On walking to oysters on the half shell, staying married for 10 years and the vacation you live in

If I had to count on my fingers and toes all the places I can walk to in Evanston, I would need an extra toe or finger or several of each. I can walk to more than 20 locations (in under 20 minutes) that fall into one of the following categories; thrift store, pharmacy, gas station, auto dealership, bagel shop, wine shop, gym, doctor, obgyn, bank, pet store, salon, farmer’s market, stationary store, photocopies and on and on and on.

Recently my husband Dave Ford and I wanted to celebrate a special occasion (still being married after 10 years – Woot! Woot!) and we wanted to celebrate in style over a fancy dinner of sorts. I suggested oysters on the half shell and a martini but also mentioned that I had NO desire to drive. The challenge: could we find a place in Evanston that served oysters and martinis without driving? Without using the World Wide Web to do any research (such as Googling “Evanston Oysters”) we thought we’d head to the restaurant with the black awnings on Sherman, surely they would have oysters.

Discovering a new city is like being on vacation and the more dynamic the city, the longer the vacation lasts. With great luck my husband and I discovered that Pete Miller Steakhouse (the restaurant with the black awnings on Sherman) did indeed serve oysters on the half shell (they were delicious) and strong, dirty, martinis (just like I love them). Additionally, the wait staff totally rocked and was professional and fast, never meddling. The only regret of the evening was ordering the dessert sampler obviously designed for 8 adults and 4 children – there were 2 of us and I almost lost my oysters I ate so much.

Pete Miller Steakhouse
1557 Sherman Ave.
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-0399
www.petemillers.com

***

Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events, summer camps that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni

Congrats to Evening of Exile at Nellcôte Winners!

Pictured above is escargot and chanterelles and pimentón, and polenta by Executive Chef Jared Van Camp, just one delicious item on the menu at the new and exciting Nellcôte restaurant.

I had a chance to give away 10 tickets to the VIP Preview Party tomorrow and want to congratulate Melissa, Jeff, Ju Yao, Stephanie and Rebecca on winning.

Originally I wasn't going to participate in the promotion because the restaurant wasn't in Evanston but people were so excited at the possibility of going to the party, I had to participate and I'm glad I did. I think I even might have made a new friend via this giveaway.

Hopefully I'll be approached to do Evanston giveaways soon so that we can all feel the love!

Flat Claire meets Mies Van Der Rohe at IIT!

I took Flat Claire to work with me at IIT this week, we had a total blast. Flat Claire learned all about the great architect Mies Van Der Rohe - she even got to pose with his cut out! Mies Van Der Rohe is best known today as the leading and most influential exponent of the refined glass-and-steel architecture of the mid-20th-century.

And the weekend has just started so pretty much Flat Claire is going to run all over Chicagoland, having the time of her life! We've uploaded a few more images to the slide show below, check them out!

"Evening of Exile" VIP Party Ticket Giveaway!

Although this VIP party is NOT taking place in Evanston, I couldn't resist spreading the word and giving away tickets - and I think you'll thank me for it. There's a new restaurant opening up in Chicago called Nellcôte and 200 people are invited to wine and dine to celebrate on Feb. 28.

Here's some info from the publicist: "Located in Chicago’s ... Randolph Street Corridor, the new concept is designed to deliver all the hallmarks of ornate luxury—white Italian marble, art nouveau wrought iron gates, extravagant woodwork, cartouche crown molding, crystal chandeliers and Parisian herringbone wood floors...with Executive Chef Jared Van Camp."

That little blurb really didn't peak my interest but when I found out the restaurant is named after the famed French mansion where the Rolling Stones recorded "Exile on Main Street" (one of the best albums on the planet), I was totally enthralled.

Here's a little more from the publicist: "The name “Nellcôte” was inspired by Villa Nellcôte, an ornate 16-room mansion on the waterfront of Villefranche-sur-Mer in the Côte d'Azur region of southern France. This villa was the setting for one of the most infamous house parties of all time, as well as where the Rolling Stones recorded “Exile on Main Street” during the summer of 1971. The concept is meant to capture this particular cultural zeitgeist, where the young Rolling Stones partied and dined in Villa Nellcôte with the who’s who of early 70s Bohemia—a veritable checklist of rock ‘n’ royalty including artists, style icons, deviants, socialites and creative misfits."

So how you do get to celebrate this exciting opening and attend the VIP party? All you have to do is follow me on Twitter, @TheLisaDShow and I will give away tickets in the next week so you can attend the party and pretend like it's 1970 all over again. You're welcome!

Flat Claire arrives in Evanston!

My family is thrilled to host Flat Claire this week in our home in Evanston. She arrived safely today in the mail after a long trip from Northern California.

Make sure to check back into this blog for news and photo of Claire's goings ons in Evanston and if you've got ideas on where to take her, feel free to contact me at thelisadshow@gmail.com.

Hearts are blooming in Evanston!

Walking to the neighborhood Jewel last night I passed an apartment building with heart trees in the front yard. Strings of pink and read paper hearts adorned several scraggly looking winter trees and I couldn't help but stop and take a photo. How cute is that? It looks like I'm not the only resident smitten with the city of Evanston.

***

Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events, summer camps that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni

After Hours EHC Presents 1924 Jazz Trio at the Dawes This Thursday

This Thursday night you can see live jazz and enjoy drinks at the lovely Charles Gates Dawes' home, headquarter for the Evanston History Center. See info below:

Jazz at the Dawes
A post-President’s Day Celebration
Thursday, February 23, 7pm-10pm

Remember Cool Cal Coolidge and Vice President Charles Gates Dawes’ 1924 Campaign for the White House. Listen to live jazz from the Chris Greene Trio. Cut a rug. Jitterbug. Party in a National Historic Landmark museum. Who knows what spirits will be watching? Enjoy a beverage or two. Nibble on hors d’oeuvres and mingle with friends. And maybe meet some new ones! All at After Hours EHC.

At the Dawes House, 225 Greenwood St., Evanston, IL.
Plenty of street parking.
Tickets: $35/person, $30 for EHC members.

Buy tickets online by clicking here or call the Evanston History Center: 847-475-3410.

Tickets are non-refundable. Must be 21 years and older.

Funds raised from Jazz at the Dawes support the Evanston History Center.

We are grateful to our partners: Andy’s Frozen Custard, Pret A Manger, Evanston 1st Liquors & Blue Moon beer

Visit http://evanstonhistorycenter.org for more info!

Trader Joe's is moving .3 miles from my house, that's 2 minutes of brisk walking!

According to John P. Huston, "After years of speculation and one false start, Trader Joe’s has signed a lease for an Evanston grocery store that it expects to open in early 2013, officials said in a press release this morning."

The new location will be 1211 Chicago Ave. which is .3 miles from my house.

Sorry, but I'm too excited to keep typing. I'll flush out this post later.

Evanston in the News: Pritzker buys Evanston house for B&B

An entity managed by James Pritzker paid $2.25 million for a six-bedroom Tudor-style Evanston house last month and plans to open a bed-and-breakfast there, county records show. The entity, also managed by sisters Cathi Overend and Dawn Overend, purchased the three-story Church Street house, which was built in 1889, from David and Jane Doyle, who bought the house in 1992 for $725,000, according to county records. A spokeswoman for Mr. Pritzker, who is president and CEO of Chicago-based Tawani Enterprises Inc., says the home will undergo an extensive renovation that will take at least a year. A spokesman for the city of Evanston says the city council approved a special use permit for the property last year and that building renovation plans have been submitted. The listing agent, Donna Zupancic of @properties, says the house is ideal for a bed and breakfast because of its location. “It's kind of a gateway to Evanston, at the end of Church Street and facing the lake,” she said. Cathi Overend, who will manage the property, did not immediately return a phone call. Mr. Doyle also did not return a phone call.

Source: http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com

***

Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events, summer camps that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni

Happy Valentine's Day from Evanston Newbie!

I drew this heart in the snow this morning while waiting for my train at the Dempster stop. Happy Valentine's Day Evanston!

Follow Evanston Newbie on Pinterest!

Are you looking for less words and more images from this blog? Well look no further as Evanston Newbie is on Pinterest!

Pinterest (one of the hottest new things in social media) is a place to organize and share online images that you find interesting or inspiring and as you know, I find Evanston extremely inspiring and want to share it with YOU!

Look for great images of Evanston from a newbie's (mine) eyes at pinterest.com/EvanstonNewbie. If you don't already have a Pinterest account, send me your email address (thelisadshow@gmail.com) and I'll send you an invite.

What you can look forward to on the Evanston Newbie Pinterest board is images of wildlife, street fashion, things I eat, Lake Michigan and pretty much anything else in Evanston that inspires me, like heart-shaped pizza.

***

Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events, summer camps that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni

Postcard from Camilo

Today a very special note arrived in the mail! Our good friend Camilo sent us this handy map of the Native American Indian Tribes.

What I'm Reading: Leaked insider memos, the future of Patch and media and Jim Romenesko's blog

After leaving a town (El Paso) where I wrote and edited a snarky/gossipy/newsy "Media Watch" column (for a period of time, click here to read an archive), I was worried that that gap just wouldn't get filled and I would be left without an outlet for my snarky, gossipy, media appetite. Luckily the gap has been filled (although I have no part in it) by Jim Romenesko's amazing blog on "Media and other things" he's interested in, www.jimromenesko.com.

Romenesko is an Evanston, IL, native and a very important, smart, prolific journalist. (If you are under 30 and have no idea what I'm talking about, see Wiki page here.) His latest career incarnation, after a long run at the Poynter Institute, is www.jimromenesko.com, a blog about all things media. (What a fantastic time to be covering media!) Media, an institution as old as car manufacturing, pretty much has its hair on fire, is losing and laying off talent and finds itself facing a forced reinvention thanks to smart phones. Like Kodak, media will either change or die and Romenesko is on the front lines, reporting it all.

One of the most exciting media projects is AOL's Patch project, which has a "news" outlet in cities across America and is experiencing painful and highly visible change. Most recently a memo was sent (and subsequently leaked) to staff about upcoming staff reductions and editorial policy changes. Romenesko got a hold of the memo, published it, continued to publish more leaked memos and it's been more than entertaining to watch the fallout. (The fallout includes posts and direct memos to Romenesko from Patch staffers, which by far are my favorite.)

In addition to how fun it is reading leaked memos, reading through more than 33 comments, some from Patch employees is better than reality TV for an insider news junkie like me. And it reminds me of the :15 minute meetings where our news team decided if we should or should not post the information about a local anchor's pending buy out package.

It's a tricky territory Romenesko is in, he's reporting on potential employers or coworkers but you wouldn't know it reading his coverage, which makes it all the more rewarding. I love that kind of blog and am thrilled it's produced in Evanston.

Must read: PATCH’S PLAN TO REDUCE STAFF, CHANGE EDITORIAL FOCUS, followed by ‘THERE ARE NO LAYOFFS PLANNED,’ SAYS PATCH, www.jimromenesko.com, Feb. 9

***

Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events, summer camps that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni

Valentine's Day is lame, but gifting a heart-shaped pizza is awesome.

To know me is to love me and to love me is to know that I hate Valentine's Day mainly because it makes single people feel like they suck, and that's not right Hallmark!

But when I heard that Lou Malnati's Pizza of Chicago had heart-shaped pizzas for sale, I got a warm feeling inside (mostly from my stomach, but still) and that gave me hope for the most-hated holiday, Valentine's Day.

Spread the love and place your order today:

Heart Shaped Cookie & Heart Shaped Pizza
Two hearts are better than one, especially when they are sent from Chicago with love. This package includes a Lou Malnati's heart-shaped pizza (cheese or sausage), and a heart-shaped chocolate chip cookie. This is the same recipe as the famous chocolate chip cookie pizza served in the Lou Malnati's pizzerias.

Price Including Shipping: $49.99

Only available to ship between Jan. 19th through Feb. 15th

Visit www.tastesofchicago.com and place your order today! ***

Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events, summer camps that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni

What I'm Reading: 'Treasure Island!!!' by Sara Levine (she's an Evanston resident)

Now that I'm totally "in" with several Evanston moms, I've been doing "my babysitter cancelled, can you watch my kids?" engagements. It sounds daunting, but for a newbie it means acceptance and victory.

As I plunked down on my friend Kindon's couch, about to babysit her napping baby, she tossed a copy of 'Treasure Island!!!' by Sara Levine on my lap and said "Here, read this while you're babysitting." (Kindon is very bossy and it's one of the main reasons I like her so much because she reminds me of me.)

I pretty much read 'Treasure Island!!!' for three hours straight. It's smart, fun, snarky, contemporary and worth reading and gifting AND I'm not saying this because Sara Levine lives in Evanston and I want her to be my new best friend - the book is fantastic. Don't believe me? Read the following reviews from The New York Times and O Magazine.

What's the book about?

From O Magazine: In this irreverent comic novel of self-empowerment, the narrator tries to pattern herself after the hero of Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure classic.— Karen Holt

From Evanston Newbie: A self-absorbed, spoiled rotten jack ass of a main character becomes totally obsessed with Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Treasure Island'. Her job, love life, friendships, etc. become road kill as she obsesses over the book. You hate the main character, so you're perfectly happy to see her life crash and burn. But I'm not done with the book, so maybe I'm wrong and her life turns out okay. (I like the idea of a mid-read book review. Maybe I'll keep this up. Ooooh, except that I only do book reviews of books written by people living in Evanston, so that might be a little tricky.)

If I only I knew about this book before the holidays of 2011, I could have gifted it. What I'll do is try and contact Sara and ask her to sign a few copies so I can have a stash of super cool Evanston-style gifts to give. Hey, maybe I'll try and profile Sara on this blog. Really, with a fantastic book like 'Treasure Island!!!' the possibilities are endless.

Photo credit: the photo above was taken at WORD of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where Sara Levine did a reading from her book 'Treasure Island!!!'. Click here to read more about the reading and WORD.

Info: 'Treasure Island!!!' was published in December 2011 by Alice Sebold’s Europa Editions imprint, www.europaeditions.com.

***

Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events, summer camps that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni

Ecology Center hosts Evanston Farmers Market During the Winter

Here is some exciting news and information about Evanston's year-round Farmers Market winter location:

Ecology Center Market Debuts On December 3

We welcome the Ecology Center Market, a promising venture to bring local produce, dairy and meat to market throughout the winter months.

It will be located in the Ecology Center at 2024 McCormick Blvd. Evanston, Il 60201. The market will be every Saturday starting December 3, 2011 through April 28, 2012. The market will be closed December 24 and 31, 2011.

The purpose of this market is to extend the selling season for local fresh produce, and to provide local food artisans with a place to sell their products during the winter months. Click here for the full story, and a list of vendors.

From Huffington Post Chicago
Evanston Indoor Farmers Market
In its first year, the near north suburban market is organized by Friends of the Evanston Market and features many of the same vendors that make their summer market such a smash. Vendors sell an array of offerings including gourmet baklava (from Sheekar Delights), gargantuan mushrooms (River Valley Ranch) and even organic soaps and lotions (Green Envee), just to name a few examples.
Saturdays through April 28, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Evanston Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd. (Evanston)

Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets

Welcome to the Evanston Farmers Market website, brought to you by Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets!

Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets is an independent, non-profit organization of volunteers, acting as advocates for the Evanston Farmers Markets.

Our Mission

Friends of Evanston Farmers Markets (a 501c3 organization) educates the public about the benefits of eating fresh, locally grown foods, and advocates greater access to healthy food for all community members, regardless of means.

Please contact us for more information about Friends or to volunteer:

friends@evanstonfarmersmarkets.org

Visit http://www.evanstonfarmersmarkets.org for more information.

***

Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events, summer camps that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni

Blog on Blog Love: Evanston Newbie featured on Refuse the Juice

"I used to be a radio talk show host" is a phrase that comes out of my mouth a lot these days (sigh) and one new Evanston friend recently confessed she thought I was "telling a story" when I told her that (thanks for believing in me, Kindon). Well that "story" is true and I used to be a host with a guy by the name of David K, a funny Republican.

Both David K and I left El Paso in 2011 (he moved to Washington DC to dabble in politics, I moved to Evanston to eat my way through Chicago) and sometimes we blog about our old stomping ground El Paso, he focuses on the political scene and I just whine about missing old friends.

Recently we both found ourselves getting snarky about Norma Chavez's blog. Chavez is a former El Paso elected official (a term equivalent to scout troop leader in El Paso as it's pretty easy to get elected to office in a town where less than 6% of the population votes), turned blogger and reading her blog and watching her career transition has been too fun to resist. Most recently David featured a review of Chavez's new blog, offering her tips on how to drive traffic to her site. What did he give me and my blog? Nothing! So I complained and David K finally featured ME and "Evanston Newbie" on his blog! My traffic is going to go through the roof! Thanks old buddy.

Click here to read the post and give yourself ample time to read it as he really gushes!

Mostly I'm grateful to David K for giving me the window in which to write "Blog on Blog Love" as a headline, it pretty much beats out all other phrases I've developed this week to include "website bling".

I miss you David K, but not that way!

***

Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events, summer camps that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni