Away we go

Pre-rooster wake-up, yummy breakfast at La Fournette, brunch with DD and D (because when you wake up when it's still dark outside, you can do multiple meals of the same sort), Arts Fair redux, Jack plays street chess with a nearing-elderly wizard, running/water/the "bean" in Millennium Park, a slight injury, el-ride home, quick turn-around, early dinner with T's cousin and her hubs, quick bath, exhausted kiddos, packing up, exhausted parents, to NC tomorrow. Scene.

Green City FM

Across the street from our hotel, the Green City Farmers Market sets up shop on Saturdays. Does this sound like a marvelous place to go find breakfast? Indeed! And so after very good coffee and hot chocolate at Elaine's Coffee Call (1st floor of the Hotel Lincoln), we wandered across the street to find some goods. Jack and T opted for crepes, sweet and savory respectively. Oliver went for a melon-blueberry-cherry smoothie and I chose a ricotta-cherry muffin. Mine was decidedly underwhelming but the boys loved their crepes and smoothie.

J and O befriended another little boy so we left them running circles in a field in the middle of the market while we strolled calmly and leisurely around. A jar of cherry jam here, a pretzel baguette there, some aged raw milk cheddar, a pint of strawberries and a tomato. Room picnic for the boys later!

We had a lovely time at the First Sight opening fete last night and on our way home stopped of at Nookies for warm apple pie a la mode. I was in a lovely new white dress with a grosgrain bow at the waist and a somewhat full and shaped skirt. Sitting at the soda counter on those old-school spinning stools, my beau next to me, our two spoons side by side in the pie plate, I felt like I'd jumped into a combo of Grease and Hopper's Nighthawks. Cool.

And now we're off to the Art Fair.

Fun Friday

The kids were so delighted to be in a hotel that they spent our post-zoo afternoon immersed in imaginative play on their bed. Amen. Despite efforts to the contrary, T and I fell asleep in ours. A quick refresher nap and then it was time to get ready for the evening. The babysitter arrived and we decided to take ourselves out for a pre-First Sight aperitif at Perennial Virant, the restaurant downstairs in the Hotel Lincoln. I ordered a glass of rosé, T a beer and we asked for the food menu. In the meantime, I spied some pickled ramps in the bar fridge and got a little excited. Then I looked down the bar and saw a jar of blueberries- pickled? preserved? I asked and was treated to a sample of a pickled ramp and pearl onion as well as some blueberries which were done as an aigre-doux (cooked with wine, vinegar, sugar, spices). Delicious.

As it turns out, the chef at Virant is Paul Virant, an avid canner and preserver and author of a looovveely cookbook, The Preservation Kitchen. I bought one immediately and cannot wait to get home and try many of the recipes, including those blueberries.

Our snacks arrived: hush puppies with creamed corn, tasso and collards; and pan-fried gnudi with morels and Parm. The hush puppies were out of this world. Oh my god on the perfectly vinegared collards, the depth the tasso provided, the full-of-flavor corn and the pups!! I was in heaven. The gnudi were a far second though the morels were perfectly done. Aah. More later, children (up at 4:20) calling wildly...