LTH Dinner with Louisa Chu [Wednesday 11/30]

LTH,

If you're like me there are a few people who, just from reading their web sites, Movable-Feast, posts on LTHForum or Bio's you would like to meet. Louisa Chu certainly falls in that category.

Louisa, who lives in Paris, but is in town visiting her family for Thanksgiving, has graciously embraced the the idea of an LTHForum dinner this Wednesday to break bread with her fellow LTHForum posters. I was inclined to like Louisa even before meeting her, but when I inquired which restaurant she would like for the LTHForum dinner her response 'Little' Three Happiness seems most appropriate" made me smile.

I'm also looking forward to hearing about Anthony Bourdain, Louisa was a big part of the No Reservations segment shot in Paris.

In addition to the typically terrific fare 'Little' Three Happiness is going to whip up a special item or three, though cost will be moderate, I'm guessing a max of $25 incl tax and tip. We are welcome to bring wine, they prefer beer be purchased with dinner. I'll be bringing a fresh batch of my homemade chili oil.

I'll need to give 'Little' Three Happiness a head count, please RSVP to the thread, PM or email. All are welcome, the more the merrier!

Dinner Wednesday 11/30 7:30 pm
'Little' Three Happiness
209 W Cermak
Chicago, IL

Enjoy,
Gary
gwiv@lthforum.com

Hi Gary - thanks so much! But won't we be more breaking rice? Count me as 2 please - me and my sister Annie. Can't wait to see Cathy again too. An LTH dinner at LTH with your homemade chili oil? Pinch me now. Look forward to meeting everybody who can make it!

For the opportunity to break bread (rice?) with Louisa again, I'll give LTH a shot (again). Put me down for 1.

Rob

And Rob - look forward to seeing you again too! Though last time we did break some bread together - fried mantao to be precise. And yes, I'm aware of the LTH (restaurant) controversy. Looking forward to the ensuing empassioned discussions - per usual.

We would be delighted to meet Louisa -- and of course to feast at LTH. Count us in,
Robert and Catherine

Gary,

It was just earlier today that I was remarking that it has been too long since my last taste of LTH's crispy-skin chicken. I'd love the opportunity for another dinner there and to meet Louisa.

Please mark down myself and petit pois in the "yes" column.

Best,
Michael

Hi,

I will be delighted to attend! I will bring my friends Helen and Susan.

Regards,

I'm there. Looking forward to my next encounter with the charismatic Louisa Chu, I cannot do otherwise. Count me in for 1.

Just today, I made it to LTH for the first time, sharing lunch with my daughter. Simple chicken, chinese vegetables, and rice for her; salt & pepper shrimp along with a mysterious but delightful green beans & pepper dish for me. (I'm told, "Mr. Gary likes these beans.")

The lunchtime S&P shrimp lived up to its reputation...so much so that, later today, I found myself fantasy-ing a return trip to LTH for a same-day dinner of the crisp and perky little darlings. But I held off in a stalwart display of discipline, reminded of the sake-drinking cautionary-- The man drinks the first bottle; the first bottle drinks the second bottle; the third bottle drinks the man. I felt virtuous. In a hungry sort of way.

So it is with a special pareidolic and perhaps quasi-delusionary sense that I read this very evening of Ms. Chu's singling-out LTH as her choice for Wednesday! Clearly, this is my reward for tonight's spartan-like forebearance. I plan to make the most of it. (...Don't we all?)

In eager anticipation of Wednesday's gathering, not the least of which is the pleasure of sharing with old and new friends,

--Matt LaSaine (aka mhl)

P.S. They've got a sparkly chandelier, but they're out of your sparky chili oil, Gary, so please crank up the 'still.

You can count me in for 1. I'm looking forward to meeting Louisa and to my first meal in the new improved LTH (now with crystal chandelier). Hopefully the prices haven't "improved" as well.

count me in for a 90% attendee. Sounds great

even tho the weather will be nasty and it's a school nite and the radio city rockettes will be at berghoff's bar Tues nite and ...
i will be there. tout la monde sera la!
-jacques (le roi) panzone

Josephine - you are too kind. I think your generous memory of me was influenced by a pie-high. Look forward to seeing you again too.

The Berghoff - I've never been to the bar - I know how fondly Rob considers the place. Only been for lunch - used to semi-regularly skip school and take my sister Annie there for weiner schnitzel. I was 9 and she was 7 - someone would surely be taken into protective custody if that were to happen today.

Look forward to meeting everyone!

Barring snow, sleet, or thunderstorms I'm going to drive over dinner too.

What a serendipitous moment - just this week I had been craving Chinese food and thought I would maybe try LTH for the first time, but circumstances (and laziness) prevented any culinary adventures. But now it looks like I can't resist another chance - count me in for one.

Shaping up to be a very nice evening, we are up to 22, still room for a few more.

LTH Dinner Wednesday 7:30 @ 'Little' Three Happiness

1.Gary
2.Ellen
3.Louisa Chu
4.Annie Chu
5.Mike G
6.EatChicago
7.Petit Pois
8.Steve Z
9.Robert
10.Catherine
11.Cathy2
12.Helen
13.Susan
14.Giovanna
15.Josephine
16.MHL
17.psychchef
18.El Panzone
19.P Daane
20.Bruce C
21.borborigmy
22.Vital Info
23.veeral
24.Hammond
25.Octarine (+2 kids)

Bruce, looks like we may have snow, sleet, and thunderstorms - what's with this 30 degree drop in temp?? Welcome back to Chicago.

Gary - you can list "Louisa's sister" as Annie Chu.

Louisa Chu wrote:Bruce, looks like we may have snow, sleet, and thunderstorms - what's with this 30 degree drop in temp?? Welcome back to Chicago.

I know. I guess I may drive over early for lunch somewhere. Let's see, Al's Italian Beef on Taylor or Manny's? Decisions, decisions.

I would love to join you, if there is room for one more!

thanks,

veeral

veeral wrote:I would love to join you, if there is room for one more!

Veeral,

Sure, room for one more, in fact, room for a couple more.

See you there.

Enjoy,
Gary

Louisa Chu wrote: An LTH dinner at LTH with your homemade chili oil? Pinch me now. Look forward to meeting everybody who can make it!

I look forward to meeting Louisa as well...and dinner at LTH.

However, I'll pass on having Gary pinch me.

pd

Wasn't exactly an invitation for Gary to pinch me - then again I haven't had the chili oil yet.

I'm in (probably sans Wife).

VI, you still driving?

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:I'm in (probably sans Wife).

VI, you still driving?

Hammond

sure

Louisa Chu wrote:Wasn't exactly an invitation for Gary to pinch me - then again I haven't had the chili oil yet.

Louisa,

I just made a fresh batch of chili oil, so we will have to see.

Enjoy,
Gary

I'd love to attend but I had a last minute kids change so I have both of my children with me. Do you think it would be all right if I ordered for them separately? I just can't swing $75 this time of year They are 9 and 11.

Octarine wrote: They are 9 and 11.

Octarine,

Of course, please join us. Anyway, how much could a 9-year old eat.

Enjoy,
Gary

Depends if you are talking about shrimp toast and coconut jello or the sour greens and squid:)

Last night was fantastic, my kids loved the meal and the food was excellent as always. Andrew loved the shrimp toast, the S&P shrimp...basically everything that contained shrimp! Claire liked it as well, I am still amazed they ate the smelts and the shrimp heads, they are finally starting to bloom in their culinary adventurousness and I think I may have LTH to thank in no small part.

Thanks to Gary for organizing it and it was a pleasure to see everyone there. More thanks to Louisa for being the impteus for the meal and Annie for the great stories.

A great time last night eating as well as conversation with the members at our table. I was beat and full when I got home. I am still pleasingly satiated from last nights meat to and its almost lunch time. I did have an apple this a.m to keep the blood sugar stable.

My only tiny regret is that I pigged out on my favorite dishes that I have eaten in the past. Then new dishes I have not tried came out and I could not enjoy them as much. The eggplant casserole was great and I'm not a fan of eggplant. The crispy crusted rice around the pot was great. I caught that tip from Louisa.

Looking forward to seeing more LTH members I have not met at the Klas party next weekend. The more the merrier

Gary,

Thank you for planning the delightful evening. A few of us remarked about having many of the same items at LTH, but this morning, upon reflection, I realized it was not but about 3 or 4 years ago we were wandering in the culinary dessert of Chinatown finds. I particularly enjoyed the cuttlefish with sour vegetables, something I would not have ordered on my own. The crispy casserole rice with a bit of your chilli oil, well…I think I heard someone whisper “O.K., he can pinch me now.”

I also admit that since Raymond chose to upgrade the décor of LTH, I have had second thoughts of unrolling my mat in my office and facing toward Chinatown when afternoon prayers are called. Although nice to see them plowing profits back into the business, it is even more reassuring to note they have not let their game slip.

What a delight to break rice, shrimp toast, stir-fried crab shells Ronnie style, cyber barriers, age differences, cultural and professional disparities and bread with the gregarious, adorable and enviable Louisa Chu and her likewise adorable, raconteur sister, Annie. It was most admirable of them to undertake a voyage to mecca-esq, Little Three Happiness.

In further confession, I did not connect the name, face and blog when I have previously come across Movable Feast.com or Ms. Chu’s name before. I had to go back and re-read Louisa’s contribution to Molly Hugh’s Best Food Writing 2005, the annually published collections that I read cover to cover when they are first published—and the selections are held in high regard. Read it. Read all of it.

As an aside, I contribute my disassociation to the at times overwhelming growth of blogs, chat sites, bulletin boards, etc. It causes me reminisce about the days, of endless searches (pre-google)- having grown bored with the plain vanilla, redundant coverage of food in the mass media- for shreds of culinary information and having stumbled across a previous chat site, which later blossomed into LTHForum.com. Now, just try a search for “caviar blog” or “history of marzipan”.

According to her bio and from what I could tell in person, Louisa seems to live that grab life by the tail and shake, taking every opportunity that is fun, exciting and not devoid of virtue that comes along. I don’t doubt that Annie –like when being kidnapped from school and spirited off to Bergoff’s for schnitzel— is very far behind. I just hope they didn’t find it too strange when the 25 plus member LTH’r choir stared back blankly as they preached how the “Bergoff Incident” seemed both weird and formative. I suppose we assumed they knew each of us has a similar story.

All in all it was a wonderful evening.

However for some strange reason I have been unable to get Chinese off my mind. I had to stop a Chiu Quon this morning for my fix. Two buns: one sausage, one ham and egg.

pd