I know the NYC Orchid dinner hasn’t even happened yet, but I’m
starting to work on the Chicago one, during SNAG. So, first, start
planning to be there-- though I don’t yet know where, or when. Info
will be forthcoming. One thing I would like to know-- this is
Chicago, and it may be difficult to get a good dinner at a good
price. Is $45 too high?
Also, for those who have organized such events before, I could use
your input. Any suggestions or advice would be great.
I presume it would be ideal to stay within walking distance of the
conference hotel. How important is this? The Chicago Downtown
Marriott is in a pretty spendy area.
Kudos for stepping forward and organizing a Chicago Orchid dinner!
As to price, the Tucson dinner was $35 ahead of time or $45 onsite.
(Don’t know if any portion of that went to Orchid.) I’d be willing to
fork over (pun intended) $45 or $50.
How about Reza’s Persian Restaurant? There’s one in downtown Chicago
and one in Andersonville. They always have great food, are big
enough to accomodate large groups, and sure wouldn’t cost $45! They
have a huge menu with choices for the vegetarian as well as anyone
afraid of ethnic food. Lots of different grilled Kabobs (Hey!
They’re popular!) as well as elaborate, slow cooked Persian
specialties called Khoresh (like a thick stew served over rice.
There’s nothing comparable in American food: calling it a stew is an
insult).
Oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about their food…
I’ve been going there since they were a hole-in-the wall 4 table
restaurant (25 + years?), shortly after marrying my Persian husband,
and have never had a bad meal. Lots of dining awards from Chicago
magazine.
We have a date for the Orchid dinner at SNAG in Chicago-- Thursday,
May 25 at 7:30. The rest of the details are still in process, but
put the date and time on your calendar!
I know the Reza’s on the North side very well, though I haven’t been
to the downtown one. I’ll check into it! It’s nine-tenths of a mile
from the conference hotel-- not too bad a hike!
OK, folks, it is time to reserve your place at the Orchid dinner
during SNAG in Chicago.
The dinner will be Thursday, May 25, at 7:30, after the Kiff
Slemmons reception, so it doesn’t conflict with any SNAG activities.
The cost will be $35 per person, which will include everything
except alcohol-- you’re on your own for that.
I have narrowed the restaurant choices to two, and will settle that
in the next few days. It will be either Reza’s, as suggested
earlier-- that is Persian (Middle Eastern) food-- or Ben Pao, which
is Chinese. Most likely Reza’s, as they have been more responsive,
but I am happy to entertain opinions in the next day or two. Either
place, dinner will be served family-style, with meat, fish and
vegetarian options, no MSG. Reza’s is just under a mile from the
conference hotel, Ben Pao a bit closer. Add about a half-mile if you
are coming from the reception.
Both of these places have web sites, so you can look them up if you
wish.
If you need any other contact me at @Noel_Yovovich.
Please send reservation checks, made out to me (heh heh heh), to
Noel Yovovich, 2112 Grant Street, Evanston, IL 60201.
I look forward to getting together with you at SNAG, and at dinner!
I know it probably seems like a long time til SNAG, but you would be
helping me out a lot if you don’t wait, and send me your dinner
reservation as soon as you can. The more, the merrier! So get those
plans made, and send a check to Noel Yovovich, 2112 Grant Street,
Evanston, IL, 60201.
Your $35 covers dinner (appetizers, entrees, desserts, non-alcoholic
beverages), tax (10.5% in Chicago restaurants) and tip. You will be
able to buy cocktails, etc, separately if you wish.
The SNAG conference is rapidly approaching, so get your reservations
in for the Orchid dinner! Meet some of those people "in the flesh"
that you’ve been writing to and reading every day, and enjoy a
gourmet dinner at an elegant, delicious Chicago restaurant, Ben Pao.
Dinner will be at 7:30, Thursday, May 25, after the Kiff Slemmons
reception, and it does not conflict with any SNAG activities. The
restaurant is only a third of a mile from the conference hotel, and
the food is excellent. Dinner will include beef, chicken and
vegetarian dishes, with appetizers, entrees, (non-alcoholic)
beverages, dessert, tax and service charges all included.
Send $35 to Noel Yovovich, 2112 Grant Street, Evanston, IL 60201 to
reserve your place-- do it now!
There has not, as yet, been the flood of reservations for the Chicago
Orchid dinner that I anticipated, and I gotta say it is making me
nervous. At a certain point, I will become liable for the minimum
amount for the dinner, unless there are enough people, or I cancel.
We are not at that point yet, but I don’t want to be trying to figure
things out at the last possible moment. If you are planning to be
there, please at least email me (@Noel_Yovovich), then go ahead
and send your check ($35 to 2112 Grant St Evanston, IL 60201).
Thanks to a suggestion from Hanuman, I have arranged to be able to
accept PayPal payments for dinner reservations. If you wish to pay
by PayPal, using a credit card or your own PayPal account, email me
at Noelyovo@yahoo.com, and I will send you an invoice to pay. You do
not need to have a PayPal account to pay this way.
If you are not familiar with PayPal, it is a secure way to send
money-- all payments are guaranteed through them, and they are the
ones to process your credit card. I have personally used them for
years on eBay with no problems or complaints.
I can also accept credit card payments myself, through my own
merchant account, if anyone finds that more convenient.
It is just three weeks until the SNAG conference and the Orchid
dinner!
Please send your checks, or your request for a PayPal invoice, by May 15th if you wish to attend. Email me at Noelyovo@yahoo.com
for an invoice to pay by PayPal, or send a check for $35 to 2112
Grant Street, Evanston, IL 60201.
You need to pay IN ADVANCE if you wish to join in on this fun social
occasion, and meet face-to-face with other Orchid-lovers while
enjoying a delicious dinner.
The dinner will be Thursday, May 25, at 7:30 the Kiff Slemmons
reception and it does not conflict with any SNAG activities. The
restaurant is only a third of a mile from the conference hotel, and
the food is excellent. Dinner will include beef, chicken and
vegetarian dishes, with appetizers, entrees, (non-alcoholic)
beverages, dessert, tax and service charges all included.
Time is running out! The May 15th deadline is almost here.
It is just over two weeks until the SNAG conference and the Orchid
dinner!
Please send your checks, or your request for a PayPal invoice, by May 15th if you wish to attend. Email me at Noelyovo@yahoo.com
for an invoice to pay by PayPal, or send a check made out to Noel
Yovovich for $35 to 2112 Grant Street, Evanston, IL 60201.
You need to pay IN ADVANCE if you wish to join in on this fun social
occasion, and meet face-to-face with other Orchid-lovers while
enjoying a delicious dinner.
The dinner will be Thursday, May 25, at 7:30, after the Kiff
Slemmons reception at Ben Pao restaurant, and it does not conflict
with any SNAG activities. The restaurant is only a third of a mile
from the conference hotel, and the food is excellent. Dinner will
include beef, chicken and vegetarian dishes, with appetizers,
entrees, (non-alcoholic) beverages, dessert, tax and service charges
all included.
The date of the Orchid dinner is fast approaching, and those of you
who wish to come need to act on that wish right away. Response has
so far been so small that, if I don’t hear from a bunch of you in
the next 3-4 days, I will be forced to cancel the banquet and just
reserve a couple of tables (or cancel the whole thing?)
If you have asked for a PayPal invoice, you should have received
it-- please pay it.
If you are still holding off, hold no longer! Request an invoice
from me (Noelyovo@yahoo.com) or send a check for $35 to Noel
Yovovich, 2112 Grant Street, Evanston, IL 60201.
The dinner is Thursday, May 25 at 7:30, after the Kiff Slemmons
reception, at Ben Pao restaurant. It does not conflict with any SNAG
events. The restaurant is nearby the conference hotel. Your $35
covers all appetizers, entrees, non-alcoholic beverages (you can buy
drinks), dessert, tax and service. There will be beef, chicken and
vegetarian dishes, and the food at Ben Pao is excellent (my daughter
and I went and tried it, to make sure).
You have to eat that night anyway-- so, if you’re coming to Chicago,
join your Orchid friends for a fun time.
You’ve heard the phrase “speak now, or forever hold your peace.”
We have only 17 people signed up for the dinner-- 21 if people who
said they want to come bt haven’t paid come through. It would take
about 10 more to make this work.
Last chance. Email me right away, or it’s all over.
OK, so, I have cancelled the reservation with the restaurant, and
they have agreed, though it is not their policy, to give me back my
$300 deposit. Whew! So, either I can send everyone their money back,
or I can hold onto it and we can still go have dinner at the same
place either in the separate space or in the main dining room,
without the minimum charge-- they were very nice and helpful.
There are nineteen of us signed up, and maybe a few more would come
if it were a decide-at-the-last-minute thing. Unless I hear an
outpouring of sentiment to the contrary, I will send everyone their
money back by the same means paid, in a few days.
Personally, I’d still love to have dinner with any of you who would
care to join in. My suggestion is that I return the money, and y’all
can let me know if you still want to have a fairly intimate Orchid
dinner, and we’ll make a reservation for those who say so by, say,
Tuesday. That way, we can probably still accomodate last-minute
additions without the pressure. Sheesh! Anyway, see you all next
week in downtown Chicago!
–Noel
P.S. For those who have missed it, I know the spelling of my name is
misleading, but I’m female, and my name is spelled with two dots-- a
dieresis-- over the “e” and pronouncer “No-elle”.
I would still like to have dinner and to meet you. Are you doing a
show on Sunday the 28th? I think I saw that somewhere. If so, is it
near Evanston? I will still be in the area then, visiting my
daughter until the 30th.