Archive for July, 2008

Successful Single! – Volume II – Issue 31 July 30, 2008

In this issue:
- This Saturday, August 2 – “Rooftop Rendezvous” Cocktail and Dinner Party in Chicago’s Little Italy
- Next Sat., August 9 – Singles Mini-Golf Open, Great Italian Dinner and Dancing in Hoffman Estates
- “A Journey Down Memory Lane: Don’t Trip Over the Twinkies”

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Hope You’ll Join Us Up On the Roof at *La Vita* in Little Italy for Saturday’s Cocktail & Dinner Party
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This Saturday, we are back in the city for the latest Chicago Singles Dining party at La Vita, one of the best Italian restaurants in Chicago’s Taylor Street Little Italy.

Not only can you choose from 6 of the restaurant’s mouth-watering entrees, you can enjoy these delicious dishes in the comfort and appealing al fresco ambiance of their rooftop garden. Entree choices include: Fruiti de Mare, Sausage Potatoes and Peppers, Norwegian Salmon, Pork Chops Vesuvio, Tilapia or Chicken Marsala.

This special party is $47 for members and $49 for guests. Sign up today to reserve your spot on the rooftop at www.chicagosinglesdining.com/singlepage.html .

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Next Saturday, August 9, we have a full day of party events planned, all in Hoffman Estates. It starts with the replay of the Singles Mini-Golf Open, this time at the Congo River Adventure Golf course just north of the intersection of Golf and Barrington Roads in Hoffman Estates. This part of the event is hosted by New Single Friends at 4:30 p.m. This is one of the best miniature golf courses in the entire Chicago area and is $9 for an 18-hole round.

Afterwards, we will go to one of the top-rated Italian restaurants in the Northwest Suburbs, Amore Mio on Palatine Road. This event takes place with a seated dinner at 6:30 p.m. (there is no pre-dinner cocktail party for this event). Choose from 7 terrific entrees for this special event in a cozy and extremely popular restaurant. It is $45 for members and guests.

To finish up the evening, we will have after-dinner dancing at a local nightspot nearby to a live band. Mini-golf, a great dinner party and dancing to a live band together creates one full and fabulous day. I hope you will join us.

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Details for Saturday’s La Vita Rooftop Party in Chicago and Next Week’s Parties in Hoffman Estates
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When? – This Saturday, August 2, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

What? – Chicago Singles Dining and Social Club presents a Delightful Rooftop Dinner Party Under the Stars Featuring Delectable Italian Cuisine at the Chic

Where?

La Vita

1359 W. Taylor (at Loomis) in Chicago’s Little Italy

Always one of our favorite parties of the summer, join other singles mingling and socializing while enjoying the culinary pleasures of La Vita, an accomplished trattoria in the restored area of Chicago’s Little Italy. Feast on delicious Northern Italian dishes that combine rich traditional flavors with imaginative twists. And this all takes place under the stars in an inviting rooftop garden atmosphere that is cozy, chic and contemporary.

The evening begins with a cocktail party (cash bar), followed by a seated dinner, all on the restaurant’s scenic rooftop deck. Your choice of entrees includes:
- Fruiti di Mare – Sautéed Shrimp, Mussels and Sea Scallops in a Spicy Marinara Sauce over Linguine
- Sautéed Italian Sausage, Potatoes and Roasted Peppers
- Sautéed Norwegian Salmon, with Roasted Red Peppers, Oregano in a Zesty Garlic Sauce
- Chicken Breasts Marsala Sautéed with Wild Mushrooms in a Marsala Wine Sauce
- Sautéed Tilapia with Artichokes and Capers in a Lemon Butter Sauce
- Pork Chops Vesuvio – Twin Pork Chops Sautéed with Garlic, Peas and Roasted Potatoes in a Garlic Wine Sauce
Also included is a signature house salad. The price of $47 includes dinner, taxes and tips for advance registrations. Guests and non-members are welcome for a cost of $49. Space is limited, so sign up early. Walk-ups will also be accepted at the door for $49, space permitting. This party is open to members and guests regardless of past participation. Several house wines are available in the $20 range. Dressy casual attire. Park with a valet or the street.

To save your spot, please register for this party at
www.chicagosinglesdining.com/singlepage.html .

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When? – Next Saturday, August 9 Mini-Golf 4:30 – 6:00; Dinner Party 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

What? – New Single Friends Host the Singles Mini-Golf Open at

Where? -

Congo River Adventure Golf

7135 Barrington Rd. (just N. of Golf Rd.) in Hoffman Estates

What ? – Followed by the Gourmet Connections Italian Dinner Party at the Highly Rated

Where? -

Amore Mio

1457 Palatine Road (1 1/3 miles E. of Barrington Rd.) in Hoffman Estates

New Single Friends and Gourmet Connections combine forces for a fun duel singles event featuring miniature golf followed by a mouth-watering Italian dinner, and later by dancing.

First, join New Single Friends for an outing to the very popular miniature golf course Congo River Adventure Golf on Barrington Road just north of Golf Road. Enjoy a competitive round (or just putter around) this 18-hole synthetic-turfed gem. Rated as one of the top mini-golf courses in the entire Chicago area, Congo River includes unique water falls and hazards and a variety of Indiana Jones-style challenges to luck and skill. Meet us at 4:30 p.m. and we will assign you to a mixed team. Those wishing to participate in this part of the party are asked to bring $9 cash.

Whether you participate in the Singles Mini-Golf Open or not, meet, mingle and socialize with other singles as Gourmet Connections hosts a dinner party at one of the top Italian restaurants in the northwest suburbs, Amore Mio. This cozy charmer attracts discerning diners with its delicious pasta and Italian specialty dishes. The restaurant has an inviting ambiance. After dinner, the party will move to a nearby nightspot for dancing to a live band.

There is no pre-dinner cocktail hour, so the dinner seating will be promptly at 6:30 p.m. Your choices for dinner entrées include:
- Linguine with Sautéed Shrimp and Broccoli in an Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce
- Pollo Naturale – Chicken Breast with Mixed Vegetables in an Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce with Pasta
- Traditional Meat Lasagna with Homemade Bolognese Sauce and Ricotta Cheese
- Homemade Veal and Truffle Essence Ravioli in a Tomato Cream Sauce
- Baked Tilapia and Shrimp with Garlic, Capers and Sun-dried Tomatoes in Lemon and White Wine Sauce with Vegetables and Pasta
- Veal Piccata with Garlic and Capers in Lemon/White Wine Sauce with Pasta and Vegetables
Also included is you’re a Garden Salad, plus Coffee or Tea.

Your dinner party is $45 for members, non-members or guests for dinner, taxes and tips for advance registrations. Walk-ups will also be accepted at the door for $45. Summer casual attire. Park in the lot.

To save your spot, please register at www.gourmetconnections.com/singlepage.html.

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

“A Journey Down Memory Lane: Don’t Trip Over the Twinkies”

Recently, I attended my high school reunion back in Ohio. It was really good to once again see my old friends and walk around the old neighborhood.

This memory-filled journey reminded me of a few of the things that growing up shaped you and me over the years. For better or worse, many of these experiences are now buried in a fond history. Like generational rings in a cultural tree, they bind us together by our common remembrances. Here are a few of my recollections. You may find these kinds of memories either welcome treasures or scary nostalgia.

Do you remember when the largest retailers in the country included F.W. Woolworth, W.T. Grant, Zayre, TG & Y, Richman Brothers, Thom McAn, Robert Hall, Gimbel’s, Montgomery Ward, Chess King, A&P, J.J. Newberry, Bonwit Teller, Kroch’s and Brentano’s, Child World, Ben Franklin, Gold Circle, Woolco and Hermann’s Sports?

Going back further, when I was a youngster, I used to collect the pr1zes packed inside cereal boxes. My favorites included Navy frogmen that you filled with baking soda to make them swim around in a bowl of water. They were on Nabisco cereals like Wheat Honeys and Rice Honeys. These were advertised on T.V. shows like “Captain Midnight,” “Sky King,” and “Fury.” Grape Nuts Flakes included a plastic miniature 1957 Ford in their box, while metal sheriff’s badges from the show “Wild Bill Hickock” were in Sugar Pops. General Mills cereals, like Jets, Cheerios and Kix, were advertised on the “Rocky and Bullwinkle Show,” and sometimes included trinkets with their likenesses.

On Friday nights, our family watched shows like the “Flintstones,” the first primetime cartoon. Mom would make us popcorn to eat with our 16-ounce RC Colas. My brother and I got soft drinks only on weekends. Sometimes, the popcorn was Jiffy Pop, which came in the self-contained aluminum pan with the expandable foil collar on top. In other cases, Mom chose TV Time, the one with a strange sort of margarine-like glob in a half of the plastic envelope, with the un-popped corn housed in the other half.

On Sunday evening, it was always “GE College Bowl” and “Ernie Kovacs” followed by “Rocky and Bullwinkle” and “Mr. Ed” (”Hellloe, Willlbburr”). Finally, we’d watch the “Ed Sullivan Show” or the “Steve Allen Show.” I always thought Sullivan was too stiff, but really liked Allen’s “man on the street” interviews with Tom Poston, Louis Nye and Don Knotts. They were hilarious.

In later years, “Bonanza” worked its way into the Sunday night mix. Some of our friends could actually watch it on their sets in color, but for several years, we could only view it in black and white. Finally, Dad spent what was then a princely sum to get us a 26-inch Magnavox color television in a solid walnut cabinet. As I look back, the 1950s and 1960s were a time that, with limited channel choices (3), television could actually create a bonding routine for a family.

As I reached my early teenage years, I began to notice girls and started dating. My girlfriend and I would go to the high school dances, meet up at the youth center or go to the movies on Saturday night (the movie changed each week). Friday was reserved for doing things with the boys. All the guys would wear our tightly “pegged” pants, grip-tab collared shirts (open) with a white T-shirt and shiny black shoes. I remember trying cologne for the first time. I chose Jade East, while others wore Hai Karate or English Leather. I once tried English Leather, but my girlfriend leaned over part way through the night and asked, “Jim, have you been sick or something?” I stuck to Jade East after that!

During the summers we would hang around the city park, when we were not working. We’d sit around in the heat talking about cars (and the day we would get one) and sports and drink Lemon Blend, served from one of those bubbler machines that made it look so appealing in the heat as it ran down the side of the basin. You could get Lemon Blend syrup in a bottle at the supermarket to make at home, but it didn’t ever taste as good that way. Fizzies made a better option for home use.

When we reached the drinking age, or almost old enough, we drank beer. The largest selling brands at that time were Budweiser, Schlitz, Pabst, Carling Black Label, Miller High Life and Stroh’s. Imported beers were virtually unheard of. Lite was originally introduced by a small brewer as a diet beer and failed miserably. Later, Miller Brewing would purchase the rights to Lite, market it as less filling and it would save their company. Bud drove the other big domestic beers into oblivion.

I also fondly recall the junk food we ate back then. What were we thinking? I loved eating Hostess Twinkies, Cupcakes and Fruit Pies. Hostess Snoballs, with the pink and white coconut-covered marshmallow, were a bit too stale for me. Later, we discovered warm glazed doughnuts and cream-filled éclairs when the first donut shop opened in our town. Finally, we could enjoy this confection in a form that wasn’t so stale as to allow us to play ring-toss with the product.

Sadly, gasoline is no longer 29 cents a gallon. However, thankfully, the wines that I have come to appreciate today are a far cry from those we drank in college. I readily confess that I haven’t touched MD 20-20, Annie Green Springs, Boone’s Farm, Riunite or Lancer’s Rose, or that sophisticated choice Cold Duck since!

Here’s to fond memories of our past and the blessings of our present and future!

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Again, thanks to everybody who came out to the “Black and White Night” party this past Saturday night at the very accommodating *Serenity Lounge* in Wood Dale. We were able to raise $320 for the Red Cross flood relief in the process.

I hope you have a great weekend. We’ll see you on the rooftop this Saturday, August 2, at La Vita. It should be a wonderful time.