Whether you go for drinks, a meal, or Sunday brunch, Dick's Last Resort is a fun choice. The waitstaff is rude, crude, loud, and obnoxious, but only to ensure you are having a good time. Lurline's friend Tom, a Chicago resident, took us there as well as to a number of places around town.

A must in Chicago is Bin 36, near the House of Blues. Their extensive wine selection is very well done, and all dishes are marked to correspond to a wine(s) that would best be matched. The menu changes seasonally, but I'll tell you my faves: The mushroom crepe ($14) was the tastiest crepe ever. The mushroom essence made it rich, and the saltiness made it ... mine. I don't normally eat pork, but the pork with truffled peach and cornbread fritter was very nice. I wanted to stab Lurline's dandy looking muscovy duck breast ($29) but held back. She probably would have stabbed me back! Kelly's fennel & artichoke salad ($9.50) was a breath of fresh air for people who love salad but are tired of the "same old, same old." It was light, bright, and different from any other tired restaurant fare you will ever get. The dessert...sweet potato pie with butter ice cream. Butter ice cream!  Who knew? There's a butter taste, but not like eating a pat of butter straight from the fridge like (ahem) some people I know.

Before going to the Blue Man Group, we went to La Creperie for a simple but satisfying meal. Tom wisely recommended the Assiette de Fromages (3 cheeses, $9), Fruits de Mer crepe ($11), Poulet au Curry ($9), and Banana Crepe ($9). After a fine performance on stage (ask me later) with the Blue Man Group, we went to toast at a nearby bar.

After the conference was over, Lurline and Tom humored me and joined me at Mike Ditka's for a Fodorites GTG with Makai (Lisa), her husband Mauka Bob, Kalkahuna (Phil), and his wife Marisa. Unlike Don Ho, Mr. Ditka actually comes to his restaurant often. You must try the Pot Roast Nachos ($10). Instead of ground beef, they simply use pot roast for something different. Their signature dish is Da Pork Chop ($26), 20 oz. of pork on the bone with a tangy sauce. Not too fatty, yet not too dry, this was a great choice even for me. The guys ordered theT-Bone, which was served in Fred Flintstone quantities. The meal was capped off with a "slice" of banana cream pie, which at Ditka's is a whole 1/4 pie!

After the MAXI Awards, we went to Cafe Spiaggia, the "casual" version of Spiaggia, just across the hall. Lurline's friend Tom had a friend--Thomas Edward Mathis, I promised to mention him in my newsletter--who was waiting on us there.

My faves: The crab cake with white bean aioli and olives is lump crabmeat, very chunky. It's amazingly light and heavy at once. If we weren't sharing, I would have snarfed it myself immediately. T.Mathis' favorite entree is the veal tenderloin ($28), sliced into thick medallions and served with creamy white polenta. The polenta was a dream of cheesy goodness. The veal was a tender, moist, melt-in-your-mouth out-of-body experience. I think this means I liked it.  Anyway, Mr. Mathis brought us a gelato sampler to finish off dessert, and that was also an experience in itself. If you decide to try it, call me and I'll walk you through the flavors from my notes.

I did have one day alone; I spent it shopping on the Magnificent Mile. As with most shopping trips to Chicago, I found myself in front of Bistro 110 at lunchtime! Their Sunday brunch is always wonderful; this was a weekday so I opted for a roast chicken with a morel cream sauce ($24). If you love morels, as I do, this dish is most divine. The mushroom essence lends a deep richness to the sauce, while the silky mashed potatoes melt in your mouth. The chicken is just chicken; it's the accessories that make this "little black dress" of dishes stand out in one's memory.

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