The long break

Not in blogging, but between terms. This is an epic winter break that will allow 2 seperate trips. We just returned from Chicago, and tomorrow we'll head up to Seattle for family and iSchool-classmate goodness.

Once again Chicago astounds. And not just because of the unseasonably warm weather. And no Kramer, there was no culinary tri-fecta this time. Sure, kiszka was eaten, but other meals were more sedate:

• Seared tuna with wasabi mashed potatoes at Tomboy. This was actually my first visit to this Andersonville storefront after years of hearing about it, and it was very satisfying. Good company and a great meal, er, Great company. I was amazed at how posh this stretch of Clark Street has become. It was pretty nice when I left, now it's downright upscale.



• Tapas was had with an old friend. In this case the company was better than the food, but it was respectable. This is perhaps the first time I've been satisfied with the Spanish small plates.



• Oddly, we had breakfast with our friend from Boston at a brand-new new breakfast joint in the South Loop (those high-rise residents seem desperate for breakfast).



• One intimate meal with just the two of us completed our 36-hour jaunt to the city: sushi at the sheik Bob San, on the recommendation of KevinG, who is astonishing us with his jewelry designs. The busboys' continuous pacing of the room was a little offputting, but the food was damn respectable. We weren't intending on having sushi, as we'll be heading to Seattle for Christmas, but sometimes you just have to follow friends' advice.

Other stops included the Neo-Futurarium, Clark Street Ale House, Prairie Avenue Books, and a World's Fair-type look at our sustainable future at the MCA.

Oh, yeah, we went to a Cub Scout meeting too!