FrogPrincesse

In regular non airtight containers, I find that tea tends to lose a lot of its aroma after a year or two. You can still use it but it tastes more like a dead leaf infusion than proper tea.

I greatly recommend Suze. I think it's a must-have. Delicious neat or in a White Negroni.

Good recap article from Wayne Curtis in PUNCH. Too bad Bruto Americano wasn't included though! I think it's another great gentian-based aperitivo. http://punchdrink.com/articles/guide-bitter-gentian-liqueur-suze-salers-aperitif/

Here is an orgeat recipe that is a bit different and looked interesting that was just posted by Remy Savage of the Little Red Door in Paris on Instagram.

Here is one of my absolute favorites

Interesting article from Eat Your books about downsizing - Managing your [cookbook] collection to make it work for you.

Thank you @Shelby! And thanks everyone for the nice comments. I had fun doing this. PS @Kerry Beal Unfortunately I didn't get to try the besk, which is similar to a malört from what I read, because it is sold out everywhere except maybe in that one restaurant that happened to still have a bottle! Lesson learned - always scan the menu for unusual items!)

It was a great example of IPA! Very flavorful. And the can was fun too. Thank you!

Last night in Chicago; dinner at Dusek's which is another beer & seafood & elavated bistro concept which happens to have a Michelin one star. It is located in a renovated building in a historically Czech neighborhood. The beer menu with 24 beers on tap Dinner menu 3 Floyds beer flight. My favorite was the Savoy session IPA in the back Allagash James Bean with coffee bean and vanilla notes Not much light in the restaurant so all the pictures are dark, but this ramp fettucine appetizer with morels made us lick the plate (almost). Wonderful. Lots and lots of green and wild garlic. Wellfleet oysters. The mignonette had a low vinegar content, lots of dill and was a great compliment to the briney oysters. Lamb roulade with merguez with cucumber and yoghurt. What looks like a sliced sausage was actually lamb loin pounded thin and filled with merguez (like a sausage but with a thin layer of lamb loin to keep it together instead of casing) and it was delicious. The other flavors reminded me of a gyros, elevated many levels. Boudin blanc sausage sandwich. The boudin was great, super juicy. Dessert menu Rhubarb, rose and lemon dessert. I could have done without the white chocolate "mousse" (what looks like a white crumble) because it essentially coated my mouth with fat. The rose & rhubarb was a good combination. Cocktail menu Urban Prairie with Ransom Old Tom gin, Swedish punch, gomme, lime, absinthe. This had a bunch of interesting flavors under a deceptively simple exterior. And the favorite drink of the evening, a small pour of Redemption rye L&E, a special bottling which had a kick (from the barrel proof) and minty notes upfront, combined with a super long butterscotch finish that envelopped the table. Delightful.

Thank you!

Even in San Diego where we have a few cheese shops I don't have access to the same quality of cheeses.

Back downtown, I spotted a cupcake place and my daughter immediately recognized the cupcake wars sticker, so we had to go in. Molly's Cupcakes I let everyone enjoy their cupcakes instead of trying to explain relativism! Enough ism for one day already. We picked the chocolate decadence and it didn't disappoint! The chocolate cream-filled center was a nice touch.

Quick stop at Café Descartes in Oak Park for a punch-lunch espresso. I couldn't resist a coffee house with a philosopher theme. Excuse the blurry picture. That's me pointing at JP Sartre and attempting to summarize existentialism to my 11-year old daughter.

FLW's home and studio in Oak Park. We were headed to Citrine for lunch based on @Alex's recommendation, but it's only open for dinner! So we had lunch in a cute little restaurant called The Little Gem. Anti-hero IPA from Revolution brewing, a local brewery. Super hoppy and full of flavor. Two Brothers Prairie Path golden ale. Another great local beer. Burger with provolone cheese The vegetable quiche which was more like a frittata with crust.

If I see it again, I will for sure!

Now that I am reading about it, I am regretting not ordering the besk from the bitters menu, which would have made a great nightcap! The description from the distiller's website is incredibly enticing. The violently bitter shot initially hits with flavors of grapefruit before an onslaught of wormwood alongside earthy gentian root — an effect that lingers on the palate for quite a surprising while. Beneath the acrid din of the more acute tasting notes rests more gentle traces of juniper, star anise, and elderflower musk.

Back in the middle of all the hispter action for dinner at The Publican. Imagine a German beer hall with a great beer selection and all things pork crossed with a French brasserie with lots of seafood offerings including an extensive fresh oyster selection. Completely packed with big communal tables and it's LOUD. Incredibly loud. The food is a bit loud too, every was very seasoned, often a bit overseasoned. But what a fun place! I loved it and the menu had great variety. Hop Venom double IPA Braveheart Scottish ale on nitro Rustic bread - delicious with a cultured butter so rich it tasted like the best part of a perfectly ripe camembert - sublime Plum salad with burrata Razor clam ceviche with cucumber. The razor clams were very tender. Serrano ham with goat butter. That butter wasn't salted unlike the first one, and had a very distinct goat note. Wonderful. The ham was great too. Skate wing (picture taken after it was expertly fillet'd). I always order skate wing when I see it on the menu; it was my favorite fish as a child and is still a favorite. Tappist Achel Porchetta with figs and endive (this was a half portion!). Great tasting meat but they don't prepare it with the skin crisped, which seems like a missed opportunity. Some good-looking dessert and cheese options, but I was about to explode from all the food so I decided to pass.

Haha. You have to go back then! But honestly you didn't miss mich. Ramazzoti isn't super exciting; it's very mild for an amaro.

Oops sorry, I read the second part of your description after I had already posted my question! What you did is smart because you lose the stripes when you cook them, so you used the raw beets as an accent/touch of color. All raw beets would be... not my thing at all! I love roasted beets but raw they tend to have little taste. It's sad however to lose the stripes! So you have the best of both worlds here, flavor from the cooked beets, and visual interest from the raw ones.

Very pretty.

After Millenium Park and some shopping, I went back to Eataly to study the amari a bit further and also to get dessert (ie, cheese for the adults and a pastry for my daughter). After checking what was available to me where I live, I went with a locally made amaro from CH Distillery (top right in yesterday's picture, below). I also tried the one on the top left (Cinpatrazzo); I got a generous sample to try that was very flavorful but a bit too cinnamon-forward for my taste. I also bought a bottle of rosato wine to go with the cheese. The cheese selection was overwhelming; I looked only at one section and found three that seemed interesting (I tend to go for full-flavored cheeses, hard / crumbly, with a preference for goat or ewe). The one in the front immediately caught my attention because of the rustic aspect of its rind. It's the Castromagno, with a crumbly texture similar to aged ricotta. In this part of the display I spotted the fiore sardo that I had tried at Eataly NYC I believe, long ago, and that had impressed me despite an unassuming aspect. Very grassy and full of flavor. Quick look at the kitchenwares before leaving Hi Philippe... We had our dessert in our hotel room. A chocolate ganache hazelnut for my daughter (I wasn't fast enough to take the picture!) ...and the cheese with a glass of rosé. I cannot really pick a favorite; they are all interesting and wonderful. From left, clockwise: pecorino ala canapa fulvi, fiore sardo dop organic pondini, castromagno dop giolito.

Thanks for the tips, @Alex! Late lunch at Le Cochon Volant, a French brasserie near Millenium Park. Glass of Burgundy wine and a Saison beer. Steak frites. This was sirloin which isn't my favorite cut, but it was very tender and cooked to my liking (rare). Croque Madame A pair of double espressos with French sugar cubes (La Perruche)

Maybe tomorrow for Oak Park. That airbnb was already booked unfortunately!

Late morning snack in Hyde Park at the Plein Air Cafe. Lavender tea cake, chocolate madeleines, cortado (imagine a delicious intense super caffeinated cappucino without foam) and hot chocolate. From their outdoor area you can see the back... of this which was the point of this morning's trip. Worth the terrifying uber ride!

The black label is the one I'd look for as well if I wanted another bottle of Picon (but I've been perfectly happy with Bigallet china-china as a substitute).