The Tempest and The Repast (Shakespeare at Navy Pier and Dinner at Valley)

Yesterday is right up there with the most perfect late summer day we've had in many years--maybe the most perfect ever.  The weather was glorious!  Sunshine and cool breezes.  We joined our friends, Jane and Jim, for our day at Chicago's Shakespeare.  The drive along the lake was a little slow.  Since we had allowed ourselves plenty of time, it was good to slowly drive past the lake front.  Fewer boats bobbed on the aquamarine Lake Michigan.  Folks were either out enjoying the calm waters or had already dry docked their boats.  Runners and bikers were participating in some event that we weren't aware of but enjoyed watching their participation.

We have had season tickets to Chicago's Shakespeare for close to twenty-five years.  While I prefer the tragedies to the comedies, I think the season opener of The Tempest may be the best performance I've seen anywhere!  Of course, having Teller of the famous Penn and Teller as the adviser for the magic in the play didn't hurt.  An added bonus was the wonderful Larry Yando in the role of Prospero.  In fact, the entire ensemble was wonderful.  Magic, music and comedy all came together and brought the entire audience to it's feet at the end.  What a performance for what is thought to be Shakespeare's final play!

We decided to come home and have dinner locally.  Valley Kitchen and Bar in Valparaiso was an easy choice.  Always delicious, the restaurant uses local sources as much as possible.  It was easy to recognize what my favorite farmer, Linda at LE Gardens had provided.  Her lovely produce appeared in some form on each of our plates!

We all started with a delicious and flavorful tomato soup.  We had a cup and, were it not for other dishes coming, could have eaten a bowl.

I can't remember the last time I (we) ordered French fries.  However, our friends mentioned how tasty they were as an appetizer.  And they didn't lead us astray on that idea.  Crunchy and redolent of truffle oil and showered with fresh Parmesan cheese, we made short work of the bowl while sipping on our wine.

The men ordered meat!  Andrew had a succulent pork roast and Jim opted for the Amish chicken.

I ordered the chicken taco appetizer as my entree and was treated to four flavorful treats.  Amish chicken in crisp shells were deliciously balanced with a sweet chile, basil, cherry tomato and pickled jalapeño sauce.  

Jane chose the pizza special.  We asked twice about the ingredients but were so eager to enjoy it that we forgot and were embarrassed to ask again.  I can tell you that chicken, corn, red onion and herbs were involved.

We returned home sated with the perfection of the day!