Nacional 27

I had dinner at a place that I've not been to in a very long while.  Nacional 27, which has been in River North it seems like forever.  (*Since 2001?)  I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised and reminded that food was very good.  The drink list was good, with enough unique items to seem new and different.  The drinks were fairly priced, compared to other restaurants of a similar caliber.  We had a group of four that were meeting for drinks and had reservations at 7.  The hostess was very gracious in dealing with our group and closing our bar tab.  We ordered empanadas, which were tiny, but good.  I had the chimichurri encrusted filet which was great.  Spicy but not too much where it over powers the steak.

All in all, pretty good.  Definitely check it out if you've never been.  Especially after 10pm on Friday and Saturday for the latin dancing.

420 Bids on the Price is Right

I'm a big fan of the Price is Right.  I've been watching the show since I was little.  Bob Barker was the greatest game show host of all time and I was very sad to see him go.  My DVR is set to auto record all shows.  I know that the average Showcase is worth about $25,000 and that the average winner takes home about $28,000 in total prizes.  (*More on that in another post.)  As I said, I'm a big fan of the show.

This post isn't about how much of a fan I am but rather the contestents who bid 420, or some variation on the prizes.  If you're unfamiliar with the number, or term, it's a marijuana reference.  Or as Wikipedia puts it, "refers to consumption of cannabis and, by extension, a way to identify oneself with cannabis drug subculture."  These contestants think they are sneaky.  They think they're funny.  They think they're slipping one by the censors.  They act coy, or at least think they are.  They think they're "counterculture".

They're none of these.  They're idiots.  Yes, you may be sneaking one past the censors and yes most people won't know what it's referencing but it's just stupid.  Does it make your friends laugh?  They're idiots too.  It was funny the first few times but now, it's just stupid.

If you are lucky enough to become a contestant on the Price is Right, don't bid 420 or any variation thereof.  It comes off as childish and stupid.

Nuevo Leon - Another Neighborhood Gone

I had dinner at Nuevo Leon in Pilsen tonight*.  It was very good; authentic Mexican food with great tortillas, steak tacos, and refried beans.  While the food was good and the restaurant was good, the really interesting part was Pilsen is very gentrified.  There was much more of a mix of ethnicities than I expected.  It was very interesting to see the gentrification process midstream.  It's kind of like Wicker Park six+ years ago.  And Logan square 2 years ago.  Part of me feels bad for the group being pushed out.  The other part of me thinks it's good to see the groups mix.

Happy Cinco de Mayo.

 http://www.nuevoleonrestaurant.com/

*Not to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Hello World!

The classic first post.  Or first program.