11.24.11 Sarkis and Scott

At Sarkis Cafe on Gross Point Rd. in Evanston, IL. Sarkis owned it when I started going there for breakfasts when I lived in Evanston over 25 years ago. It's an old-style diner with a counter and a few booths. They claim to have the "World's Best Omlettes."With menu items like the Disaster Sausage sandwich and the Bacon Loretta (who was Loretta, anyway?) and cheesy hash browns with bottomless coffee, you won't need to eat again until dinner. Scott Jaffe is the current owner. He's very friendly and is there most all the time its open. He rarely goes on vacation. Sarkis still comes in once in awhile to "help out" and tell stories. This is a one-of-a-kind find.

5.15.11 Caribou Coffee

I like Caribou Coffee in Winnetka, our home town. It has a nice ambience. Like a north woods lodge. Especially on cold and wet mornings like today. They even have a gas fire place. And, the people who work there are very friendly. They also have a trivia question every day. If you guess the answer, you get ten cents off the price of your drink. Today's is: Who is credited with the invention of scissors? I got it right. Amazing.

5.12.11 Cupcakes

4.24.11 Buena Vida Cafe and Bakery, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Lisa and I stopped into a little cafe and bakery near the Bellas Artes for coffee and fresh-baked pasteries.

4.21.11 Cafe Europa, Minori, Italy

Found this in my files from a trip to the Amalfi coast in 2005.

It was a watercolor and cooking trip. I did watercolors and Lisa took cooking lessons

from an Italian chef that didn't speak English. She learned how to make gnocchi. I learned that

I really love Italy.

3.29.11 Shortcake

I bought four pounds of strawberries at Costco last weekend. Lisa decided to make strawberry shortcake Sunday afternoon. Gridley thought that was a fine idea.

11.12.10: Cake Decorators

We were at the grocery store this afternoon and Lisa got an important work call that took about 15 minutes. So, I got a cup of coffee in the bakery and took some photos of Sherlyn, the Head Cake Decorator and her colleague decorating cakes. They smooth on the icing and then use an airbrush to spray iridescent food coloring around the sides.

9.2.10 Boston Cream and Coffee at Dunkin' Donuts

Seems there's not as much "custard" in a Dunkin' Donuts Boston Cream donut as I remember. I guess that's true of a lot of things today.

7.18.10: Artichoke

11.6.09: Hot Doug's, Chicago, IL

11.5.09: Cafe Sarkis