p.j. clarke's

date: november 10, 2005
bet: will mason imitate kermit the frog's excited dance in a public place?
stakes: lunch
winner: olive
loser: mason
destination: p.j. clarke's (302 east illinois)
cost: $45

olive: this bet takes some explaining. did you ever watch the muppet show? well, kermit (the frog) always introduced the acts. he would start announcing them like a normal person/muppet, but would eventually be consumed with excitement. this resulted in what i like to call kermit's excited dance: head back, mouth open, skinny frog arms flailing about, bouncing around side-to-side and shouting, "yaaaaaay!" to see just what i'm talking about, please click here.

when this dance is imitated by humans, it is just plain hilarious. i've been known to throw out the kermit dance when warranted, but mason wouldn't dare. too embarrassing, i'm sure. during our flat sammie's lunch, i dared him to do the dance in public, and he agreed. the terms were that it had to be with me at a public place like a restaurant or bar; performed while sitting down (it's really the only way to imitate it properly); and people had to see it. he had more than a week to complete the task ensuring several sufficient opportunities. but mason never delivered, making me a three-in-a-row bet winner (gloat gloat).

identity clue #3:


mason: right. so i didn't deliver, but in my own defense, i am quite admittedly an extremely forgetful person. even items as important as lunch bets with olive sometimes slip my mind, especially when there's something incredibly wonderful and distracting sitting in front of me such as, oh i don't, FOOD. so although i had three or four chances to do the kermit dance, the bet only actually came to mind once, and that was only because olive reminded me. at that point i still had plenty of time to win the bet so i figured i would hold out for a more interesting locale for which to commence frog-flailing (this particular lunch where i was reminded took place at corner bakery, whose food i love but whose everything else i hate).

so excuses aside, i must give olive credit for her betting strategy. she knows i'm forgetful and she also knows how silly i feel doing the kermit dance (yes, i've done it before, but only in the privacy of one of our own apartments and with the assistance of anywhere from four to 18 drinks). most importantly, though, olive managed to nab herself a third win in a row, which, as y'all should know by know, means that i'm one bet away from having to be her chauffeur for an entire week.

which brings us to this week's review -- p.j. clarke's. before i turn it back over to olive for her take on this joint, i will first say this about my experience. everything about this lunch (food, service, atmosphere, timeliness, affordability, and even lunch dining nuances such as how often your water gets refilled and how many napkins you're provided with) was PERFECT. i had the cream of cauliflower soup to start (which was infiltrated repeatedly by some dip-happy pieces of incredibly tasty bread) and the california wrap for my main course. the wrap consisted of chicken, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, avocados, mozzarella and a pesto mayonnaise that was out of this world, and it was served with a pile of fries that i couldn't have finished in three separate meals.

identity clue #4:



olive: i agree. this lunch was quite terrific from start to finish. to start, i ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream. it was quite chilly outside, and the hot cocoa was the perfect antidote. i LOVE hot chocolate, especially when it's topped with an offensive amount of whipped cream. apparently, the kind staff at p.j.'s was aware of this because they delivered a piping hot cup overflowing with the good stuff.

for the meal, i ordered the pesto penne pasta with shrimp, fresh mozzarella and asparagus. the shrimp was quite fresh and the asparagus was cooked just enough. the sauce was much richer than i expected (perhaps it should have been named buttery- pesto-cream penne), but it was quite delicious nonetheless. the dish came with equally pleasing garlic toast made even more palatable when dipped in the pasta sauce.

i was pleasantly surprised by this place. the photos on the outside of the restaurant depicting a bar crowded with business-types and one patron staring at the camera giving a number one sign, or finger-point, or something always made this place seem lame. but it's not, at least not for lunch.

note: the portions here are quite large, so you'll either leave quite stuffed, or with an awkwardly-shaped package of leftovers (can't a brotha get some handles?).