Kibbitz Nest, Chicago, IL

 From the dictionary:

If you didn't know this Yiddish word before, you do now. I don't know if this business added their own second letter "b" on purpose or accident, but I presume now having been inside, they mean this definition.

I found this place as I was walking out of a pub from dinner and noticed their building signage around the location on Clybourne. It drew me in... plus the info about offering ice cream (I mean, I only had a light dinner). 

And as it turns out, they do offer ice cream and the chance to kibitz. But it's so much more than that too. They suggest a Wi-Fi free zone as you enter, but I still saw folks on their phones. I presume they don't offer a Wi-Fi- signal, because they want us to interreact with others or paper books (see below). You know, converse and interact with the live people in front of us... what people used to do back in the 1900's. 

So, they have large group spaces, a live event space in back, a small room for group reservation, an open bar and lounge area in front... and books everywhere. Plus, games and all other kinds of things to look at and do (like foosball).

They also have a really generous offering in the food and drink area - plenty of eats and snacks, beers, wines, coffee drinks, alcohol coffee drinks, desserts, etc. As was my charge upon entering, I went with a cookie sundae. It did not disappoint and hit the spot. I'm going to have to go back because I feel I didn't get a chance to try enough things or spend enough time in the spaces. Simply put, it's a fun place to visit.

I'll be going back as soon as I can get a small group to join me.

Sardine Bistro & Bar, Madison, WI

Well, after a number of years living in Madison (over two separate stints), I think I've finally found my favorite restaurant. This is a big deal as I almost never choose favorites... and even saying that, I still have some caveats, but this is it for me in Madison. I might even be done looking (not least of which due to me moving back to CHI).

First, this place is right on Lake Monona. You can sit inside a very nice old-school warehouse space that's been updated to a French bistro theme, or even out on the deck, overlooking the lake (and some parking). 

Second, they do drinks right and have a happy hour everyday (at the bar, 4-6pm). I'd been in once before but didn't stay to eat or drink anything. It was a snowy spring day and with the happy hour bar seats all taken, I didn't think I'd get in very quickly. So, I left that day and made a mental note to return - boy am I glad I did.

Third, the menu is really well done and easy to find something. Take your pick... 

Finally, this staff is the real star and one of the main drivers of me anointing it with "favorite" status. Now don't get me wrong... there are many good restaurants in Madison. I've already written about some here on this site, like A Pig In A Fur Coat... but Sardine is hands down the best staff I've come across in all my time in Madison (though a few others come very close too).

I think, in general, restaurant staff service has gone down since the pandemic began, and who can blame these workers? But, it's noticeable now that we're coming out of it. And an all-star staff like the one at Sardine stands out like a beacon of light.

They helped me from the jump, even though I was dining solo at the bar. Water, drink, salad and main, plus dessert with decaf espresso (who even orders that?!). As one example, there is a fantastic woman clearing plates behind the bar who's not much taller than the bar. She literally has to get on her tip-toes to see if you're done with your food. But, every time I cleaned a plate (and I cleaned them!) or got to halfway on my water, she was right there to clear it away or refill. 

The rest of the folks behind the bar were equally great in their own ways. Friendly, talkative, willing to explain things. It was great. I even mentioned this to one of the bartenders before I left and they mentioned that they all love working there. It shows. I loved being a guest too.

For those curious about my meal choices, I did the House Greens to start - delicious and seemingly so simple. Then I went all-in on a Ribeye with their Steak Frites. I asked them to sub the Frites out for Fingerling potatoes and they obliged (though did have to check with the kitchen). The steak was cooked to my order and served with my side and a mustard sauce (didn't need that!). 

Something about those fingerlings too. Take a good look. I can only presume they were placed raw into a very hot skillet or pan and roasted off in an oven. They outsides were very crisp and the insides perfectly tender. Now how many times have you noticed the potato enough to think about and comment on it?!

To be fair, I wasn't planning to go in and have a 3-4 course meal, with a drink and coffee, but the place makes you want to stay longer & order more. It's genius really.

So, I wound up getting something with chocolate for dessert in the form of their Opera Cake. It was not too big or not too small, but just right. Delicious too... and went very well with that decaf espresso I'd ordered.

To say I would go back is an understatement. I am trying to think of reasons to go back now. I'm sure a happy hour burger visit is in my future before too long. And I think folks in Madison and the surrounding area should check this place out for yourselves - now!

Cadre, Madison, WI

I don't know about you, but it feels like we're all a little more comfortable venturing out and doing things we used to do without thinking about it too much. If you follow this blog, you know that for me that's trying new places. I did just that this weekend and had a new-to-me place all picked out... but when I arrived it was too busy to seat me in a timely manner (I can get hangry).

So, I checked Google and recalled a few places I'd seen on the way to the first choice. Cadre happened to be about 1/2 a block away and Google told me it was a "French-inspired" bistro and rated at 4.5/5.0 stars, a good sign in my general experience. I popped in and easily grabbed a seat at their well-appointed bar, yet another good sign.

They convinced me further with a good selection of NA (non-alcoholic) beers, which is not that common in most places in WI, as you can probably imagine. And once I chose a new beer and got a look at the menu, I knew I would be staying for a full meal.   

Athletic Brewing's All Out Stout... (yeah, I'm "athletic"...)

Since it was a crisp night in the single digits, I thought the Beef Bourguignon looked perfect. And frankly, it was. It's not a huge plate of food like a typical American place, but it was so delicious and well-done, I didn't mind. Plus, that leaves room for dessert!

Slow-braised Beef (like a short rib), Brussel Sprouts, kale, Lion's Mane mushrooms, carrots, and beauty heart radishes on a bed of Pomme Puree...

After wolfing that down, I took a look at their compact dessert menu and chose the warm-spiced cake. It was also flavor-full, but not ginormous like you'd get at the Cheese Cake Factory or something. Perfect for me...

Going out on this night was a great little taste (pun intended) of feeling normal again. While their service was quite slow and they are now adding 20% to all checks for their staff, it was still a very good place to be on a cold winter's night. I would most-assuredly go back. 

Note: I don't know many places restaurant or not, that have perfect staff levels and no issues with service. Maybe A Pig in a Fur Coat if I had to choose one. This general service issue seems like something we're all going to get used to pretty quickly, whether we want to or not.

The Garage Food Hall, Indianapolis, IN

It seems like many cities have virtually always had these markets or food halls, with the latter option now becoming more popular. I recall grabbing a cheese steak in Philly's marketplace decades ago. Many large cities in other countries have something like this as well. Well, now Indy has stepped-up to the plate and created their own.

To be clear, I don't think you should be visiting Indy without a stop to this new, refurbished former production space. The food hall is in the former "garage" for a historic Coca-Cola bottling plant. From what I gathered being there, this was the spot in Indy where Coke was bottled and delivered by trucks to the entire metro area for a long, long time. I can imagine back in the day that this was a very busy, bustling plant and area. It's now been renovated inside and out as a mixed-use development. In a ~2-3 block area, it already contains this food hall, a hotel, a day spa, retail shops, a really cool duckpin bowling alley/bar, a very nice new movie theater and more. It also has a second phase for residential development in the works. This is going to be one hip, happening spot in no time (if not already).

Since it has this Coke history behind it, that's what I focused on for this post. In reality, there are so many food options that I wouldn't have been able to to them all justice with only my single stomach to partake. Know that it seemed like anyone in your clan would be covered for food options at this place, including: raw oyster bar, Indian, lobster/seafood, tacos, arepas, fish & chips, pizza/Italian, burgers, plenty of beer/alcohol options, and many more food types and spots I'm sure I'm forgetting. It also seems like more are opening everyday.

Many of the art deco buildings are faced with a wonderfully rich, glazed-white terra cotta tiling, with gilded lettering that makes it almost feel like you're stepping back in time. That's a nice way to invite people in and welcome them to a new space. You can read more about it HERE.

Inside the Food Hall, you find relics of the bottling history of the buildings. You can see pumps, historic workwear, Coca-Cola memorabilia, and more. It was all very fun to run into these things as I wandered around trying to pick my perfect food spot for the day. You certainly get the feel for the history that this area and these buildings contain. Many of us know think of soda/pop as a bad thing, but back then, this was a highly in-demand product and many workers would have been very proud to work there and represent this brand in the community. For me, I can feel that as I walked through the spaces.

This is one quote that stuck with me from my short research - "Over the years, the Massachusetts Avenue plant grew into the world's largest bottling plant, with 260 workers who produced 2.25 million bottles of Coca-Cola a week, he said. It thrived until cans took over the market in the 1960s."

I wonder if these was breathable on a hot day, {gulp}... just grab a cold Coke!

This is their first automated bottle "capper". A person would use this machine to cap the bottles.

See the little red Coke bottlecaps?

I already know that I need to go back - for more history lessons and more food options. Again, I don't think this place should be missed if you're in Indy.

Madeline Island Pt. IV - Tom's Burned Down Cafe, La Pointe, WI

This place was all light up on my first night, even with the 'Vid, I had to check it out. Turns out to be pretty eclectic, and really just a place to gather and drink some beers or other options. But, it was kind of cool, and in keeping with their overall island vibe...

n+1 bike & beer, Verona, WI

I'm not sure the city and area of Madison WI gets the credit it deserves for being an awesome weekend town. If you have a 2-4 day weekend on the horizon, I would highly recommend this area for their small town feel (an technically actual size), restaurants, outdoor activities, Big 10 university, brews, coffee, and much much more (I've done a form of glass blowing here).

Anyways, I was in town for a weekend and with insider info from a Verona native, I wanted to check out this bikes+brews+coffee hotspot in the small(er) town of Verona WI. If you don't live in the world of bikes, the term "n+1" is a sort of inside joke. It represents that ideal number of bikes for a bike lover to have in their collection/garage. As in, if you have 6 bikes, the ideal number is now 7 bikes. And so on. It works out that way for most bike nerds too.

I have to say, this place did not disappoint in much. They had great service, beers, fancy bikes, coffee, and treats-a-plenty. The only thing I might suggest more of is more bikes for sale and on display. Now, I do understand that this is mostly a custom, made-to-order kind of bike shop, but still, people like to drool over things. And it helps plant ideas in their heads too.

I went in for a light brunch and was happy to sample a few things from the menu, like - cheddar-rosemary biscuit, coffee stout, ham&cheese sandwich and a hot chocolate. All were really good, high-quality items. I'd go back for more in a second.

Freddy Jones Band @ Hey Nonny, Arlington Heights, IL

A quick but awesome night in Arlington Heights. Hey Nonny is a formal concert venue, with food and drink attached next door. This area of AH is right near the Metra line and almost all new construction. They have condos, restaurants, and venues like this in a couple block radius. They're all grown up!

These guys were the reason to attend, and it was a very small venue, not packed in like sardines, but also very good sound and an excellent show. Loved it, will be back.

Illini Homecoming Weekend 2019, Champaign, IL

What a great day and trip this was! I hadn't been back in some time and luckily still know one family that has the inside line on tailgates and fun.

We wound-up in a tailgate area they always go to, with friends of theirs all around. AND, the game was amazing (though we watched it from a TV in the tailgate!). It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, as it always was.

After the game ended, I went on a bit of a walk-about around the campus, see some of the old haunts.The first stop though was a new statue for Dick Butkus... pretty cool.

Then onward to Wohler's Hall, and on my way saw the band at the Education Building...

For an extra dash of fun, I wanted to take the underground passage through Main Library to the Undergrad Library... still the same, but actually nicer and more user-friendly now...

... Down, down, down...

Excellent mural and usable tables & chairs now too...

Finally, I pop back up outside...

Hit Foellinger Auditorium and the Echo Point...

And then pop-up to Kam's (which we were told all weekend was closing that Sunday - it should be closed now). And that's not to say I even spent that much time there, but it was a bit of a local legend.

Finish up walking back through the Quad...

And then a little more touring and Illini gear shopping the next morning...

... Stately Altgeld Hall

And I believe this was the English Building... love the entryway brass. You don't see that kind of fabrication anymore.

Awesome trip, still a boring flat drive, I'll be back, no doubt. Maybe I'll pay off my last remaining loan someday too.