’s due, T-mobile, my kind and gracious mobile carrier happily took back my old BB and sent out a replacement device, which was shipped to me overnight. So now, I’m back in full force. That doesn’t mean, however, that I’m happy about the 4 hours I spent trying to reconfigure my new BB so that all my settings were in place just as before. I know, I know… Humans are creatures of habit, but we are creatures capable of change as well. But I like my wallpaper just the way it was, thank you!

It’s funny. For a few hours yesterday, as I awaited my replacement Berry, I tried to make do with a backup phone. Now, personally, I rather like the Motorola Razr — it is a sturdy phone that served me well. But after owning a smartphone, I just couldn’t go back. No email, no Google Talk, no Ka-Glom, and worst of all, no UMA (A.K.A. mobile access over Wi-Fi). I tried to download the Gmail application, but I had next to no reception. I couldn’t even send a text message properly.

It was then that I knew… Without my BB, I was nothing!

I hope everyone has been having a nice weekend. I just got back from a fun little trip, where I hopped and skipped across 3 cities in about as many days. Since nobody cares much about the extended director’s cut, I’ll give you the quick synopsis, in photoblog form.

Thursday afternoon:

Arrive in Washington DC, and was quickly presented with a pie with my name on it (literally). Visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery. Eat delicious food. Spend hours trying to manually blow up an inflatable mattress.

Friday:

Head to Baltimore. Arrive at Inner Harbor and eat overpriced sushi at a nearby restaurant. Visit various sights and sounds around the city as M & J watched the beloved DanceSport Nationals. Meet up with Nick for delicious Thai and Dangerously Delicious pie. Go watch a magician stab stuff with a sword. Head back towards DC.

Saturday morning:

Meet up with Hank and Kiko on the Mall to enjoy the Cherry Blossom Festival, complete with street meat from the Japanese Street Fair. Get sunburnt on an April morning in DC. Officially become the lamest Asian person alive.

Saturday evening:

Head back to Baltimore. Struggle to find something edible to feed the beasts within. Discover amazing amaretti cookies at Vaccaro’s! Watching the DanceSport competition for 5 hours. Hop into the car for the drive to Philly. Go to sleep with images of brightly colored, twirling dresses.

Sunday:

Sleep, eat, and be merry. Wake up to find that it’s almost noon. Eat brunch at Fork. Walk around Philadelphia’s Old City and have ice cream at Franklin Fountain. Stuffed to the brink, I depart for New York.

Isn’t that how every weekend should conclude?

For those of you who have been counting, yes, yesterday was my birthday. And instead of celebrating, I was studying, (more on this later). I didn’t even have any cake. So instead, I bring you the newly remixed video from Zhu’s birthday. YouTube picked the song, not me. But somehow, it does seem oddly appropriate, doesn’t it?

So, I had two exams today, and I was studying my lecture notes in preparation. As you might know, becoming a romance novel writer is high on my list of dream jobs. (Other candidates include pastry chef and dog walker.) Unfortunately, it seems that publishers are so inundated with unsolicited submissions that they rarely have a chance to even peruse them. Instead, most publishing houses rely on literary agents to find their latest gems.

But as I read slowly through the thousands of slides, my eyes found a small line of hope.

However, many smaller and more specialized houses continue to pay close attention to unsolicited submissions. For example, romance publishers regularly accept new writers from their submissions (“slush”) pile.

That’s right, folks. You may see my name on a $4.99 Harlequin romance novel yet! But I wouldn’t hold my breath.

In other depressing news, the economy in New York seems to have continued to deteriorate. This weekend, I saw a sign on the door of a restaurant proclaiming a 30% discount for patrons who were unemployed. Then, I saw a pair of young girls, one around 10 years old, the other maybe 12, playing violin in the subway and asking for donations. As you can see from the video, these girls were quite good. I can just imagine a family dinner where mommy asks everyone to do their share now that daddy’s been laid off.