(Photo: DoubleTree Hotel Chicago Magnificent Mile)


Here's something to look forward to in 2009: Market House.

Executive Chef Scott Walton, the former chef at the Sheraton and Magnum's Steakhouse as well as the head of his own catering biz, is excited about this new farm-centric concept going into the ground floor of the new DoubleTree Hotel in Streeterville.

We're especially excited about the menu, of course, which is following the trend of offering diners market-fresh dishes made with organic and sustainable veggies, meat and seafood. We got a taste of what to expect when Market House debuts in mid-February (they're shooting to open by Valentine's Day!), as Walton trotted out his twists on small plates, offering wild boar corndogs (wild boar sausage in blue cornmeal dipped in whole-grain mustard), toasted cauliflower hummus on herbed flatbread, and jumbo prawns accompanied by Bloody Mary sauce and avocado and horseradish cream.

Also new: Opened just yesterday is the yet-unnamed hotel lobby bar that's done up in chrome with a centrally placed fireplace behind the bar. Of course, Walton's had a hand in this project as well, particularly in the new handcrafted vodkas in seasonal flavors like candy cane, tangerine, citrus and vanilla bean. If you cannot make up your mind, just order them all in an infused vodka flight, served chilled, for $20.

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I took this book out of the public library after signing up with the Stitchin' Fingers Lace Makers group. It was written by Anne Kraatz and published in France by Editions Adam Biro in 1988. Pat Earnshaw translated the book into English in 1989. While I posted this review on my book blog earlier in the month, it really belongs here. So here it is.

Lace is an oversized hard cover book that would make a lovely coffee table book. Its 190 pages are divided by century. Beginning with the Sixteenth Century's openwork (removing threads from woven cloth and covering with buttonhole stitches), the origins and development of the lace industry are discussed. There are fabulous photos of the great laces of this era along with a discussion of their characteristics. During the Sixteenth Century, needle laces such as punto tagliato, reticella and punto in aria were common, as were bobbin laces and filet. Pattern books began to be printed but primarily without instructions because it was assumed that women knew how to use a needle. The main way lace was worn was as a large raised collar and as on the sleeves of dresses.

The laces of the Seventeenth Century became more masculine as men began to wear it also. During this era several Venetian laces came into prominance. They were point plat, gros point, rose point, point de neige and point de France. Bobbin laces such as Genoa, Flanders/Angleterre and Milan were prominant too.Again, there are detailed photographs of vintage laces from this era as well as a discussion of each type of lace. Note that after 1620 the ruff was no longer worn and was replaced with large flat collars turned down over the shoulders. Both men and women wore this style of fashion. Men wore deep cuffs of lace that concealed half of the hand.

In the Eighteenth Century, femininity prevailed again in the industry. Alencon, argentan and sedan needle laces were popular as were bobbin laces like Brussels, Bruges, Binche, Valenciennes, Mechlin, Lille and Blonde. More lace was needed in apparel because it began to be gathered, pleated and ruffled. Women for the first time began to wear more lace than men. Their headpieces were entirely made of lace and white lace was used to tone down the loud colors of their dresses.

The Nineteenth Century brought us Burano and point de gaze needle laces, while alencon, argentan remained in vogue. New forms of bobbin lace were created. Brussels applique, duchesse, cluny, chantilly and bayeux came into prominence and mechlin, binche, and lille remained popular. A new type of lace was invented in this century - machine lace. At first only silk and cotton were made. In 1883 a new technique was invented in Germany: chemical lace. After the motifs were machine embroidered in cotton thread on woven silk. Then the silk was burned with caustic acid or chlorine, which caused the motifs to be released from their supports. Regarding the fashions of the time, after the French Revolutuon lace fell out of favor. When Napoleon came to power he resurrected the industry by demanding that Imperial protocol required the wearing of lace by both sexes. It was during this era that the white lace wedding gown and veil were introduced.

The Twentieth Century is the final installment in the book. Because lace was used to an excess in earlier times, people turned away from it. In addition, women began to work outside the home and had no time to make lace. Lace, however, was resurrected in feminine underwear and in the 1970s began to be seen in haute couture. However, the demand for quality was scarce as machine made lace prevailed.

All in all, there are just under 200 photographs of which half are in color. Lace is a scholarly book with plenty of eye candy for the lace maker. It should be in every serious lace maker's home library.

In a few days I am going to put together my own personal glossary of lace terms. This will include each of the different laces and how they are made. It is more for my benefit than for anyone reading this blog because I can't misplace it.

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You can save up to $325 when you use priceline.com's Vacation Package service to book your hotel and flight together. The savings figure is based on an internal study comparing the price for travel for two passengers of booking a flight and hotel together using priceline.com's Vacation Packages to booking the same hotel and similar flight itinerary (same travel dates and origin and destination cities) separately on priceline.com. The Vacation Package price yielded a savings of up to $325 over the separate prices of the same hotel and similar flight itinerary. Vacation Package prices shown are per-person based on double occupancy, include round-trip airfare and hotel, and all taxes and fees. Vacation Package prices shown are based on availability over the last 21 days. There is no guarantee that Vacation Package hotels or prices will be available. Requests for same-day travel must be submitted prior to 12:00 PM local time in your departure city. See website for additional details.

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So Im at my fancy Chicago hotel where internet service costs $13+ per day. On Saturday afternoon, I was talking to my wife on the phone about the day. I tell her that I am waiting in line to talk to the hotel staff about a problem I am having with my room. Her response: "Did you stuff up the toilet?" I love my wife!

For the record, my toilet was fine unlike other trips I have taken over the years. Apparently, my upstairs neighbor decided to hang a shirt on one of the sprinkler heads. Not a good idea. When I returned to my room on Friday night, I noticed that the entryway was wet. The hotels assistant manager called me about a half hour later to see if I noticed the problem and offered to move me to a new room. Since it was already after 10:00pm, I had unpacked and it really didnt bother me (as long as I didnt walk barefoot or in socks to the closet), I decided to stay. The assistant manager said that housekeeping staff and/or maintenance would take care of everything the next morning.

When I stopped by my room after lunch on Saturday, I noticed that although my room had been cleaned, the carpet was still wet. Thats when I went to the front desk. When I returned to my room again even later in the afternoon, I found that the hotel brought me a fan. However, they didnt actually plug in the fan and the nearest outlet was no where near the entryway. I called the assistant manager again asking for an extension cord, and he said that he would handle it, which the hotel finally did at least two hours later. The fan is currently running, as it did all night, and the area is slowly drying out. For Fridays inconvenience, the hotel "comped" my room for a night. The free hotel room serves as justification for me to pay $13 for internet service, which is why I am sharing my story with you today.

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Rocker John Mayer had a concert just outside of Chicago on Friday night at the First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre in Tinley Park, Illinois. Although girlfriend Jennifer Aniston wasnt spotted at the show, that didnt mean she wasnt there!
After the show the two lovebirds cooped up in a posh Chicago hotel and werent spotted again until Saturday. Trying their best to be elusive, the couple secretly headed to one of Jens favorite Windy City restaurants for dinner, Mia Francescas in Lincoln Park.
The couple dined on a two hour long dinner, that went well past the restaurants usual closing time, in a private room upstairs. Check out the picture above that a Boots reader sent us of John and Jen swiftly exiting the restaurant into their chauffeured SUV!
They seemed really happy to be together, a source told us. But they werent very friendly or receptive to a few fans waiting to say hi!
Mayer and Aniston checked out on Sunday and headed to Colorado where John had a concert that night.
If you snap any photos of celebrities in Chicago or elsewhere, send them in to liz@lizcrokin.com.

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