City Olive – Roscoe Village
2236 W. Roscoe Street
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 687-9980

A second location will re-open in the Andersonville district this summer at 5644 N. Clark Street.

www. cityolive.com

In an earlier blog post, you may remember my mention of Studio Gang, the architectural firm that designed the intriguing white structure near the Lincoln Park Farm in the Zoo. Jeanne Gang, of Studio Gang is the brilliant architectural genius behind Aqua, touted as the tallest building in the U. S. designed by a woman.

As part of Aqua, Radisson Blu, a luxury hotel has 334 rooms in the building’s mix of residences, condos and apartments. I only walked through the stunning hotel lobby and caught a glimpse of the restaurant Filini, but I plan to be back to sample more of this elegant interior.

Not to be missed is the mini-art gallery just above lobby level featuring Chicago artists.

Have you spotted Kalona dairy products in your grocery store? Text on the distinctive plastic milk container is most informative. When they say: Super Natural Organic Milk with Cream Top, they weren’t kidding. Because the milk is not homogenized, the higher fat content versions have visible cream on top that can be mixed into your coffee or stirred back into the milk.

The milk comes from small family farms with an average 35 cows on 90 acres of land. It is also pasteurized at the lowest possible temperature so the milk is ostensibly fresher. It sure tastes that way. As another “green” selling point, the cows are grass fed.  The products are a little more expensive, but worth it in my estimation. This milk reminds me of the straight-from-the-cow beverage I used to get at my great-grandparents home in Nebraska.

I found myself laughing out loud on the bus while reading a trade paperback. The woman next to me wanted to know what book was causing such mirth. “Bossypants,” I replied, Tina Fey’s memoir of her family, her time at Chicago comedy mecca Second City, “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock.” Especially intriguing is her tale of becoming the celebrity look-alike for VP candidate Sarah Palin. Fey has a hilarious way with words that literally makes any story more amusing.

She does manage to weave in some seriousness as she writes of the uphill battle that women have had in both stage and TV comedy. Tina Fey, Amy Pohler and Kristen Wiig have definitely defied the long held opinion that women just aren’t as funny as men or that women can’t head a comedy project. Imagine the hilarity of the recorded book version of “Bossy Pants” read by Tina Fey. It would have to have a label with “Due to possible laughing jags, not to be listened to while operating heavy machinery.”

After a group of us listened to “The Book of Mormon” musical sound track, someone expressed an interest in finding a readable book on the Mormon religion. My well-read sister had just the ticket: “The 19th Wife,” by David Ebershoff, a fictional account of a present-day 19th wife accused of killing her polygamous husband on a Utah compound entwined with the fact-based story of Brigham Young divorcing his 19th wife back in the 1800’s. This is historical fiction at its most gripping and painlessly educational for those interested in knowing more about the early history of the Church of Latter Day Saints.

If you like pear-shaped tones and easy-listening music, do NOT buy Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen’s latest recordings. If, however, you have been a fan of either troubadour, you will want to check out where their musical journeys have taken them in “Bad As Me” from Waits and ”New Album, Old Ideas from Cohen. The Waits’ recording reminds me of heavy metal throw-downs with walls of sound couching his signature basement voice. Cohen also has that subterranean vocal sound going on, but his song settings are much easier to listen to, with strings, back-up singers and organ. Waits now in his 60’s and Cohen in his 70’s, do not show signs of slowing down anytime soon, either with writing or performing. Here’s hoping both are around to provoke, beguile and inform us for years to come.

There’s even an option on the web site to allow them to surprise you with talks, you choosing how many minutes you want to spend and what adjective describes what you are looking for: jaw-dropping, beautiful, inspiring, etc.

TED talks are now available on NETFLIX with package headings such as “Smart Laughs,”Defying Disease,” “Space Trek,” and “Crime and Punishment.” Just ten minutes will make you smarter!

If you like American history, you may want to check out the non-fiction book, “The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America” by Timothy Egan, an engrossing narrative about the immense 1910 fire that wiped out forests and towns in the states of Washington, Idaho and Montana. The first half of the book builds slowly with Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot promoting the cause of scenic lands held in trust for the public good, hiring a small band of newly trained forest rangers as stewards.
You meet a cast of characters who will be literally embroiled in this natural catastrophe that immolates man, beast and wood, both in tree form and that of clapboard. By the time the fire hits, the book grabs you like a page-turning thriller.

I give a “thumbs up” to the recorded book version that makes any commute educational as well as entertaining.
As a side note, Teddy Roosevelt remains my favorite Republican president. Bully!

Downloading music from itunes has been my practice of late, but I was compelled to buy two new physical CDs for a road trip in a rental car.

The first on the playlist was Paul McCartney’s “Kisses On the Bottom,” his love letter to song standards such as “The Glory of Love,” “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” and “Always,” among others. The orchestrations are lush, some done by luminaries such as Johnny Mandel and Alan Broadbent, featuring musicians both famous and diverse like Bucky and John Pizzarelli, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder and the London Symphony Orchestra, no less. Diana Kral is the pianist throughout providing the delicate accompaniment for McCartney’s surprisingly wonderful take on these vintage lyrics and melodies. There are two McCartney originals, my absolute favorite being “My Valentine,” a simple but effective ballad reminiscent of his much earlier song “Yesterday.” Even the CD package is elegant with clean-lined graphics and interesting liner notes. This would be perfect music for a romantic evening for two, and not just on Valentine’s day.

My second purchase was the cast recording of “The Book of Mormon” which won Tony awards for  best musical, original score, best book, best direction and best actress in a featured role in a musical. Without visuals or dialogue, I could easily follow the story line with just the songs. And what songs! The lyrics are indeed scatological, but so clever and quite profound that one bounces between smiles, giggles and inward “wows.”
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, of “South Park” notoriety, team up with Robert Lopez, lyricist and composer of “Avenue Q,” to fashion a musical and cultural clash between Mormon missionaries and the inhabitants of a remote Ugandan village. This is definitely not “My Fair Lady” in terms of propriety, but the mixture of craft and heart will delight you if you like your musicals “edgy.” I can’t wait to see this on stage.

One of my new favorite Andersonville restaurants is Icosium Kafe, an Algerian restaurant at the corner of Clark and Foster owned by culinary charmer Belkacem Elmetennani. The menu features many typical Algerian dishes such as couscous and tagines, as well as halal and organic items. If you like crepes, however, you will love the selection of sweet and savory versions available for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Breakfast crepes can include such wonderful ingredients as fig or raspberry jam, cream cheese, cashews, goat cheese or smoked salmon. I plan to order one with fresh blueberries and brie with rose petal jam next time. The Algerian lamb sausage called merguez is outstanding. I highly recommend the Icosium crepe, a wonderful combination of roasted peppers, arugula, goat cheese, caramelized onions, fresh Roma tomatoes, roasted garlic and baby spinach. The dessert crepe with fresh berries and Belgian chocolate utterly satisfied my sweet tooth. The Banana Foster and Clark crepe will definitely be a future order, at the very least for its clever name. Delicious crepes are available gluten-free made with buckwheat, upon request.

Order a pot of Algerian mint tea with your meal and trade a few French phrases with Belkacem, if you are lucky enough to spot him.

5200 N. Clark (at Foster)

(773) 271-5233

HOURS:
Monday – Friday: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm
Saturday: 8:30 am to 10:00 pm
Sunday: 8:30 am to 9:00 pm

http://icosiumkafechicago.com