In this issue:

• This Friday, Jan. 27 – Dinner with Piano Entertainment followed by Dancing at Jay’s Amore in Chicago’s West Loop
• This Saturday, Jan. 28 South Suburban Dining at Tin Fish in Tinley Park
• Next Saturday, Feb. 4 – Northern Italian Dining at Ristorante Abruzzo in Deerfield, just off I-94
• Next Sunday, Feb. 5 – Party for the Big Game at North Beach in Downers Grove (just off Highland Ave.)
• “One Key to a Successful Relationship May Just Surprise You”

Welcome to our first online blog-style newsletter. Delivering our newsletter in this fashion became necessary when we started to add more parties and information each week. At the same time, large Internet suppliers (AOL, MSN and Comcast) began to clamp down on SPAM. Unfortunately, their crusading efforts suck a lot of non-SPAM E-mails into their filters. They do not have the time to read the information they stop or know whether you actually requested it. So, they generate a lot of “false positives,” blocking requested information from ever reaching you. Ironically, the big SPAM-generators hire a lot of programmers to devise ways around the filters. Clubs like ours cannot afford to do that.

I hope that you like the new look and format. In the future, it will allow us to do even more. Any comments are much appreciated.

There are two more terrific parties this weekend. Friday night, we will be at Jay’s Amore Ristorante in Chicago for dinner with a piano player. Jay called today to say that they just remodeled the section of the restaurant we’ll be in. After dinner, we will head up the street to Phil and Lou’s for dancing to the “Boogey Man” DJ. Those who were with us in December can tell you how much fun that was.

This Saturday, we’ll enjoy highly rated cuisine at Tin Fish in Tinley Park. Tin Fish was named one of Chicago’s Best New Restaurants a couple of year’s ago and it continues to be regarded as one of the area’s best seafood restaurants.

Next weekend, we have two more parties, starting with an intimate Italian dinner party on Saturday night at Ristorante Abruzzo on Waukegan Road in Deerfield (just off I-94) near Lake Cook. Next Sunday, February 5, the Big Game Party will be at North Beach in Downers Grove (just off Highland). The Gourmet Advocates are co-sponsors of this event. It is a cash-at-the-door party, with $22 covering drinks and appetizers at halftime.

Sign up online for any party at www.gourmetadvocates.com/singlepage.html

This Friday, January 27, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. (later if you dance)
Northern Italian Dinner with Piano Entertainment at the Popular
Jay’s Amore Ristorante
1330 W. Madison (at Ada) in Chicago’s West Loop

Mingle and socialize with other singles while enjoying the culinary pleasures of the well-regarded Northern Italian trattoria, Jay’s Amore Ristorante. This “Hidden Gem” restaurant in Chicago’s West Loop has garnered 4-star ratings from area diners.

Your evening begins with an hour-long cocktail party (cash bar) followed by a sit-down dinner in the restaurant’s semi-private salon. A piano player will enter- tain during dinner. After dinner, you can stay and listen to the entertainment or join us at Phil and Lou’s for dancing to a DJ. Your choice of dinner entrees includes:

• Tilapia sautéed with Asparagus, Artichoke Hearts, Herbs and Tomatoes
• Tri-color Cheese-filled Ravioli in Tomato-basil Sauce with Mozzarella Cheese
• Sautéed Chicken Madison in Wine, Sun-dried Tomato, Mushrooms, Asparagus, Artichokes
• Pork Chops Vesuvio, a 14 oz. Chop sautéed with Garlic, Olive Oil, Peas, Onions and Spices
• Sautéed Halibut Napolitano with Shrimp, Scallops, and Calamari in a White Wine Sauce
• Veal Marsala, Sautéed with Mushrooms & Wine Sauce with Roasted Potatoes
• Risotto Italian Rice. Grilled Shrimp, Scallops & Tomatoes in Saffron Broth

Also included are sides, your choice of soup or salad, plus dessert, coffee, tea or soft drinks. Your evening is $45 for members and $47 for non-members and guests for dinner, entertainment, taxes and tips for advance registrations. Walk-ups will also be accepted at the door for $47. Dressy casual attire. Lots of street parking in the area.

This Saturday, January 28, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Gourmet Connections Hosts a Dinner Party Featuring
Delicious Fresh Seafood, Chicken or Steak Creations at Highly Rated
Tin Fish
18201 S. Harlem Ave. (at 182nd Street) in Tinley Park

Join us at the very popular Tin Fish seafood-oriented restaurant for good food, conversation and camaraderie with single friends familiar and new. Enjoy unique, fresh and flavorful seafood, steak or chicken dishes in a congenial contemporary atmosphere. In addition to terrific food, Tin Fish creates a mood conducive to casual conversation. It has also been given very high marks from the Sun Times, Tribune and Chicago Magazine.Start the evening with a one-hour cocktail party (cash bar) in the restaurant’s lounge, followed by delectable sit down dinner. Enjoy your choice from these entrees:

• Grilled Pacific Swordfish, Butternut Squash Puree in a Brown Butter Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Sautéed Parmesan Chicken Breast, Steamed Green Beans with Butter Sauce
• Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Wild Mushrooms, Vinaigrette and Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Grilled 11 oz. Manhattan Steak and Homemade Mashed Potatoes
• Pepper-grilled Yellowfin Tuna with Brown Sugar-glazed Asian Greens, Ginger Soy Hollandaise
• Shrimp Scampi and Linguine with Garlic, White Wine and Parsley

Dinner also includes Soup of the Day or crisp Tin Fish Green or Caesar Salad, and Coffee. Your evening is $45 for members for dinner, taxes and tips for advance reservations. Guests/non-members are $47, as are walk-ins (space permitting). Dressy casual attire. Park in the lot.

Sign up online for any party at www.gourmetadvocates.com/singlepage.html

Next Week’s Parties

Next Saturday, February 4, 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Savor Delicious Northern Italian Cuisine at the Charming “Hidden Gem”
Ristorante Abruzzo
160-A Waukegan Rd. in Deerfield
(in Deerbrook Mall just S. of Lake Cook off I-94)

Meet, mingle and socialize with other singles while enjoying the culinary art of Ristorante Abruzzo. Featuring Northern Italian cuisine, Ristorante Abruzzo prepares dishes in a rich traditional manner. These are served in a quaint and cozy trattoria atmosphere. This restaurant is one of the well-regarded Oliverii neighborhood Italian restaurants in the north suburbs and its chef hails from northern Italy.

Your delightful evening begins with a cocktail party (cash bar) in the bar area, followed by a sit-down dinner. Your choice of entrees include:

• Ravioli Due Sapori – Homemade Cheese Ravioli in Walnut Tomato Sauce
• Veal Piccata, light dish with Veal Medallions in a White Wine Lemon Caper Sauce
• Chicken Carciofi – Breasts, Artichokes & Mushrooms in White Wine Sauce
• Perch Fiorentina – Fresh Perch with Spinach, Garlic and White Wine over Angel Hair
• Whitefish Cartoccio – Baked in foil with Tomatoes, Garlic and Black Olives
• Brasato Di Agnello – Braised Lamb Shank with Potatoes
• Risotto Frutti di Mare – Arborio Rice, Assorted Seafood and Fish in Tomato Sauce

Also included with dinner are sides, and your choice of a house salad or soup, plus coffee or tea. Your evening is $37 for members and $39 for non-members and guests for dinner, taxes and tips for advance registrations. Walk-ups will also be accepted at the door for $39. Dressy casual attire. Park in the lot. This restaurant is next to TJ Maxx.

Sign up online for any party at www.gourmetadvocates.com/singlepage.html

Sunday, February 5, 4:00 – 10:00 p.m. (Game Starts at 5:15)
Party for the Big Game
North Beach
1211 Butterfield Road, Downers Grove (behind Hooters and adjacent to Olive Garden)

Party Includes: 3 drink tickets good for either draft beer or wine. (After that it’s cash bar.) Halftime appetizer buffet. The room has 2 pool tables, 1 foozball table, an air hockey table, and a couple of video games. You can also order food off their menu if you’re hungry before or after halftime. Bring cash. If you want to play the table games, bring quarters.

This is an “Open Party” for all singles regardless of past participation. Tell your friends. Let’s make this a big one. There’s room for about 125+.

Cost: $22 cash at the door. No charges. No checks.

Directions: I-88 exit Highland Ave. Either loop onto Butterfield (56) west and turn at the first light and take the frontage road past Hooters, or turn onto the frontage road at HomeMakers and turn left at Olive Garden.

From 355, exit Butterfield Road and go east to the 2nd traffic signal. Turn right and then left toward Hooters. Still confused? See Mapquest.com.

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

“One Key to a Successful Relationship May Just Surprise You”

Finding that person to “date and relate” may be easier than you think. What does it take to find that special someone with whom to build a relationship? One key factor that is rarely talked about, but is absolutely essential to finding that compatible someone, is just “being there.”

The 1979 motion picture comedy, Being There starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine and Melvyn Douglas, provides a masterful example of the theme. The movie dwells on the changing life of Chance (brilliantly portrayed by Sellers), a slow-witted gardener. This simple man lives a sheltered life of TV-watching and tending gardens for his wealthy elderly employer. Then, after the old man dies, Chance is put out of work and forced to wander the streets of Washington, D.C.

Through a series of chance encounters and misunderstandings, Chance (interesting name by the way) becomes the celebrated toast of Washington insiders – all because he was just being there and being himself. The characters who meet Chance are Washing power brokers and socialites who turn themselves into self-absorbed fools when they try to interpret his sound-bite gardening homilies as enlightened metaphorical observations. As you can imagine, this is all too close to home in today’s Washington. But, in the end, the film’s major premise, “Sometimes, the most important thing is just being there,” does hold considerable philosophical weight.

Another sometimes-brilliant truth-seeker, Woody Allen, said it differently, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” You may be saying to yourself, “Well, of course you have to be there!” But, it is more than that. When it comes to meeting those in whom you would be interested, it is not only putting yourself in a place where you can meet people, but also adopting an approachable and receptive attitude that makes you available and open to finding (and being found by) someone in whom you are interested.

We have often heard the phrase that luck is “when preparation meets opportunity.” When it comes to finding a relationship-worthy partner, I would modify that phrase to “when attitude meets opportunity.” First, you have to make a decision to go to a particular place or event. Then, you need to be open minded, adopting an attitude of possibility regarding the situation. You do not have to be enthusiastic about the possibilities (though that certainly does help), just open to them. How many times have you gone somewhere and said to yourself, “This is not at all what I expected”? Only later did you discover that, even though the situation was not what you expected, you still managed to have fun and to meet someone. But first, you had to BE THERE.

Admittedly, it is often tough to drag yourself out on a Friday or Saturday (or even Thursday) night. It is far easier, especially in winter, to curl up on the couch in front of the TV. But, if you are willing to give up that easily, the only person you are likely to meet is the pizza delivery jockey, and the only thing you are likely to snuggle up with in the near future is your cat or your teddy bear. Not exactly enticing prospects!

This is the part where you bring out the diatribe that you would much rather snuggle with a teddy bear than with some of the jerks or users that you meet in the local watering holes or singles haunts. Ultimately, if you are honest with yourself, those are just rationalizations. As my grandfather was fond of saying,” If you want to hunt ducks, you have to go to the swamp!” Today, however, as singles we do get to choose from a variety of “swamps”, many of which provide us satisfying and fun experiences regardless of whether we meet anyone there that we would be interested in dating or not. The important thing is BEING THERE.

I offer one final caution. While it helps to plan your evening, where you are going and for what event, don’t try to plan the perfect evening. It’s too easy to dwell on and get hung up on finding the right event and perfect situation for meeting that “ideal” Mr. or Ms. Right. It rarely happens that way. Instead, find a place and situation that is comfortable for you and put yourself out there.

Being there – that’s what’s important!