It has been a far-flung week for the Homespun Girls, who are thousands of miles apart and having all kinds of adventures. Someone was just asking me why I always have a really good time on every trip I take, even though most of those are for business. There are a lot of reasons, but I'd say the top of the list is: Thou Shalt Not Ever Eat in the Hotel Unless Too Sick To Move. Seriously, the food is pretty much always awful to mediocre, it costs way too much, and you deprive yourself of the many pleasures that are waiting right outside the front desk. If you get out and actually see where you are, you'll feel like you've been somewhere.
OK, that's perhaps a little too Zen. Here's an example: in Chicago, after hot-dogging it for lunch, I walked around the block and ran right into BackStage Bistro. It's operated by students at the Culinary Arts Program of the Illinois Institue of Art, and they are all apparently superstars. You sit in a chic space where you can view the theatrics of food preparation behind giant glass walls, and your servers know so much about the different choices, you feel you've been schooled in the tastiest possible way. Even better, you'd be hard pressed to spend more than $20, even if you order one of everything. There aren't a million things to choose from (I know many people find this especially refreshing) since they cook what's good and seasonal and on the syllabus. Wow, it was good, and I'm so glad I ignored the picture of Rachael Ray on the door and went in.
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