In this issue:
- This Saturday, April 1 – Dinner with a Play “Lease on Love” in Chicago at *Joey’s Brickhouse* on Belmont in Chicago
- This Sunday, April 2 – Wine and Food Fantasy at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace
- Next Fri., April 7 – Casual Friday *Semiramis* Feast/BYOB Wine Tasting in Chicago
- Next Saturday, April 8 – Dinner Party with Jazz at *City Club Grille* in Naperville
- “Wine Country Long Weekend” Trip set for June 2-5. New site ChiSinglesTravel.com
- “How Can You Taste Wine Without Looking Like a Wine Snob or a Dweeb?”

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Dinner with a Play this Saturday; Giant Wine Tasting Sunday Next Weekend Middle Eastern Feast and American Classics

It is hard to keep up with all the parties that the Gourmet Advocates are hosting over the next two weeks.

This weekend, we have the dinner with a play on Saturday evening in Chicago at *Joey’s Brickhouse* on Belmont. It looks like it will be our biggest turnout for a play ever. Sunday afternoon, the Wine Fantasy Party at the Midwest Wine Expo at *Drury Lane* is filling up very fast. The crowd may pass last year’s.

Next weekend, we have added two parties:
– a “Casual Friday” dinner and BYOB wine tasting at the great little Middle Eastern restaurant, *Semiramis* on Kedzie in Chicago. Family-style dinner includes soup, 3 appetizers, 6 entrees and dessert, plus the wines we share.
– a Saturday dinner party with jazz during the cocktail party at the *City Club American Grille* in Naperville. Nice “clubby” ambiance and good food.

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

Tomorrow (Thursday) night, 6-10:30 p.m. Friends of Friends has their Famous Martini Party at Dover Straits 1149 W. Golf Road in Hoffman Estates. Appeitzers, live music. $6 to get in.

The singles Wine Tour Trip to Napa and Sonoma for this club has been finalized. It should be posted on our new travel website http://www.chisinglestravel.com/ later today. It’s a 4-day weekend June 2-5 and is $597, plus airfare (currently $215-$230) to San Francisco. It includes 3 nights’ lodging in Napa and a day at Napa Valley wineries, a day at Sonoma Valley wineries and an optional day in San Francisco.

Also check out the “Singles Notebook” columns in this newsletter and the new Web site, http://www.singlesnotebook.com/ that features the best and most current of my writings on “get-real” dating and relationships for those over 30.
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This Saturday, April 1, 5:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Gourmet with a Play” Dinner with Live Theatrical Performance of
the Hit Romantic Comedy “Lease on Love”

Joey’s Brickhouse

1258 W. Belmont (at N. Racine) in Chicago

This is a rare and unique chance for you to combine 1) a cocktail party with lots of other single friends 2) a singles dinner with warm conversation and 3) a fun, irreverent romantic comedy – all into one huge fun and entertaining evening!

The trendy American restaurant, Joey’s Brickhouse, and the Theatre Building of Chicago are located across the street from each other and make a great duo. Meet in the restaurant’s bar area for a get-acquainted cocktail party followed by a delicious dinner including dessert. Choose from the following entrées:
- Pan-roasted Tilapia with Tomatoes, Wild Mushrooms and Baby Spinach
- Grilled 10 oz. Skirt Steak with Twice-baked Potato and Grilled Asparagus
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast over Brown Rice with Mixed Greens, Walnuts
Also included is a Garden Salad, Coffee and a dessert of Tabletop ‘Smores.

Later, cross the street to enjoy the debut of the romantic comedy “Lease on Love.”

$52 for both members and non-members for dinner, a ticket to the comedy, taxes and tips for advance reservations, preferably by Friday, March 31. Please reserve in advance (to insure you get a ticket). Dressy casual attire. Street or valet parking.
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This Sunday, April 2, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Join Other Singles at a Tasting of Outstanding Wines Paired with Luscious Foods at “Midwest Wine and Food Expo”

Spring Wine Fantasy at Drury Lane Theater

100 Drury Lane (just W. off Spring Road, just south of
Roosevelt Road) in Oakbrook Terrace

With spring in the air, Binny’s Beverage Stores host a giant tasting of upscale wines. The Midwest Wine and Food Expo has grown into a succulent festival of fine wine and cuisine with appetizing foodstuffs from 15 superb west suburban restaurants and over 700 wines from more than a dozen countries. Join an entourage of other singles as we spend the afternoon touring, tasting and sampling throughout the festival.

We have secured an exclusive reduced rate for this event $25 (compared to $35 at the door for the general public). However, to participate with our club, you must register in advance through the Gourmet Advocates, not Binny’s.

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

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Your Most Up-to-Date Listing of Parties and Events

- Sat. April 1 – Gourmet Advocates Dinner Party with a Play “Lease on Love” at Theatre Building Chicago and *Joey’s Brickhouse* on Belmont in Chicago ($52 for members or guests)

- Sunday, April 2 – the Gourmet Advocates visit the Midwest Wine and Food Expo at *Drury Lane Theater* in Oakbrook Terrace. It goes from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. with tastings of 700 wines and food from 12 restaurants. Advance tickets are required. $25.

- Friday, April 7 – Gourmet Advocates “Casual Friday” Lebanese Feast with BYOB Wine Tasting at *Semiramis* in Chicago’s Albany Park/Ravenswood Gardens neighborhood. $32 for members; $34 for non-members and guests.

- Sat. April 8 – Gourmet Advocates Dinner Party with Live Jazz during the Cocktail Party at the *City Club American Grille* 1163 E. Ogden Ave. in Naperville. $40 for members; $42 for guests and non-members.

We welcome suggestions for new restaurants and events. Call me at 773-929-6534 or send an E-mail to jims@GourmetAdvocates.com if you have suggestions. Thanks.

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Also consider checking out parties from our sister organization – Friends of Friends

- Tomorrow Thursday, March 30 – 6:00-10:30 p.m. Friends of Friends Famous Martini Party is at “Dover Straits” at 1149 W. Golf Road in Hoffman Estates (a block west of BabaLuci; 3 blocks west of Higgins Road). $6 gets you in ($4 for Premier members). Heavy appetizers, drink specials, plus music from Jery Rite.

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

A Step-by-Step Approach -

How Can You Taste Wine Without Looking Like a Wine Snob or a Dweeb?

With the great wine tasting coming up this weekend, some of you may be asking yourself, “How can I taste wine without looking like some kind of wine snob or a complete dweeb?” You also may be wondering how to get the most out of your wine tasting experience. Not surprisingly, the key approach to both these challenges is in developing an easily replicable routine to the wine tasting process. Below are a few of the basics for you to be able to develop that approach for yourself.

First, it is important to know that each person tastes or senses wine a little differently, depending on their ability to perceive minor variations in the wine. This acuity varies with (among other things) age, gender, the taste and aroma sensors each person has and their experience in not only identifying the flavors they are experiencing, but also being able to express those differences verbally. Naturally, food and other wines tasted (especially stronger, sweeter or more tannic ones) can also impact your precision and objectivity. Cheese, olives, vinegar, sweets, citrus and spices can also throw off your taste buds. Bread and water are usually fairly gentle on taste buds.

Wine is generally comprised, quite simply, of fermented grape juice. You taste a wine by putting a sip of it into your mouth and identifying the characteristics and pleasantness of it. You express the taste and feel of the wine in your mouth in terms of sweetness, smoothness, fullness, richness or dryness. You also detect levels of alcohol in the wine by the richer feel or fuller bodied sensation or even the “burn” of the throat at very high levels. Finally, you express its complexity, structure texture and weight in terms like full-bodied, light-bodied, soft, crisp, silky, sharp, smooth, lush or rough. These describe both the feel in your mouth and the acidity or astringency of the wine.

Other identifying characteristics like honey, blueberry, cherry, black cherry, apple, pear, currant, peach, citrus, grapefruit and similar flavors are not actually these juices in the wine, but just hints of these tastes in the wine. The barrels in which wines are often stored can also impart added flavors, like vanilla, spice and most certainly oak.

How Do You Taste Wine?

A small amount is poured into your glass with a twist of the bottle at the end to avoid splash. Examine the wine in the glass in the light to see its color, clarity and intensity. Swirl the wine in the glass to release its odors and flavors. I suggest sitting the glass on the table while doing this to keep the glass level and avoid swirling the wine right over the rim.

After you swirl, put your nose into the glass and sniff several times to detect the aromas released. Look for both intensity of the fruit and type of fruit (e.g. apple, pear, peach, lemon, orange or grapefruit in white wines or blackberry, currant, cherry, black cherry, raspberry or plum in reds). Also look for other aromas like floral, herbal, mineral, spice, oak, etc. Finally, look for “off” notes in the aroma, like musty smells, cork, vinegary odors or wet cardboard. These indicate poor processing or storage or spoilage.

Next you sip the wine and swish it around in your mouth (you can trill it, but don’t gargle). This aerates the wine, exposing it to all areas of your tongue, palate and taste buds. Gauge the taste, b0dy, weight, and feel in your mouth and viscosity, balance and structure of the wine as discussed above. Note the flavors, sweetness, acidity, alcohol level and balance of the wine. Then either swallow the wine or spit into the “dump bucket,” making notes on the qualities detected. At this point, be sure to note the lingering finish in your mouth after you swallow.

Note: In large public tastings like the one Sunday, spitting is not recommended. Also, if you don’t like the wine or have too large a pour, dump what’s left into the bucket. Lastly, leave the phony pretension at home. This tasting is meant for enjoyment, not trying to show off how sophisticated or how much of a “know it all” you can be.

In What Order Do You Taste?

The order that you taste wines will affect your appreciation of them. It is best to go from:
· Dry wines to sweet wines
· Light-bodied wines to those that are fuller-bodied
· Wines with lighter tannins to those that are heavily tannic
· Generally, do white wines first, followed by reds
· Sparkling wines, dessert wines and ports should go last

Again, watch what foods you eat during the tasting for maximum precision in your evaluations. Once I was asked about which foods might go well with a wine of which I was not at all fond. My response was that it might go particularly well with candy corn or salt-water taffy!

Finally, wine tastings are meant as a fun way to identify the entire range of wines that you like, including the values in various price ranges. In addition, the participants get to compare, contrast and share their tasting experiences. The beauty of such large tastings like the one this Sunday is that it spans so many wines including some that have garnered very high ratings. It creates a rare chance to savor wines in the $40-$80 range without having to actually purchase them first. Check the ratings and pricing in the tasting booklet before planning your strategy.

Here’s to the beauty and enjoyment of savoring wines with good friends.

Gourmet for Today! ©2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 – the Gourmet Advocates, Ltd.
Jim Senhauser’s “Singles Notebook” column (used with permission) is ©2004, 2005, 2006 IdeaTree, Ltd., Chicago, IL 60613

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