It took me a couple of days to recover from Thursday's daytime drunken Chicago office send off. I spent my last half day in the office in a coffee and cupcake haze, managed to run a couple of errands and hit the sack by 2 p.m. to do some resting up before Jennifer's Friday night arrival. We hit up the Twisted Lizard for some Mexican and were happily vegged out on the pull out couch by 10:30, watching crap TV and drinking Coronas, all of which was more than what we had asked of ourselves for the evening.
But we had a good time. We have had so many nights like this during the last four years, it was nice to have one last Jennifer visit before I left. We started our Saturday dodging drunk St. Patrick's Day revelers who filled the streets of Lincoln Park before 9 a.m., headed to Nookies for breakfast.
If you are a Chicagoan and have yet to eat at Nookies, of which there are several in the city, you should do so immediately. This one sits on Halsted Avenue somewhere near Belden. They've got great specials, lots of vegetarian options and meaty options alike. I'll surely have to write something up about it over on I Eat Veg.
After wolfing down as much as I could of my veggie breakfast sandwhich with spinach, goat cheese, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes, we set off for a day of productivity. I had every intention of utilizing Jennifer to help me plan my attack. What to pack first and how. After more than one move to Seattle and back, surely she's a pro. Well, we managed to do a TON of shopping in my neighborhood. We were able to justify it, of course, and managed to try on everything and buy just about nothing. She walked away with some items for a birthday gift and I some Easter items for the Bear and some boxes and containers from The Container Store.
After all of this walking and shopping we deserved a little Sushi snack, so we stopped at Dee's near by apartment for a little sushi and some warm Sake and managed to rest up for a bit on the couch before heading out to another favorite restaurant on my list -- Bite.
I'll have to write about Bite, too, but it hit me on Friday that I couldn't leave this city without one more plateful of Bite's Buffalo tofu. I've tried to make it at home, to no avail. I just can't do it like Bite can. But, my worst fears came true when we learned it wasn't on the menu this month. I settled for Jerk tofu and BBQ tofu and a few other things Jen, Sally and I shared, along with vegan apple spice cake. You just can't go wrong with Bite's desserts. So, I left semi-satisfied that I had fulfilled my Bite longing, and with the knowledge that the trick to the Buffalo tofu is the deep frying...
We then set off for Shoe's Pub, where a handful of other friends were to gather to see me off. I love Shoe's, its staff, its location, and the fact that it was the one place in Chicago I could walk into and feel like I was walking into Cheers. However, the plan was somewhat thwarted by the fact that the bar was full of St. Patrick's douchebags who had been drinking since 9 a.m. Drunk girls were crying, others were stuffing their faces with pizza, singing Jimmy Buffet at the top of their lungs or dancing in a way they believed to be sexy in their drunken hazes.
I professed that it wouldn't be that bad, but believing there was nobody else who would be joining us, I agreed that we could take the party back to my apartment. The seven of us trekked to the nearest 7-Eleven to load up on supplies and off the apartment we went. We had christened the apartment four and a half years ago with a celebration for Holly's just passed birthday. It was essentially the same small group of friends back then, including Jennifer, so it was nice to kind of bring it all full circle.
Again, we had a field day with the Photo Booth function on my computer. Photo Booth + alcohol = fun. What can I say?
Needless to say, we had a good time, and didn't have to put up with any douchebags other than ourselves. I was so happy they each came out to spend time with me, with little fanfare and just the fun that we know we can have if you just put us in a room with each other (and a little booze). There were no tears. It was perfect.
It took me a full day to recover, however. I ordered some Thai food from Duck Walk last night, so I can check that off my list. There only are one or two places left -- a grilled cheese from Cleo's and some guac and veggie tacos from The Local Option, where I spent so many Saturdays waitressing I can't believe I actually miss the food. I thought it would take many more years than it has to get over that.
On that note, I've spent far to much time rambling away here in Argo Tea and must brave the snow/rain mix outside and get to my next appointment. My goal for the day: at least pack one freakin' box. We'll see....
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