Super Bowl Avoidance, 2/1 @5:00ish, Avec

{NEW DATE FOR 2009; see post below}

Apparently this "Super Bowl" is some sort of annual event, and per hallowed LTHForum tradition, the G family will be at Avec and would be happy to say hello (so long as "hello" does not involve discussing the teams, whomever they may be, or the progress of the game, whatever it is). See you there, if like me, you couldn't care less.

Sir,

I will be there with bells on! Just this afternoon I was talking about taking a Super Bowl avoidance visit to Avec a la Mike G. I was on the brink of contacting you when I saw this.

Regards,

Sounds great, Mike. But I'll be watching the game because professional sports is very interesting.

Best,
Michael

Well, *&%^&! I'll be watching the *&%^#$^ game, because my husband whom I otherwise love (obviously beyond all reason) recently decided he enjoys watching football. %$&*^&%!!! To top it off, he isn't even inviting any %*"&^% football buddies, so I can't immerse myself in preparing overly complicated but probably unappreciated finger foods and healthful but still decadent dips! I was mildly annoyed before I knew there was an option to eat adventurously in friendly company.

Have a wonderful time. Sigh.

eatchicago wrote:But I'll be watching the game because professional sports is very interesting.l

Mr. Pirolli puts forth a compelling argument.

We're hoping to go, but if so it will be later, as the DH will be blowing glass until around 6 pm.

http://www.chicagohotglass.com/

Mike-

I was already planning to be at Avec on Sunday but I will be there earlier rather than later; so if there's overlap between our visits I'll definitely pop over to say hi.

[FYI to all - Because it is Super Bowl Sunday, the Goodman is offering 1/2 price tickets to its 2:00 showing of the well-reviewed "Shining City" ("The Play About Irish Angst")].

The Wife and I intend to stop by this afternoon.

I was there Fri late. The standouts were the duck confit w/roasted vegs and frisse and the seared redfish w/kelp and leeks, both excellent. The short rib was good, but a bit on the fatty side even for me and my cholesterols I've been grooming all these years.

I wonder if the word has gotten out about Avec as the place to avoid the Super Bowl... it was much fuller than two years ago, even if still probably a slow night by their standards.

As it was, I had a nice dinner with the Hammonds and Cathy2, who also brought some paczki from the Delightful Pastries event, which the boys appreciated very much for breakfast this morning, and said hello along the way to Aschie30 and Cinny's Mom, and later to Thaiobsessed. See you there next year, unless we decide that it's so crowded on Super Bowl Sunday nobody goes there any more.

HI,

Yes, it was a very fine evening.

As we were waiting for our coats, I picked up a postcard advertising Violet Hour. We learned the owner of Avec is a partial owner of Violet Hour.

Thanks for dreaming this up Mike.

Regards,

Mike G wrote:I wonder if the word has gotten out about Avec as the place to avoid the Super Bowl... it was much fuller than two years ago, even if still probably a slow night by their standards.

Mike- It was good to see everyone. It was surprisingly crowded. As I was getting ready to leave, I heard one of the cooks say to another one something along the lines of "WTF? Why is it so crowded today? I thought we'd be empty!" So apparently it was a shock at least to this guy. It wasn't a total Super Bowl Avoidance for me - I go in there often enough that the bartender and one of the cooks know that I tend to check football (but mostly baseball scores) from my blackberry. I took out my blackberry to check my email and thinking that I was going to announce the score (geez! like I would do that!), he practically screamed at me, "I don't want to know what the score is! And neither does that guy down that end of the bar! I've TIVO'd the game!" But then there was another contingent behind the stoves that wanted to know so for awhile my b-berry was passed around as word got out that the Giants were in the lead. Good thing you were gone when Avec, for a second, turned all Super Bowl focused.

So, do you think there was an LTH effect on Avec? That the secret is out?

This is an event worthy of becoming annual (oh...wait...it already has).

C2, picking up on the black napkin trend, gets three to demonstrate requisite hipness. She also gave me a big slab of salt pork, which was very kind of her.



MikeG and King’s Thursday ditched the kids and seemed to enjoy the evening, through their tears.



It was excellent running into cinny’s mom, aschie30, and thaiobsessed, and I had the feeling there were other LTHers in the crowd, though I neglected to flash the secret hand signal.

I got home in time to see the last 90 seconds of the game, which somebody won right near the end, so that seemed pretty exciting, too.

Hi,

I usually like to have two napkins. I ended up with three when I thought my second napkin had been efficiently whisked away. The joke was me, I had the napkin all along. I was wearing black pants and with very little to differentiate it, I lost track of it.

Lot's of fun!

Regards,

We decided to stay home, the glassblowing was hard work (as was all the cooking, laundry and snow shoveling I did) and we didn't feel like traveling.

Next year we'll plan better

Was there a football game on Sunday?
I knew I'd made the right choice for dinner on Sunday when I pulled up behind a car with a "duck the foie gras ban" bumper sticker. It was fun getting to meet Hammond, mrs. Hammond, Mike G, Mrs. Mike G, and Cathy 2. If I'd seen this post before I went, we would have arrived a little earlier. We particularly enjoyed the "roasted redfish with melted leeks, escargot, bread crumbs and tarragon" which I hadn't tried before. Not really sure what redfish is but it was mighty tasty. I'll be there next year...

We went this past Sunday - Oscar avoidance? Maybe... It was reasonably crowded, though I don't think there was ever a wait.

So apparently this "Super Bowl" thing was successful enough last year that they're having it again-- I believe the Humpback Whales are playing the Stevedores, or something like that-- anyway, I was thinking of making my annual pilgrimage to Avec on this occasion, but things were somewhat complicated by a kids' birthday party and other such things, so I'm just now getting around to reviving the notion.

I will be going to Avec, solo, again at the time-honored time of 5:00ish (precisely). If anyone would like to be there at roughly the same time, to engage in conversation or even share this or that dish, I will be more than happy to be convivial and conversant. That's this Sunday, 2/1. See you!

Hi,

I will try to make it, though it may be a last minute call.

Regards,

Can't make it.

(Sports related animated gif deleted by moderators, sent to nearest ESPN Zone for recycling)

(The Poster regrets the off-topic intrusion into this thread. However, due to his apparently uncontrollable excitement with regard to the upcoming Superbowl, hereby reserves the right to make additional, substantially-similar intrusions into other threads remotely or tangentially related to the aforementioned sporting event. The Poster will attempt to pair any such off-topic intrusion with applicable, on-topic information, if available.)

Wow, a sports reference, and an animated .gif. Why don't you just note some health violations and weigh in on religion for the "unholy quartet."

Congrats to all those whose teams made it through. I'll likely be joining the Avec defensive line.

RAB wrote:hereby reserves the right to make additional, substantially-similar intrusions into other threads remotely or tangentially related to the aforementioned sporting event.

And Moderators@LTHForum reserve the right to unceremoniously bend, fold, spindle, mutilate and delete said intrusions. Including, but not necessarily limited to, flashing flag waving animated .gifs.

Regards,
Gary for the moderators

I am surprised to read that no one intends on avoiding the Superbowl and heading down to Chinatown for the parade and activites. Unless the weather is below zero, we plan on heading to the parade with our kids.

Hi,

As much as I love Chinatown, I find going to dinner there on during or immediately after the parade is not fun. The restaurants are slammed. Go for the festivities, then find Chinese food anywhere but Chinatown.

Regards,

Thanks for the tip, I think that we might be heading out to Greektown afterwards or if we want to do Chinese, we may actually head to Red Light. Now hang on, hang on. We can't eat in Chinatown anyway since my son is allergic to peanuts so as much as we and the kids love going to Chinatown, we only dine there when we are on a date and sans peanut-allergic son. Red light is very allergy aware, so we would feel comfortable eating there with him.

We intend on heading out for the parade and activties, as my kids love Chinatown almost as much as they loved Disney. Almost.

No shame around here in Red Light - Jackie Shen is a badass (in a good way). Enjoy!

HI,

I had a great time at my annual visit to Avec.

See you next year: here or somewhere else!

Regards,

I'm sure Avec was awesome, but you guys missed one hell of a game.

`

jesteinf wrote:I'm sure Avec was awesome, but you guys missed one hell of a game.

I am so sports adverse if the Olympics were across the street, I wouldn't go.

I am glad you enjoyed yourself.

Regards,

I'm sure Avec was awesome, but you guys missed one hell of a game.

Oh, well, gee, I, uh, so, whatever.