A Night at Charlie Trotter’s

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Our neighbor, friend, and long time Hennacornoeliday fan Jean recently had a “milestone” birthday.  To celebrate, her and husband Glen treated us and another couple to an extraordinary culinary event; an evening at Charlie Trotter’s restaurant.  Per Wikipedia, this restaurant has been ranked as the 16th best in the world (not sure who gets to do that type of ranking) and is one of only three two star Michelin restaurants in the Chicagoland area (I also am not sure why anyone cares what a tire manufacturer thinks about food).  Incidentally, Jean and Glen are one of only a few neighbors to have received the Four Star Good Neighbor award nine years in a row.  If you are a neighbor and wish to receive this award, just take us somewhere like Charlie Trotter’s.  It’s that easy.

Not only did we dine at Charlie Trotter’s for their final Saturday ever, but we did so at the famed kitchen table.  Usually when one eats at a restaurant kitchen table it is due to some dress code violation or other misadventure.  That is not the case here.  The story is that at a young age Charlie Trotter toured Europe’s finest restaurants but was never allowed access to the kitchen.  Chef Charlie vowed to do differently at his restaurant. 

There is only one table in the kitchen and it is seated twice a night.  The table itself did not feel very solid and rocked back and forth each time I put my hand down.  Behind me chefs meticulously grated ingredients before handing the plate to the head chef for final inspection.  If he approved the food was then moved to the diners. 

The Kitchen Table Menu consisted of fifteen tastings; each tasting was about two or three fork fulls.  The other two dining options were the Vegetable Menu and the Grand Menu and consisted of eight tastings.  A lot of people reviews (Google, Yelp, etc) talk about leaving the place hungry.  Not so with the Kitchen Table Menu.  For over three hours we were fed morsel after morsel of delightful food.  What did we eat?  I really have no idea.  After each course was served the waiter explained in detail the ingredients and preparation.  This was forgotten before he was finished speaking.  We left with menus listing what we had but it is like reading IKEA directions; they just leave you more confused.  For example, our second tasting was “Hawaiian Hearts of Palm with Geoduck Clams and Jicama.”  It tasted great, but I only have a foggy notion of what I actually ingested.  I do distinctly remember eating antelope loins.  These antelope are supposedly native to the Himalayan mountains and are raised on a million acre ranch in Texas where they are hunted by helicopter (in order to ensure the meat is not tainted by adrenalin).  But the menu does not mention that at all.  In fact, looking at the menu now I do not see the word “antelope” anywhere.  It is as if the antelope never was.

If you think we were intimidated by the place, we were not.  Everyone working their (except maybe the boss) was friendly and approachable. The lack of choices in what we ate alleviated a lot of head scratching.  They served it, we ate it (Corey, a mostly vegetarian, ate lamb toung , beef cheek, and antelope to name a few interesting tastings).  The wine menu was another matter.  It was the only menu I have ever viewed that had a table of contents.  But the Sommelier was helpful and Glen allowed him to pair our food accordingly. 

Toward the end of the meal Chef Charlie showed up.  This arrival was announced by him berating our nice waiter (he did not raise his voice but our waiter’s body language was one of defeat) and the calm kitchen suddenly appeared a little more stressed.  He then came to our table and asked, “Forgive me, but how many times have you dined with us?”  When told this was our first time he asked where we were from and then, when told Chicago, he called the males at the table “goumbas” for not taking our dates there sooner.  I suggested he put his place on Groupon which resulted in laughs from everyone but him.  As he walked away I asked him about his work with Chicago Public School students.  My mistake was in how I asked (“I understand that once a week you allow high school students to tour your kitchen.”)  His response was an over the top, “No, that is not what I do.  (an exaggerated look down)  Do you want to know why?  (another exaggerated look down- I actually responded with a distinct “no” but he was not actually talking to me, he was speechifying).  [chef’s name] come over here. (the chef dropped what she was doing and came over).  Do I just give high school students a tour of the kitchen once a week?”  (the chef nervously said “no”).  Three times a week, fifty weeks a year, I cook for CPS students…. (he then proceeded to describe in detail his program which includes having students ask questions about the food and general discussions concerning “excellency.”  When I told him how cool his program was he agreed and said, repeatedly, it was “unheard of (this level of generosity on his part).”  He also, after softly giving another command to our waiter, leaned over the table and said “I do not know who I hate more, my employes or the customers.” 

It was close to nine at this point.  Glen was not finished with his coffee.  Chef Charlie led us from our table to take a tour of the kitchen (and in doing so we left our table for good).  Another chef then took over the tour.  I asked her what it was like to work for Charlie.  She said it was a dream come true (no sarcasm).  She switched careers not that long ago and was clearly in awe of the man.  Prior to the tour I asked a different chef how long he has worked at Charlie Trotter’s and he responded with a number and then, without a smile, stated a number twice as large to represent how long it was in “Charlie years.”  Another chef, when asked the same question, indicated that if the restaurant was not closing soon he would have left months ago.  The same person also stated that many chefs last only a few months working for Chef Charlie. Incidentally my mom, a retired special education teacher, knows of a blind chef who, after graduating from culinary school, could not find anyone willing to hire her.  Chef Charlie reportedly did which opened up doors for her. 

The night was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Glen and Jean, thank you very much.  Happy birthday Jean!

Note:  Henancornoelidays loves writing up fancy occasions (bar mitzvahs, weddings, christenings, whatever).  If interested just invite us along and we will do the rest.

The Tripsick Blues

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We have been home for almost three weeks now and I really do miss our trip.  Not all the time and not because I do not love my home, Edison Park, friends, work, or family.  It is just that there is no freedom quite like the road.  And with freedom comes change that is as hard to hold on to as a good tan. 

These are some of those changes:

My eyes

Nature and other neat stuff does not confine itself to national parks.  Walking in the garden at the school where I work I spied a fossil in the grass.  It was just a small rock but it had definite leaf prints on one side.  It was uncommon to a school garden, but common enough to hand over to my friend Louie.  In fact it was just a few weeks ago that Henna and I skipped dozens of such fossilized rocks into Jackson Lake.  I also have seen and pointed out to others delicate spider webs (on a gritty street corner on the Near Northside), skunks and other urban mammals, and several hawks all without breaking stride.  The kid from the Sixth Sense saw dead people; I see glimpses of our trip.

My points of reference

Corey wore the toe out of her barefoot running shoes (less than one year to do so).  Amazingly REI reimbursed her in full and with that money she bought the same pair of shoes.  In the process of doing this we met an employee who had just returned from Yosemite.  A good five minutes or so were then spent talking camping, hiking, and the lack of both in the flatlands.  We could have been at a campground (and I would have offered him a beer) but we were in the north suburbs and I never missed my trip more.

My weight and overall comfort

I lost close to ten pounds.  I think it was from being active, Corey thinks it was from a lack of snacks.  Either way I feel great.  On the trip I also slept well (something I do not always do so great at home).  Henna sleeps better on the road too and sleeps best in a tent.  Corey only has back and neck pain at home (and never from sleeping on the ground).

I hope this does not come off as whining.  I know how lucky I am to be able to take off for months at a time.  I certainly do not expect any sympathy from those unable to do the same.  But all the same I am spending a lot of time now looking at maps, googling campgrounds, and thinking of the mountains.

Shedd Aquarium by Boat

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Well, we have been home a week now and I was itching to go somewhere.  My plan was camping at Starved Rock, but neither Corey nor Henna jumped at the idea.  We actually decided that last night we were going to have a small fire and camp in our backyard as the weather has been nice and cool night.  We have camped a couple of times in our backyard and it has always been fun (one time it was after having the floors stained).  But sometime yesterday we decided our beds would be a lot more fun.  We also chose a board game over the fire.

What we did do was a little tourism in our hometown by traveling from Edison Park (our home neighborhood) to downtown to the Shedd Aquarium and then back via trains and boats.  The train part was routine, the aquatic road not so much.  It also was a little pricey ($8 an adult/ $5 a child one way east on the river to Navy Pier then the same fare on the lake or an all day pass for $22 an adult/ $9 a child).  But it does take you on the same route as the Chicago Architectural tour (but with fewer people and no docent).  Not surprisingly, on the weekend the river taxis are a tourist thing which made it fun for me to help people out (“Right, the train that goes around the loop is called the el.  But to get to Wrigley from here you want to take the 151 bus.”)  Last year we took a different river taxi to China Town.  My take on the river taxis; going south to China Town is pretty ugly and smelly (China Town does have good eats but not much else to make a day of it).  Headed east toward Michigan Avenue the view is nicer and, with the weather being perfect yesterday, offers a relaxed and comfortable ride.  At Navy Pier you can transfer to museum campus bound vessel that works on the much choppier lake (and in doing so provides some great panoramic views of the downtown area).  It did make me feel a little sea sick so we opted to walk back to the pier (and was later amazed to find out that what I thought was a one mile walk was actually closer to three).

The Shedd was super crowded but also super awesome.  The line just to purchase tickets stretched on and on and on.  Luckily for us our super cool niece works at the Shedd and had tickets waiting for us.    Inside the Shedd was the familiar (to us) and the not so familiar (the jelly fish).  A lot of people we know have raved about those jelly fish and we were pleasantly surprised to find them still floating around here and not some other Midwestern aquarium.  With no brains, blood, or bones, they look like some primitive life form on Mars.  Our tickets for the dolphin/ beluga whale show were too late for us to attend (but, thanks again to our delightful niece Abigail, they were also free) so we instead saw the show from the bottom of the tank viewing area.  From that vantage point it is mostly upright tails punctuated by sudden dives to the bottom.  Just before going we dropped our show tickets off on an unsuspecting family of three from Kentucky (who were grateful but seemed a little skeptical of our good intentions).  We also later gave our two all day river tour passes away (again they seemed as surprised as they were happy).   It always feels good to help out a fellow traveler.

 

Day 50: Iowa City, IA to Edison Park, Chicago

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Yesterday I woke up in a tent pitched on my neighbor’s parent’s lawn.  Today I woke up in my own bed.  In seven weeks we drove about 7,200 miles (with 1,200 of those miles coming over the last four days).  Did the trip change us?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Like a good tan, the trip effects (good health and low stress) will fade over time.  The same thing in regards to the novelty of a comfortable bed, dishwasher, and a fridge that does not involve the constant feeding of ice into.

Yesterday our friends Alex and Chad took us to the Farmers Market in Iowa City.  After the cowboy mentality of Wyoming and Nebraska, it was refreshing to be in the more plain-spoken and warmer midwest.  The market was awesome with farmers and artisans from the surrounding country side set up downtown to share their homemade wine, cheese, veggies, and crafts.  The crowd was mostly locals with lots of kids running about and everything was friendly and low-key.  This was only my second time through Iowa City (the other time I was a senior in high school visiting colleges) and I was really impressed by the big town/ little city feel of the place.  I could see why people like Kurt Vonnegut chose to live there.  aMaceing Life, I think you might miss the mountains but would otherwise love to live in Iowa City.

After the market Chad and Alex took us to another delight; John’s Grocery Store.  This nifty little place was overflowing with beer and wine as well as good cheeses, veggies, crackers, and humus.  The store also had wisdom as the people working there knew their stuff and made good recommendations.  Armed with lunch, we set off on the interstate for a visit with Corey’s mom who made us a nifty dinner.  Joining us were my niece and nephew and their parents and the welcome felt complete.

A few hours later we fought against traffic and reached our house.  George and his friend took great care of the place.  I was worried that they might have had one to many big parties (and in doing so anger the police officer that lives next door) but I guess George mostly talked guns with him.  The cats looked healthy but did not seem to notice our arrival.  A couple of our friends happened to walk by later and it felt good knowing that we were missed.  After sorting through seven weeks of mail and doing a little unpacking, Corey and I drank some good Iowa wine (really, it was good stuff) on the front porch while Henna slept in her own bed.  We were home.

Day 49: Lincoln, NE to Iowa City, IA

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I am proud to say we spent our last full day on the trip the way we spent most of our trip; seeing new things and making friends.  Driving into Lincoln we were not so impressed and even a good fast food Mediterranean experience did not change that impression.  The area around the hotel had a gritty and industrial look and the downtown lacked that certain feel that Corey always talks about.  But the next afternoon we discovered something pretty cool:  Pioneers Park.  Pioneers Park is a couple hundred acres of parks, restored prairie, nature centers, ponds, thousands of bull frogs (which are a pest and not native to the area), turtles, two elk, a small herd of bison, a bald eagle, and several resident snakes and owls.  The birds were brought to the park by places like Raptor Rescue and had various injuries tended to (for example, the bald eagle was missing a wing and an owl was blind).   The staff working there were friendly and helpful.  Tending many of the animals was Drew who ended up spending a lot of time talking to us while misting the eagle and tending to the owls.  Drew and I talked nature but also camping as he is an avid tent camper and traveler.  The hours spent there made us forget the high heat and humidity (which is still pretty new to us after a summer traveling in the mountains and the coast).

Four hours or so later we were off the interstate on mostly gravel roads in search of Ron and Phyllis’s farm.  Close to their house we saw a fox by the side of the road.  Ron and Phyllis are parents to our neighbor Chad who, along with his wife Alex, are visiting in part to celebrate his mother’s birthday.  I am happy to say that Chad’s parents are as nice and quick-witted as their son and it was a real treat drinking wine and eating pizza with them late into the night.  They live on top a low hill in a sturdy 140 year old house with sweeping views of the countryside.  One thing that amazed me was that the gravel road leading to their house used to be paved.  Then the state ran out of money and put it back to gravel.

Henna spent a lot of time feeding sheep and playing with the kittens and cats that live in their barn.  Phyllis also made sure that Henna had enough cake and ice cream and right before going to bed Henna said that this was her favorite day of the trip.  Despite Ron and Phyllis repeated invitations of a guest bedroom, we chose to pitch a tent on the front lawn.  It just felt more fitting to do so.

So I woke up this morning in our tent; it was my 40th time doing so this summer.   The rain flap was not on and it was a cool morning despite the near 100 degree temperature the day before.  Right now I am typing these words on Ron and Phyllis’s front porch and the ladies are still sleeping.  Soon everyone will wake and I hope to have a cup of coffee.  Chad and Alex plan on taking us to a farmer’s market as well as a small grocery store they know that has an excellent beer and wine selection.  Afterwards we will take Interstate 80 to my mother in-law and then later still we will come home.  This trip will be over and I will begin to help plan the next one.

Day 48: Laramie, WY to Lincoln, NE

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From one western college town to another.  Today was the longest drive of the trip. At almost exactly 500 miles, it was one of the longest drives we have taken in many years.  Take one interstate, one very flat route, and precious few roadside attractions and….zoom we were off.  It was all rather anticlimactic really.  In Laramie the mountains were near but out of sight and the ground still buckled everywhere.  Cross into Nebraska and the land still buckled a bit until, maybe around North Platte, it suddenly flattened out into the mid west.  Highlights of the day were a short hike at a rest stop (in the still buckled part of Nebraska), a plaque at that same rest stop celebrating the “golden link” of “concrete and steel” that was completed in 1974 (that golden link would be Interstate 80), a text with a neighbor, a free stay at a hotel thanks to points earned, and a Mediterranean fast food meal in Lincoln.  The text by the way would be with our neighbor Alex whom, along with her husband Chad, will be celebrating Chad’s mother’s birthday this weekend in Iowa City.  Lucky for us they invited us to the party and we cannot wait to see them tomorrow.  Chad and Alex, if you are reading this, we will see you tomorrow.  And for all family and friends, our journey is expected to end this Saturday.  We have had a blast sharing our adventure and hope you continue to check in with us over the next few months as we add photos and share more stories.  Thank you for staying with us these past 7 weeks.

 

Day 47: Grand Teton National Park to Laramie, WY

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It was kind of hard yesterday saying goodbye to the Signal Mountain campground.  Our five nights spent there (we also spent one night at Colter Bay) was camping at its best.  We made friends, learned about slightly off the beaten path destinations, and were given food by our neighbors.  Those neighbors, by the way, were the best neighbors outside of Edison Park that a family could ask for.  Although laid back and friendly, they were also experienced campers.  For example, when a mother black bear and cub wandered around just below our campsite they were able to point it out to us without disturbing their feeding.

For that last morning we woke up to a coming storm and were able to pack up just before the rain came.  We waited out that rain then had a good breakfast which finished just before another storm, this one with hail.  After a final goodbye to the place we followed that storm east to DuBois.  The rain and construction slowed us down but we did spy another mother bear and cub by the side of the road.  Later in the day Henna and I saw dozens of antelope and we may have also seen a wolf (Corey got the best look at the canine-ish animal and she is certain it was a grey wolf).

Other highlights of the day were coffee and ice cream in Landers, WY (where the diner had mismatched coffee cups and more wooden Jesus’s and other saints than you would think possible).  Landers had a bit of a gritty feel along with many opportunities to pawn your stuff (possibly to get enough money to buy a drink at one of the dozen or so dark saloons in the town square).  There also was a neat little park near the train tracks, many friendly people walking around, an Asian grocery store, and an excellent antique shop.  No bookshop though.

Laramie we could live in, maybe.  I did not find a bookshop, but the college town must have at least one.  We did have excellent pizza at Grand Avenue Station where the artists there create masterpieces out of wheat or white dough, feta cheese, barbecue chicken, or whatever else you think might be a good idea.  The main drag has buildings dating back to the late 19th century that now host coffee shops, boot stores, funky bars and other strange pairings of the wild west and a hip college town.

Before these western towns we drove through endless high desert filled with unexpected bright colors and rounded off mounds.  The high mountains of the Tetons and the Wind River faded in the background and the altitude trended down.  Along the way we stopped at Split Rock which was a physical landmark for folks headed west along the Oregon Trail.

These are the last few days of our trip and we are already reminiscing about it.  It has been a good one and we hope you stay with us for these last few days.

Day 41 to 46: Grand Teton National Park (Part 4)

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Our last day in heaven.  That’s what it felt like anyways.  After driving 5,500 miles or so in about 6 weeks it felt good to anchor ourselves in one spot.  In six nights here we hiked close to 20 miles and swam almost every day.  We also made friends with two families (both families included a Mike), ate out a few times, and slept in.  The storms came almost daily, but so did the sunshine.  We also visited Jackson Hole three times and by the final time (today) felt that we actually saw the small shell of a time shellacked by the great tourism world.  How we came about this core was through the usual methods; a haircut.

Woke up this morning around 5:00 AM and may have accidentally woken up Corey and Henna.  Instead of going back to bed we talked a bit and decided (with a strong dissent by Henna) to get up and take showers.  That is how stinky we were; Corey actually agreed to leave the tent before six in order to take a shower.  The nearest shower was Colter Bay (where we camped the first night).  So off we were a little after 6 watching the sun finish its rising and keeping an eye out for wildlife.  We saw many elk and a coyote and were clean and back at our campsite around 7:30.  I should mention it was in the mid-40s the whole time we were up.  I made coffee, Corey yawned a lot, and Henna went back to bed.  Around 10 we were properly caffeinated and full of yummy pancakes.

Feeling super clean I craved a haircut.  Back at the showers the nice lady in charge told me where all the locals went for a good, clean haircut (Teton Barbershop? It is on Gill Street).  There I waited my turn with a diverse collection of twenty year olds with long hair and tattoos (these are the ones piloting the tour boats, working at the hotels, etc.), older men with Stetsons, and the odd tourist (me).  My barber was nice, soft-spoken, and a little hard of hearing.  It did not matter as I did not give him any real directions as to what to do.  What counted with me was him not being intimated by my almost 2 month beard. Midway through my haircut he stopped and asked, “Can I ask you what I ask everyone from Chicago?”  Oh no, I thought, what.  “Do you ever go the Weiner Circle?”

After the haircut we hung out at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.  Although I was bummed my NPS pass did no good there and $12 an adult/$6 a child (or $30 a family pass) seems a little steep (my NPS pass which allows our family entry into any National Park for a year is $80) the museum really is cool and worth the money.  Henna got an almost hour long lesson on water colors with the resident artist and their exhibits are fascinating.  They are in the process of creating an art trail around the building too and when completed this will almost definitely be a premier destination as it is nestled just at the entrance to the park (and the building is a fascinating blend of stone).  I do wish they were more generous with their WiFi, but the people working there were friendly and the galleries were not crowded.  As the afternoon storm rumbled outside, I worked on these paragraphs while nestled into a plush leather couch with views of the foothills.  Not a bad way to spend my last day in heaven.

Day 41 through 46: Grand Teton National Park (part 3)

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Before you call DCFS please read fully.  Today began with a plan to hike up Signal Mountain whose trail lies across the road from our campsite.  This hike was described by a campsite worker as short and ugly.  Knowing that nothing coud be ugly in this glorious place, we decided to believe only the short part.  So after a harrowing walk along the road to the trailhead we hiked 3 miles to the mountain summit (over two hours) only to be met by tons of tourists snapping pictures of the glorious teton range view (I should mention there also is road that will take you to this very spot.)  We must have looked mighty out of place among all these clean people; as we were tired, sweaty and eating scraps of squashed food from my camel back.  Henna was so tired she sat right on the ground not caring that people had to walk right over her.  A nice looking man asked incredulously, “Did you hike up here?” To which we proudly answered “yep”. What came out of his mouth next was the last thing we expected.  He looked right into our over tired and sun streaked eyes and bluntly asked, “Why would anyone walk when they could drive?” How do you reply to such a forward and insane comment?  You don’t.  I simply turned to Henna who at age 8 had hiked up this summit, not so pleasantly at times I might add, and asked her if she would do it again.  She replied without hesitation, “Yes!”  I thought that was all the response that was needed.  Her reasons can be best described in the pictures that follow.  Boy do I love this kid.

Day 41 through 46: Grand Teton National Park (Part 2)

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Another day another hat.  My fourth hat of the trip (in case you are scoring at home) and this is the first one that would not look odd in Edison Park.  However, with my very overgrown beard, dark glasses, and Teton baseball cap I do look a little like a wanted bank robber.

Yesterday we hiked up to and through Cascade Canyon (which we also did last year).  This is probably the most popular hike in the park as it combines a short boat trip to the opposite shore of Jenny Lake, stunning views of the lake from Inspiration Point, and then even more amazing views of the surrounding mountains which form the canyon walls of Cascade Canyon.  You can take the shuttle boat and hike .5 miles to Hidden Falls then return back or backpack through the terrain for a month.  14 years ago Corey and I backpacked to Lake Solitude (our first backpacking trip).  Yesterday we hiked to a pretty cool water fall just past the Cascade Trail fork (round trip 9 miles).  We saw two very cool bull moose along the way and, even more exciting, made some good friends.  Our new friends are Grace (age nine), Mike and Kerri.  Grace is nine, loves books, is read to by her parents at night, and enjoys camping with her parents at various national parks.  Henna is almost nine, loves books, is read to by her parents at night, and enjoys camping with her parents at various national parks.  Both girls are also kind of shy and love digging in the dirt for rocks and such (although Grace might like bugs more than Henna).  A quicker friendship has never been.

Grace’s parents are also very cool and, amazingly, know William Least Heat Moon (or Bill as Mike calls him)!    Mike, being a professor of geography at Missouri (MIZZU) also knows a lot about rocks and other cool things (as well as Seinfeld trivia).  Kerri has a good sense of humor (she laughed at my jokes) and has a love for all things literature.  We talked books (Grace has read many of the same books at Henna), living abroad (they lived in China for a year), climate change (one of the few conversations related to the subject this trip that did not include calling our president a Marxist), and bug based ice-cream.  We barely made the last boat back to shore and ended up eating together at the Signal Mountain Lodge.  There we sat tired, filthy, and slap happy.  I could not have asked for a better time.