Dave Page

This was the weekend where it rained in Biblical quantities. The rain started Wednesday, and did not stop until after Sunday. Vast chunks of the Chicago Metro area were flooded. Yet we had a race to run…

Sara, Bette and Dave arrived in the rain at the W Hotel on N Lake Shore Dr on Saturday afternoon, and parked (for $30/day - yow!) The W is a funky high-end new-wave hotel chain from the Westin group in the old Holiday Inn building with the rotating restaurant on top. We chose this because it was a departure point for the shuttles.

Sara and Sarah’s friend Kristen joined us. Kristen decided to stay with us that night so she didn’t have to go home, sleep, get up early and try to find a cab to get back to the W for the shuttle at 6am. Made sense to us, and we loved having her along.

Off for a little carbo-loading at Mia Francesca. We started with fried calamari, a large portion and good for 7.50. Bette and I split a Insalata Alla Francesca, mixed greens, good. I had spinach Ravioli, in a tomato cheese cream sauce. Bette had a pasta dish with the same sauce. We ended up splitting the pistacho gelato and banana cream pie for dessert.

As Zagat said, good but loud!

Came back to the W and enjoyed the people watching in the funky downstairs lounge area. Marathon events always bring out a unique mix of yuppie and jock, and we enjoy being around the energy before the race. We had some expensive drinks, and checked out the upstairs bar, stylish, but too freezing to sit (the girls were still damp and lightly dressed). The rotating section was stopped, and set up for a meeting room. Yawn. You could put a cool club in there. Off to bed.

W Chicago Lakeshore 644 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago
Mia Francesca, 3311 N Clark St, Chicago

Up in Minneapolis to visit Sam and Karin and cheer them on at the Lifetime fitness triathlon. We arrived Friday from a series of thunderstorms thru Wisconsin, and the weather in Minneapolis was gorgeous, but real hot and humid.

We checked into the Casa, and visited with Sam for a while. Karin was out getting groceries. Sara was competing in the sprint distance event, but was out with her BFF Amy from Whitewater for dinner. We would see her tomorrow.

We sat around and chatted awhile and headed off to Al Vento, a local Italian place for carbo-loading. It was busy, with outside seating, we chose to be inside to stay cool. Sam was preparing for a race, of course – we have to be serious.

We started out with Truffled pecorino packets with Swiss chard and brown butter, fried pillows of Pecorino cheese with an oil sauce. Yum! Sam, Karin and I split a bottle of the house Solapaca Rosso red. Bette had a Sauvignon Blanc and Karin had some Col Vetoraz Prosecco sparkling.

Bette and I split the beet salad (Roasted beet with frisee balsamic vinaigrette and hazelnuts), excellent. Sam and Karin split the Mista with balsamic blood orange and local Donnay goat cheese salad, a collection of greens. The choices for dinner were excellent. I never heard of Radiatore, but it is a pasta resembling radiators in meat sauce. Sam had that, and I had the bucattinni, with noodles with a more spicy meat sauce. Mmm. Karin had spaghetti (Spaghetti with mother sauce and veal meatballs) with meat sauce and Bette had the halibut.

We topped off the meal with dessert. Bette & I split a pistachio Semi Fredo …..which was spectacular, but I can’t remember a thing about — I think a ganache type thing. Karin had a Chocolate Oblivion cake, and Sam had a scoop of gelato.

A great meal – Sam said the next day the meat sauce was probably more that he should have had before a triathlon, but, what the heck. This was a nice place, fun atmosphere with a young crowd, and great food. Recommended.

Al Vento, 5001 34th Ave. S., Minneapolis MN