Twas the Friday before Christmas

And all through the condo, not a creature was stirring, except for the dog because she was hungry again. At least that's the way the story plays out here.

1) Maggie's appetite is relentless. She was even begging for some of Mom's salad. At least Hogan had discernment. He'd go for meat, cheese, and ice cream. Maggie, on the other hand, will go for anything you will put in front of her. I was eating sliced turkey and stuffing for lunch and she stared at me as if she was entitled to half. Of course I gave her about half a slice of turkey. So hard to resist that face!

2) So with another small bald patch on my goatee, I had to trim the sides off, leaving me with a mustache, soul patch, and some chin fuzz. The latest famous person I've been compared to...Captain Jack Sparrow.

3) I find it hysterical that this movie "The Interview" is basically banned from every major movie theater in America. Let me see if I understand this. Two drama movies can come out within a month about plotting to assassinate the U.S. President. But an absurd comedy about knocking off the North Korean dictator is so offensive that it cannot ever be mentioned again. Really? You know it's going to become a cult classic.

4) What is it with me and getting along with people who live out of state? I guess there is the advantage of being able to word your answers just how you want to before you hit the send button. Yet, it's not a real connection. Then, you might find out somebody is not who they said they were. Happened to me twice this year. Found out two certain females were complete frauds, for different reasons, living in the same state and both fans of the same baseball team I root for. Just lame. And pathetic.

5) "You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing total contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God." Dallas Willard. It's not easy. But I'm going to try.

Song pick: "There'll Be No Peace Without All Men As One" Ray Charles

Restaurant review: Standard Market Grill, Naperville IL

Oh my Lord, was this place awesome! The grocery store alone is tremendous, but my lunch at the Grill took me over the top. We had the grass fed burger with white cheddar cheese, tomato bacon jam, kale slaw, and red onion on a pretzel roll. I ordered it medium and it came out light pink in the middle and juicy. The jam was quite strong, but I liked how the raw onion cut the flavor. And you can't go wrong with a pretzel roll.

I also had the mustard honey chicken sandwich. Pretzel batard, grilled chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, roasted red pepper, bacon, avocado, Bibb lettuce, red onion, mustard-honey. Everything just came together perfectly. I'd order it again for sure.

And the sides are great. The market side salad as these soft cornbread croutons. There is no crouton anywhere near as good as these. And it's true, get the sweet potato fries. Incredibly thick, nicely seasoned, and a good honey-mustard dipping sauce. I want some chicken fingers for that mustard!!!

The Arnold Pomer was a really good drink; it's basically an Arnold Palmer with pomegranate juice. Very refreshing and refills are free. And there are no salt and pepper shakers. They give you a grinder that has coarse salt on one end and peppercorns on the other. You grind either side, so both the salt and pepper are as fresh as can be. Awesome. And the service was really good, everybody was very friendly.

For a casual place, the ingredients are top notch and the menu is unique and creative while being approachable. Definitely will return.

Sunflower Blogger Challenge

Thanks to the talented and beautiful Courtney Phillips who allowed me to take the Sunflower Blogger Challenge. I have to reveal 11 facts about myself and answer the 11 questions the previous blogger asked. Those who know me, I don't know if I'll be shocking you here! But I'll try to come up with some random facts. Either that or I'll have to make up some good facts...anyway, here we go.

1) My goatee has a tendency to disappear in certain spots for months at a time and then I need to trim or color the rest of it to make it look decent.

2) I believe I have brown eyes, but some people think I have hazel.

3) I wish there was a way I could be taller.

4) I have a space heater in my basement that I use on my feet, since they're almost always cold.

5) I have become a huge fan of DDP Yoga.

6) I do not eat ketchup, mayo, water chestnuts, Indian food, sushi, croutons, olives, or most things with chocolate.

7) I once drew arrows with crayons on my parents' new wallpaper. I was watching Sesame Street and had this divine inspiration. I couldn't understand why they were so angry at me!

8) The celebrity most people say I look like is Mike Piazza.

9) I have had two dogs in my life: both cocker spaniels.

10) My favorite state to visit is Arizona...and I've been to over 40.

11) My least favorite row on an airplane is the first row of coach. It allows for too an easy a view of first class and you don't reap any of the benefits. It's an evil tease!


Courtney's questions to me

1) If you had to eat the same meal for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
Pasta with some meat and vegetables

2) Baseball or football?
Go to baseball, but football on TV

3) What's a book you've read more than once?
"Everyone's Normal Till You Get to Know Them" John Ortberg

4) Blue raspberry or cherry?
Cherry, I don't think I've seen blue raspberry.

5) Would you want a fancy wedding or a more frugal one?
I would go frugal. I don't understand spending lavishly on weddings if there are more pressing financial needs.

6) What's your biggest pet peeve?
Drivers who do not use turn signals

7) Y'all or you guys?
You guys

8) New York or Nashville?
New York! But I am going back to Nashville in February for the first time in 15 years, so let's see how that goes!

9) Dr. Pepper or Coke?
Coke. That's a layup! And throw in a lime!

10) How has the Lord blessed you recently?
A groupon to Comedy Sportz in downtown Chicago

11) If money weren't a worry, what job would you like to have for the rest of your life?
Restaurant reviewer

If anyone is interested, here are my questions to any blogger reading this...

1) Favorite non-chocolate dessert?
2) Train or bus?
3) Favorite Bible book?
4) Beatles or Rolling Stones?
5) Favorite musical instrument?
6) Least favorite sound?
7) What business is not near where you live, but you wish it was?
8) Best place you've ever traveled?
9) Most important quality you look for in a friend?
10) If you could meet one person from history, who would it be?
11) If you were to live in a country other than America, where would you live?

Thanksgiving

The last three days have been hell on me. The government took away my unemployment and I now have no more money coming in. After three brutal days and struggle that has lasted seven months and is still going on, I will say this.

I am so glad I went to Willow Creek church last night and heard the great Harvey Carey PREACH about giving thanks in strange places. I'm going to hold onto that message. I'm going to hold onto my faith in God's power to change me, not just my circumstances. I will give thanks because these are the times when people are tested and I'm getting that opportunity now.

I will never be perfect. I will not be the same person again. I'm going to a better man coming out of this desert, even if I don't know when time may come. Even in the midst of this darkness, I will not be broken!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Scrunched

I was really excited to work an NFL game. But since it was in St Louis, I had to get up early. Specifically, I woke up at 2:45 am.
I left home at 3:15 and made it to the Enterprise in Schaumburg just before 4 where I met up with my colleagues from the event staffing company. We crammed 14 people in a supposed 15 seat passenger can. I took the backseat.

I slept most of the 4.5 hour trip, listening to a few podcasts on the way. This was actually my first tune in downtown St Louis. We had to pay about a dollar each for parking. Considering we were working, I have no idea why we'd pay for parking. We walked into the annex section of the Edward Jones Dome.
As the uniform requirements stated, I removed my jacket and hoodie and put on the white polo shirt over my white t shirt.

My group was sitting in this area that between the rows of plastic chairs, concrete floor, and drab, industrial atmosphere, looked like it was right out of the DMV. In a roped off area of the room, I could see people sitting at round tables and eating. I looked closer and I could see a carving station we couldn't access. What a tease!

A supervisor I'd never seen pulled me up and I was suddenly facing everyone else. He also pulled three girls I didn't know. I had no idea why we were standing. Someone said it was because we were not wearing the right shoes. I didn't see that as my shoes were basically all black, unlike the girls.

Eventually we got escorted out of the room and out of the building into the 30 degree temps. It was around 9:15 am. I wound up working at a bag requirements booth, which are stationed all around the dome. Basically, this guy Jay had a megaphone and read a script about what was and wasn't allowed in the building. Clear bags and small purses a
Only, it's been an NFL policy since last year. Jay made the announcements. Meanwhile, I just stood there passing out tiny plastic bags to anyone who wanted them.

The temperature wasn't too bad initially. There wasn't much wind either, which would have made it really tough working outside. But the weather got worse quickly. Around 10, the snow started falling. Now I had no idea I'd be outside. I couldn't find my winter hat and I just had my gloves and a very light jacket. Standing there for all those hours, I was freezing. My bigger job was probably not catching hypothermia. Time just refused to go by. What felt like an hour turned out to be only 15 minutes.

At 12:30, we went inside to thaw out. My legs felt so stiff, but I couldn't wait to get inside that building. They walked us back outside and over to the annex building again. Other workers were turning in their white polo shirts and jackets, but I knew none of these people, so I wasn't sure what to do. I just went into my bag and ate my almond butter sandwich and apple. And I just sat down in the DMV, waiting for what to do next. I didn't really care what I did, I just wanted to stay inside.

A few of my fellow Chicago employees showed up and not too long after that, we we were told we could go home. We left around 1:45. But the aggravation wasn't over.

As we left, I realized my gloves were gone. Terrific. My new pair lasted three weeks.
On the ride home, we had one extra rider. Of course, they sit in the backseat. So we have four people smashed together like sardines for a five hour van ride back to Schaumburg. This wasn't working an NFL game. I never saw the concourse, never saw the field, never saw one play. We were treated like cattle today.

I'll try this again

My last post refused to save. So I'll try this again. Let me say this right now. It is amazing how many women I've encountered in the last few years who are outright liars. Whether it's their actions, their intentions, their feelings, or as I just found out tonight, their very identity. The more I deal with this drama and aggravation, the more I understand why fewer and fewer people are getting married nowadays. Yet in spite of the pain, I still want to believe in love. I wonder sometimes if I'm fooling myself.

I have been working at Andy Frain staffing for about a month now. Mostly I have been checking bags, scanning tickets, working security, operating elevators, and cleaning the Sears Center. And in that time, I have covered a festival for Indian people, an  MMA event, and a figure skating competition. I have learned a few things during those events. For one thing, if a company pays you crap, they will treat you like crap too. Terrible communication, terrible organizing, and tough working conditions. And I can't bear to stand for more than a couple of hours or my legs just lock up. Yet there is something about it I like. While I can see myself enjoying working at events, this particular t role is not easy work, nor does it reward well. I think on November 4, it is a safe bet that I will be voting to raise the minimum wage in Illinois.

If I am not having fun at a party, I am just not going to stay.

So tonight is Halloween and we had our first snowfall of the season. It may have just been flurries, but is another reminder that the cold weather is not just upon us; it is actually here. And my friend who I walked with today along with my dog, wanted to go for about an hour outside. The wind was whipping, the chill is in the air, and my face was down to block the wind. She must have been crazy. But good old Maggie seemed to enjoy the walk though. I let her off the leash and she sprinted after what must have been fifty geese, who immediately flew up into the grey sky.

I worked a conference at church on Thursday which was an awesome experience. Author Donald Miller was there to put on his storyline conference. A lot of big speakers were there, including figure skater Scott Hamilton. I worked the merchandise table, which was a lot of fun, as I got to scan credit cards on an iPad.  I thought it was kind of cool. Plus at the pastry table, which was right next to ours, they had trays of cinnamon rolls for everybody. How could I possibly pass those up? Okay, I tried to be conservative and I had two.

But the best part of the day was early in the morning around 8 when I was working the merchandise table and I heard somebody call my name. I turned to my right and there stood my old friend Ingrid from college. She looked beautiful as ever and I went right up to her and gave her one of the biggest hugs I've ever given anybody. I had not seen her in 10 years and it was such a total wonderful shock. I wish I could have spent some time with her,  but what can I say, time just doesn't always allow us to do the things we want to do the most. But even if I had not heard any of the lectures, seeing her made my experience with it.

The best chicken wings I have ever had are still at Crosstown pub in Naperville, Illinois. The dry rubbed breaded chili lime wings can't be beat. But the combination of their lemon pepper rub and garlic Parmesan sauce is absolutely wonderful too. My group got this 18 inch pretzel which had 3 different spice rubs on it, plus 3 dipping sauces, including a chorizo and cilantro cheddar cheese dip. I could not believe how good this was.

To think that the last time I had a haircut was when I got Maggie, which was mid June. So I went over 4 months without getting one until I did it today. Safe to say it was long overdue and I feel like I have now lost about 20 pounds.

God, please know that I want to work a meaningful job and I feel like I have something to contribute to this hurting, messed up world. Please don't forget me. Amen.

It's here

I had a whole post written with some deep and insightful crap, and it didn't save. It's gone. Screw the blogger app. That's all.

Mets targets

So the Mets season has ended. 79 wins vs 83 losses. There are bright signs in Flushing, but this team is still short on offense. Now nobody realistically expects this team's payroll to skyrocket. It's at $80 million, which was 23rd in baseball this offseason. That's just not going to cut it. 

The starting pitching looks loaded between a returning Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, Jon Niese, Dillon Gee, and Bartolo Colon. Top prospect Noah Syndergaard is expected to join the rotation sometime this season. And the bullpen looks as solid as out had sine 2006, with Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia, Carlos Torres, Josh Edgin, and Bobby Parnell, if he can come back from Tommy John surgery.

The lineup...still too many questions. David Wright needs to regain his form, as does Curtis Granderson. Without those two playing well, this team is not going anywhere. Travis d'Arnaud, Juan Lagares, and Lucas Duda are all starters. I believe Daniel Murphy will open the season at second base, but could easily be traded during the season. Excellent hitter, but pretty average at everything else and his contract ends next year. Shortstop would be a nice addition, but I think they'll give Wilmer Flores a shot at winning the job. But they need a veteran SS in as well.

This team needs a bat. I'd prefer one in the outfield, but would take one at shortstop. Here are ten guys I would target, whether in free agency or a trade. I had JJ Hardy listed until he signed an extension with Baltimore. 

1. Yoenis Cespedes OF 
2. Starlin Castro SS 
3. Michael Cuddyer OF 
4. Nick Markakis OF 
5. Michael Morse OF  
6. Asdrubal Cabrera 2B/SS
7. Hanley Ramirez SS
8. Ben Zobrist SS/OF
9. Yasmany Tomas OF
10. Nelson Cruz OF

Captain Mike's

I tried a burger bar in Kenosha, WI called Captain Mike's today. It was one of the most conflicting restaurant experiences I've had in a long time.

This is the classic "I wish I could give it 3.5 stars" review. So I'll take it from the beginning. I love the atmosphere. The walls, the beer taps, the fish tank, the vending machines, etc. This place has its own style and makes no apologies for it. I have all the respect in the world for that.

The female bartender was very nice and offered to give me a sample of some of their 30 draft beers. I requested two and she brought them pretty quickly. I ordered one of them a little bit later, but she apparently forgot. So I had to drink water with my burger and fries. I'm sorry, but how do you forget a beer order if you're a bartender and the bar doesn't hold more than 15 people?

Another complaint, the menu. It's changed quite a bit from the online version. Now there are more options, the 10 ounce burger is now an 8 ounce burger, and prices are actually higher. This needs to be updated.

We actually started with soups. I had the beer cheese soup. Very cool that they served pretzel rolls with it. And they don't skimp on the portions, it's a lot of soup! Great quality bacon, very cheesy, and very satisfying. The lobster bisque was tomato based and came with a shot of sherry, a pretty cool idea. I was told it was okay, though she prefers a creamy base. However, we waited 10 minutes to get our soup. I'd had maybe three tastes of my beer cheese soup and...out come the burgers! Hello kitchen, let's work on our timing!

Anyway, I had the cheeseburger walrus with cheddar and Swiss, mushrooms, onions, and horseradish mayo. Half a pound of grass fed beef, char-grilled. There are so few places that char-grill burgers now (what is the obsession with the flat top?) and I give this place major props. The roll was soft, the burger was juicy, and the toppings were great. Really good burger. Of course, they forgot that I requested bacon on it as well...they are forgetting both bacon and a beer???

And the fresh cut fries...sweet Lord, thank you. Thick cut, a little peppery seasoning, crunchy exterior. Excellent fries.

Here's the deal, folks. This place has some great positives, but I had to deal with quite a few negatives that I wasn't happy about. I would come back though since the burger is just that good. I live two hours away, but I'll give them another shot one of these days.

Food spots

So I've written a few more reviews for Yelp lately and I decided to share a few of my findings on my blog as well. My Yelp restaurant reviews can all be found through here.

1) About six weeks ago, I tried Peanut Butter Planet in downtown Glen Ellyn. I'm a big fan of nut butters and I figured this might be a quick snack that I might enjoy. Well, I had a sandwich with honey-cinnamon roasted peanut butter, apple butter, and bananas on New England bread. I could have used some bacon for a little crunch. But then again, what sandwich isn't better with bacon? And I just found out the place closed this week! No great loss.

2) I always hesitate to try new restaurants in the first week or two that they're open because service is usually shaky, the cooks are still figuring things out, and the overall timing just isn't down yet. But following the Jets' latest horrific loss, I went over to the 9th edition of the Tap House Grill. I liked getting a $3.50 Sam Adams Octoberfest pint; just an excellent value. I started with the chicken fingers. The six fingers came out exactly how they should. The meat was juicy and the crispy that didn't overwhelm the chicken. The sauces, the honey mustard and the Sam Adams BBQ sauce, complemented the chicken very well. The BBQ sauce had a little smokiness that I really enjoyed. 

We also got a side of Brussels sprouts. The portion was quite large, but they could have used a little more seasoning. I also got the prime rib pretzel dip sandwich. I was hoping it would be a little larger for $12.50. The prime rib was moist and the au jus was really flavorful and a good beef flavor. The horseradish sauce added just the right amount of kick. So I enjoyed the food, but I would encourage the cooks to use a little more S & P!

We got to sit in a booth, which was comfortable and we had a huge flatscreen TV right in front of us, which definitely helps establish the sports atmosphere. Service was attentive and they kept our water glasses full. Tap House is a good place to hang with friends, throw back a cold one, and enjoy some good food.

NHL Predictions

Atlantic Division
c-Boston
x-Tampa Bay
x-Montreal
x-Detroit
Toronto
Ottawa
Florida
Buffalo

Metropolitan Division
y-NY Rangers
x-Pittsburgh
x-Columbus
x-Washington
Philadelphia
NY Islanders
New Jersey
Carolina

Central Division
y-Chicago
x-Colorado
x-St. Louis
x-Dallas
Minnesota
Nashville
Winnipeg

Pacific Division
c-Anaheim
x-Los Angeles
x-San Jose
x-Vancouver
Arizona
Edmonton
Calgary

Eastern Conference Finals
Boston over Tampa Bay

Western Conference Finals
Chicago over Colorado

Stanley Cup Finals
Boston over Chicago

Hart: Sidney Crosby
Calder: Jonathan Drouin
Vezina: Tuukka Rask
Norris: Drew Doughty
Selke: Patrice Bergeron
Adams: Jon Cooper

Two plays

It is time for a sports vent. Jets vs Bears. Monday Night Football. National TV audience. As a resident of Chicagoland for 17 years, it's freaking huge. And all it took for me was two damn plays. After a 10-yard run by Geno Smith, along with a  15-yard Bears penalty, I got my ammunition. A bootleg left intercepted and returned for a touchdown. That was all it took. I said nothing. I didn't yell. I didn't curse. I just flipped the TV to wrestling and Ryder Cup coverage for the rest of the night.

I wish to God I knew nothing about sports. It has provided so much more pain than joy in my life. Especially when I think of some of the people I've interacted with in the last five years, including some of the people who root for my teams. They know who they are. But anyway, this is the way I was meant to be. I can't change it now.

20 years without a championship in any sport. There's been only one that I can remember. The curse will probably last the rest of my life. Time for another beer.

Reset button

Haven't written in a while now. It feels like life has almost been too chaotic to stop and take the time to record my thoughts and emotions. It's Saturday and it's late. And I'm alone. So let's go rapid fire tonight.

1) What a treasure to find a recently discovered Jim Croce live recording of such good quality. It's called "Lost Time in a Bottle." And to think the bulk of it was recorded at Harper College, only 45 minutes away from my house. Speaking of which, I applied for a financial aid job at Harper five days ago. It would be amazing if something came out of it.

2) So I had a big interview at Waubonsee Community College this past Wednesday and I do think it went okay. I interviewed with a seven-person panel, which was a totally new experience for me. The interview lasted about 45 minutes and I think I was prepared for just about every question the committee threw at me. It was interesting when the leader of the panel walked me out afterwards and asked about my previous job and why I left. It's almost as if he was trying to trap me, I don't know. But now I wait, and if I did well enough, I will interview with the Vice-President of the school sometime in the no too distant future.

3) The Mets are officially eliminated from the playoff race with 8 games to go. They need to go 6-1 in the last seven games to just go .500 for the first time since 2008. Sorry, but a .500 record doesn't do it for me. The performances of some of the young players, like Travis d'Arnaud, Jacob deGrom, Jeurys Familia, Zack Wheeler, and even Wilmer Flores, have me excited about where this team can go. But they need another bat, especially in a corner outfield. This lineup is simply not potent enough to make the playoffs next season, even if a healthy Matt Harvey returned to the rotation next season. With a terrible free agent crop looming, I think the Mets will try to make a trade for someone, but I don't see it happening.  Maybe a Yoenis Cespedes, who crushes balls when he puts the bat on them. I don't know what it would take for the Red Sox to trade him, but Sandy Alderson should inquire about him.

4) I made my two visits to Hot Doug's  last month and I thought I was content with those being my last two visits before they close in two weeks. Now, I rent the Hot Doug's book from the library and now I'm dying to go back one more time before they close. Even reading about retiring encased meats makes my mouth start to water!

5) One sign that someone isn't a good communicator. They ask you a question, only to interrupt your answer five seconds in so they can ask you another question.

C Ya Hot Doug's

Hot Doug's is, simply stated, a Chicago landmark.  As much of a foodie as I am, I don't say something like that about restaurants too easily. The encased meats emporium, where one can get hot dogs and sausages made of exotic meats, distinctive toppings, and cheeses that nobody in America knew existed. I had been there myself 5 or 6 times before. Sometimes the menu looks appealing and sometimes the special sausages look so over the top that they were just too much for me to make the hour drive for. But when I did, I knew there was no other place like it. Open 10:30-4, six days a week, cash only. The hot sausages named after beautiful women. the option to get a hot dog deep-fried and then grilled! Duck fat fries on Fridays and Saturdays. Several times, I went before a Mets-Cubs day game at Wrigley. I'd be dressed in my Mets garb. Doug, the owner, would always man the counter. He would tell me stories about going to college in New York in the 1980's, when Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry owned New York baseball.

Then in May, Doug confirmed they would be closing in early October. Chicagoans couldn't believe it. This is such a unique place and to lose it is pretty hard to take. Doug has given no reason other than it's time to different things, as in get out of the restaurant business. So I knew I was going to make one last trip to Hot Doug's before they closed. I went on a Saturday in the middle of the afternoon before heading to Ring of Honor wrestling later that night.

I left at 1:30, as it usually takes an hour to get to the Avondale neighborhood. Just before I left, the rain began. It took me 90 minutes. I parked and got on line an hour before closing. I had my Jets slicker on as the rain came down on me and the 150 or so other people on line. One of the workers came outside and told our section of the line that we'd have to wait 90 minutes or so, but we would get served. Long story short, it took 2 hours and 45 minutes. I didn't get to the counter until 5:45, nearly 2 hours after they closed.

Doug asked me if Gerry Philbin was in the house, referring to the Jets old defensive end from the 1960's. He asked me how long it would take until Michael Vick would start over Geno Smith. and I told him I thought Geno would be okay. That remains to be seen, but I do have faith in the kid. With all these kinds of conversations, it's easy to see why the line moves so slowly. Anyway, I ordered 3 sausages. First was the bacon and cheddar smoked elk with Eugene porter mustard, Jarlsberg cheese and crispy fried onions. I really enjoyed the gamey flavor of the elk. There was a little flavor of bacon and cheese, but thankfully not so much where the elk flavor was overwhelmed. And you can't go wrong with crispy onions. I got the smoked Texas pork hot link with Coca-Cola BBQ Sauce, white cheddar cheese curds and pickled green tomatoes. I really enjoyed this one. A good pork flavor with a little touch of spice, though not hot. The curds weren't deep fried, like I expected though. Finally, there was the porcini and parmesan chicken with chèvre aioli, roasted red peppers and mushrooms sautéed in duck fat. This one was disappointing. The aioli just took over the sausage. I ate maybe a third of it and I was done. I basically picked off the mushrooms and roasted peppers and just ate those. The French fries were hot and fresh cut, just great.

I thought that was my last trip. But the guys from my small group decided that they wanted in. So we agreed that the next Saturday, we'd go to Hot Doug's and Firecakes, a donut place in the River North section of Chicago. We decided to meet in Schaumburg at 9 am and drive in together. Well, Matt never showed up, he slept in. It was his idea from the beginning anyway! So it was myself. Jon, Fil, and Fil's friend, Ashley. We got to the corner of Roscoe and California at 10 am, a pretty smooth drive. The line was three times as long as it had been the previous Saturday. On that line, we played hearts and Heads Up. Long story short, it took five hours to get through that line and order our food. Basically 20 percent of our day was waiting in that line! 

I got the mountain man sausage. It's a very tasty combination of antelope, elk, venison and buffalo with red currant mustard and smoked gouda cheese. This was one of the 2 or 3 best sausages I've had there and easily the best I'd had between these two visits. It tasted gamey. The smoked gouda added a little nutty flavor. The currant mustard gave it a bold, sophisticated flavor. It all came together so well. And over that charcoal grill, well, that just put it over the top.

 

I also had the steak au Poivre sausage with four roses bourbon mustard, Irish whiskey cheese and crispy fried onions. This was pretty good, although I can't say I was thinking the sausage tasted like a steak. The mustard tasted really strong too. It was a pretty good sausage; the mountain man was just better. And the duck fat fries were amazing, as always.

It's sad to see something so good and so unique go away. Life will go on, of course. But hey, it was a great place to check out while it lasted. Thank you, Doug Sohn.

NFL Predictions

AFC East

c-New England 13-3

Miami 9-7

NY Jets 7-9

Buffalo 5-11

AFC North

y-Cincinnati 10-6

x-Pittsburgh 10-6

Baltimore 7-9

Cleveland 6-10

AFC South

y-Indianapolis 10-6

Tennessee 5-11

Houston 5-11

Jacksonville 2-14

AFC West

y-Denver 13-3

x-Kansas City 10-6

San Diego 8-8

Oakland 4-12

NFC East

y-NY Giants 10-6

Philadelphia 9-7

Washington 6-10

Dallas 5-11

NFC North

y-Green Bay 12-4

x-Chicago 10-6

Detroit 7-9

Minnesota 3-13

NFC South

y-New Orleans 12-4

Carolina 8-8

Tampa Bay 7-9

Atlanta 6-10

NFC West

c-Seattle 12-4

x-San Francisco 11-5

Arizona 5-11

St. Louis 4-12

AFC Championship

Denver over Indianapolis

NFC Championship

Green Bay over Seattle

Super Bowl

Denver over Green Bay