Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (50 years), Urbana, IL

As a young man on the campus of a Big10 school, with a summer's worth of time to kill, I found myself gravitating to where a couple friends worked and could get me into their employers multiple shows, either at a reduced price (cha-ching!) or on short notice (they would tell me when tickets were leftover). The place was the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana IL. 

I also happened to graduate from my bachelor's business program a bit "off schedule", in January of 1998 (please, don't do the math). Due to this "Spring Graduation", our ceremony was held in the Krannert Center, the Foellinger Great Hall to be exact. While I'd seen a number of amazing musical performances in this hall, like YoYo Ma & Wynton Marsalis, this was the first and only time I was ever on the stage myself. It felt good... as good as it could have, I guess. My parents and some siblings had come down for the ceremony, marking, I think, the 2nd time they had visited since I started school in C-U. (To their credit, we had many children to take care of, and a new small business to run, so partying with #3 wasn't high on the list of priorities).

Anywho - This post is simply a walk back in time for myself and the friends that I spent many hours with in this space. Check out the images below and be transported to a simpler time. Also note that this 2019-2020 season is their 50th anniversary. Pretty special. Pretty special place too.

You are told on the tours, I presume still, that while the wood Teak is no longer allowed to be imported into the USA, they received the US' entire annual allotment when this floor was put in. It also is said to represent the look of IL from the air, with all the corn fields in the area...

Don't forget the outdoor auditorium. It looks like it has some fresh new white paint, visible all the way almost to the Quad too.

I love this performing arts center, always have and always will. If you're in the neighborhood in the coming months, you might be able to sneak in a show in their 50th year.

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.

La Principal, Evanston, IL

After a long day working for the man, a person may want to jump off the train near their place of residence, but not head directly home. Some days require a little foray into a new place, maybe grab a drink or bite to eat. Heck, maybe have a few drinks and a large meal. 

La Principal on Main Street in Evanston is the perfect place for a weekday evening (or weekend). Though it can be a bit loud depending on your seat location, it's good to know it's almost always bustling in this joint. You likely won't wait too long for a seat, but maybe a bit.

I've only been at the bar, where their star bartender is always on her game. She makes you feel welcome and helps you get going on your night. Plus, people seem to love her cocktail game. Looks like Thursday is tamale night too.

I went pretty simple this visit, wanting some guac and some tacos. They have both and they have both as good as or better than most places I've been, including Mexico. They also have a pretty complete menu of other Mexican food favorites, like very well-done tortas. And if you want spicy, they have you covered on that as well.

For dinner this night, I chose tacos of the Shrimp, al Pastor, and Carnitas varieties. They were all SO GOOD! I'm not kidding here. I think I've dreamt about them since.

And as a kind of dessert, I asked the bartender for a taste of the brew below, a semi-sweet, but definitely dark, City Light Coconut Porter. It was only 1-2oz., but enough to get a taste for beer and handle that sweet flavor craving in your mouth after you finish a meal.

Boy, am I glad I got to walk home after this... needed the steps.

I would not only highly recommend this place, but I will be back as soon as I can. Happy hours, taco deals, #tamalethursdays, etc.

Newport Coffee House, Evanston, IL

If I'm being honest, I think most of my "reviews" of places and restaurants on this blog are pretty positive, bordering on gushing. I don't have many posts in which I'm ripping a place apart. I think this is mostly due to the fact that with the information available to us these days, people now research new places pretty thoroughly and generally know what they'll get before they arrive to a new place. Basically, if I knew it is going to suck, I don't go. I'll avoid a bad experience and keep the blog posts positive. 

For this new-to-me spot in Evanston, I had not done any research, but, from the outside, it looked like a typical high-end, small batch, locally-owned coffee shop. A place where Northwestern University hipsters would love to go to have some coffee and talk about finals or something.

I decided to walk in on a chilly morning to grab a hot beverage to warm-up. I was going for a simple hot chocolate, but also noticed a sandwich menu on their counter. I decided, also on a whim, to try their avocado toast. I mean, most hipster coffee shops also know the avocado and I figured this would be the same. I could not have been more wrong this time. 

The drink was delicious and appropriate, but the avo toast was not. I think there were two main reasons for my poor opinion of this choice - 

1. The avo toast was not served open-faced. It was made as a pressed panini sandwich and served to me thusly. Let's be honest here, my 75 year old mother knows that avo toast is to be made as an open-faced sandwich. How a business offering and serving this toast would not know that, I can't fathom. To serve it as a "closed" sandwich made this thing mostly bread (a very nice sourdough at that, but I didn't order a bread sandwich, I ordered avo toast).  

2. The sandwich included mixed salad greens on the inside! And by that, I mean they pressed mixed greens inside the sandwich and served me the very bready avo toast sandwich that had hot greens inside. In my opinion, greens made wilted and hot is never done on a sandwich of any kind.

On the positive side for Newport, the space is quite lovely. Nice design, good layout, pleasant staff, interesting furniture, and simple helpful accommodations for users (like water & water glasses readily available, no-laptop table choices for people wanting to "talk", and bus-your-own tables drop off spots). It's easy to go in here and relax for a bit before heading back out into the biting cold of the Lake Michigan wind & winter.

As further proof of their care for the customer, they also responded to a filled-out contact form within an hour or less. I couldn't make the sandwich I was served match up with the rest of the experience and decided to write the company from their website's Contact Us form.

The owner replied to me quickly and also with valid info -They had only just begun serving sandwiches and were still working out the kinks. The owner also asked me for my receipt to credit the entire visit back to my credit card, which was also done very swiftly.

In the end, I would go back to Newport, 100%. I would inquire politely about the avo toast before getting it again - how is it made, how is it served. If it sounds anything like my first try, I won't order it. But, if they've made some improvements to the process and product, I'd be glad to try it again.

Overall, I would very much recommend Newport Coffee. If you like a cool, trendy coffee experience and a nice quiet setting, this place will fit the bill. 

El Milagro Asadero Bar, Aguascalientes, MX

Any place that has a reference to Jordan is already high on my list of favorites! Not sure why they had this on their wall.

But, we had come for lunch and were promised steak. They do not disappoint. It's one of the places where you pick out your own meat and they grill it for you. You get some simple "snacks" at your table while you wait for your hunk of grill beef, alongside some grilled veggies, like onion, and cactus/nopalito.

Waiting for food!!!...

Finally!!!! Ribeye!

I inhaled almost everything in front of us. It was a great way to "lunch", perhaps only missing a nap room for after.

Cevichazo Parilla de Santi, Aguascalientes, MX

When in Rome, eat pasta or pizza.... but when in Mexico, eat tacos. Our coworker/guide took us to this wonderful lunch spot on sunny afternoon. We were so happy to be here, loved their energy, foods, patrons, and staff. I'd be back in a second... if I could apparate.

Oh, a parilla is a grill, which is what they're cooking all your food on...

Mmmm, Marlin!

Great interiors...

HUGE menu!

Shrimp

Marlin

Tuna

They also had grill fish entrees, which I would love to go back and try some day.

The food was so good. I say this often on this blog, but if you're ever in the neighborhood, do stop in!