The Power of Yes

Despite my disappointment a week ago with the Blue Chip Casino representative who found a sure-fire way to forfeit hundreds of dollars in revenue in order to save two, I found myself visiting William B's Steakhouse again on Friday.

You see, William B's is a tough place to feel compelled to boycott in order to get through to the occasionally short-sighted accounting types of a business. From the fabulous food, brilliant bartenders, and super servers all the way up to Patrick Cullars, the general manager, there's plenty to miss.

Although the dining area is high class and rather "chill", we really love eating at the bar, which is located just off the casino lobby in such a way that one feels they're at a busy crossroads of "it takes all kinds" incarnate. It's a great place to people watch, and those drawn into the bar and dining area itself tend to be interesting and receptive to striking up a conversation.

We each had the perch specials. Mine was pan-seared, while my partner's was sautéed. Both were spectacular, with delicious accompaniments of fingerling potatoes and green beans. Looks like I'll have to start my diet all over again, because it was a feast, especially on top of the great bread basket that begins one's dining experience.

Patrick's philosophy is "the answer is *yes*", and it's from that seed of enablement that all the rest of what makes William B's so special flows. If you've yet to experience the complete dining and drink experience of William B's, make it a priority. But be aware that you'll likely wind up with an addiction for which there is no 1-800 number: an addiction for the finest dining and drink experience smart money can buy. While you might enjoy the thrill of risky behavior on the casino floor, William B's isn't a gamble - it's a certain, satisfying jackpot every pull.

Planet Olive Garden of Eatin'

Michigan City, Indiana is blessed with an impressive array of fine local dining options. I often wonder how restaurant chains make it here at all, really, given how incredible the local restaurants are. But tonight we went to Olive Garden on a whim, and wound up going to infinity and beyond satisfied.

Basically, it's like this: we experienced perfect alignment of planets that consisted of our server, Sara S., the never ending pasta bowl, and the wine.

Was it the best pasta or wine we've ever had? Probably not. But we weren't expecting the very best. We were admittedly expecting chain restaurant food. But the cuisine rocketed beyond the escape velocity of our expectations.

The never ending pasta bowl comes with soup or salad, and we both opted for salad, knowing that the Olive Garden salad is a classic in its own right.

The irresistible bread sticks haunted me from the get go, though I won the battle this time, knowing I'd have my digestive work cut out for me due to the words "never ending". But we most definitely brought them home for less challenging eating settings - one small step for man from the freezer to the microwave, one giant leap for mankind snacking.

For our never ending selection, my partner went with the linguini with a creamy sauce that included sun-dried tomatoes and bits of bacon. I realize that bacon is often considered "cheating" because there's no way to lose with bacon. But it was tastefully present, well-balanced against the tomatoes and sauce spices.

I went with the five cheese marinara over angel hair. And, yes, I did leave this world and end up in a better one for the duration of my gesticulation. Very, very good. And that's coming from a Wisconsin boy who knows a thing or ten about cheese.

We both made it to our second bowl, but I must say it was barely, partially so we'd have something to bring home for leftovers, but mostly because the serving sizes were such that breathing would clearly be an issue on the way home. I guess I'll just have to wait a couple days to say hello to that belt notch again.

But the gravity holding all these heavenly concoctions together was our incomparable server, Sara S. I know I've had high praise for servers before. But Sara S. raised the bar to high heaven, and we'd want to return if for no other reason other than to feel the way she made us feel - like travelers who deserved the extra mile of service and value. Sara S., we hope your commanding officers are listening, because you deserve a shot at no less than the final frontier in the Olive Garden hierarchy. You really get it.

Blue Chip Casino: Pennies Wise, Hundreds of Dollars Foolish

Last night we had a hankering for hanging out at one of our favorite places, the bar at William B's Steakhouse at Blue Chip Casino (Michigan City, Indiana). The food is great, the staff stellar, and Patrick Cullars, the general manager, is a testament to his profession. We always have a good time, and have met a lot of wonderful people there.

Mary decided to see whether she was eligible for any "food comps". She was, although not much. But that's fine. Something is better than nothing, and we appreciated the gift.

We went on to order food and drinks, and had the usual blast. I decided to cover the alcohol portion of the bill, which was $33, to which I added a $7 tip. Mary would be covering the food with her food comps.

But it was taking longer than usual for the bartender to return so we could settle. Why? Because he'd called to see if the casino could make up the difference of the $2 in food that we ordered beyond the comps. And though he clearly went to bat for us, it was denied.

Are you serious, Blue Chip?

Try to understand. We ordered just two soups and a salad, because that's how modest the comps where, and that's roughly how hungry we were anyway. So it's not like we were trying to eek out more than what we could eat. We were very comfortable.

But, again, are you serious, Blue Chip? We regularly dine and drink there, and the alcohol bill is generally $30+. And everyone knows that the profit margins on alcohol are where restaurants really bring home the ka-ching. Yet there we were, somewhat embarrassed for having to reach into our pockets for another lousy two bucks to cover the food.

Well, Blue Chip, you were indeed 200 pennies wise. Congratulations! However, our warm, fuzzy feelings about enjoying ourselves at William B's evaporated in that instant, and we're probably not going to be back for a while. So while you've saved yourselves a whopping 200 pennies, you cost yourselves hundreds of dollars in the process.

Duh!

ArtSees Diner_The Mother Ship Continues to Grow!

There is nothing more thrilling to a blogger, or social networking glutton than to see the numbers climb! That is exactly what I am proud to announce to you all! While there are bloggers out there who are attaining their market share and then some in readers, I can boast that our numbers continue to rise! The past 2 months ArtSeesDiner.com has seen substantial growth. Over 19,000 visitors for July and August. We are continuing to see that growth. Along with our ¨Mother Ship¨ increase we are also seeing substantial growth through ¨The Voice¨ of ArtSees Diner with over 340,000 listens in 17th months. Our blogging presence regionally as well as nationally. Growth is a beautiful thing and we are seeing continued growth. All areas of ArtSees Productions continue to grow! SLOW AND STEADY wins the RACE! Join us, become involved with ArtSees Productions! A very special thank you goes out to Steve Champagne, Paul Smith, Susan Block, Douglas C. Rapier, Diane Blanchette and over 200 amazing guests! You are what makes this so amazing!

Tesori Delivers a Fine Orchestrated Symphony Directed by Chef Andrew Deuel

Let's call it a "Rhapsody in New," or "Concerto Classico," or maybe "Eden on Adam's." No matter what you name this symphony, each movement was well orchestrated by Tesori located in the Symphony Center, 65 East Adams, Chicago, Illinois.

Tesori merges old world cuisine with new world technique. It proudly boasts an inviting menu along with an extensive wine list. Upon arrival we were greeted by dining room manager Mike who quickly addressed our every need. Mike exudes pride and ensures that patrons leave realizing that good hospitality is an "art-form." He was quick to boast about Tesori and shared with us the specific details and back story of the restaurant. Because of his knowledge, Steve and I chose to let him make the appropriate selections that guaranteed our dining experience would be well versed as well as highlighting the artistry of Chef Andrew. His selections were well coordinated and precise. He was the George Martin to Lennon's Beatles.

We were rewarded with the presence of Rachel, our server for the evening. Her friendly, yet professional demeanor set the stage for a relaxed, yet experiential event. One can never underestimate the value of a server that is able to tune in to your every need. Matching the rhythm of your guests is equal to the fine tuned sensitivity of a highly sought after studio musician. A musician wants to come in and say "this is who I am, this is my style and rhythm" and then have others fall right in line. So it was with Mike, Rachel and their team; they just "get it!"

It wasn't long before Sean, Tesori's general manager, or should I say, "concert-master" came over to greet us. We witnessed him surveying the establishment to underscore the importance that everything was in order and that the maestro would be able to deliver a symphony of flavors without a glitch. Maestro, Chef Andrew is the conductor of this symphony, and rightly so. While Tesori paid special attention to each patron's senses by paying close attention to aesthetic quality, they were also keenly aware that the food is the star of this show.

While Chef Andrew was not adorned with tails and tie, he was well dressed in his crisp whites. Taking a bow, he stood before the orchestra with masterful grace. He deserved a standing ovation, as he delivered with absolute perfection a culinary symphony. From the first course, white zucchini soup, to the last in house gelato and spumoni bomb, this well orchestrated symphony awakened our senses.

Chef Andrew's use of old farmstyle, or more specifically Cucina contadina Italiana, or maybe "fattoria", is infused throughout the menu. No matter how you refer to it, it is superb! Bravo! Unlike many Italian themed cuisine, Chef Andrew infuses celery, carrots, garden freshness and a specialty vegetable broth in many of his well planned out dishes. (If you are coming to Tesori to experience typical Americanized Italian cuisine, you may be surprised. It is important just let go and in the words of the Phantom..."Floating, falling, sweet intoxication,Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation, Let the dream begin" Phantom Of The Opera - Music Of The Night.) Although Chef Andrew Deuel incorporates Cucina contadina Italiana, with a modern farmstead approach, this sensitivity to the needs of both vegan and gluten-free patrons is represented and therefore he embraces a new world approach to his culinary masterpieces.

We began our evening with a light Zardetto (a little bubbly) and assortiti pane italiano e olio d'oliva. Although a roasted tomato soup was the evening's specialty, our prelude was white zucchini soup. Personally, I have come to judge a restaurant by two items, soup and dessert. As Mike aptly put it, the book-ends more on that later). Soup quality and originality is what I expect. Chef Andrew scored with a five star rating with the white zucchini soup. I cannot impress upon you enough how impressed both of us were with this soup. The intermingling of carrot, celery and herbs with the zucchini, lightly drizzled with olive oil for infused richness made this vegetarian creamless soup sing as only Pavarotti could sing! I was shocked that there was no cream or butter used in the preparation of the creamy soup. I would have argued with anyone that the base for this soup was in fact a rich roux, but no, the Chef's pureeing technique is that perfect! Next, we indulged in veal cheeks, anson mills stone ground polenta and charred octopus, san marzano relish,with capers and olives. After savoring the polenta I could have easily stopped and just begged for more, encore, encore! Needless to say, we didn't stop there. The octopus was impressive and, more importantly, the Chef's eight hour process of soaking the meat in red wine made for a delectable Cyprian delight and exemplifies his attention to detail and precision. Next Mike delivered a recommendation by Chef Andrew. A new appetizer pizza, fresh made crust, topped with bechamel sauce, topped with house made ricotta cheese, proscuitto and arugula. It was a nice spin on an old classic. To prepare us for our pasta dish, we gracefully entered into the fourth movement with a sugar beet salad, which presented the perfect blend of color, freshness, crunch and zing. The grand finale, while not the finale, was duck bolognese over house made linguini. While we imagined that we had hit the pinnacle of palatable pleasures, we quickly discovered there was more. Let's call it the encore or, simply put, the other "book-end." Dessert! It was delivered with pageantry and flair as we were presented with trio gelato and sorbetti as well as the spumoni bomb. The trio consisted of vanilla bean gelato, mango/peach sorbetti and drum roll please the Pièce de résistance, grapefruit and mint sorbetti! A simple pink little mound of heaven! We also delighted our taste buds as we savored la bomba/ pistachio and cherry mousse, dark chocolate glaze, chocolate cake, dark cherry gastrique, white chocolate pistachio shard.

Satisfaction guaranteed, Chef Andrew and Tesori delivered a well orchestrated symphony of flavor, texture, aromas and at a price that is guaranteed to make your accountant smile.

Mangiare Bene!
Steve Champagne's Review.

Hot Fun in the Summertime, Grazing in the Grass

aka, Farmer's Market Splendor

Today was an ordinary Sunday with an extraordinary kick. Traveling up Red Arrow Highway is one of our favorite things to do and today our travels brought us as far as Skip's Open Air European Market. Originally we were going to pick up a few things bring them home and just enjoy the special treats acquired there. Steve asked, "where would you like to begin?" The place was packed, more vendors than I remember from the last time we were there, and some of our old favorites were still present. I suggested going to the far end and working our way back to the car. It was then that we saw it...Skip's very own steak burgers and sweet corn! Our plans quickly changed. We would be enjoying the palatable pleasures on-sight. Each of us ordered a steak burger. Steve also got corn on the cob, and I went for their grilled peaches topped with blue cheese.

How did it all taste? Heavenly! The burger was so good, that aside from some fresh sliced onion nothing else was necessary. A fabulous burger. The grilled peaches, scrumptious. The corn on the cob, paled next to the intense flavor of the peaches and burger. But, good all the same.

Next stop: Divine Chef Peters, Chesteron, IN are purveyors of infused fine oils and specialty spices. You can always tell the real deal, because they stop what they are doing and tell you all about their product and share a little insight into the specialty that they sell or produce. Our senses were delighted as we sampled, herb/garlic olive oil, Meyer Lemon/Oil blend. Steve enjoyed truffle oil. Delish! I will let the Chef tell you what is so special about his truffle oil. Because they are bottling your oil on the premises you are able to have them increase and decrease certain herbs and spices. In our case, Steve wanted a little more garlic kick to ours. Needless to say the quality was evident and the care given to us was deeply appreciated. Looking forward to having Chef Peters on the show soon! Oh, and dipping into our special blend!

Did someone say pasta? Yes, nestled in the back of the market next to Chef Peters to the right is Pasta Love, Benton Harbor, MI. Pasta Love boasts a fine wide noodle pasta, both gluten free and organic flour. Our selection was the Beet and Parsley. I will report back later. I was assured that all of the pasta types are big sellers. Never pass up a good pasta!

Cheese Please! On the other side of Divine Chef is J2K Capraio, seller of cheese, olives, sausage, and well, just imagine walking into a little Italian market. Everything you need to prepare the perfect Charcuterie was at your reach. J2K is always ready to give you samples of his delicacies, as he is intensely proud of his provisions. Our choice for today, was a Pesto Rosso cheese, New York sharp cheddar and chevre goat cheese (by the way, August is goat cheese month. I have tried to come up with all kinds of goat puns, but, all of them will get your goat and get your nanny in a twist, so I decided not to). Needless to say, the cheese is far superior to anything you will find in local grocery stores, so enjoy while you can.

We hope to bring you these fine purveyors in an up and coming Midwest Monday broadcast. MANGIARE!

Little Italy, Dyer, Serves it Up Big!

A few weeks back one of my ArtSees Diner Radio guests shared that she and her husband love going to an Italian restaurant in Dyer Indiana that is to die for. So, today on our way back from Chicago Hts, where we saw The Drama Group's production of Reefer Madness, all that smoking "the weed" got us hungry! :D No seriously, there was no smoking of weed in the making of this hunger, merely a play on words and an opportunity to plug an amazing show. Did I mention my daughter was in it and was outstanding? Okay, so I digress! Back to the food...and the restaurant, Little Italy

We arrived at the start of their dinner hour, so the place was relatively empty. This gave Steve and I an opportunity to just take in the place without the bustle and noise of a happy dinner hour. The ambiance truly captures a the feel of restaurants in New York's Little Italy. There were moments when Steve and I felt like we were on vacation! "Did it remind us of places we visited in Florida, or was it NYC?" Our conversation settled on it being unique to Northwest Indiana and yes, something experienced in our travels.

Our server was Anthony. Anthony was a true professional, he knew the restaurant, the food, and most importantly, he was not afraid to converse with the patrons. Whether it was making us feel comfortable, laughing at our silly jokes, or just making recommendations on everything from the new Malbec on hand, or patron's favorites, he was on! We took his recommendation for the wine, La Copa Malbec from the Mendoza region of Argentina his recommendation for food, Entree;Crispy Pork Shoulder,Pasta;Rigatoni with fennel sausage, tomato cream sauce. Because this is a family style restaurant, the food is serve in two sizes, either the Little Italy, or the Big Italy. We went with Anthony's recommendations and we were not disappointed. Choosing the two dishes in Little Italy sizes proved to be more than enough. In addition to the dishes chosen, we requested the red pepper bisque soup topped with goat cheese. I truly believe you can tell so much about a restaurant by the bread, the soup and the dessert. We did not have room for dessert, so I cannot vouch for a triple header on the basics, but, I can guarantee that the hearty bread served with herb infused olive oil is a hit! I can also attest to the fabulous homemade soup.

All of the ingredients are prepared on site. This is the chef-owner's guarantee that we are getting his best. Along with the entree came a dark leafy green salad, with grape tomatoes, arugula and the lemon vinaigrette dressing is a must. A house specialty! Also, with every entree patrons are served a generous portion of bakes ziti, with the house tomato sauce.

"Okay, so LaLuna, how was the food?" I am so glad you asked! It was exceptionally good. The pork was perfect. Prepared over two days to ensure the best quality possible. The pork shoulder is slow cooked in chicken stock, (all prepared on the premises) celery, onions and carrots and cooked to a reduction. Then refrigerated over night, the fat is removed from the pork reduction. Prior to serving the pork shoulder is rubbed with a blend of spices, roasted to a crispy edge and served with portobello mushrooms, carrots and reduction. The ziti was better than most tomato sauce based dishes. I am very particular and rarely find a sauce that sings. This sauce came pretty close, but, the rigatoni, oh mama mia! First of all, the pasta was cooked perfectly. The sauce for the rigatoni was half Alfredo and half tomato. That happens to be one of my favorites. Often times Alfredo sauces let me down. Chef Andrew's Alfredo did not let me down. There was a zing, a garlic edge, pure cream, and butter. The fennel sausage added the right level of sweet herb (not to be confused with the herb mentioned in the beginning of this blog) and fresh peas. The peas lent the perfect balance to the many exciting tastes. Just enough green to keep it light. Both Steve and I felt that the rigatoni sauce was the perfect adornment to the pork dish.

Little Italy, Dyer, Serves it up Big, and receives 2 forks up! We will be going back and encourage you to make this one of your favorites! 1155 JOLIET ST. DYER, IN 46311 219-865-3040 DYERSLITTLEITALY@YAHOO.COM