In this issue:
- This Saturday, March 29 – Italian Dinner and Dancing at *Philly G’s* in Lincolnshire
- Next Friday, April 4 – Dinner, Karaoke and Dancing at “Paprikash* in Arlington Heights
- Next Sunday, April 6 – “Spring Wine and Food Fantasy Party” at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace
- “It’s the Second Question that Is More Important! (Plus 10 More)”

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Wine (and Food), Women (and Men) and Song (and Dance) the Next Two Weekends
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The next two weekends bring us three great parties with lots of singles and a bunch of fun activities!

This coming Saturday, we travel north to the village of Lincolnshire, for dinner and dancing at the popular Philly G’s Pasta, Steak and Seafood. Perched at the corner of Milwaukee and Old Half-Day Roads, this popular Italian steakhouse (the former Gilardi’s) is a converted country house with a warm, welcoming ambiance. Since the snow has subsided and it looks as if spring is finally here, the theme for the night will be the “Rites of Spring Celebration.”
 
Join us to enjoy a 4-course dinner with two appetizers, plus soup or salad, 7 delicious entrees to choose from, appropriate sides and two desserts. In addition, there will be live music after dinner for your listening and dancing pleasure. This special party is $42 for members and $44 for non-members for advance reservations. Walk-ins are $45 at the door.
 
Register online for this party at www.GourmetConnections.com/singlepage.html
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Next weekend, we will have two exciting events.
 
The first one is next Friday, when we host a dinner party followed by karaoke at Paprikash on Northwest Highway at the edge of downtown Arlington Heights. Paprikash serves up some hearty and tasty Hungarian, eastern European and American comfort food dishes.
 
There are 7 tasty entrees from which to choose, each served with soup or salad, deep fried garlic bread and coffee or tea. Then, after dinner, you can sing, listen and/or dance to karaoke throughout the evening. This fun gathering will be $37 for members and $39 for guests.
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Then, next Sunday afternoon, April 6, we will once again participate in the Spring “Midwest Wine Expo” at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace. What a great way to sample your favorites from hundreds of wines from more than 250 vintners! 
 
This luscious wine feast is $30 for members and non-members ($10 less than what they charge at the door) and is open to all singles (30s through 50s). You won’t ever find a similar event that has so many quality wines to sample, especially for such an affordable price. That’s one reason it is so popular. Afterwards, we’ll gather at a nearby restaurant to socialize futher and perhaps grab a bite to eat.

Be sure to sign up right away for this special event on any of our sites.

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Details for the Next Exciting Gourmet Connections Party and Next Week’s Midwest Wine Expo
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When? – This Saturday, March 29, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. (or later for dancing)

What? – Singles Dinner and Dancing with Delicious Northern Italian Cuisine and Live Music at

Where? -

Philly G’s Pasta, Steaks and Seafood

1252 E. Highway 45 (Corner of Old Half-Day Rd. and Milwaukee Ave.) in Lincolnshire
   
Winter is over, so the Gourmet Connections Singles Dining and Dance Club hosts the “Rites of Spring” dinner party with dancing. Meet, mingle and socialize with other singles while enjoying the culinary pleasures of Philly G’s Pasta, Steaks and Seafood. Take note that lining the path with flowers and tossing rose petals is strictly optional!
 
At Philly G’s, Phil Gilardi continues a four-generation family tradition, preparing Northern Italian dishes utilizing fresh ingredients and both traditional and imaginative recipes. These are served in the restaurant’s inviting atmosphere with an ambiance conducive to both comfortable dining and post-dinner dancing to live music.
 
The evening begins with a cocktail party (cash bar) in the restaurant’s lounge area, followed by a 4-course seated dinner. Your choice of entrées includes:
-  Broiled Parmesan-crusted Salmon with a Butter/Garlic Sauce over Spinach Fettuccine  
-  Chicken Cacciatore, Sautéed Chicken Breast with Olive Oil, Mushrooms, Garlic, Tomatoes, Onions and White Wine with Baked Potato or Pasta
-  Stuffed Rolled Eggplant – Breaded and Oven-baked, filled with Ground Meat and Ricotta Cheese, topped with Meat Sauce and Parmesan with Baked Potato or Pasta
-  Fresh Fish – “Catch of the Day” with Appropriate Sides
-  Veal Piccata, Medallions Sautéed with Lemon Butter, Garlic, Mushrooms, Capers and White Wine, served with Baked Potato or Pasta
-  Raviolis stuffed with Ground Pork and Beef, served in a Robust Tomato Meat Sauce
-  Skirt Steak, Marinated and Grilled, with Fried Vidalia Onion, Au Gratin Potatoes and Vegetables
Also included are 2 appetizers, Soup or Salad, sides and Cannoli & Tira Misu combination dessert.
 
After dinner, enjoy more conversation and live music for listening or dancing. Your evening is $42 for members and $44 for non-members and guests, which covers dinner, entertainment, taxes and tips for advance registrations. Walk-ups will be accepted at the door for $45 as space permits. Dressy casual attire. Park in the lot.
  
Register online this party right away at www.GourmetConnections.com/singlepage.html
or call me at 773-929-6534 with your card information to join in the fun.
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When? – Next Friday, April 4, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. or later

What? – Start Your Weekend an “Up Note,” Dining on Delicious Hungarian or American Cuisine with Karaoke for Singing and Dancing at the Northwest Suburban Gem

Where? -

Paprikash

602 W. Northwest Hway. (at Ridge Ave. across from RR tracks) in Arlington Heights
 
Meet, mingle and socialize with other singles while enjoying the mouth-watering culinary pleasures of Paprikash. One of the well-regarded ethnic restaurants in the Chicago area, Paprikash prepares hearty Hungarian, eastern European and American dishes in a rich traditional manner and presents them in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. After dinner, enjoy singing, listening and dancing to karaoke music throughout the evening.
 
Your delightful evening begins with a cocktail party (cash bar) in the lounge area, followed
by a sit-down dinner. Your choice of entrées includes:
  -  Char-grilled Atlantic Salmon      -  Veal Paprikash          - Romanian-style Skirt Steak
  -  Roasted Duck                          -  Beef Tenderloin Stroganoff
  -  Pan-sautéed Tilapia                  -  Beef Braciole
Also included with dinner are sides, deep-fried garlic bread and your choice of salad or soup and coffee or tea.
 
Your party is $37 for members and $39 for non-members or guests for dinner, entertainment, taxes and tips for advance registrations. Walk-ups will also be accepted at the door for $40 (space permitting). Dressy casual attire. Park in the lot.
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When? – Next Sunday, April 6, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

What? – Join Other Singles Celebrating Fall with a Tasting of Hundreds of Quality Wines Paired with Luscious Foods at the “Midwest Wine Expo” at the

Where? -

Spring Wine and Food Fantasy

Drury Lane Theater, 100 Drury Lane (just West off Spring Rd., South of Roosevelt Rd.) in Oakbrook Terrace
 
With spring in the air, Gourmet Connections and Chicago Singles Dining host a group outing to Binny’s Beverage Depot’s colossal tasting of quality upscale wines. The Midwest Wine Expo has grown into a luscious festival of fine wine and cuisine with hundreds and hundreds of wines from 12 countries along with appetizing foodstuffs from superb west suburban restaurants. Join an entourage of other singles as we spend the afternoon touring, tasting and sampling all the festival has to offer.
 
For single wine aficionados, this festival is one of the two biggest events of the year. You can select tastings from scores of varietals from wine growing regions the world over. You’ll find that many of these wines are unquestionably more costly than any you could sample elsewhere. And, at this reasonable cost, this giant tasting is an incredible value. What’s more, the appetizing food samplings are an especially welcome added “plus.”
 
We have secured an exclusive reduced rate for this event of $30 (compared to $40 at the door for the general public). To participate with our club, you must register in advance through Gourmet Connections or Chicago Singles Dining.
 
Register online for any of these parties at www.GourmetConnections.com/singlepage.html or call me at 773-929-6534 with your card information to join in the fun.
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Singles Notebook – “Get-Real” Thoughts and Opinions from Jim “Senny” Senhauser

“It’s the Second Question that Is More Important! (Plus 10 More)”

As a guy who has been planning and hosting singles events for more than a decade, I’m often asked one all-important question. At least the singles who ask it, both male and female, believe it’s the most important question. I personally beg to differ.
 
Their somewhat compound question, which has been posed in a variety of different ways, basically boils down to, “Where do I go to meet that special somebody and how do I find this person once I get there?”
 
Wow! The mysteries of the male/female relationship summarized in such a simple question. I usually tell these singles about the two approaches to meeting other compatible unattached professionals. There are the “transactional” approaches – basically hunting and sorting through lots of singles to find the “right” one. This approach is exclusive, that is it excludes all but the limited few who meet some fairly basic criteria initially (looks, job, geography, age, etc.). Internet dating, personals ads or speed dating are examples, as are cruising the bars and singles dances.
 
The alternative approach I share with my inquisitive single friends is the “relational” model for finding and relating to other dateable singles. This technique emphasizes:
1) An “inclusive” approach of getting to know a number of people over time, whether you
   are initially attracted to them in a romantic way or not,
2) Becoming friends first … and then
3) Building all kinds of relationships, both romantic and non-romantic.
 
Examples of the “relational model” are singles clubs, singles groups, church groups or singles athletic teams or leagues – all ways of meeting people several times over a stretch of time. In these ways, you can get to know each other in natural, not contrived, settings. The advantage these approaches have are that it becomes more difficult for somebody to hide or misrepresent who they are. Thus, your decision whether to date them doesn’t need to be so impulsive.    
 
While I prefer the “relational model,” I do recommend trying both approaches. Join a singles club and either go to some singles dances, try Internet dating for a month or two or participate in some speed dating events. One approach may work better for you than another. A lot has to do with your social skills and comfort level.
 
Still, focusing strictly on ways to meet other singles who might be attractive to you misses the more important point. Too many singles tend to think that finding the person who is right for them is a lot like an Easter egg hunt. Just keep hunting, sifting and searching among the weeds and sooner or later you are going to find the one who is right for you. Well, things don’t work that way.
 
Here is the problem: singles often fail to ask the more important SECOND QUESTION when they consider their search for their compatible mate. Here is that key question that often goes unasked – “How do I, as a single person, relate to ALL people, so that my special someone can find and be attracted to me?”
 
It is not enough to find a person who you are drawn to – the attraction has to somehow be mutual, or you’ll have accomplished little. I may figure out a way to meet Julia Roberts. That doesn’t mean that she will be the least bit interested in me!
 
Here are ten more related follow-up questions to ask yourself that may help you define your answer to that more important second question:
- “How do I treat other people around me? In general, am I courteous and kind to others, even if they are not anybody I would be interested in dating?”
- “Am I more likely to ask others questions, really listening to their answers and opinions?Am I interested in finding out what interests them? Or, do I instead choose to talk, especially about myself, and aggressively push my own opinions?”
- “Am I resentful, judgmental of or do I speak disparagingly about other people or groups, or generally try to find the best in, or even encourage greatness in others?”
- “Do I ever speak about or treat others with contempt?” (Hint: Often roll my eyes?)
- “Would others likely describe me as confident, outgoing and friendly? Or, would they instead use words like ‘arrogant,’ ‘pushy’ or ‘overbearing’?”
- “Do I generally project an upbeat, hopeful and positive outlook on life? Or do I choose to be pessimistic about the future, negative in my thoughts and even bitter?”
- “Do I gauge people based on what they say, do and how they treat me? Or, am I more likely to react to them based on the actions of others with whom I have had relationships in the past?”
- “Can I be playful, fun and exhibit a good sense of humor? Or, do I tend to always be serious, overly sensitive, defensive and even morose?”
- “Can I be happy with and by myself or with friends? Or do I HAVE to be with a partner to be happy and fulfilled?”
- “Can others be comfortable and themselves around me, or do I often exhibit ‘needy’ behavior that scares people off?”
 
This bevy of questions is by no means totally comprehensive. And, rest assured, you have to be yourself. Still, that does not mean that each of us, by asking ourselves some introspective questions, cannot improve who we are and our appeal to others.
 
You see, people judge us not just by the way we treat them, but also by the way we treat their friends and others in general. The good news is it is not too late for us to practice being a better, more interesting and fun person. It certainly is worth a try!
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Have a great week and see you Saturday at *Philly G’s*in Lincolnshire. Don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes!
   

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Successful Single! ©2008 – Success Singles Club, Ltd. (formerly the Gourmet Advocates, Ltd.)Jim Senhauser’s “Singles Notebook” column (used with permission) is ©2008 IdeaTree, Ltd.,
Chicago, IL 60613. “IdeaTree” is a registered trademark of IdeaTree, Ltd.