And so begins my weekend at Chicago Comic Con. I haven’t been back in several years, so it should be interesting, to say the least. I’ll be resurrecting my typical battle plan: Day One – scour the booths for 50% off graphic novels and novelty items, armed with a prioritized list; Day Two – check [...]

Tags: artists, Bruce Campbell, celebrities, Chicago, Comic Con, Ghost of the Robot, James Marsters, nerds, Patrick Stewart, Torchwood, Willy Wonka, Wizard world
Filed under: Chicago, geeky, hobbies, local spot, pop culture, press, sci-fi, tv shows

Tickets for the second annual Great Lakes Regional Burning Man event, Lakes of Fire, have just been released. You can read about it here on Wildfire Weaver, the website for my fire dancing performance/industry news. If you’ve never heard of fire dancing, take a look around the site. You might be surprised to find that [...]

Tags: Burning Man, camping, festival, fire dancing, fire spinning, great lakes regional, lakes of fire, Leave No Trace, outdoor event
Filed under: camping, fire performance, hobbies, local spot, outdoors, weirdness

Look at this! Prix Fixe, the new Lincoln Sq. restaurant that I wrote about a few weeks back, has included a link to my review on their PRESS page. I’m listed along with reviews from Time Out, NBC5 Chicago Food Blog, and the Trib food blog! To the good folks at Prix Fixe, thank you! [...]

Tags: blog, chicago review, Lincoln Sqaure, press, Prix Fixe, restaurant review
Filed under: cafe, Chicago, food, local spot, press, restaurant

If it’s not apparent by now, I’m obsessed with cooking. It’s not for nothing that negotiations often take place over food because few things generate a sense of contentment and congeniality more than a good meal. I love how the preparation and enjoyment of food brings people together and creates connections where previously there may [...]

Tags: ancho, candy, Chicago, chili, chipotle, chocolate, dessert, Edible Alchemy, education, ganache, handmade, learning, local food, non-dairy, non-soy, nuts, seminar, series, spicy, teaching, treats, truffle rolling, truffles, workshop
Filed under: Chicago, chocolate, cooking, food, hobbies, local spot, recipes, snacks, teaching

My red-headed partner-in-crime, Tippy, joined me for dinner at this hidden gem, but if our meal was anything to judge by, Prix Fixe is not going to stay hidden for long. It was only the restaurant’s third night of service, but you wouldn’t know it from the stellar quality of service and the delectable offerings that arrived at our table.

Tags: dietary needs, fine dining, local food, local spot, Prix Fixe
Filed under: cafe, Chicago, cooking, food, local spot, restaurant

….Good! The balance of sweetness in the coffee is at just the right level with very thin layer of foam. It comes on this pretty silver tray with an elaborately etched saucer and cupholder with cover. And they even give you a glass of ice water. There’s all sorts of win here. I’d say it’s [...]

Tags: cafe, drinks, local spot, Senem's Tea and Coffee House, Turkish coffee
Filed under: cafe, coffee, local spot