2016.03.20 // Chicago, IL

After a more-ambitious-than-anticipated dinner the previous weekend, we decided to make March 20th a push on multiple fronts - more courses, more serious plating, and more guests.

Significant misadventures with the plexiglass markerboards not withstanding, we did get our kitchen menu board up and running and used it to track timings into the evening.

I found it surprisingly helpful to have the menu laid out for reference in the kitchen, especially once we were midway through courses; looking forward to getting the rest of the markerboards up in the apartment to manage...the rest of my life.

Yes the bottom corner is broken.  Yes it's because of an incident involving a blowtorch, a wayward drill bit, and carelessness.  No, I don't want to talk about it.

Yes the bottom corner is broken.  Yes it's because of an incident involving a blowtorch, a wayward drill bit, and carelessness.  No, I don't want to talk about it.

This rug was never meant to be white.

This rug was never meant to be white.

Strong handiwork work by Seth

Strong handiwork work by Seth

After a small army of afternoon support we ended up with enough snacks and appetizers to feed everyone without the rest of the dinner, but who doesn't enjoy premium cured meats and crackers?

Prepping in the kitchen with close friends (even when that prep includes cleaning a metric ton of mussels - thanks Cam/Sara!) continues to be one of my favorite parts of any event.