Holy Shit was 2011 a whirl wind and an incredible year. I can't really recap everything but I will run through some of the highlights that come to mind while I look back on the amazing year while I celebrate my 40th Birthday in Jamaica with Christine. 2011 started out with PJ and I finishing our trip in Colombia and while we were away enjoying ourselves my good buddy Sol happened to have lunch with an old friend of his that he went to High School with and had not seen in about 8 or 9 years. Sol was enjoying brunch with Christine whom I had known about 15 or so years ago but mostly just as Sol's friend that I would see from time to time. While they were at brunch catching up they started talking about dating and what she was looking for and somehow the list of what she was looking for instantly brought my name to Sol's mind. Sol asked Christine if she would consider going out with Dave and she said Dave Jacobs? Your buddy Dave? Sol was like yes, you just mentioned all of his qualities. When I returned from Colombia a few days later Sol asked me if I remembered Christine and I would want to go out with her. Of course I remembered her and Yes I would be interested in going out with her. I totally remembered her and how cute and nice she was, I waited about a week and sent her a text and caught up a little bit and we made plans to go to Sunda for dinner January 19th... Christine and I had our 1st date 1/19 and since we knew each other from the past we were very comfortable right away and got together a few more times right away. Well all I can say is 2011 will go down in history as an amazing whirlwind that continues to be incredible almost a full year later. We took our 1st vacation to early March to Beaver Creek and got Engaged in Paris middle of April followed by a couple trips to Salt Lake City and then Turk and Caicos to pick a spot to get married on the beach. We decided that Mexico would be easier and more fun so we chose The Grand Velas in The Riviera Maya and we had an amazing beach wedding with 40 friends and family on August 6th. The following weekend we had the party of the year for about 130 people on the rooftop of my dads building that was so much fun with awesome food and friends and family and was beyond perfect. The whirlwind year included so much more than those few highlights. I started running quite a bit when Christine and I started dating and ended up running many small races. We ran multiple 5k's and 8k's a 10 miler and 6 1/2 marathons which I never even thought I was capable of running and to finish off the running season I Ran the Chicago Full Marathon and less than a month later I ran NYC Full Marathon with Christine. The year was full of dozens amazing meals at restaurants in Chicago, NYC, Colorado, Turks & Caicos and also Mexico. We went camping, apple picking, hiking, runs and Yoga. We spent the holidays in Salt Lake and New Years in Chicago with friends. We are now starting 2012 celebrating my 40th birthday in Jamaica and I now that 2012 is going to be an incredible year also. Outside of the amazing new relationship that quickly turned into an engagement and shortly after became a marriage I have had a busy year in many other ways. Lockdown has grown into exactly what we had hoped and becoming a favorite place for the neighborhood and all of Chicago. We are looking forward to spring and all the hard work to paying off. We have decided to open up a new dream of a late night hot dog stand serving a small but amazing menu. We are opening up Phil's Last Stand around the 3rd week of January and we are sure it will be a winner. I will be putting in a lot of time and love into PLS with Phil's food expertise and personality keeping the people happy and coming back. Well that is my end of the year post and even though I have missed many things that we dad and happened I know that 2011 will go down as one of the best years of my life and I am excited for the future and to continue living my dreams and making more of them come true. I promise to post more often this year and share a little piece of our lives Till next time

Spring can't get here quick enough and I am sick and tired of the cold and the short days. I mentioned a few posts ago that I have become a runner or better yet I am trying to become a runner. Over the last month I have started doing one of my life's most dreaded tasks and that is running more than a couple miles and I am absolutely hooked and loving it. My 1st run on the January 24th was 4.5 miles and in the last month of running a couple times a week for distance and interval work at the gym I just completed 7.6 miles at a little under a 9 minute mile this past Saturday. I have been working out like a champ and really getting addicted to the running and the runners high is a real thing. I can't wait for it to get warm outside so I can really enjoy it plus throw in some biking as well.

The last week has been very busy since I got back from India, I started with a run Saturday after I got home from India and Sunday was a full day that started with a 5 mile run with Christine and a great brunch at Zed451 and after getting shut out of Yogen Fruz since they were closed we went to Red Mango but it was just mediocre. Monday night since the weather so nice we decided to grill some Chilean Sea Bass and roasted some veggies plus enjoyed some amazing stone crabs from Dirk's. Tuesday I kicked ass with a 7 mile run and Wednesday was a fun night at the Black Hawks game followed by meeting Sol and a friend at Old Town Social Club for some cheese and wine.

Thursday night I went to dinner at Mastro's with my dad for my second time and it was as good as the first with PJ and Ari. We drank and enjoyed some amazing food that started with some Oysters and Tuna Tare Tare and my dad had a steak and I had the rack of lamb. We had our usual great time and got into a fun ball breaking conversation about racquetball and it got pretty heated in a fun way and we decided to play Friday morning to once and for all see who is better and of course he bailed with some lame text excuse in the morning. At the end of the night my dad decided to walk home so I decided to walk home also since it was so nice and enjoyed a 4 mile walk and a 60 degree night. The walk was great and I was feeling goo and in such a good mood and I stopped by Lockdown for a quick hello

This past weekend started Saturday with my longest run of 7.6 miles, we took a cab to Navy Pier and ran to the start of LSD one way which was awesome, besides some cramping under my rib I felt great. Had Toast for brunch and Saturday night we met Pete and Grace at Bob San for some Sushi followed by a visit to Salud Tequila Lounge which was really cool and gthe drinks were really good. Sunday was a busy day also that started with Bikram Yoga then a trip out to my new favorite Asian market H Mart which seemed better than the one in Arlington heights and much closer. After H Mart we headed to Evanston to see Biutiful staring Javier Bardem which was an excellent movie but not really what I expected and a tad long but very interesting and well done.

Lockdown is getting busier every week and we just had our best weekend yet and February is one of the slowest months in the restaurant business. Sol and PJ are kicking ass and we are looking forward to spring and getting more outside seating approved and set up. Busy busy and feeling great and working hard on some great projects for 2011.

Wow that was quite long.... Till Next Time!!!!!

Old Town Social Chicago

455 West North Avenue, Chicago 312-266-2277

www.oldtownsocial.com/

This was my second visit here and I love the design and atmosphere and the beer list is awesome.   I have not enjoyed a full meal here yet but the cheese and meat tray with perfect and we enjoyed with a glass of red wine.  The meats and cheeses can be chosen a la cart or you can go with the chef's recommendations.   The vibe of the place changes on Friday and Saturday night around 11PM  and turns more into a club  which is not my style but it is a great place to go before or after Second City or Zanies or just for a nice night out.

So the last few weeks have been busy and fun with lots going on. Took a trip to St Louis for Meredith's 40th B-day which was a lot of fun and even though the drive stunk a little but with Hoober it was well worth it to see Betsy and the kids and the party was a blast. I have been busy going out to dinner and enjoying the last few weeks with dinners all across the board from Moto 10 course tasting to Sunda and Hub51 and Mia Francesca's and a bunch of other places. Beyond my normal working out I have been working out with Sergio and actually getting into some running as well. I ran the furthest ever 2 weeks ago and outside for 5 miles followed by last Monday with 5.5 miles and this past Friday I did 6 miles at EBC on the track. I signed up for the Chicago Marathon and as much as I hated running, I am actually loving it and the feeling after.

Chicago had the worst blizzard last week on the last 3 years and LSD was shut down for 2 days and the Schools were closed but I made the best of it with a day at Alpine snow boarding. Overall things have been great with a few good movies and lots of fun. I am heading to India tonight for Navneets wedding and the actual wedding should be amazing but the trip is pretty hard for just a couple days in New Delhi.

Much more to write and share but will do when I get some time during this week of Solo traveling.

Got back from Colombia Saturday the 8th and right back in the flow of things,  the weather sucks and it is cold but what can you do.   Picked up Hoober Sunday morning and spent the day chilling with him, it was great to see him and he is huge.

The 2 week trip to Colombia was fantastic and we enjoyed every aspect of the trip,  This was different than most and we spent all our time in two cities and really settled in instead of hopping around trying to see as many places as we can in two weeks.  We spent 6 days in Medellin and 7 days in Cartagena and loved both cities very much.  We pretty much followed the same routine each day with sleeping late and waking up and getting some lunch followed by a couple hours at the pool or beach and we actually played tennis about 7 days and it was great to get some exercise.  Each day around 6 we would go chill in the room for a couple hours and then get ready for the night.  Every night we went to a new cool restaurant and had some amazing food,  we ate enough shrimp and different ceviches to last a life time.  We also had some amazing fish dishes plus some really tasty steaks during the trip.   After dinner each day we then went to different bars and clubs and drank and hung out and talked to people till late night and cabbed it back to the hotel to crash and get ready to do it again.

Everyone warned us that Colombia was dangerous and I have to say that it was not at all and the people were warm and friendly and we never felt uncomfortable or worried in the least.  I look forward to more trips to South America in the future,  Brazil is on the list plus Argentina and Uruguay and Chile being high in the list and of course my dream trip to the galapagos islands one day with the right person.  Some pictures will be posted under new galleries shortly.

Till next time

Well I am just going to do a quick post to wish everyone a Happy New Year!!!!  We are enjoying our last day in Cartagena, Colombia and going to play tennis for the last time on this trip.  We had a wonderful trip that started with 2 days in Bogota 5 nights in Medellin and 7 nights in Cartagena.

I just downloaded a new desktop blog editor for my Mac from the new Mac App store that just launched today and I am going to start posting way more often in 2011 so I don't forget so much stuff.  I will be recapping my travels and sharing some pics when I get home.

Look for more in 2011...  Tell next time

I really hate that it is getting dark so early but we were very lucky with some of the best October and November weather I can remember.  I really have enjoyed some nice fall days taking Hoober to the park and rollerblading and trying to savor it before we are knee deep in snow and freezing. I have been busy with the usual work stuff and spending some time at Lockdown but not much new going on with business and things are good.  Couple highlights from the last couple weeks would be a very fun party for Sergio's 40th and Krista did an awesome job putting together a very fun surprise party for him at Sub51 last Saturday night.  We all got there around 6ish and I brought a Harley Davidson cake that Krystin made that was really good,  Sergio was surprised and we had a awesome night of good food and the usual too much to drink and lots of dancing and fun.   Went to Mastro's for dinner with Ari, Sol and PJ and had a fantastic steak dinner and the place was as good as all the reviews I have heard.  Had a very nice dinner with my dad at Volare that was really good and it had been too long since the last time we were out. This past Saturday was the Chesterfield 4 birthday visit for Betsy's friend Kathy and it started with me picking up Betsy in Vernon Hills and getting to say hi to the entire Blieberg family and it was really nice to see everyone and Stacy's new baby.   After I picked up Betsy, we drove to meet the girls at the Signature Room for a couple drinks and then we went to my house to change and get ready.  We headed to Lockdown around 6 for dinner and drinks and had a fun time drinking wine and letting everyone taste lots of different food and even got the girls to do a few shots.  We hung out for a long time and my Dad and Janice showed up around 11 and we all went to Martini Club on Belmont and Central which is a huge amazing Polish Night Club owned by Kevin Killerman and a partner that Sergio got us hooked up at.  We got seated up in the VIP area and ordered some drinks and as the night went on we all started exploring and dancing and drinking in the different rooms.  We had a really great time and stayed till a little after 2am and then went home and crashed out.  Everyone was slow moving Sunday morning and I drove Betsy to the Bat Mitzvah party and then came back and went to Bite for brunch with the girls and then they hit the road. Well that is it for a little catch up.  I have some new Galleries up from Sergio's and the Chesterfield 4 night.  Till next time

We have hit a patch of the most amazing weather and it may be the best week of the year with blue skies and 75 degrees for the last week.  I have been pretty busy working and spending some fun time with Hoober since he got back from training and I moved into a new place 2 blocks from Lockdown on Haddon.   I love the new place besides not having enough closet space but the layout and loft upstairs and big deck plus fenced in yard is perfect for Hoober and I. Hoober has been enjoying the good weather with plenty of long walks, some roller blading and a bunch of trips to doggy beach.  I also took him to a very cool dog park in Libertyville I used to take Sabre to.  I have been spending some time at the bar with Sol and PJ and things are really starting to pick up and we are super steady with every week getting busier and better.  The food at Lockdown is the best and most consistent it has ever been and we are growing and getting better everyday. Couple great days over the last couple weeks with my friends and there kids,  couple good movies and a couple great dinner.   Went to a private dinner cooked by a chef I know at Bittersweet for 40 people and it was really good,  I also picked up a cancelation at Girl And The Goat while trying to get a table for next week and went with Sol and it was really good.  Well that is about it and I am hoping the weather continues to stay nice. Till Next Time

Well the summer is coming to an end and I really wish it was not and could use a couple more months but I do like the more comfortable weather.  Things have been very busy and hectic of the last few weeks and I am totally in love with Hoober and he is the cutest best Lab Ever.  He has been with me almost everyday while I am out running errand or hanging at Lockdown and is really really good and super smart.   The potty training is going pretty good since he is in the crate or with me an I take him out all the time,  he does make some mistakes in the house but not too bad. The quick rundown for the last few weeks is a really a lot of hoober time including the beach and a couple dog parks and a bunch of trips to Humboldt Park.   I have been to a couple good dinners but nothing too notable and have been spending some time at Lockdown with Sol and PJ.  Couple BBQ's with the friends at Pete's, Sergio's and was at Danny's this past weekend.  Went out to visit Nicki and her kids with Hoober and had a really nice night catching up with them Hoober had fun with their dog and a old HS friend Carrie Miller stopped by to share some wine and talk about old and new times.  We have a big wedding coming up this Saturday for Jamie and Colin and I am sure it will be a drunken crazy one with the crew that will be there. Lockdown was voted the Best Burger, Best Fries and Best Late Night Dining today on Citysearch Best of 2010 and that is a huge deal for us.  We are launching a new and improved menu this weekend and the food is the best it has ever been and we are working getting it perfect and consistent.   Sunday Hoober is getting picked up by a trainer and going away for 10 days and I am looking forward to having a super perfect well behaved dog and no more Sabre's in my life even though he was the best dog ever.   Well that is it till next time and will post more pictures of the Pooch soon

Wow I have been crazy the last couple weeks and have had no time to reflect or even try to remember what I have been up to. I am going to give a quick recap so I don't totally forget. I have been helping everyday at Lockdown and have had a crash course on how hard this business is and everyone that has said that was not lying. Lunches have been going well and getting busier and better and the online ordering has been great between Grubhub and our site. The food is getting better and better and Sol has been helping out with some much needed experience. I have been helping from doing deliveries to dishes to running to home depot with PJ to a zillion runs to restaurant depot. All fun and hard but also exciting learning something totally new. Ky is doing great with building out the online ordering system we plan on selling to other restaurants soon and we set up Village Pizza with a site and full online ordering. Ok enough work...... I have been super busy and drinking too much but also having fun. Quick rundown from what I can remember: Sergio put together a party at Casey Morans for Kate's 30th and we had a great time followed by a quick stop to Rockwood and then Pete, Grace and myself went to Lockdown for late snack of Mac & cheese plus burgers and some mussels. My dinner list the last week or so has been decent and in no particular order has been Perennial, Benny's Chop House, Sunda, Hub 51 and 33 On Wells plus a couple others. My sisters BFF was in town with a friend and we had a great night that started with dinner at LD with 4 bottles of my wine from house and Sol joined us for the last hour at LD then we moved onto The Violet Hour and somehow ended the night with scotch and chocolate Cake at gibsons wow crazy fun night. I am sure I am missing a lot but it has been crazy. Another big thing going on the last 3 weeks is I found the most amazing new place for my mom to live with some help from a friend. She is moving to The Park at Golf Mill and the place is awesome, it is like a cruise ship on land with so many activities and things going on each hour of every day. She is gonna have a blast and after 3 trips to check it out and me packing her condo up tomorrow she is moving in this Thursday and she is as excited as me. Well that is the quick catch up so I don't forget everything. Dining reviews coming soon from the last couple weeks. Till next time.