Grahamwich

Popcorn with truffle oil, grated parmesan, chives, sea salt and cracked pepper.

Beef shortrib sandwich with pickled shallots, watercress, horseradish and shoestring potatoes.

Orange-ginger soda.

I was curious about Graham Elliot's new sandwich shop, and it met all my expectations. How I love you, Grahamwich!

Xiao Long Bao (Soup dumplings)

I have a fair lot of work to do this week, so this will be brief.





I like soup dumplings, and Tasty House in Chinatown makes them quite well. Reminds me of home, which I miss.

Staying Afloat

Of course, the most hectic period of the semester has to coincide with the prettiest Chicago weather, right? I mean, really, there are about 33 things I'd much rather do, like sip tea with Nicole Krauss' new novel 'Great House'. Or take long walks around the neighbourhood, admiring all the gorgeous little dogs out for their evening exercise. Or bake muffins only to give half the batch away to a friend.







I've quickly found the key to my sanity in this rigorous design program, and that is to allow myself some time to absorb the things around me and to do things I actually find true pleasure in doing. Going to farmers' markets, picking out enticing recipes to try at the end of the week, cooking with my boyfriend and taking pictures of leaves on a sidewalk. This keeps me sane. So in a way, I owe some gratitude to my blog, because it is inexplicably easy to find myself overwhelmed in a whirlwind of deadlines and late nights filled with hours upon hours of manual work. It's all okay if at the end of the week, I can come back home, heave a sigh of relief, and whip up a fresh pot of stock out of some leftover chicken bones. More Charm Than Good, you keep me grounded.

Say Hello to Autumn

I am waiting in great anticipation for the leaves to change, to see both trees and the ground swathed in a flurry of strong reds and oranges. This is my favourite time of the year! Tights the colour of a ruby port, pumpkin spice, and just enough nip in the air to require a soft cardigan, but not quite a wool coat.



My boyfriend and I decided to usher fall in by going to the Lincoln Square Apple Fest. Fresh locally harvested produce, pastries, cider, and buckets of apples, apples, and apples, of course. We bought some concord grapes and I've been wanting to make something out of them (jam, perhaps?), but they are so incredibly robust and flavourful on their own that I am unsure they will last even a few more days in my fridge!





I was sad that we missed out on the legendary apple pie (word on the street is that people dream about these at night!), but there's always next year.



On our way back home, we stumbled upon Lawrence Fish Market. Try to visualise the most unassuming hole-in-the-wall EVER where they serve up fresh and affordable sushi, and you have LFM. $2.95 maki rolls and $1 generously portioned nigiri? Unheard of in Chicago, but not at this dinky little fish shop. You will see a worn and tattered carseat in the store, and you may think twice... but don't. Just do it.



Enjoy the weather, everyone. Especially if you're in Chicago, because we know the ugly days will soon be upon us. :)

Oak Park

Transformers 3 was (still is?) filming in Chicago this weekend, so we decided to trade the noisy city and annoying street closures for Oak Park... just 8 miles away. I have been wanting to see this suburb for myself, so this was a highly anticipated day trip! First, we stopped by Freddy's in Cicero for some pizza and basil gelato. Such perfect gelato! It was abundant with chopped basil leaves and robust with flavour. I could not recommend the gelato more.

A trip to Oak Park would not be complete without a stroll by Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural works. We only made it to the homes on Forest Avenue, but what remarkable homes they were! My favourite was the Arthur Heurtley home (pictured directly above), beautiful brickwork in earthy tones.

At the end of Forest Avenue, we stumbled across Austin Gardens where actors were rehearsing Shakespeare's Love's Labour Lost for next week. After a leisurely walk in the quaint downtown area (so many cafes and restaurants!), it started drizzling on us so we had to head back home. I loved this weekend. Chicago is nice, but sometimes you just need a change of scenery!

A change of scenery is definitely what I will be getting this week. I leave for Asia on Wednesday. December 2008 was the last time I was home, so this has been a long anticipated trip. I will miss my Second City though... my comfortable apartment, my little blue Betta fish named Staccato, and the people I love here.

Such is the life of a student far away from home.

"Beach"

Here's the thing. It's a bit hard to see Lake Michigan's shoreline as a real beach. The term 'beach' seems to be geologically accurate when referring to a lake, but when I think 'beach', I'm thinking of seashells, seaweed and the tart smell of salt in the air. I suppose this "beach elitism" comes from years of growing up with gorgeous Southeast Asian island holidays with the family. That's okay, I can settle for Lake Michigan. If you don't go in the water, you can almost pretend!

My friend Brie and I decided to head north towards Loyola, where we found Hartigan Beach. It was nice. We sipped on ginger tea (recipe below) and let the hours dwindle away talking and talking as we watched people flitting about in their swimsuits. I would never swim in Lake Michigan, mostly because my boyfriend tells me horror stories about how contaminated the water really is. No, thank you! I'm quite content on a blanket with sunglasses and a sundress. All in all, it was a lovely day.

Ginger Tea (Teh Jahe)

6 cups of water
Fist-sized amount of sliced and peeled fresh ginger
Palm sugar (Brown sugar will do, but palm sugar is preferred-- check your local Mexican or Asian grocery store.)

1. Bring water to a rolling boil, drop the slices of fresh ginger in. It seems like a lot of ginger, but it produces a perfect ginger tea when you're done... promise!
2. Boil for at least 20 minutes. Taste and ensure the ginger flavour is tangible.
3. Add desired amount of palm sugar.

This is one of my favourite drinks, and is delicious served hot or cold. Teh jahe always brings me back to rainy nights in Manado, Indonesia where they serve this warm after dinner. It's great for digestion and won't keep you up at night!

P.S. Please let me know if you have a blog you think I would be interested in. I need some links to add!

Summer 2010

Ginger tea, a pair of beautiful red soled heels, and two good books. I am happy. I start summer school on Monday, and I am actually looking forward to learning all about art and architecture in India.

The weather has been so strange. For the past few days, I've had to leave my apartment with a light cardigan, which is okay, but hey! It's summer! To love or to hate Chicago's temperamental weather? Anyway, tomorrow should be warm, so I am going on a little picnic girl-date by Lake Michigan with my friend Brie! I even made fresh ginger iced tea, so excited