Sun Wah Dinner w/Goose Island Pairings

On a rather chilly April night, I had the great opportunity to join friends for a truly unique dining experience.

A handful of friends and I joined together with Brewmaster Greg Hall of Goose Island for a unique pairing with the always tasty Sun Wah, for one of his last events with Goose Island. The expansive Sun Wah menu of both classics and new dishes were paired perfectly with the craft brews of Goose Island.

While I have had many of Goose Island's Chicago favorites such as 312, Sophie, Matilda and Pere Jacques) I hadn't even heard of some of these other brews. For a good reason too: a lot of these are new.

The beer pairings for this dinner was exclusively made of the Goose Island Vintage and Vintage Reserve lines. I discovered two new favorite beers that night. Lolita, a pink rose colored Belgian style pale ale fermented with wild yeast and aged on raspberries in wine barrels, has a great fruity flavor with tons of bubbles, very similar to drinking a great champagne or rose!

My favorite beer by far is the Fleur, a pale ale blended with hibiscus and kombucha tea, it was a very light beer but not absent of great flavor. I plan on buying a case for the soon coming summer!

And of course, the Sun Wah menu was a great combination of favorites that keep customers coming (like the pork bun) also showcasing tradition menu items only regulars order (bittermelon with chicken) and new varieties of their expanded menu.

Dinner attendees sat at large round tables with 10 people seated at each. This setting made for a great opportunity not only to catch up with old friends, but to forge new relationships with others who appreciate great food. Our odd group of friends quickly became friends with the friendly blondes next to us, as well as the gamer-men and gamer-girlfriends (YES, they exist! I smell a reality show to be made..) quickly became friends after brew 2 was poured.

The new Sun Wah space with great lofted beams made the whole evening one not to be forgotten. Their move from the old dilapidated space around the corner to the expanded modern space they currently reside in may be the best move they've made.

Community Art

Mosaic on the Underpass to the Lake

Community art breathes life into the lives of neighbors, reflecting the joy and hope of the neighborhood it represents. After years of living in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, I made the move away from the cookie cutter walk-ups, and made my way to my new neighborhood, one that I've come to love and appreciate to no end. Each day as I jog (albeit, verrrrry slowwwwwly) past, it's a comforting feeling I get from seeing the heart that was poured into creating this art.

I wish more that our "western" culture would incorporate art into our lives. Many Muslim countries incorporate art into the most minute of details of their buildings, really bringing all viewers into a scared space of exaltation of the space.

My favorite activity when I was studying in Morocco was seeing all the different patterns of buildings, sidewalks, doors, ceramics, which is incorporated in really every aspect of Moroccan urban living. Here are a few of my favorites:

I loved hearing from guides, shopkeepers, my host sister (or really anyone in ear shot of my aloud-wondering) about the history and significance of each design. How one famous person or another commissioned one piece and the next. How the numbers used in these intricate tile designs were exaltation to Koranic verses. It was all so breathtakingly beautiful.

But I a fool, and always a goof:

Tile, tile, everywhere!

All about the art!
♡M

waiting for the weekend (part. 2)

Still seeking: a neighborhood Thai place to call my own. A place that knows my love for Pad Thai and the like, and can satisfy instant needs on a whim. I continue my search through Asia-land of the Northside, known as Argyle Street.

Thai Pastry Restaurant
4925 N. Broadway (Just south of Argyle)

The restaurants on Argyle always surprise me. They appear so small and quaint from the front, but as you approach and enter, it's a ballroom of a restaurant with bright colors and festive decor to welcome both you and your taste buds.

I love Thai food. As "plain" and as "non-cultured" it may be to order either Pad Thai or Pad See Eiw wherever I go, it's the one indicator I have to determine whether or not I can make this "MY" go-to Thai place. After I determine which will be "MINE", then I'll venture further into the menu, veering off path to see what other spices can delight my taste buds.

This is why you take a +1, someone who doesn't mind when you pick and grab at their food as much as you are from your own. This is why I probably am a glut with a GUT... because meals are taken from all ends of the table, and no friend's dish is safe from my eager fork.

Thai Pastry is BYOB!

Pad See Eiw... a great dish, but I'm still searching!

Remember: Always bring an adventurous dinner with you....

We brought our wine and ordered our meals,
Me: Pad See Eiw, my process for determining good Thai
+1: Red Snapper with Hot Peppers, the special for the day

The Pad See Eiw was decent, but I don't think it was my favorite, as I seem to have DRENCHED it in hot sauce by the end of the meal. The Red Snapper with Hot Peppers, on the other hand, has me drooling in my seat as I type these words.

The red snapper was grilled to perfection, and had been fried with it's skin in what I assume was a flour batter. It was crispy, but not overtly so and DEFINITELY not oily, a good combination for a fish. The hot peppers were hot, the sauce was saucy and the dish was infused with basil throughout.

Next time, I'm skimping on the noodles and headed straight for whatever is on their "specials" menu... but ofcourse leaving room (this time) for the immense number of pastries in their glass counter in front.

Still seeking tasty Thai,
♡M

Chicago's Roots

I dream of one day getting to tour the amazing space known as the Uptown Theatre....

a la Chicago Theatre Addict

I've been reading about this place on so many blogs, as a recent change in management means that the facilities are coming out of the work, turning the electricity back on and turning the fans back on in the basement (i.e., "central air" to remove the musty smells of neglect).

Dreaming of parties past,
♡M

Discovering the New Neighborhood: Round 2

Apparently on a margarita kick, sadly realizing that summer is slipping through my fingers
:(((  <-- that's my triple chine from drinking too many sugary drinks.

Join another gaggle of guys for $5 margaritas at T's bar on Clark in Andersonville. It's a really nice, casual vibe here, with decent food and drinks. (The margaritas are strong, ++++++!)

We had a good time there and enjoyed the music selection and the service. Nothing supremely memorable, but my friends all suggested another trip here to try out all the different, unique beer mixtures.