Second annual Sardinian Lamb Jam @ Terzo Piano

My BFF told me about this event on Gilt City and suggested we go check it out. Although I've been to Terzo Piano before and was generally unimpressed, the event listed five Chicago area restaurants participating, so I figured it can't be too bad. Besides, it was offered at a significant discount, so off we went on one of the last cold days of Chicago. 

Upon entering, I was surprised by how empty the dining room was. Usually these food events turn out to be complete mob scenes, but this one was a breath of fresh air (literally, there was actually plenty of fresh air for all of us, as opposed to some other events I've been to...). After collecting our voting wine corks and wine glasses, we were unleashed on the five food stations. 

This was the second annual Sardinian Lamb Jam, where five Chicago restaurants each create a dish featuring lamb inspired by Sardinian flavors. There was also unlimited amounts of Sardinian wine for pairing with each of the dishes. At the end of the night, guests can vote for their favorite dish with their voting cork. Terzo Piano also graciously included a small buffet of cheeses to supplement the lamb dishes. 

[Chicago] Pysanka workshop@Ukrainian National Museum

The professional collection

I first heard about pysanka at the Chicago  Open House 2014, when I visited the Ukrainian National Museum in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood. To be honest, I was more excited about the ornate churches in the neighborhood at that time. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this little museum. The staff was super-friendly, and the collection was quite interesting. I have to admit I'm rather ignorant about that part of the world, so I learned something as I walked through the museum.

One thing that stood out for me was the collection of beautiful pysanky. I couldn't take my eyes off of the eggs with beautiful vibrant colors and intricate designs. So when I saw the signup sheet about future pysanka workshops, I jumped at the opportunity.