Evanston Lunch Group - 12:30, Fri. July 9, A La Carte/Picnic

For the last several years the Evanston Lunch Group has had a summer picnic. This year we will order from A La Carte in Wilmette and then drive to Gillson Park. We will meet at 12:30 on Friday July 9th at A La Carte, 111 Green Bay Road (just north of Isabella). Gillson Park is off Sheridan, just north of the Bahai Temple, across the small inlet. If there is rain, A La Carte has a small number of tables.

Attending:
EvA
nr706
GAF
Tarte Tatin
mbh

A La Carte
111 Green Bay Road
Wilmette
847-256-4102
http://www.alacarteinc.com/

Looking forward to it.

I'll be there.

Me three! Er, four?

Me period.

Count me in.

I keep wanting to join the Evanston lunch group and the stars never align, but this time I can make it. Count me in!

Hopefully no canceling this month! Sounds like fun

I love picnics and Gillson Park. Would someone be able to give me a ride from/to anywhere near campus?

happy_stomach wrote:I love picnics and Gillson Park. Would someone be able to give me a ride from/to anywhere near campus?

Happy to...I'm probably going to be working from home--Paulina & Belmont. Can meet you pretty much anywhere. Just let me know.

jen

Jen,

Thanks so much for the offer. I am set for a ride, so Ill see you at A La Carte on the 9th!

Sharon

boudreaulicious wrote:

happy_stomach wrote:I love picnics and Gillson Park. Would someone be able to give me a ride from/to anywhere near campus?

Happy to...I'm probably going to be working from home--Paulina & Belmont. Can meet you pretty much anywhere. Just let me know.

jen

Shoot. I knew this was too good to be true. I have an important doctor's appointment at the exact time of the picnic, so I have to bow out. Perhaps I'll catch the ELG in August!

Just took a look at A La Carte's menu for Friday. Gazpacho sure sounds good at this point.... Are we planning to order as a group and share--or order individually?

FRIDAY
*SPANISH STYLE GAZPACHO (v)
GRLD VEGETABLES, JACK & PESTO MAYO CIABATTA SANDWICHES (v)
GRLD CHICKEN, CORN, BLACK BEAN & CHIPOTLE MAYO FOCCACIA
TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE
SUMMER SALAD PIZZAS (v)
GREEK GRILLED CHICKEN PITA WRAPS
*TURKEY MEATLOAF
ANTIPASTI BRUSCHETTA
*SPINACH LENTIL CAKES w/ HERB AIOLI (v)
MINI TENDERLOIN SANDWICHES w/HORSERADISH SAUCE
MASHED POTATO STUFFED PORTABELLAS (v)
CHEF’S FISH CHOICE
STIR-FRY BEEF w/ ASPARAGUS & WILD MUSHROOMS
THAI FRIED RICE (v)
*ROASTED PATTY PAN SQUASH (v)

SPECIAL SALADS THIS WEEK
HERB TARRAGON CHICKEN SALAD
BAKED POTATO SALAD (v)
*GINGERED COLESLAW (v)
*ROASTED CORN & BLACK BEAN SALAD (v)
*FRESH FRUIT SALAD (v)

PS. GAF: What is all this? This is the way it appears on my screen:
847-256-4102 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              847-256-4102      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              847-256-4102      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              847-256-4102      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 847-256-4102 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 847-256-4102 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 847-256-4102 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

The skype tags looks like improper formatting, which you were never supposed to see.

Regards,

tarte tatin wrote:Just took a look at A La Carte's menu for Friday. Gazpacho sure sounds good at this point.... Are we planning to order as a group and share--or order individually?

I'm for ordering as a group, as we usually do. Agree about the gazpacho.

I too must bow out yet again. Client scheduled something that requires me to be in Calumet Park at noon. Not sure why this keeps happening only to the ELG lunches I try to attend...
Hope to see you all at another outing. That menu looks GOOD!!!

Sorry to say that I have to drop out. I have to make a delivery to Schaumburg on Friday and I don't think that I will make it back in time. The menu looked interesting and I was looking forward to seeing everyone.

Sharon

I'm officially out. Working on inventing a machine that can let me be in two places at once. Sorry guys.

What a day for a picnic!

We are down to the usual suspects (plus mbh). Funny how that usually works out.

But if you ever wanted to enjoy the ELG, today is the day. Either join us at A La Carte at 12:30, or come over to Gillson Park at about 1:00. We will probably be done by 2:00. If the past is any indication we are sure to order too much food.

Huge thanks to GAF for providing his garden/house for a terrific picnic, when we discovered great weather caused the entire world to descend upon Gillson Park. I don't have much time before heading off to Wisconsin, but I can summarize that most of the food from A La Carte was pretty good, although the consensus seemed to be that the sesame noodles were a bit mushy and lacking in sesame.Other than that, they were okay.

It was my pleasure to offer my home in a pinch, even though it is located a good 15 minutes from A la Carte and a good 20 from Gillson Park. The food at A la Carte is good quality prepared picnic food. The polenta stacks with ratatouille was my favorite, although the almond-apple pie was also excellent. Other than that the food was in the "good" range, edging to "very good." Not so different from Foodstuffs, although the store's ambiance is more appealing and some tables are available.

I agree with both nr706 and GAF about the food from A la Carte. I liked the polenta stacks and the apple pie as well. The caramelized onion tart, spotted on an obscure bottom shelf by nr706's eagle eye, was also very good. Once settled, we enjoyed our late lunch and our companions.

Thanks again to GAF for hosting us in the lovely garden of his beautiful house. Too bad he's leaving town for a long time because we might be able to convince him to host another LTH event there. Happy travels, GAF!

As always the company surpasses the food with LTH. It was very generous of GAF to supply us with his lovely garden complete with Mrs. GAF's amazing gardening skills, it's a really beautiful setting.

The food was good, but nothing would make me go out of my way to go there, as GAF said good picnic food. We missed the gazpacho, but the highlights for me were the polenta with ratatouille, the onion tart which clearly had slowly caramelized onions in a custard with a buttery crust. I also really liked the plum tart with the great shortbread crust. I think the various slaws and salads may have spent too much time being driven around while we found somewhere to eat.

We'll miss GAF, but look forward to various postings from his travels and hopefully he'll be back with us next year.

I'll be back. I assure you. Hopefully in time for Picnic 2011.