Friday, July 24, 2009

WTH, I Have Readers?

I figured the blogosphere had ditched me a few weeks back when I took a little time out to stop and smell the peonies. Imagine my shock to see my ticker spike with that last post. Hi foodies! I missed you! Even the angry ones! I'm sure my new employer will be thrilled that I've rediscovered my love for monitoring food and wine news all day.

I've left the Loop for a great new organization in the Old Town/Gold Coast area, where I've begun to spoil myself daily with tranquil lunches in the park and in sidewalk cafes. Wells Street is just a hop away, beckoning with smells emanating from the Spice House, Topo Gigio, Bistro Margot, and about a dozen others. Not to mention all the potted herbs sitting outside of the Old Town Garden shop.

Yes, heaven.

On top of all that, the Venetian Wine Cruise is finally here! Just Grapes changed the time to start later in the afternoon, at 4:00 pm. Jump aboard if sipping a trio of sparkling roses on the lake sounds, oh, kind of okay for a Saturday afternoon diversion.


Shaking a Fist at Urban Belly's Bill Kim

Bill, I don't know you, but I'd like to have a chat. I've been on food blogging hiatus for a few weeks while I transition out of a crazy job, exorcise the jumbo-sized stress I've accumulated while there, and get settled into a new workplace. I'm not exactly in a foodie headspace at the moment. But when I read that you bought out Vella to open another Urban Belly on Western, one burning question jumped to mind that I have to ask.

Do you have something against free market capitalism, Bill? Have you BEEN to the rest of Western Ave in that neighborhood? Did you maybe notice that there are like 12 zillion empty storefronts right NEXT to Vella where you could set up shop and compete with our talented friends there? Do you know how happy two great places would make us, Bill?

Ok, that's more than one question. And maybe the Vella babes were dying to get out. I don't know the whole story. All I know is, no more Everything but Meat Pizza with the caramelized onion smeared a quarter-inch thick on that perfect crust. No more scrambled eggs with sweet potato hash. Bloody hell, Bill! It's true, the place is a bone-rattling noise box. And there was that one time the delivery guy dropped our pizza, only to bring us a second one half an hour later with only two ingredients on it. But we worked all that out. Vella is a gem - most importantly our neighborhood's only gem of it's kind - where you can drop in for a quick, unique, delicious meal served by happy people. We do not need to swap it out for something else. We need options, Bill. Options.

It's one of the hardest parts about living in a big city.... getting emotionally attached to a hoodie joint. I mean, I'm still scarred from the loss of Filter's veggie reuben. Excuse me. I need to go find some Kleenex.