BR wrote:

Cynthia wrote:Thanks, Ronnie. I'd just hate to park two miles away and then find out there was something right behind the restaurant.

As you go north on Clark just past Anteprima (5316 N. Clark) and Balmoral (5400 N. Clark), parking tends to ease up.

Seconding this. On the block that Walgreen's is on (5440 N, on the west side of the street), street parking is not bad, precisely because the Walgreen's takes up a lot of that block and they have their own lot. (So people going to Walgreen's don't park there, and people going to other businesses don't park there so much either because they prefer to park closer to where they're actually going.) It's the first place I'd look if I were attending.

BR wrote:

Cynthia wrote:Thanks, Ronnie. I'd just hate to park two miles away and then find out there was something right behind the restaurant.

As you go north on Clark just past Anteprima (5316 N. Clark) and Balmoral (5400 N. Clark), parking tends to ease up. And on a Thursday (and assuming you arrive when the dinner begins), it really shouldn't be that bad. Another option is to go just west one block to Ashland. Parking is readily available and free.

Cool. Thanks.

BR wrote:

Cynthia wrote:Thanks, Ronnie. I'd just hate to park two miles away and then find out there was something right behind the restaurant.

As you go north on Clark just past Anteprima (5316 N. Clark) and Balmoral (5400 N. Clark), parking tends to ease up. And on a Thursday (and assuming you arrive when the dinner begins), it really shouldn't be that bad. Another option is to go just west one block to Ashland. Parking is readily available and free.

Red Line (Berwyn) is about half a mile walk.

David Hammond wrote:

BR wrote:

Cynthia wrote:Thanks, Ronnie. I'd just hate to park two miles away and then find out there was something right behind the restaurant.

As you go north on Clark just past Anteprima (5316 N. Clark) and Balmoral (5400 N. Clark), parking tends to ease up. And on a Thursday (and assuming you arrive when the dinner begins), it really shouldn't be that bad. Another option is to go just west one block to Ashland. Parking is readily available and free.

Red Line (Berwyn) is about half a mile walk.

Thanks, David -- but taking the el makes it a MUCH longer, much more complicated option, compared with driving, and is generally reserved for places where I'm warned that there is no parking at all. Previous reassurances suggest that driving will work. But good to know for the future, if I were to come down at a less convenient time.

Hi all, it turns out that Peter Cooper and I (Celia Rodee), a.k.a. LordBarnyard and KalamazooGal, are unable to attend on Thursday. We have 2 tix w/wine pairings. Is anyone interested in two tickets?

Just a sneak peek before I encase this years creation in cellophane.
This Sicilian Villa is inspired by the house that Michael and Appolonia Corleone lived in in Taormina Sicily. Note Appolonia ready to drive the Vintage car on the right, and Michael shouting NOOO on the left. Turrets are secretly Ho-Ho's- balcony and decor from fondant. Some trees are freeze-dried okra.
[/img]
Here's a picture of the actual House:

Here's a side view:

and the back yard:

Good Luck all!

I'd like to make you an offer you can't refuse for that gingerbread house. See you Thursday!

Holy *#&)@!&$)& . . . that is unbelievable!!!

Fantastic creation, as always!

Just signed up. Can't wait!

Posting during dessert - - OMG - - one of the best holiday party meals ever!

tarte tatin wrote:Posting during dessert - - OMG - - one of the best holiday party meals ever!

I completely agree! Marty, Leah and the entire team at Anteprima really threw down. But not only was the food great, so were the hospitality and the space itself, which was decorated so warmly . . .


Anteprima's beautiful dining room



Thanks - damn glad to be here!



Ooh, aah

Everything was delicious and there were plenty of items I didn't get shots of but here a few shots I did manage to get . . .


Bean Antipasto



Faro Antipasto (I think)

There were also several passed appetizers which were great, too: speck-wrapped persimmons, chicken liver crostini, chestnut-stuffed mushrooms and more. Wow!

Once at the table, the serious feasting began . . .


Fava Bean Puree with greens, olives, pickled veg., spicy vinaigrette



Anolini in Brodo
This is the broth in which the main course, the Gran Bollito Misto, cooks.



Grilled Octopus with chillis, potatoes and onion
Docnik shows off this spectacular dish.



Il Gran Bollito Misto - capon, cottechino, beef tongue and beef shank
This was served in grand fashion, on multiple trays with a bevvy of delicious, house-made condiments. This was my plate. The unbelievable Peara is made with broth, breadcrumbs and marrow.

Next up, dessert . . .


Marty adds the finishing touch to the budino



Chocolate Tart
One of the finest chocolate desserts I've enjoyed in a long time.



Bread Pudding
Another winning dessert



House-Made Nocino



The gift table



Gift Exchange in full swing

I also have to mention the pairings, which were really nice, and very generously poured. But everything was spot-on. It was just a very lovely evening; one of the finest editions of our holiday party that I can remember. Thanks, to everyone who came out, and happy holidays to everyone!

=R=

I know I might have appeared out of it towards the end of last night's dinner. But that was mostly due to my body clock, which always takes a break in the mid-evening. I am a night person. I am typically up until 3:00 am every night, and often on-line as late as 5:00 am.
I did get coherent enough to take the bus back from Anteprima. I missed the last #50 Damen bus southbound by four minutes. So instead, I went #22 Clark, #9* Ashland, #77 Belmont.
Perhaps somebody can tell me why a fancy banquet calls for octopus to be offered.
This was the second time this year I have had octopus. What do I think of it? It was OK. If it's on the prix fixe menu, I will have it, but I wouldn't necessarily order it if left to my own desire.
The food which got my taste buds going was the chestnut stuffed mushrooms. I could have finished off a platter of those.
Here are eight photographs I took this past evening. I shoot 640 * 480, so these images should take a lot less time than somebody else's to display in your browser (and I refer in 180 pixel thumbnails anyhow). Picsee .net is hosted in Russia, but there's nothing eyebrow-raising or virus-seeding about it. It will open a new browser tab for each image link, and then for the pure image itself. This was a solid, fun, nourishing banquet. My thanks to the Admins of LTHF for their diligence.

("*" = The transfer at Clark, Southport, & Irving Park was deliberate. From there, I could ride either the #9 Ashland south to Belmont, or the #80 Irving Park west to Cicero.)

The octopus was AMAZING! And not just because my husband's holding the plate
Thanks Ronnie for organising a great night.

The meal was wonderful and it was great to see so many friends and meet new ones. But the topper is the most excellent raffle gift I won. Chouxfly, you are an artist!

Last night was one of the better Holiday Parties we've had in recent memory. Both the food and the companionship of my fellow LTHers was fantastic. Thanks to all who organized!

The sleeper hit of the night for me was the Anolini in Brodo. The pasta itself was perfect, and the broth, which was the cooking liquid from the Gran Bolitto Misto, as I understand it, was supremely flavorful. I would have been happy if that was the only dish served last night. Of course, it wasn't, and there wasn't a single dud in the whole bunch.

The mostardi di cremona condiment also deserves a special mention, with its candied fruit and backnote of mustard tang. On first look, it didn't appear to be something I would enjoy; invoking visions of fruit cake gone wrong, but it turned out to be one of the most interesting accompaniments to a dinner I've tasted in a while.

Well done, Anteprima crew!

Hi,

The mostardi di cremona definitely made an impression. From this article from the Academdia Barilla, this may have originated during the Renaissance. "Most mostarda you find today is made with candied fruit, immersed in syrup flavored with mustard oil."

I found some recipes:

Saveur which maybe traditional though somewhat unlike what we had last night

Fine Dining Lovers- because the picture looked like what we had last night

Italian's insight to Travel Italy - who claim the first publication of the official recipe was 1790

Now to find mustard essential oils!

***
Very nice party with some memorable food!

Thanks to everyone who made it happen!

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:Now to find mustard essential oils!

Patel Bros. is your friend.

Hi,

There is a difference between mustard oil and essential oils, which are very highly concentrated. A friend sold fragrances, flavorings and essential oils during the 1950's.

The mustard oil at Patel has labels advising it is not intended to human consumption, though wink-wink it is used for human consumption.

Regards,
Cathy2

stevez wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Now to find mustard essential oils!

Patel Bros. is your friend.

We've been through this before. As Cathy2 pointed out, pressed mustard oil (available at Patel) is not the same as mustard essential oil. As mentioned in later in the egg roll thread, mustard essential oil is available at H Mart.

Rene G wrote:

stevez wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Now to find mustard essential oils!

Patel Bros. is your friend.

We've been through this before. As Cathy2 pointed out, pressed mustard oil (available at Patel) is not the same as mustard essential oil. As mentioned in later in the egg roll thread, mustard essential oil is available at H Mart.

Maybe a good start would be to call the restaurant to ask they what they used. Obviously, it's something that is available somewhere.

My undying gratitude Ronnie_Suburban and whoever else might have contributed to arranging this party. Absolutely stunning evening. Great company, but I expected that. The food, however, exceeded expectations. I'm with stevez about the anolini in brodo being the surprise hit. Everything was good, but that was insanely fragrant and flavorful and the sort of thing I'll dream about.

That said, there were no duds. Even the bread sticks were the best I've ever had -- so crisp and redolent of rosemary -- perfect. Good bread with good olive oil. And every dish was amazing. Loved the octopus. The bollito misto was good, but what made it exceptional was all the sauces -- the house-made salsa verde was beauitful, the mostardo was stunning, the onion jam was yummy, and the peara was so luxurious, I had to look it up when I got home: Pearà is a traditional Veronese sauce made with bread crumbs, beef and hen stock, beef marrow and black pepper; served exclusively together with bollito misto. Big fan of marrow, so no wonder I loved it.

The chocolate tart noted above was gorgeous, but I've had things like that before. the bigger surprise was the butternut squash budino. I love butternut squash, and this flan-like preparation was the perfect vehicle. The bread pudding was also remarkable. I'm not a big dessert eater, but these were remarkable desserts.

The company was also excellent -- saw lots of friends, had lots of great conversations. The gift exchange was great fun. An altogether splendid evening.

Thrilled again that this event was on a Thursday allowing me to attend. Wonderful food and company. And I thought Anteprima was at its best. So many highlights, but the chicken liver crostini, chestnut-stuffed mushrooms, peppers (with anchovies?) and anolini in brodo were all standouts. If you want to talk underrated, the vegetables (carrots, parsnips and onions) served with the meats were delicious and perfectly cooked.

Thanks to those who helped organize - already looking forward to next year.

This was the first LTH Holiday Party for Peter Cooper (LordBarnyard) and me (Celia Rodee), and we enjoyed the most delightful evening with Steve Z, Maribeth, Hannah & Robert AND the most wonderful dishes. As SteveZ already described the pasta soup was absolutely sublime.
Thankyou LTH forum for helping us kick off the holiday season on a fabulous culinary note!
P.S.: I had the good fortune of going home with Chouxfly's homemade salt bagels. I just finished one this morning. OMG.... thankyou Chouxfly. You are a Baker King!

Cynthia wrote:Pearà is a traditional Veronese sauce made with bread crumbs, beef and hen stock, beef marrow and black pepper; served exclusively together with bollito misto. Big fan of marrow, so no wonder I loved it.

Until you told me this on Saturday, I would have sworn on a stack of bibles the sauce in small gravy boat had mustard seeds. Another sauce to look into making the future.

The Anteprima people really brought some interesting new (to me, at least) sauces and accompaniments for meats.

Those slender breadsticks were fabulous. Our table devoured them.

Great evening and getting greater with every new food highlighted.

Regards,
Cathy2

I'd like to give a special shout-out to mamagotcha for, once again, organizing the food drive. I'm not sure how that turned out but I did see quite a few items in the baskets she brought and as always, the generosity of LTH'ers is most greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

=R=

It was an absolute honor to deliver a big laundry basket filled with groceries (along with an envelope filled with generous donations, over $500!) to the food pantry in my neighborhood. I can tell you that every single item was gratefully received and immediately put into the hands of a hungry family here in Chicago, and every cent of the money went directly to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

I am so proud of our generous group who, in the middle of their own holiday celebrations, thought a bit about others who aren't quite as fortunate, and went the extra mile to once again open their hearts (and wallets). Thank you so much for once again supporting our holiday food drive; may your kindness return to you tenfold!