Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Speakeasy - Janesville, WI

The Speakeasy (19 North High Street) rewards diners with good food and an interesting atmosphere. Taking cues from the name, the interior has throwbacks to the days of prohibition. There is a large bar in the center of the old warehouse-style building with booths and tables for diners on the periphery. Private dining rooms are also available. Worn hard wood floors, exposed ductwork, and brick walls contribute to the atmosphere. The dinner menu consists of an eclectic mix of pasta, steaks, burgers, and other meat and seafood entrées.
Chicken & Sweet Potato Chowder

Pretzel Crusted Salmon with Dijon Cream Sauce
and (more!) Sweet Potatoes

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Billy Elliot

I found the soundtrack to Billy Elliot: The Musical in the summer of 2006. The show had opened about a year previous in London. I purchased the CD and found the music of Elton John fit well with Lee Hall's adaptation of his 2000 movie. The show opened on Broadway in the fall of 2008. A second American show opened in Chicago this week. I attended a performance during the first week it played in Chicago. I thought it lived up to the expectations - in fact, it is a show I'd like to see again.

The musical revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the UK miners' strike (1984–1985) in County Durham. Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's novel, The Stars Look Down, and the musical's opening song is an homage.


Saturday, March 13, 2010

Bait & Switch

Having read Barbara Ehrenreich's earlier book on trying to get by in America by working service jobs, I was eager to see what else she had to offer. Bait & Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream turned out to be a disappointment. In this book, Ehrenreich goes "undercover" and attempts to get a job in "corporate" America. The story she tells of employment coaching, job fairs, networking socials, and resume webposting is somewhat engaging. But she never seems to really be serious about getting a job for which she is not entirely qualified to do. As a result, the portrayal of her failed job search seems somewhat expected. She highlights the dejection of rejection, the deception of efforts put into dead-end seminars and coaching experiences. She conclude the book with what seems like typical talking points of how corporations neglect the humanity of employees.

Saturday, March 06, 2010

Wishbone - Chicago, IL

Wishbone (locations in West Loop - 1001 W. Washington Blvd.; Northside - 3300 N. Lincoln Ave.; Berwyn - 6611 W. Roosevelt Rd.) specializes in "Southern Reconstruction Cooking" (according to their website). I call it "tasty comfort food." Breakfasts are hardy; Po' boys and salads are served for lunch. Dinners contain the usual southern selections such as blackened chicken and fish, catfish, crab cakes, crawfish, black-eyed peas, collard greens, sweet potato, and fried chicken. The West Loop location is just down the street from Oprah's Harpo studio. The Northside location is nestled in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The newest location, in Berwyn, is along a non-descript somewhat gritty section of Roosevelt.
Turkey dinner with sides of green beans and sweet potatoes with nuts.

Colorful interior of Northside location.