fullAnyway, I hadn’t seen Jim in months. He lives in Michigan, but his job compelled him to be in Chicago today, so he called me up and we had a late dinner. I thought The Twisted Spoke would be his kind of place and it looks like I was right – he loved it! All right, I was looking for an excuse to go there myself – we call that win-win where I come from!
I’ve been trying to think of a succinct image or two to let you know what kind of place this is. I think this might be it: The salt & pepper shakers are simply a couple bottles that began life with Rolling Rock beer inside them, only their caps have now had a few holes gouged in them to facilitate the dispensing of granulated condiments. The building itself periodically rattles from the L trains that pass literally just above the roof. You might think that such a place would be in a funkier part of town; but no, the Spoke is actually on North Clark Street in Wrigleyville, so parking is often a challenge. We counted ourselves fortunate to end up parking a mere four blocks away.
It turned out that Jim was quite the gift-giver tonight. To begin with, he was here on an expense account, so when the check came, he picked it up. Gotta love that! But he also had something quite wonderful to give me – a program for the 2006 American League Championship Series between the Detroit Tigers and the Oakland Athletics. It’s a beautiful thing, filled with articles, stats, and photographs; it’s over 200 pages long as a matter of fact! To top it all off, Jim actually bought this for me at Comerica Park in Detroit on the night the Tigers won the pennant! So this is a quality keepsake that will henceforth occupy a position of honor in my living room. Thanks Jim!
One last note about The Twisted Spoke – they have the best damn french fries in town. And it’s the kind of place whose atmosphere is commensurate with phrases such as “best damn.”
Edit — A tip of the cap to
meryddian for introducing me to The Spoke! 