In this issue:
- This Saturday, June 20 – “American Classic Food and British Invasion Music” in Glenview
- Next Saturday, June 27 – Thai Family-Style Feast, BYOB Wine Tasting and Video at *Sanook Thai* in Chicago
- “What Makes a Father a Dad?”

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This Saturday: American Classic Cuisine and Cocktails, Plus British Invasion Music in Glenview
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This Saturday, June 20, we’ve got a very special evening planned for you. We’ll be in Glenview for a fun and affordable “American Classics and British Invasion” Party at Johnny’s Kitchen and Tap.

Your evening begins with a dinner party at Johnny’s the popular wood-fired steak and seafood restaurant at the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Lake Street in Glenview. From the name, you’d probably not guess that it is an always-popular supper club with very tasteful ambiance with lots of wood and exposed brick. It should be a more-than-comfortable atmosphere for meeting, talking with and getting to know other singles just like you.

Pick from seven classic American barbecue dishes, including Wood Roasted Chicken, Sirloin Steak, Broiled Whitefish Almandine, Chicken and Ribs, Shrimp Pasta Primavera, Steak and Shrimp and Grilled Salmon.

Then, after dinner, we will adjourn to a nearby bar to enjoy and dance to the music of “Cavern Beat,” one of the most popular Beatles tribute bands going today.

This party is open to all singles regardless of past participation. Even better, it is a very affordable $35 for members and $37 for guests. Why not join us?

To register right away for this uniques evening, please get your charge card and go to: www.GourmetConnections.com/singlepage.html or call me at 773-929-6534.

Sign up for this cocktail/dinner party at www.ChicagoSinglesDining.com/singlepage.html now or give me a call with your card info at 773-929-6534.

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Next Saturday, June 27, we are back in Chicago for a very special and affordable Thai family-style feast with a BYOB wine tasting at the new Sanook Thai on Irving Park Road just west of the river.

Sanook is a very appealing little restaurant that shows videos on the wall during dinner. Bring a DVD along and perhaps we’ll play it. Food-wise, we’ll enjoy a feast of two appetizers, soup and a salmon and a beef entree, along with dessert.

Bring a bottle of $10-$15 wine to share if you wish to participate in the BYOB tasting. For those of you who are new to the club, this party format has been especially popular. Three months ago, we did a similar party that proved to be a big hit.

The Sanook party is open to all singles regardless of past participation. Even better, it is a very affordable $37 for members and guests. Join us.

To register right away for this uniques evening, please get your charge card and go to: www.ChicagoSinglesDining.com/singlepage.html or call me at 773-929-6534.

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Details for This Saturday’s American Classic and British Invasion Party and Next Week’s Thai Feast
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When? – This Saturday, June 20, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. (or Later for Dancing)

What? – “American Classic Food and British Invasion Music” Dinner Party at the Popular North Suburban Steak and Seafood House With Dancing to a Live Beatles Tribute Band Afterward Nearby

Where? -

Johnny’s Kitchen and Tap

1740 Milwaukee Avenue (at Lake Street) in Glenview

Enjoy a lively dinner party at Johnny’s Kitchen and Tap, the inviting steak, seafood and barbecue restaurant in Glenview. Meet and mingle with single friends old and new in welcoming super club surroundings of dark wood and exposed brick.

Johnny’s has been a popular destination for north suburban diners since it opened several years ago. This restaurant serves up hearty and well-prepared meat, fish and American wood-fired barbecue classics in large portions. After dinner, enjoy live music nearby from the popular Beatles tribute band “Cavern Beat” for your listening and dancing pleasure.

Your evening begins with a cocktail hour (cash bar), where you can get to know other singles. Later, adjourn to the restaurant’s dining room for a seated dinner. Choose from seven of the house’s sumptuous entrees:
- Wood-roasted Chicken – House Specialty Half Chicken, Marinated and Wood-Roasted
- Charbroiled 10-oz. Prime Top Sirloin
- Wood-roasted Chicken (1/4 Chicken) and Baby Back Rib (1/2 Slab) Combo
- Broiled Whitefish Almandine with Toasted Almonds and a Butter Sauce
- Steak and Shrimp – Charbroiled 8 oz. Skirt Steak with Three Fried Jumbo Shrimp
- Pasta Prima Vera with Shrimp – Sautéed Shrimp with Garlic, Olive Oil and Fresh
Veggies over Pasta with Fontinella Cheese
- Charbroiled Fresh Atlantic Salmon
Dinner also includes soup or crisp dinner salad, choice of potato or rice pilaf, veggies, plus after-dinner coffee.

Your evening is $35 for your complete dinner, entertainment and taxes and tips for advance reservations. Guests and non-members are welcome for $37. Walk-ups at the door are $38. Dressy casual attire. Park in the lot.

Sign up right away for this unique dinner and dance party at www.GourmetConnections.com/singlepage.html or call me at 773-929-6534 with your card information.

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When? – Next Saturday, June 27, 7:30- 10:00 p.m.

What? – A Celebration of Spring Feast of Marvelous Thai Cuisine with a BYOB Wine Tasting at the Highly Regarded

Where? -

Sanook Thai

2845 W. Irving Park Road on Chicago’s North Side (Just West of California Ave.)

Chicago Singles Dining and Social Club and Gourmet Connections host a “Summer’s Finally Here” family-style Thai dinner feast and BYOB wine tasting get-together at the brand new Sanook Thai, on Chicago’s North Side, just west of the river on Irving Park Road.

Join single friends old and new in this new fun dining room. Sanook Thai is known for its flavorful traditional dishes and a fun atmosphere. It is a family-run restaurant, whose name actually means “fun” in Thai. Projectors play movies on the wall during dinner. Ideas for movies? Bring one along.

Upon arriving, you will go directly to the tables to mingle for a short time before being seated. Feast on a variety of delicious dishes in the traditional Thai fashion, sharing wine and warm conversation with other single professionals. These dinner feasts have become a popular club tradition. Your deluxe dinner feast will include:

Two popular appetizers:
– Grilled Chicken Satay with Coconut Curry and Thai Spice
– Spring Rolls with Seasoned Tofu, Cucumber, Bean Sprouts and Egg Wrapped in Rice Paper with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Soup:
– Tom Yum Soup – Traditional Thai Sweet and Sour Soup with Lime Juice, Lemon Grass and Kafir Lime Leaves with Straw Mushrooms, Tomato and Cilantro

And Two Entrées:
– Beef Red Curry – Sautéed Beef with Sweet Basil and Chili, Red and Green Bell Peppers, Bamboo Shoots in a Rich Coconut Milk Sauce
– Grilled Salmon topped with a Zesty Ginger Sauce

Plus Mango-Coconut Sticky Rice for Dessert

There will also be rice to complement the entrées, plus Hot Tea.

These dishes balance the signature sweetness, mild spice and velvety sauces and curries for which Thai cuisine is noted. Your evening including dinner, taxes and tips is $37 for members, non-members and guests. Be sure to bring a bottle of $10-$15 red or white wine to share if you wish to be part of the BYOB tasting. Park in the lot of this small shopping center.

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Singles Notebook – “Get-Real” Thoughts and Opinions from Jim “Senny” Senhauser

“What Makes a Father a Dad?”

A number of years ago, I lost my father after he went through a rough five-month battle with cancer. He was just 64 years old, and I was only 27. The shortness of the process and the suddenness of the loss were devastating. I am sure that many of you have experienced similar losses that have stuck in your memories and hearts.

When I think about my dad, I don’t ever view him as some sort of perfect person. He was far from being a great business man or a beacon to the community. He was, however, honest, loving and ethical and had a good heart. Those attributes about him are far more important to me in how I view my life.

As I think about him, there are certain times and experiences that made my father Dad to me. I would like to share some of those about my dad and about dads in general. Here are a few important responsibilities that make a father a Dad:
1) A dad loves and respects his wife, the mother of his children.
2) He sets standards for his children to achieve, with some that aren’t too easily attained. In a way, he is the life coach for his children in helping them reach for their aspirations.
3) A dad loves his children regardless of whether they are good or bad, successful or unsuccessful or even disappointing in exceeding his hopes for them.
4) He teaches his children those secret skills of growing up like – how to skip a stone five times across the water, how to make a snow ball and build a snowman, how to bait a hook with a worm, how to play catch with a baseball and how to ride a bike.
5) A dad can also be stern when you do something you know is wrong. If you get in trouble at school, chances are that any punishment you’re given will pale in comparison to that dished out once you get home.
6) It’s a dad’s job to enforce the “no dessert until you eat your beets (lima beans, Brussels sprouts, etc.) rule.”
7) Dads teach their kids how to take care of the car in terms of maintenance and appearance and eventually how to drive. (Dads used to teach kids all the new models of cars each year, but that’s become a meaningless exercise in today’s world.)
8.) A dad teaches his children the value of a dollar, usually with the phrase, “You know, we are not made of mo…”
9) Dads hang out in basements, garages and attics, not parlors or sun rooms.
10) They are really great to wrestle on the living room floor with or for football tackling in the yard. Dads rarely hurt you like other big people do.
11) It amazes me that the older kids get, the harder it is to beat Dad at board games.
12) Dads are great to take you to baseball, football or basketball games or just to watch the games on TV together. And if you were ever fortunate enough to actually play some of those sports, as I was, there was no better feeling than having your dad say how proud he was of how you played.
13) A dad is a good sounding board when it comes time to relate to your first girlfriend. Respect, manners, responsibility, tell her how nice she looks – all from Dad.
14) Dads teach you the importance of getting a good education, and later, a good job. Those are two signs of self-respect. If everything doesn’t go smoothly, a dad can help you to figure our how to be more resourceful and resilient.
15) A dad often teaches you that you should not fight with other kids. But, if you or your family is being bullied, he says don’t ever hesitate to stand up for them.
16) A dad teaches you how to cook all those “man dishes” like TV dinners, Chef Boyardee Ravioli, frozen pot pies and grilled cheese sandwiches with Campbell’s Tomato Soup. Later, he teaches you to grill out hamburgers, brats and hotdogs.
17) Dads love dumb presents like razor blades, ashtrays and memo boards you made a school, and coffee mugs that say “World’s Best Dad.”
18) Dads are always there to piggyback you up to bed and make the monsters in your closet and under your bed go away. Dads make you feel safe in the dark or during storms.
19) A dad shares that last piece of pie with you, instead of taking it all himself.
And finally …
20) Dad taught me that even big boys sometimes cry, like when they get shots, or the dentist hurts them, or sometimes when they just hurt inside, or …

… When they think back to their own dad and how much they really miss him.

This Sunday, hug your dad in person, or if not, in your memories like I just did.
Happy Fathers Day!

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Why not make room for us on your weekend schedule for this Saturday night’s very special party at Johnny’s Kitchen and Tap? What could be better than mingling, eating, drinking and getting to know other singles — all while having a terrific time?

P.S. I have some new reviews on http://senny.yelp.com . These are weekly looks at some area establishments. You can even see what I look like in a tux.

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Successful Single! ©2009 – Success Singles Club, Ltd. (formerly the Gourmet Advocates, Ltd.)

Jim Senhauser’s “Singles Notebook” column (used with permission) is ©2009 IdeaTree, Ltd., Chicago, IL 60613. “IdeaTree” is a registered trademark of IdeaTree, Ltd.