In this issue:
- This Saturday, September 22 – Fall Kickoff Dinner and Dancing at Vince’s in Palatine
- This Wednesday, September 19 – New Single Friends “Famous Martini Party” at Dover Straits
- Next Saturday, September 29 – Romantic Dinner Party at the New Brio Tuscan Grille in Lombard
“Becoming a Successful Single: What Is Your Mission?”                         
 
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“Famous Martini Party” Tonight; 4-Course Italian Dinner and Dancing at Vince’s Saturday
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We’re looking for this Saturday’s Gourmet Connections’ party to be a fun combination of old fashion Italian food and contemporary dancing to live entertainment. This great gathering is in the Northwest Suburbs at *Vince’s Italian Restaurant* at 2365 Hicks Road (just south of Lake-Cook) in Palatine. The party package includes a full dinner (4-courses!) along with live entertainment after dinner for your listening and dancing pleasure.
 
In keeping with our efforts to provide more dinners with dancing, which often draw crowds of 30-40 singles or more, this will be a great chance to meet, dine, dance and connect for a very affordable $37 for members and $39 for guests (for dinner, taxes, tips and entertainment).
 
Please sign up right away online at: www.GourmetAdvocates.com/singlepage.html or call me at 773-929-6534 with your card info. Hope that you’ll join in on the fun!
 
But hey, coming up tonight, is the next New Single Friends (formerly Friends of Friends) “Famous Martini Party.” The party gets started at 6:30 at the popular *Dover Straits* on Golf Road in Hoffman Estates. The party includes Martini and Cosmo specials, substantial appetizers and music from Vic Flanagan, who sings Motown, R&B, and other danceable favorites. Vic always keeps the dance floor full.

A mere $7 ($5 for Premier members) for the entire evening, gets you in the door and
into the mood.  
 
Then, next Saturday, September 29, we will be at the new *Brio Tuscan Grille*, a very 
appealing new Italian restaurant in the emerging “Restaurant Row” in the Shops of Yorktown area of Lombard. This delightful charmer has a very attractive decor to match with Brio’s delicious cuisine. This evening of fine food and fun is $43 for members and $45 for guests. 
 
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Details for Upcoming Gourmet Connections and New Single Friends Parties; Why Not Join Us and Make Some New Friends! ========================================================
 
When? – This Saturday, September 22, 7:00 p.m. – MidnightWhat? – Fall Kick Off with Savory Italian Cuisine and Dancing with Friends at Charming Where? -
 

Vince’s Italian Restaurant

2365 Hicks Rd. (just S. of Lake-Cook Rd.) in Palatine
 
Meet, mingle, dance and socialize with other singles while enjoying the culinary pleasures of Vince’s Italian Restaurant. This charming gem is one of the well-regarded neighborhood Italian restaurants in the northwestern suburbs. Featuring delicious Italian cuisine, Vince’s prepares dishes in a rich traditional manner. These are served in the restaurant’s cozy, inviting trattoria atmosphere.
 
Your delightful evening begins with a cocktail party (cash bar) in the bar area, followed by
a 4-course plated dinner. Your choice of entrees includes: 
-  Grilled Salmon with a Light Lemon Butter Sauce
-  Veal Scaloppini – Veal Medallions Sautéed with Mushrooms and Wine
-  Chicken alla Vince’s – Chicken Breast with Prosciutto, Swiss Cheese, Wine Sauce and Tomatoes
-  Orange Roughy alla Livornese – Broiled with a Vegetable Medley in a Light Sauce
-  Pork Chops Vesuvio with Oven-roasted Potatoes   
-  Barbecued Ribs – A Full Rack Slathered in BBQ Sauce. Fall Off the Bone.
-  Shrimp alla Vince’s – Shrimp Sautéed with Lemon, Butter, Garlic, Rosemary with Spinach
 
Also included with dinner are a House Salad, Soup, Pasta Course of Mostaccioli with Meat Sauce and Appropriate Sides, plus Coffee. After dinner, enjoy the music of Bob and Joe, who’ll play a variety of favorites for your listening and dancing pleasure.
 
Your evening is $37 for members and $39 for non-members and guests for dinner, entertainment, taxes and tips for advance registrations. Walk-ups will also be accepted at the door for $39. Dressy casual attire. Park in the lot. The restaurant is in a small shopping center.
 
Sign up online at: www.GourmetAdvocates.com/singlepage.html or call me at 773-929-6534 evenings with your card info.
 
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New Single Friends Party Tonight (Wednesday) After Work – Hope to See You There!
 
The next New Single Friends “Famous Martini Party,” is all set for tonight – Wednesday,
September 19, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. This fun after-work gathering is at Dover Straits 1149 W. Golf Road in Hoffman Estates. It is open to all singles, 30s through late 50s, and includes martini specials, lots of substantial appetizers and dancing to the music of Vic Flanagan. Vic performs Motown, R&B and lots of other danceable favorites.
 
For all this, plus the camaraderie and conversation of some really fun singles, the cover is a very affordable $7. That’s why the “Famous Martini Parties” are S-O-O-O FAMOUS.
No RSVP required. Just show up!
 
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When? – Next Saturday, September 29, 7:00-10:00 p.m.What? – Romantic Dinner Party Featuring Northern Italian Cuisine at the Beautiful New Where?-
          

Brio Tuscan Grille

330 Yorktown Center (at Highland, in “The Shops on Butterfield”) in Lombard
 
Mingle and socialize with other singles while enjoying the culinary pleasures of the *Brio Tuscan Grille*. This exciting new Northern Italian restaurant is located in the emerging restaurant row of Yorktown Center. Despite being only a few months old, this charmer has garnered impressive kudos from area diners. Brio Tuscan Grille’s delicious cuisine is served in a warm, inviting, and very appealing atmosphere.
 
Your evening begins with an hour-long cocktail party surrounding the fireplace in the restaurant’s lounge. This is followed by a sit-down dinner in the restaurant’s intimate private dining area. Your choice of unique dinner entrees includes:
- Lasagna Bolognese al Forno – Huge Portion of Oven-baked Pasta Layered with Authentic Bolognese Meat Sauce, Ricotta and Mozzarella Cheeses
- Tuscan Grilled Pork Chops – Center Cut, Marinated and Seared on the Grill with  Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Vegetables
- Shrimp and Lobster Garganelli – Shrimp and Lobster Tossed with Mushrooms, Green  Onions and a Spicy Lobster Butter Sauce, Served over “Tubed” Pasta
- Chicken “Under the Brick” with Roasted Vegetables, Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom  Marsala Wine Sauce
- Wood-Grilled Salmon with Romano-crusted Tomatoes, Citrus Pesto, Asparagus and Crispy Shoestring Potatoes
- Veal Marsala Classico – Tender Medallions Sautéed with Mushroom Marsala Wine Sauce, Crispy Potatoes and Fresh Spinach
 
Also included are a Chopped, Bistecca or Caesar Salad and Coffee. Your evening is $43 for members and $45 for non-members and guests for dinner, taxes and tips for advance registrations. Walk-ups will also be accepted at the door for $45 (space permitting). Dressy casual attire. Park in the spacious lot. 
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 Singles Notebook – “Get-Real” Thoughts and Opinions from Jim “Senny” Senhauser
              

“Becoming a Successful Single: What Is Your Mission?”

Many of you may be aware that I spent much of my career in corporate America, developing and marketing products. Over the years, I have planned and launched over $5 billion (at retail) worth of new products (mostly books, toys and gifts).

One lesson that I have learned in almost 30 years in that business is that to succeed, you have to know who you are, what your mission is (what you want to accomplish) and what your plan is to get there. To be even more successful, you need to be able to define yourself more succinctly and target your market more precisely.

To a large degree, the same principle holds true for being a successful single. If you know what your mission is, you can plan your life and then endeavor to live out your plan. Yet, for the large majority of singles, approaching their singlehood is a more aimless process.

Many singles insist on “playing life by ear” with no plan to accomplish what they want out of it. These singles rationalize that by not having a defined mission and not having a well-considered plan that they are open for anything. In that assumption, they are correct. Yes, it is absolutely true that if you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there. Trouble is, you still may wind up being nowhere.
  
In my work with the Gourmet Advocates (now Gourmet Connections) and Friends of  Friends (now New Single Friends) and with other future roles, my mission is simple – “To be an advocate for singles and for connected relationships. In these roles, I pledge to do what I can to provide you (and me) with opportunities to enjoy and appreciate our single lifestyle, while offering access to new experiences, people and relationships with whom we might otherwise not become connected.” The events and communications that I help put together for these organizations, and even their slogans reflect this mission.

You may want to try to develop something similar for your single life. To start the process, try looking at:
 A) Who are you and what are your strengths and passions? … and
 B) Where do you want to go?
Then come up with a mission that reflects how you see getting from point A) to point B).

To do so, a woman might say, “I am a concerned, sometimes shy and sensitive single and a dancer. My role is to use my dancing to open and develop relationships with other singles who share a similar passion, energizing them and bringing them out. Through this, I intend to create the basis for a loving, exclusive relationship within two years.”
 
Notice that in this specific mission statement, I did not say, “I hope to” or “I’ll try to.”  You have to be committed to your mission (and, in essence your life) in order for a mission statement to be effective. Also, if your mission depends on being connected to others, it helps to include a benefit for them as well. That benefit must be reflected in your mission statement.

Naturally, the ultimate objective is to see yourself in this role and to shape your plans, priorities and your subsequent actions to reflect your mission. State this mission to your friends and get them to pledge to help you achieve it. Consider writing it down on a poster, placard or screen saver. By publicly stating, sharing and crystallizing your mission statement, you build your personal commitment to the project.

The most important part of the process is to live out your mission. By doing so, you create a charisma that defines you not only for yourself but to those around you. In this way, you have the final say in how you fashion your single life. Any architect can tell you, “Form follows function.” Plan it, state it, live it and in the process, become it.

One more thing — your mission statement is not a static document. It needs to be reviewed and redrawn periodically. While you do not want to be drastically altering your
direction every 6 months, it does not hurt to reassess your mission and life plan every so often to reflect conditions that have changed or priorities that need to be rethought.

So, examine where you are and where you want to go, as well as the assets and the passions you possess to get you there. From these, you should be able to develop a mission that is anything but impossible.

If you reach for the stars, even if you come up short, you will still likely fly higher than you ever dreamed you could! 

Jim Senhauser’ s Singles Notebook column is copyright 2006-2007 by IdeaTree, Ltd., Chicago, IL,  and is used here with permission.