LTHForum 1 Year Anniversary/1000 Member party

LTH,

Just a reminder the LTHForum 1 Year Anniversary/1000 Member party is tomorrow, Saturday July 9th!

Response has been tremendous, this is going to be a heck of a party.

Really looking forward to the party, see you tomorrow at 7pm.

Enjoy,
Gary

Speaking as member number 1000, I can't wait. In fact, I shouldn't have waited to join here as long as I did. But the light finally dawned and I'm here.

I can't wait to meet everyone--those whose names I recognize and whose writing I have enjoyed reading for years, here and...ahem...elsewhere, and those whose names are new to me. It's gonna be a wonderful party and, like the best of all parties, it will celebrate and center on great food.

See y'all tomorrow!

Gypsy Boy

I wish I could of made the trip but I have to work. Let me know how it went.

Hi,

I know someone will post the pictures of the cakes. I now have the menu in front of me to report what we did eat:

1. Gary's Birthday cake decorated in fruits was a 3 Leches "Convento" Cakes: "Delicious 3 milk cake infused with authentic Mexican Rompopo Liquor recipe from the nuns of San Luis Potosi."

2. LTHforum.com 1st Anniversary Cake was a chocolate "Abuelita's" Cake: Unique combination of Mexican chocolate whipped cream, coconut dacquoise and belgium chocolate mousse.

We were a lovely party of 79 eating cake intended for 100, there was hardly any left ... thank goodness!

Thanks to Seth and Chloe for the history lesson wrapped in a play about food. Thanks yet again to Seth for being an all round good guy as his fiance Kerensa serenaded Gary in the fashion of Marilyn Monroe to JFK. Thanks Kerensa for doing it so effectively.

It was a very satisfying evening. Thanks to everyone for coming and making merry!

Regards,

By not following the dinner with more drinking and karaoke, I am able to post about this early Sunday morning. It was a great time, thanks to all who organized this event.

Highlights:

• Variety of meats. While the shrimp and mackerel didn't come out as wonderful as I'd hoped (not marinated), there were some very beefy beef items, and the spicy chicken/pork was teriffic too.
• Live coals! Much better results than the places that have gas burners. How that place manages to cart fire buckets around all night without killing the occasional patron is amazing
• The 'salad' bar. Lots of kimchi options, and a fantastic toasted garlic with a nutty spicy flavor. I grilled a little pineapple Bobby Flay-style after all that meat.
• Cake: Delicious, enormous cakes. They were a wonder to behold, and the picture on the header above doesn't begin to do justice to their majesty.
• Company: LTHForum is a community, a family, that is a rarity in this age of on-line anonymity and faceless snide comments. The number of people who knew my postings, random and meager as they are, surprised me. The generosity of those who brought spirits was also wonderful, and the conversations and storytelling was rich beyond expectations.

Thanks again, and it's probably not too early to start thinking about the 2nd anniversary. If this site keeps growing, it's going to be hard to find a facility that can take us!

What a great way to celebrate LTH's first anniversary! It's been so much fun meeting the LTH members at the few events I was able to attend during the year. This was a great way to meet so many more of you (although I truly felt like I already knew who you were just from reading your posts over the past several months).

Good food, good conversation, and good entertainment. I can't wait to do it again.

Suzy

I was sorry to have to cut out early last night, but I knew I had to be up bright and early to get some work done (from which I am taking a break right now to drink some coffee and go LTH-ing). I left the party a little before 10:00, which means I missed some of the antics, which I regret to no end. However, the early departure had a fringe benefit; namely, it was still relatively early and I decided -- what the hey! -- I'll just stop in at Sabatino's and deliver their LTH GNR award tonight. I did, although I should've guessed that by 10:00 on a Saturday night, the owner would be pretty thoroughly exhausted. That he was, and it therefore took a couple of minutes to make him understand I wasn't selling him something or busting the place; once the formalities were over, the LTH award was received with gracious humility. No camera means no pictures of this mini-event, but hopefully he'll have the placard posted next to the Mastercard sign in the window before too long. At the suggestion of some others, I'm going to try to set up a Wednesday "lobster night" dinner sometime in the near future, so we can check it out then.

Darn, I started summer school this week and missed the party---I've got to stop making work a priority. Johanna Brocker

It was a great opportunity to put names with faces and faces with voices last night. I always meet the most interesting people through LTH. I only regret that I didn't get the opportunity to mingle with even more folks.

The buffet was plentiful, the coals were hot, the show was great, and the beer & wine were flowing. It's always fun to meet more faces behind the names. I had a blast.

It truly was a fantastic party that went off without a hitch. Special thanks to Cathy2 who worked hard to make it go so smoothly (and to everyone else who helped her). Also, thanks to Seth and Chloe for sharing their witty, informative (and tasty) show with us.

Best,
Michael / EC

(I have a bunch of pictures to edit down. Hopefully I'll be able to post some tonight).

LTH,

Amazing, simply amazing!

Our LTHForum 1 Year Anniversary/1000 Member party, not unlike LTHForum itself, turned out way beyond any reasonable expectation. 79 extremely diverse, interesting people having fun, eating, drinking, conversing, enjoying each others company.

Seth and Chloe's performance of The Mayor's Mouth was wonderfully interesting, witty and just plain fun. Kerensa's Happy Birthday song caught me by surprise, though not to the extent the alternative birthday warbler would have. I understand there was some thought of having a 500-lb male Marilyn Monroe impersonator sing.

Cathy deserves much credit for her organizational skills, Dickson for his presentation of the GNR and all the moderators, the 1000 members, now over 1100, and everyone who contributes so greatly to LTHForum making it the interesting vibrant place it is today. Though next party I'm determined to get Mike G and a couple of the moderators to say a few words.

It was so very nice to put faces to names not yet met and I am continuously amazed at just how easy, and interesting, it is to talk to fellow LTHers who I meet in person for the first time.

LTHForum has become so much more than any of us could have imagined, I am looking forward, which great anticipation, to the future.

Enjoy,
Gary

Cathy deserves much credit for her organizational skills,

Thanks, though I was quite motivated by fear of collecting X dollars and finding I needed to pay X+ (with the + out of my pocket potentially!).

Thanks everyone for putting up with nametags, which I attempted to be as stylish as possible. When I counted 79 nametags used and the restaurant had 79 patrons to our party counted, my heart sang with relief we were on the same track. Otherwise you would have seen the restaurant owner and I counting heads while you enjoyed Seth and Chloe's play.

What pleased me most is everyone enjoying their meal, which is quite important by all LTHforum standards, and the entertainment. A lot of creativity went into this first event, it will take quite a bit of effort to pull it off the next time. If you do have a GREAT idea for the next LTHforum bash, then drop me a note.

All the best,

I thought the nametags were a great touch -- nice to be able to pair screen names with faces.

It was a great party all around.

I want to add my belated thanks to Cathy2 for doing the administrative work that allowed the rest of us to enjoy ourselves. I hear you, Cathy, as once people find out I'm a 'banker' (an IT guy at a bank) they assume I'm the right guy to be the de facto treasurer for whatever event I'm helping out on (and I used to think double ledger meant somebody was xeroxing the first ledger). The nametags were great and allowed me not only to place new faces with known screen names but to better remember those that I'd met only once before and avoid that awkward "umm, I'm sorry, what's your name again?" moment.

It was a lot of fun. If over 70 people showed up for the 1st year party what might future celebrations bring? With the combined strength of 5-step graduates and some, ahem, dropouts we could probably put together one killer BBQ party.

Finally some pictures for those of you who couldn't make it and have to live vicariously through us:

Cathy2 working the door


Dickson working the buffet


The Mayor's Mouth Players


Mrs. Kman put together a heck of a plate of seafood


The other cake, besides the one you've seen


I couldn't resist: Gary finishes celebrating at the Hidden Cove


When's the next party?

Best,
Michael / EC

I also think I forgot to thank Cathy, Gary, dicksond, and all the others involved in organizing the event. I'm just sorry we had to leave before all t he birthday celebrations.

Hi,

I'm so glad to see a picture of Gary's cake. I hope someone will upload a permanent image of the LTHforum cake as well.

When I came to collect the cakes on Saturday, Laura Cid Perea made a final inspection. She decided Gary's cake just wasn't pretty enough. She brought out additional fruits and crystal sugar to finish the decoration to her satisfaction.

I thought I had left some personal items at the restaurant. I called the owner of Korean Garden on Monday to see if they found them. When she realized I was Gary's friend Cathy, she quized me on source of the cakes. She and her staff enjoyed the leftovers the next day. They have been using Lutz's and other cake vendors, but found our cake the best they had tried.

As much as I appreciate your praise at this party's outcome. None of this would be possible without the collective effort of our community to find the best Chicago has to offer. Many great sources for food would have been largely invisible without our collective detective work and willingness to share it here.

Thank YOU for being the wonderfully curious people who make LTHforum a worthwhile place to hang out and play together.

BomBon Bakery
1508 W. 18th St.
Chicago
312-733-7788

Hours: 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday

Best wishes,

Cathy2 wrote:I'm so glad to see a picture of Gary's cake. I hope someone will upload a permanent image of the LTHforum cake as well.

Ask and ye shall receive. (But I suspect Mike G has a better one).



Best,
Michael / EC

I'll have to add my gratitude to all the organizers of the dinner. My visit to Chicago was very enjoyable, as I knew it would be. Being away from Chicago, I especially enjoyed meeting some of the newer members of the community whom I have not been able to meet until now!

What a beautiful cake.

I'm so sorry I had to miss the party! I was out of town for a wedding. The cake there sucked.

Happy anniversary, you guys.

The time has long since passed when I, had I the manners my mother sought so strenuously to instill, should have thanked everyone.

After lurking on this board since its first days, I had the temerity to defer my membership. Months passed and then, one day, a thought occurred. I'll be the 500th member! But by then LTH had grown so fast that it had passed that milestone. So I lay low. I bided my time. I waited and watched and promised myself to be the 1,000 member. Day by day LTH added new members. Day by day, new threads and new posts sucked the saliva of gluttony from my lips. And then, finally, one day I was rewarded. The 998th member had just joined. Shamelessly, I added my wife, the Lovely Dining Companion, as member number 999 and then, in a fit of excitement the likes of which we should all be privileged to enjoy far more often than we (probably) do, I typed in my vitals. Ta-da!

Shortly thereafter, THE party was announced. I was flattered (and more than a little embarrassed) to be even mentioned. Particularly since I had so brazenly (I would have said chutzpahdikly, but that seems a stretch) and barefacedly timed my membership. But, hey....

Cut to the party. I can only offer a pale echo of all the previous posters' thanks and acknowledgments. Congratulations to LTH but most especially to those truly devoted and oh-so-generous with their time. I will not name them--save Gary--for fear of leaving someone out. But none of us would be here without their efforts, their concern, their thoughtfulness and, most especially, their enormous hard work and time commitment.

I enjoyed meeting those whose names had been only that before. But there are so many more to meet. So much more food to eat, so many new places to discover. As I wrote Gary when I joined, I look forward to many more years of contributing here (although "sporadic" seems to be my middle name in that regard). I am grateful beyond the power of mere words to express my appreciation for the party and for this site.

Thank you,

Gypsy Boy aka Dave

FOR SHAME. not enough comments about the food.

1) the downdraft vent hood + live charcoal combiniation is fabulous w/ a capital F. if i ever get to design my own dining room, i'm building one of these suckers in.

2) our entire table agree to disagree with the squid. ick

3) daegi bulgogi was mediocre. beef 'brisket' was too tough.

4) something was SEVERELY wrong w/ the naenmyung. It wasn't edible. even the commercial frozen stuff @ Chicago Food Corp is superior.

5) kimchi was perfectly aged for me. plenty sour and just spicy enough. otherwise, the panchan selection was excellent, ditto to the chap jae.

6) was told the shik ke was great and much welcomed after the heavy meal. the soo jeung kwa (persimmon punch) was a nice surprise even tho it's mostly consumed in wintery conditions...

tres leches cake > * . i'll be 2 blocks away from Bombon come September... lastly.. that Georgian 'grappa' kept me "happy" the entire drive home...

On to the fried chicken!

Finally managed to get my pictures developed . May as well get this thread back to the front page

The LTH1000bash, my first LTH 'event', was fabulous fun. It was great to meet some of you (wish I could have talked to more of you - maybe soon) whose posts I read and enjoy, and match screen names with faces.

A quick pictorial recap:

The big room we filled up (only half the room is pictured)


Cathy2 was a blur of activity (Thanks for all the work so it was so fun for us!)


The very entertaining Mayors Mouth (Duck!)

that led to the
performance art bird (Duck? No. Shrimp) with coconut (dessicated) on our table (Thanks SethZ and Chloe)


A2Fay and I had the privilege of sharing our table with Gypsy Boy and Lovely Dining Companion.
Gypsy Boy got dinner going


The Cake was a beauty this picture is not redundant - no such thing as too much cake


see what I mean:
Mr.1000



Later we went across the street to the Hidden Cove for a few drinks more and
Zim was already plastered by the time we got there (with more on his back)

By the time we were leaving, much to Zim's chagrin, random young girls began tearing the labels off his shirt
(If that's what they were interested in tearing off...)

Taking a break to a spirited rendition of I will survive before we left


Super fun!

LTH,

Rene G with his 'single serving' bottle of Veuve Clicquot.


Shirley 'The Hammer', who flew in from New York City for the LTHForum party. Empties in front of her are not all her's, no, of course not.


Great party!

Enjoy,
Gary