Our good friends Ray and Lori Janevicius and their kids Shelly and Marshall just took off. Ray's my best friend from college days; he's a hand surgeon living and working just west of Chicago. Marshall is heading off to a sports camp for a week in Dubuque, Iowa, so Ray and Lori decided to come visit - and I'm so glad they did!
We had a surprise for them on Friday night. Our local Japanese grill, Kaji, had a special visitor: one of the sous-chefs from Nobu, the renowned Japanese restaurant in California. He wanted to prepare a special prix fixe tasting menu, so John and I took everyone for a seven course experience. The result was awesome: stacks of poached lobster slices on grilled sea bass; Masuzaka beef and foie gras; duck confit ravioli with quail; a stack of raspberries, white chocolate mousse, and mint glass paired with yuzu sorbet (one of John and my absolute favorites!); and a deconstructed chocolate cake.
Yesterday we headed for the Indian Creek nature trail where we found two snakes, tons of butterflies, and about two hours of fun outdoors. Last night everyone pitched in to fix grilled shrimp over saffron-and-tomato risotto and fresh strawberry shortcake with locally grown berries. (The berries are orgasmic!)
We did a quick brunch today. Lest you think it was all about food, we talked into the evening, hung out in the garden, and Lori and I traded gardening lore.