Pink Party at the jdub

The JW partnered with West Side Distributing in raising awareness for Breast Cancer last Thursday, August 20. Majority of the guests don pink outfits including the staff members who auctioned off pink t-shirts "off their back," all for breast cancer. Pink Martini's, "Pink" Caramel Beets, Pink Cotton Candy, and a giant Breast Cancer Ribbon glass display behind the bar added to the flare that evening. We thank the guests who donated generously to the cause.

six.one.six staff gearing up for the event. F&B manager, Michelle Bayink, planned the event.

Brie, Marilyn (auctioned her shirt for $100) and Sarah (raised $150 with 2 shirts)

Brie making the Pink Caramel Beets

Pink Ribbon Display

DJ Todd Ernst set the groove that evening

Rachel raised $212 for breast cancer. She was top dog.

The Girls in Pink

Challenge # 18 : Visit My Old Apartments

My First Apartment on Grace Street in Lakeview East

I consider myself a 'Chicagoan' more so than a Californian or a 'Michigander'. I cheer for the Cubs, the Bulls and Da' Bears. I feel goose bumps whenever I take that drive north on Lake Shore Drive into the city. There's just something special about this town. It's a sophisticated city with arguably the best collection of restaurants in America. The people are friendly. Her cold winters make you look forward to the best summers in the country. And there's the big Lake. Mag Mile. The Loop. Grant Park. The neighborhoods. The festivals. It's definitely My Kind of Town.

I took my wife on a whirlwind car tour of the places I lived in Chicago before taking the 2.5 hour drive back to Michigan. From 1988 to 1992, Chi-town was my home. My tiny studio apartment on Grace street is steps away from Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan. I threw my first BYOB blowout right here. Despite the size, dinner parties became a common event with my University of Iowa and hotel friends. My entire family visited me when I lived here. Even my cousin, Rhett Eala, spent several weeks here with me. He cooked eggs every morning. Rhett and I met up with my older sister, Batch Catino, for a Tequila excursion around the city this girl from California can never, ever forget. Younger college friends stayed here when they visited the city. During the winters, I would wait at the bus stop on the corner of Grace and LSD, and without a cigarette, I would watch myself blow 'smoke" rings into the frigid air before boarding the 6 AM "Yuppy Shuttle" to work.

My 2nd Apartment on West Sheridan Road

I moved a block away to a larger studio apartment on Sheridan Road the next year. I hosted my first gourmet dinner for twelve guests here. Every inch of that kitchen was used to prepare the dinner. More parties came with the increase in square footage. My best friend from Switzerland, Suzanne Heiniger (Imholz), religously came to this apartment every Tuesday night to watch The Wonder Years before going out on our weekly dinner adventures. My favorite cousin, Gigi Eala, visited me from the Philippines when I lived here. We hit around 63 bars and restaurants in the two weeks she was in Chicago. In the summer, I rode my bike down Lake Michigan to go to work.

Printers Row Loft

I got my big promotion to Assistant Director of F&B of the Mayfair Regent the following year. This bump in salary resulted in an upgrade in accommodations. My good friend and Mayfair Regent colleague, John State, and I moved to a brand new loft in Printer's Row, just south of the Loop. I stared at the Sears Tower each night before going to bed. Bigger parties and fancier dinners followed. The younger of the Eala cousins, Dennis, visited me here. This is where Dennis and I watched Michael Jordan and the Bulls claim their first championship. John and I rode our bikes to State and Division and partied with all the revelers after Jordan's winning basket. It was in this loft where I hosted the entire University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers and the Philippine Consul General to a Filipino Swing dance party. This is where I lived when I met up with Vincent Grey, my best friend in grade 6 at the Ateneo Grade School. Vincent convinced me to buy his maroon Chevy Spectrum for $1,200 on a $100 monthly payment plan before relocating to Barcelona. Two years later, my future wife would total the car when she hit a parked mail truck the day before our wedding. I sold the car to my secretary for one dollar.

My loft in the artist neighborhood of Pilsen

In my final year in Chicago, I lived in the artist community of Pilsen. A Polish developer purchased whole city blocks and converted each house into loft studios complete with shared courtyards in the middle of each block. Once a year, the neighborhood would open up its doors to an artist open house. This is the place where I spent my most creative year in front of the canvas. This is the place where my younger sister from Hong Kong, Haj Wilcox, was introduced to her best friend, Marga Grande. Because of the "artsy" neighborhood, I hired the hotel parking guys to valet park my friend's cars during our many bashes. My Filipino barkada (group) made up of Luigi Bernas, Billy Valtos, Leo and Michelline Suarez, Donnie and Crickette Tantoco, and Kevin and Roseanne Belmonte made this our party headquarters. Leo and Michelline's second daughter, Sam, would later become my god daughter. Michelline became my youngest daughter's godmother. Donnie and Crickette's twin daughters, Camille and Nicole, became the flower girls in our wedding.

Perhaps, this little trip down memory lane may shed some light on why it makes me so sad to leave this city. It was definitely a good way to share a rainy afternoon in the car with Elena.

Challenge # 17 : Go To Wieners Circle

Nothing is more entertaining than ending your evening of partying in Chicago with a Char Grilled Dog and Cheddar Cheese Fries from Wieners Circle. This Lincoln Park hangout makes Seinfeld's Soup Nazi look like child's play. The predominantly African American staff, perched behind the elevated counter, dish out f-bombs freely without regard for one's emotional well being. This place between midnight and 4 AM is not for the tame at heart. Go ahead and dish it back and Big Mama, the manager, will crucify you with her tongue lashing. Extremely rude staff + drunk patrons = a people watching Oscar moment.

I spent many late evenings at the Wieners Circle; taking the crap like everyone else. In fact, my first job in Chicago was located two doors down from the joint. It's an awesome place to take visitors to America. This is American hospitality at its purest form.

And, yes, the char grilled cheddar dog with everything on it and the cheddar cheese fries are not bad either.

A Classic Chicago Dog with Everything!

Challenge # 16 : Eat at the "Talk of the Town" Restaurant

Pork Mecca

We didn't hesitate one second when our hostess at Blackbird highly suggested that we have brunch at the hottest restaurant in the city - Publican - a sister restaurant of Blackbird and Avec. Publican is a casual neighborhood gem worth any foodie's visit. Just like Blackbird, the restaurant was buzzing. Located on Fulton Street in the heart of the Meat Market District of Chicago, Publican boasts a menu glorifying the Pig. Twist my arm...

We began our brunch with Bloody Mary's with brunoise of celery and red peppers, pickles, string bean and a wedge of lemon and lime. A chaser of Gebr. Sunner GmbH & Co. KG Kolsch accompanied the bloody's. Perfect! I couldn't resist the Spicy Pork Rinds. It was at this point when I started feeling like I was back in Manila at a local watering hole. I asked the server for a side of vinegar to dip the rinds in and she gave me a dumbfounded look. Hey, it's a Filipino thing.

Elena's Red Wine Poached Egg with the La Quercia (Iowa) Prosciutto was heavenly. My Fried Chicken Thighs (my favorite piece) were a pure delight, lightly dusted and served with an amazing slice of grilled corn bread.

It was definitely the best way to start our Sunday.

Red Wine Poached Egg, La Quercia Prosciutto, SOurdough and Bearnaise

Fried Chicken, Corn Bread, Tomatoes, Tropea Onions and Arugula

I'm in heaven - Spicy Pork Rinds dipped in Cheddar

The Best Bloody Mary in Chi-Town

I love the "gated" booths

The Dining Room and Bar area

Exterior

Challenge # 15 : Eat at Blackbird

Slagel Family Farms Organic Pork Belly and Crispy Sweet Shrimp with Chinese Broccoli, Preserved Green Tomato and Black Pepper

I attribute the renaissance of the Chicago culinary scene to the opening of Blackbird in the late nineties. Classic standouts like Charlie Trotter, Spiaggia, Everest Room and Le Francais dominated most of the decade until Blackbird came into town with its minimalist interiors, seasonal cuisine and no jacket requirement, in fact, dress comfortably is the mantra. I was given the choice to dine at Blackbird when it first opened but I opted to check out another new restaurant in the meat market district, One Sixty Blue, in hopes of seeing co-owner, Michael Jordan, greeting guests at the door. One Sixty Blue still stands, but Blackbird is the undisputed king of this food crazy city.

After eleven years of salivating, I finally made it to Blackbird on Saturday. The verdict: My wife and I agree that our dinner was the BEST dining experience ever. This is coming from a hotel guy who has dined everywhere. Blackbird joins my top restaurant short list: Le Bec Fin, Babbo, Joel Robuchon, Hotel Tugu Bali, In and Out Burger (ok, that's a stretch, but I do love In and Out).

I give the food an A+, with the Mussel Soup topping the score card. But what really made the experience so memorable was the stellar service. Chef Mike Sheering might not like it, but on this night, the service was the star.

We counted fourteen restaurant staff members, from one of the owners to the busboys, who interacted and serviced our table of two. This sixty seat restaurant was humming and there were no wasted motions coming out of each staff member. No small talk here. Everyone was too busy serving, bussing, pouring, crumbing and greeting. We felt like the only table in the room. Owner Donny was the conductor and the symphony of service was in complete harmony. Not a single note was missed. Erin, our main server in her black and white dress, was professional and cordial. At the end of the evening, one of the hostesses stood in the middle of the street in her black dress and flagged a taxi for us.

We were left speechless.

Patio Seating

Pistachio Gazpacho with Ahi, Watermelon Confit, Sea Beans and Cocoa

Blue Hill Bouchot Mussel Soup with White Fish, Saffron, Garlic and Basil

Sauteed Sweetbreads with Golden Beets, Molasses, Pine Aioli and Summer Truffles

Seared Maine Diver Scallops with Fresh Hearts of Palm, Sugar Snap Peas and Lovage

Great Idea: Portable Purse Hooks

Challenge # 14 : Photograph Millennium Park in Chicago

I've driven by Millennium Park so many times, but I've never taken the time to stop and admire the beauty and design of the park until this weekend. Check the link for more information. For this entry, I'm going to keep it short and allow the pictures to speak for themselves.

Blue Steel

The Painter

Drunks Looking at Themselves

The Wedding Party

City Reflections

Rock Solid

Made in China

Slaughterhouse

Garden Views

Water Spit

Green

Child Walking

Purple

Blue

Challenge # 13 : Take in the View of the City

The Wit's Rooftop Bar - It must have been a good one.

When I lived in Chicago from 1988 to 1992, high-rise rooftop bars were still non existent. However, restaurants like Le Ciel Bleu, Everest Room, Spiaggia and The Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock provided spectacular cuisine and views, there's just something about al fresco views of the city.

Both the Park Hyatt and The Peninsula offer fantastic bar views of the city but neither compares to the hoopla of the current "rooftop bar of the moment" at the Wit Hotel. I sent the JW's former Director of Sales and Marketing and current Wit Hotel Director of Sales, Michael Lyman, a text to see if he can get us in without having to sacrifice our entire day watching "VIP's" whizz through the mile long line to get in. For some reason, my text couldn't get through. Fortunately, we made it to the top before the evening crowd. Two comfortable lounge chairs for the Aquino party - check. A fantastic view of the city - double check.

The Rooftop Bar at the Wit makes the hotel. This is why you stay here. Forget the rooms, nest yourself with the beautiful people on the roof. Lounge beats provide a constant buzz. The flow of people is dizzying. Women in their summer moo-moo dresses. Men in Shanghai Tang's to microphone whispering Wit security officers in skin tight black jackets and black jeans. "Working women" type in butt hugging dresses with legs that reach all the way to China strut their way through the rooftop runway. Pretend you're not looking - check.

This place is a must stop on your next trip to Chicago. Believe it or not, the prices are reasonable, given the entertainment that comes with the views. Enjoy.

The Bar

Inside Lounge Seating