wine – Lauren Warnecke

High Art and Haute Cuisine at TASTE, a benefit for HSDC

When someone tells me to drink fine wine in the name of art, I say,

“Where do I sign up?”

It’s not too often that my worlds of dance and domesticity collide, but it’s worth mentioning that an upcoming soiree benefitting Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is right up my alley (and by that I mean drinking on a Monday night in a swanky cocktail dress).

Hubbard Street is one of the city’s finest dance companies, and having just kicked off its 36th season, the timing is perfect for a celebration. This TASTE is the fourth of its kind, and will feature fine and rare wines from Hart Davis Hart Wine Company (vintages ranging from 2000-2010) alongside savory bites from Chef J. Joho of Everest – where the event is being held. For an event of this caliber, the $275 price tag is likely to be totally worth it. I’m thinking my first glass of wine is coming from a bottle worth at least that much…

You know you want this.

Scott and Allison Ohlander, left, with Craig and Maria Brahamat restaurant L2O for TASTE 2013. Photo by Robert F. Carl.

Hart Davis Hart tasting table in L2O dining room, TASTE 2013. Photo by Robert F. Carl

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TASTE takes place Monday, November 4, 6-8:30pm at Everest (440 N. LaSalle St., 40th fl.). Tickets are $275 and can be purchased through Jeanne Newman, Manager of Individual Giving and Special Events at 312-850-9744 ext. 130. Space is limited; all proceeds benefit Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s artistic and educational programming.

A Lovely Evening

It’s taken me a long time to learn how to spend time by myself.

I guess I’m still learning, really.

After a year of working 60-80 hours a week, followed by a surprisingly hectic summer, followed by the hit to the face that comes with the first week of school, I was surprised to find myself with three days on my calendar that were actually…. blank.

Huh? What is this strange feeling of time off? The GF is traveling, which means football is off my radar, and I can’t figure out what people do with themselves when this phenomenon called days off occur for every 5 days. Um, well, I guess I’ll, well, polish up seven weeks of upcoming lectures and watch an equivalent 7 hours of Law and Order: SVU on Hulu.

And that’s exactly what happened yesterday.

tumblr_msh3mcTeVw1qmywbko1_500 — wine, jazz, and freezing string beans

I wanted today to be different. I wanted Sunday to be this productive day where I do this that I claim to be doing on my blog and Pinterest while I’m really sitting on the couch with Detective Tutuola. After a somewhat thorough cleaning of the kitchen and laundry-doing earlier today, I put on some jazz music, opened the windows and a bottle of wine, and got a bit crafty. It’s about time I lived up to my name.

So, I repurposed my mother’s old kitchen curtains into a sassy new apron, baked a pan of chicken for my lunches this week, and froze most of the vegetables that arrived in my CSA this morning – while wearing the new apron (naturally).

I’m sure you find this all very interesting, but now as I sit at my desk, listening to the sounds of the city out the window and rumbles of thunder as a storm approaches, Ella Fitzgerald humming softly on the stereo, sipping my glass of wine, feeling accomplished, I couldn’t ask for a more perfect evening. With all due respect, Detectives, you’ve been replaced (for now).

tumblr_msh5h2upkZ1qmywbko1_500 — A new apron, fashioned from Mother’s drapes.

Happy New Year 2013!

Grind03-6626 — Holidays, party of 1. No mom, I don’t actually smoke. Photo credit: Kelly Rose

I’m fairly confident the year was sufficiently rung last night. The wine flowed, the turkey was delicious, as were all the delectable sides (including mashed potatoes, vegetables, stuffing and my Mom’s creamed corn). I made a solid batch of deviled eggs and shoved blue cheese into pitted olives for a final touch.

But enough about me. Most importantly, the meal was shared among friends. We managed to cram nine people around the table for a family-style dinner, and were totally blessed with a night of laughter and plenty of leftovers.

I’m a little conflicted about making resolutions. I tend to shape my life goals around the academic year because, well, I work at an academic institution. Sure, I’ll be joining the pack that returns to the gym (but, to be fair, I went twice last week too). Lose weight, eat better, let go of all the holiday vices… blah-di-blah…

But if I really had to pin down what I want out of this year, it’s to get my s&*# together.

I’ve wrapped this up into three smaller goals that look like this:

Meet more deadlines
Find space
Drink Tea

I’m pretty responsible, but the things that either (a) aren’t a priority, or (b) I don’t get paid to do sometimes fall by the wayside. It happens with writing, and paying bills, and things like student recommendations or taking a ballet class. In order to deal with all the little details and try to keep on top of managing my life, I need to find space in my brain. But, I’m also seeking out a physical space so that I can continue to work on dance related projects. With my change in jobs came a complete loss of free rehearsal space, and soon, I believe I might find the creative home that I’m looking for.

Vicki Crain told me that she was resolving to drink more tea, so this resolution is borrowed from her. But drinking tea is not just the action of sipping on a overly hot, lightly caffeinated, somewhat tasteless liquid… it’s a life philosophy that I whole-heartedly buy into. So, good one Vicki.

What, pray tell, are you going to work on this year?

Recipe for the Perfect Picnic

Brie.

Grapes.

Italian bread.

Wine. Red.

Add a little greenery, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a bumpin’ twitter feed and a few thousand of my closest friends, and this is the making of a beautiful evening.

People do it up right at The Ravinia Festival.

There’s the mad dash from the gate. The in-fighting over the shaded spots close to the Pavilion. The pop up tables, real crystal, and vases of flowers. Everything you’ve heard about Ravinia is true. It’s at times chaotic and dripping with wealth, but the North Shore folks in khaki pants and claustrophobic lawn quickly fade away once the music kicks in. You settle into your bottle of wine, gaze up at the trees, and all your worries melt away.

For just ten bucks, you can sit in the most beautiful back yard in the tri-county area and hear some of the best musicians in the world. This particular Sunday it happened to be Idina Menzel with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Admittedly sniffly, and suprisingly crass, that bitch can sing.

What a glorious way to spend a summer evening.

Highland Park

chillaxin — Lauren relaxing on the lawn at Ravinia Festival

Cleveland does, in fact, rock.

It’s been awhile since I’ve travel blogged. You know, I mean, for REAL travel blogged.

Cleveland rocks!! At the Lava Lounge in Tremont

I guess that’s probably because it’s been awhile since I travelled. A menacing schedule and many, many recent life changes have added up to a rather dry spell in the world explorations. However a number of mini-trips have shaped up this summer and so I’m once again stretching my traveling legs starting off with a weekend in Cleveland. This simple little road trip kind of blew me away and Cleveland proved itself as a new and surprising place that actually does, as they say, rock**

Or, I should say, Lakewood rocks.

Here’s the thing…. while I did make it into the city limits of Cleveland, it wasn’t the focus of the trip. On this approximately 36-hour vacay, Julie (my lady friend) and I stayed with friends in the charming suburb of Lakewood. Typically, charming and suburb are not two words that would ever share a sentence together, however Lakewood is a delightful walking town that purports big trees, chirping birds, unique old homes, and surprisingly the largest gay population per capita in the tri-state area.

Cleveland was all about friends, and food, and wine, and good conversation. It was a chance to escape from the chaos of life and the NATO summit in Chicago to slow down a little bit. Expecting something akin to Indianapolis, I found Cleveland to be a more progressive, unique, and hip experience than I ever could have anticipated (in other words, not at all like Indianapolis). Add to that good, honest, and honestly hip people and there’s not much else to report. I will, however, say that if ever in Cleveland, I have two off-the-beaten-path recommendations:

Prosperity Club — Sangria at Properity Social Club

Be sure to make a stop in Tremont at either Prosperity Social Club or Lava Lounge. Better yet, visit both. Within a block from one another, these two establishments are locally owned and make for a great evening when packaged together. Steamed mussels and sangria at Prosperity were followed by a beautiful waldorf salad, mac and cheese, and a substantial wine list at Lava Lounge. Let it be known that Greg, our server, was hip, chillaxed, but simultaneously attentive and suave.

Good job, Greg. And good job, Cleveland.

** Apparently, Instagram, my new favorite iphone app, also rocks. I do believe that iphone photos come out infinitely hipper and better this way, as evidenced here.

Cleveland