Happy Hundredth
Five Favorite Authors, Meals, Singers, Hoopsters, and Funny Photos
This is a special issue! Welcome to my 100th weekly newsletter. To celebrate issue number 100, each section is a Fave Five list: my five favorite authors, meals, singer/songwriters, basketball players, and funny photos. I hope you like the picks and pics.
We returned yesterday from two glorious weeks in Europe. I will cover our trip in detail in the next issue. After flying for 8 hours from Amsterdam to Detroit, I decided to stay up so that I could catch Chris Trapper’s show at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion, Michigan. Chris is one of my favorites — he performed in our living room on October 21, 2012.
His singing, guitar playing, and joking are as great as ever. After the show we greeted each other warmly. It’s great to have an ongoing friendship with such a talented performer and genuinely nice guy. He always ends his shows with Keg on My Coffin:
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Fave Five 100: Happy Hundredth
Awesome Authors (Anne Tyler, Ann Patchett, Ivan Doig, Jon Hassler, Nick Hornby), Magnificent Meals (Chez Louis, Ambria, Tru, Tapawingo, Tribute), Special Singer/Songwriters (May Erlewine, Ari Hest, Christine McVie, Steve Goodman, Linda Ronstadt/Bob Dylan, Remarkable Roundballers (Julius Erving, Steph Curry, Harry Rogers, Willie Smith, Caitlin Clark), and Punny Pictures (Hands Down, American Garfic, Shocked - Shocked!, High Hammock, Otter Banks).
Fave Five List: 5 Most Popular Issues of Fave Five
Most issues get 200 or more views. These five had almost twice as many, or more.
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Book Best Bets
Awesome Authors: My five favorite authors, with my favorite book written by each of them.
Restaurant Recommendations
Magnificent Meals: My five favorite meals of all time with a description of each. Sadly, all of these restaurants have since closed.
Chez Louis - This French bistro in our hometown of Clayton, Missouri was our favorite spot for an intimate dinner. On November 6, 1980, I proposed to Barb there, and she made me a very happy man by accepting.
Ambria - I read about this French restaurant in Chicago that offered a multi-course degustation. In June 1986 we took the train to Chicago with our friend Steve Israel and his wife so we could partake of the degustation. The meal was spectacular, with not one, but two dessert courses. The final one was passion fruit souffle, which we now associate with the birth of our twins nine months later.
Tru - We were in Chicago to watch our son Roger play basketball for Kalamazoo College against the University of Chicago. My sister Joan (who attended the University of Chicago her freshman year) and her husband Michael joined us at the game. Afterwards, the four of us were joined by Joan’s friends Linda and Barry Tusin for dinner at this much-touted restaurant. We ordered multiple variations of the tasting menu, and it was the most elaborate meal we ever had. The ambience, service, and food were unprecedented. For example, take a look at the caviar staircase:
Tapawingo - We read about this elegant northern Michigan restaurant and were eager to try it. While on vacation at Houghton Lake with our family in 1990, we made a reservation for the 8 adults to have dinner here, which was a 90-minute drive from Prudenville to Ellsworth. First, my parents decided to bow out. Then, one of my sisters did the same, followed by my other sister. Each time, Barb called the restaurant to reduce the number in the party by two. Finally, she called to say that it would be just the two of us. We made the drive, were greeted as the “ever-shrinking party of 8,” and had a wonderful experience.
The combination of the beautiful setting on a small lake, outstanding service, and exceptional food could not be topped. We returned to dine there many times, including a weekend stay in nearby Charlevoix when we booked dinner at Tapawingo on both Friday and Saturday nights.
Tribute - When it was announced that acclaimed chef Takashi Yagihashi had left Ambria in Chicago to open Tribute in Farmington Hills, and that Mickey Bakst, the former maître d' of Tapawingo), would assume the same role at the new restaurant, I was excited. When I learned that Tribute would offer a private chef’s table with a custom tasting menu, I decided to plan a surprise party there for Barb’s 50th birthday in 2002. Our friends Bill and Cora Sterling, Janet Johnson and Mike Rigden, Barbara and David Osher, Jeri and Kyle Johnson, and Kathy and the late Steve Carter attended a feast that was specially designed for the occasion.
It was a great place to indulge in an occasional high-end, fixed-price lunch. We also celebrated our 25th anniversary there in 2006 with the Oshers, Johnsons, and Carters.
Marvelous Musicians
Special Singer/Songwriters: Four of my favorite singer/songwriters, and a fantasy mashup of a phenomenal singer and a Nobel Prize-winning songwriter, with my favorite song sung by each of them.
Favorite female house concert singer/songwriter: May Erlewine - Easy
Favorite male house concert singer/songwriter: Ari Hest - A Fond Farewell
Favorite late female singer/songwriter: Christine McVie - Say You Love Me
Favorite late male singer/songwriter: Steve Goodman - City of New Orleans
Favorite female singer/male songwriter combination: Linda Ronstadt/Bob Dylan - When Will I Be Loved/Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
Sports Stars
Remarkable Roundballers: My five favorite basketball players and the teams on which I liked them the best.
Julius Erving - New York Nets
Steph Curry - Davidson Wildcats and Golden State Warriors
Harry Rogers - St. Louis University Billikens and Spirits of St. Louis
Caitlin Clark - Iowa Hawkeyes and Indiana Fever
Picture Puns
Punny Pictures: The five most-liked funny Facebook photos.
69 Likes: American Garfic
