Tag Archives: Gibson’s

Awesome Birthday Traditions

7 Feb

I love this tradition (plus I love steak see here and here!) After hearing about this a couple of times, I decided all of you needed to know about it too.  Make this tradition your own!  There are so many ideas.  I share some of mine after the interview. 

I interviewed my friend, Sean Sivore and his son Aidan on their favorite thing to do on their birthdays:

Tell me a little bit about why you go to so many Steakhouses(how many?) – what is your tradition and how did it start?  I’ve always loved the experience at steakhouses.  The service and atmosphere are a big part of what makes a great steakhouse great.  My Dad loved great restaurants and since Aidan and I have birthdays one day apart, I thought it would be a fun “father/son” tradition to research the hottest steakhouses around and the two of us go to one for our birthday each year.  We’ve been doing this since Aidan’s 7th Birthday.

Musso and Frank Grill, Hollywood, CA – August, 2016

Now, let’s talk to Aidan.

Is steak your favorite thing to eat? Yes!

What are your top 5 steakhouses and why did you like them so much?

  1.  Bavette’s – Chicago, ILAtmosphere was a little like a bar (dark/quiet),  But the steak was so good, it didn’t matter.
  2.  Prime and Provisions – Chicago, ILSteak was perfect.  The atmosphere was awesome.  The bacon appetizer is off the chain! The service was the best of any steakhouse.
  3. Gibson’s – Chicago, ILFirst steakhouse I went to and finished an 18oz Rib-eye at age 8.
  4. Benjamin’s Steakhouse – New York, NYOld School looking steakhouse, but not that old.  Steaks were awesome.
  5. Chicago Cut – Chicago, ILCool steak place, atmosphere, and great food.

Do you order the same thing at all the steakhouses?   No, I usually order whatever the house specialty is.  When in doubt though I order a Rib-eye.

What is your favorite thing to eat? Steak by far 

Sean: This is a picture of our first annual “Guy’s Steak Night Out.”  This was before the ladies of the family started muscling their way into our tradition.  He finished the whole steak!

December 2012, Gibson’s Chicago

Prime and Provisions – Chicago, 2017 
Thanks, Sean and Aidan!  This is so much fun – what a great idea!  Here are some of my thoughts on how to make this your own.
  1. If steak is not your thing, make it sushi, Italian or even pizza!  Hit up your own city or travel.
  2. If food is not your bag, what about a class?  Take a class with friends or your S.O. on your birthday.  Learn something new every year on your birthday and keep track with a photo.
  3. Do something crazy out-of-the-ordinary every year on your birthday.  Research it.  Swim with dolphins, skydive, bungee jump, swim to Alcatraz * – mark the years you get older by something cool.  *scroll down to read about my mom’s close friend Nancy Moore and what a bad ass she is!
  4. Make it a point to travel to a new place on your birthday.  One year it may be a new town driving distance from you and another might be Europe!  Document it, write it down, snap it up.

Let me know what your traditions are for your birthdays!

taking off!

8 Jan

i’ll be honest with you – sometimes it’s hard not being a mom in a mom-filled world. there is a bit of that feeling of missing out on something. and i am. i get it.

but that is kind of superficial thinking because all moms know being a good mom takes more than just the desire to “be one”. so on the flip side of that feeling is the confidence of having made smart choices in my life- i’ve made a lot of them including waiting to marry the man of my dreams instead of “mr. maybe” years ago just so i could have kids. as i’ve said before, if the relationship isn’t right between mom and dad – it isn’t a good basis to bring kids into the world – crap rolls downhill as they say. it starts at the top.

i’ve also wanted to blog for a long time on why there isn’t a better way to bond with other childless couples other than using the word childless or DINK. both really kind of negative words, wouldn’t you say? i guess nothing has to be said but i wish there was a term that defined: happy/loving life and each other. why aren’t there resources for us, a way for us to bond? we have several couple friends who are very happy and don’t have kids. as i roll these questions around and come to no solid conclusion, something happened that jolted me out of my serious pondering:

road. trip.

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oh wait… two more…

last. minute.

yep, on friday night at about 7pm after i got home from work to a fire in the fireplace, a glass of wine waiting for me, ROF said to me “want to go to chicago tomorrow?” that would be a … yes. so we gave max to carla at the canine inn and hit the road. we roughed it. suite at the park hyatt, a bottle of plumpjack, tour of all my old condos and dinner thanks to chicago’s most wonderful socialite and personality and good friend, candace jordan (thanks candace!) at one of my dad’s favorite places in the world (and no reservations available for months) gibson’s steakhouse.

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we got home to b’ham sunday at a decent hour, did a little work and went to bed. i love my man and i appreciate our life as a DINK!

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