had a great time last nite at this event. pizza was nice & crispy .like i like it. great job by all who helped the event go so well.

I agree with Phil, great event. I am kicking myself for not getting to Marie's sooner. The bacon and mushroom pizza was my favorite, the crust on all the pizza's was great.

congrats to all the new GNR's. & thanks to all that make this event so great.

Another great LTH night out - wonderful company, heartwarming speeches and thanks to all who took the time to plan and organize the event. At each event, I always enjoy meeting a few more LTHers who I had not met at prior events, and last night was no different.

I wanted to thank all the LTHrs who nominated Delightful Pastries for the GNR award.
My mom and brother totally loved the event as it was their first LTH event.
The food was great and so was the coversation. I thought it was hillarious that Marie's Pizza gave LTH an award for the favorite foodie, I guess the LTHrs will pass it around so we all get a bit of a thrill. After looking at some of the pictures that Steve made I will be going to a lot of the restaurants as the poster made me all hungry.

For me, the highlight of this event continues to be the sense of genuine appreciation shown by the business owners who show up to accept their awards. These people are incredibly hard working and it makes me feel good to be part of something that can make all of that hard work just a little bit more gratifying. Recognizing these local independent businesses is so important, especially given the times.

Agreed, wonderful event all around! I had the pleasure of sitting with the guys from Pastoral and ChgoMike. It was a great conversation about how the economy is causing people to look back to small shops for personal touch and value. What a great way to honor these business owners and help them toward success, all while allowing shulbs like me the opportunity to break bread with them.

Plus that pizza is darned tasty, pepperoni and pepperoncini with just the right burn and perfect Chicago thin crust.

Well put, MelT. It was great to chat about the industry and the marketplace with the guys from Pastoral. I'm geeked about the French Market opening soon at the Ogilvie Transportation Center.

Many thanks to all the LTHers who make the GNRs possible. Your work, generally below radar, is a valuable resources to LTH and Chicagoland. I'd take my hat off to you, but I still can't move after eating so much of the pepperoni and pepperoncini pizza.



I might have had a couple desserts, too.

I'd love to add my thanks as well to the GNR committee and planners. I know it's a boatload of work and we all benefit tremendously from it. Thanks for a warm and wonderful and tasty evening.

That was a fun night. Thanks, to everyone, for coming out. I think we have a great crop of new GNRs.

Here are a few images from Monday night's event . . .


G Wiv and Ms. Wiv



nicinchic and JMan



Santander, Mhays and dicksond prepping for the event



A man completely in his element



Andrew Huff, editor of GapersBlock.com



Brad Bolt of Bar DeVille checks in



The crew from Tampopo



Kennyz and Mrs. Graziano from J.P. Graziano



moetchandon and nr706



jimswside flanked by a couple of newly-found drinking buddies



The esteemed Khaopaat



ucjames, MelT and stevez



leek and Mr. leek



BR and ChgoMike



Our host Nadine Karavides (left) along with LynnB and Jonathan



The crews from Pastoral and Delightful Pastries



Norma, Juan and Jonathan Zaragoza of Birrieria Zaragoza



Cathy2 heads up one of the tables. Tom and Patty Erd of The Spice House are to her right



The edc party



Kennyz chats with Janet Fuller, editor of the Sun Times Food Section



pairs4life and Alistair



Chuck Sudo of Chicagoist.com chats with Andrew Huff



GNR Czar David Dickson begins the awards presentation



Nadine presents LTHForum with a surprise award



Dickson was just happy all night, and deservedly so



jesteinf presents a GNR to Ken Miller and Greg O'Neill of Pastoral



Kennyz presents a GNR certificate to Jim Graziano and his mother, owners of J.P. Graziano



Helodali and lemoneater enjoy the awards presentation



Tom and Patty Erd of The Spice House accept their award



dansch presents a GNR to his nominee, Hoosier Mama Pie Company's proprietor Paula Haney



Brad Bolt of Bar DeVille accepts his GNR certificate



trixie-pea presents a GNR certificate to the Zaragozas of Birrieria Zaragoza



Dobra Bielinski and her mother Stasia Hawyrszczuk accept their GNR award for their shop, Delightful Pastries



RAB and REB present Rob and Allie Levitt of Mado their GNR award



G Wiv gives Danny and Kum of Tampopo the final award of the evening

Here's to this year's GNRs. Congrats to all of you!

=R=

Very much enjoyed Monday evening - thank you to those who arranged the dinner, and all involved in the GNR determinations. I really liked the pizza at Marie's and it was great to meet so many LTHers that I knew only through posts previously. I definitely need to make sure I make it to the Holiday Party, and more of the smaller events/lunches/-thons as well, as meeting members of this community and enjoying good food in good company has been a great experience each time.

Yessiree...a tip of the hat to all involved in making the evening a success. Ultimately, though, I've gotta echo Josh's comment: by far the most rewarding part of the evening is seeing the genuine gratitude of the people who created these places and who work their butts off on a daily basis. The recognition is so clearly appreciated; it just gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling to see the people accept their little plaques.