My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, & I’m in Therapy

North Shore Center for performing Arts – 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL 60077 – https://northshorecenter.org

Hilarious family and all the people in his life whose sole purpose is to drive him into therapy … and they succeeded! One part lasagna, one part kreplach, & two parts Prozac, you don’t have to be Italian or Jewish to love this show. All you need is to know what it feels like to leave a family dinner with heartburn & a headache!

Come meet Uncle Willie, Stuttering Cousin Bob, Demented Cousin Kenny, Steve’s new therapist Cousin Sal (and Sal’s parole officer) and a myriad of astounding characters we know, love and tolerate from our own families; each one brought to life on stage by Steve using his gift for creating voices dialects & wacky sound effects that only add to the hilarity of each story.

Variety says “Steve is Alan King, Billy Crystal, a smidgen of Don Rickles and George Carlin all thrown in,” while WOR Radio calls the show “an hour and a half of laughter, hysterically funny!” Having headlined throughout the United States and Europe for over twenty years, Steve’s stories relate to the wacky side of the human condition.

Literally hundreds of thousands of people have seen this award-winning show. This is a “don’t miss” evening of hilarious comedy at its very best. Spend an evening with Steve in his quest to defend himself against those people whose sole purpose in life is to add chaos to his.

Q-tips say: This was a one man show. We did enjoy it. Also enjoyed dinner at Gino’s N afterwards and one of our favorite bartenders, Joe, was tending bar that night.

To be fair, “Italian/Jewish/Therapy” has some funny stuff in it. It is filled with mild “G” rated potty, genital, and ethnic jokes presented in two acts as a ninety-minute-one-man show. For any actor, it must be tough to be exposed like this doing comedy with no support for that long.

While many find it a heartwarming and funny experience, others might find its humor outdated or even offensive. 

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The Residence

132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective. One disastrous State Dinner. The Residence is a screwball whodunnit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion.

Q-tips say: Mr. Q enjoyed this more than Mrs. Q.

This series was a suspenseful, complex, funny epic. Overall, The Residence isn’t for everyone, and if you don’t mind piecing things together on your own, it might be worth the watch. There’s also a lot of repetition—phrases and quirks that might land once, but get reused to the point of being tiring. Some scenes feel silly or unrealistic, like detectives dramatically rushing through a garden after finding a clue that ultimately leads nowhere. First of all, why would there be pressure to solve the cause of death before any autopsy or forensic analyses were conducted? No blood spatter, or, more likely, no pool of blood? What little blood evidence that was found was never examined, just noted, then cleaned up without any lab results revealed.

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Big Jones -7/9/25

Photo of Big Jones - Chicago, IL, United States. Cute Font

A Southern, Breakfast & Brunch Bar – Breakfast from 11:00 till 2:00. Indoor/outdoor dining.

Happy Hour – Every Monday – Friday from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

5347 N Clark St Chicago, IL ., (773) 275-5725, bigjoneschicago.com – a few doors down from Calo’s. Big Jones offers: Wine/Beer/ Full Bar/Tea

Both Q’s had: their Happy Hour $5.00 light Beer – Dovetail Kolsch.

Shared the Cornbread.

Both Q’s had: I had the Fried Chicken (Dark Meat) – One thigh and one leg, gluten free and fried crisp in canola oil, served with red beans and rice, sweet potato puree, sweet chili sauce. Gluten free.

Fried Chicken
Corn Bread
Crawfish Etouffee
Photo of Big Jones - Chicago, IL, United States
Beignets served only at Brunch
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Poker Face

A mystery-of-the-week series following Charlie Cale, who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road in her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but solve. Guest stars are plentiful throughout, from Ellen Barkin and Adrien Brody to Luis Guzmán and Chloë Sevigny. An inverted detective series, also known as a “howcatchem” and popularized by “Columbo,” the crime and perpetrator are shown at the beginning of each episode, and follows Charlie as she tries to solve the mystery. Peacock

Q-tips say: We watched several episodes but we were really not thrilled about Poker Face. There was only one episode that was good but the rest, just so so. But once you realized every episode would be the same, it’s predictable and almost belittles the intelligence of the audience. But if you’ve seen one of them, you’ve really seen them all, which is an insult to intelligent people everywhere. They better change it up. Because – Yawn.

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The Bear

A young chef from the fine dining world comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after a heartbreaking death in his family. A world away from what he’s used to, Carmy must balance the soul-crushing realities of small business ownership, his strong-willed and recalcitrant kitchen staff and his strained familial relationships, all while grappling with the impact of his brother’s suicide. As Carmy fights to transform both the shop and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges kitchen crew that ultimately reveals itself as his chosen family. series –Disney+ Hulu

Q-tips say: Yes, we did enjoy this series “The Bear.” Enjoyed the scenes of Chicago, restaurant cooking & it also delves into the personal lives of the workers. A tad bit of cursing but nothing we have not heard before. Well written, well shot, the characters have depth and are complex on every level. The Bear tells a compelling story of human struggle, relationships, and the unpredictability of life.

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Shaw’s Crab House 6/29/25

SHAW’S CRAB HOUSE 21 E Hubbard St | Chicago, IL 60611 | (312)527-2722 –

Photo of Shaw's Crab House - Chicago, IL, United States. SHAW'S

http://www.shawscrabhouse.com 

A wonderful Anniversary Dinner at Shaw’s.

The Q’s shared: a Dozen oysters.

Mrs. Q had: Maker’s Mark Old Fashion & the other half had: A Maker’s Mark Manhattan. 

Mr. Q had: Lobster Bisque soup.

Mrs. Q had: a cup of Lobster Bisque soup.

Dinner:  Both had: Delicious Sauteed Soft Crabs.

Q’s Shared dessert: Shaw’s treated us to Creme Brulee for our anniversary celebration.

Shaw’s has some of the best Oysters/Clams.  Fresh, Fresh & Fresh were the Oysters, delicious Bisque Soup, bread & dinner entrees.

Q-Tips say: Shaw’s is one of the best Seafood, Sushi & Steak Restaurants around Chi-Town. You don’t find Seafood any fresher than at Shaw’s. Mrs. Q says:  It is one of the BEST restaurant not the least expensive – but worth every penny.  And we don’t have to “Shuck” our own Oysters. Best Lobster Bisque Soup and awesome Sautéed Soft Shell Crab when in season.

Mrs. Q says:  The downtown area was humming with many people out and about enjoying the beautiful Gay Pride festivities, dining & shopping scene in Chi-town.

                                                                   Delicious bread.

Oyster






Lobster Bisque
Creme Brulee
Sauteed Soft Shell Crabs
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A Dog’s way home –

As a puppy, Bella finds her way into the arms of Lucas, a young man who gives her a good home. When Bella becomes separated from Lucas, she soon finds herself on an epic 400-mile journey to reunite with her beloved owner. Along the way, the lost but spirited dog touches the lives of an orphaned mountain lion, a down-on-his-luck veteran and some friendly strangers who happen to cross her path.

Q-tips say: YES, we did enjoy this movie.

The movie was so sweet and told a great message for all about loyalty & compassion. A Dog’s Way Home is a wonderful adventure story of Bella’s journey, which has both very sad and very happy moments. Dog lovers will get all fuzzy and warm watching this pooch embark on a 400-mile journey to get back home to her beloved owner.

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Elizabeth’s Gift

When child dies tragically of a rare heart condition, her grieving parents are left to pick up the pieces. In a sequence of events influenced by faith, they are guided to a homeless girl, and a battle ensues to reunite and heal as a family.

Q-tips say: Yes, we did enjoy!

This is a story of faith and renewed hope and the characters face some close calls as they make their various journeys. Ultimately the question is asked: is Elizabeth helping the family out, even though she is gone? It was such a beautiful movie. Very touching movie. In the movie you can tell that the parents loved and miss their child very much! It was very well done. 

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The Wild Robot

The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot–ROZZUM unit 7134, “Roz” for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling. netflix –

Q-tips say: Yes, The We enjoyed The Wild Robot. Watch it! It is a good family fun movie to watch.

A Fun movie with a great message & wholesome and beautifully animated. Nominated for Best Animated Movie. It was a very good story about the misfit that gets accepted and finds love.

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Widow’s Game

When a man is found dead, the investigation shatters his widow’s perfect facade and exposes a hidden double life.

Q-tips say: Beginning & ending were ok but the rest of the movie was nothing but underwhelming. Middle of the movie was nothing but various sex scenes. Can’t really suggest watching it.

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