“Dude. You never update your blog anymore. WTF?” bitched one of my eagle-eyed friends the other day.

I tried to defend myself by pointing here and here, but all he shot back with was, “Yeah. You sent people to somebody else’s blog.”

What can I say. I’ve been busy. This soup thing has really taken off — which is great! — but has also turned out to require a lot more administration than anticipated.  (Anybody want to be my soup intern?)  I also had to spend some time last month trying to find work that pays money, which, to my great surprise, actually does still exist. And inauguration week was an delirious wash involving two 14-hour bus trips, one ten-mile crosstown hike, a diet of trail mix and beer, and about five (nonconsecutive) hours sleep in two days.

After the bus pulled back into Chicago on the 21st, and after catching a three-hour nap, and after soup night, I lit out for the northwest, to go hang lights for a show at the Viaduct Theater. It’s called The Art of Unbearable Sensations; it opened January 23 and is getting good reviews. You should come!

And if you do, you have to go to my new favorite restaurant, the brilliant 90 Miles Cuban Cafe.

(see, there was a point to all this . . . )

A tiny counter-service shack at the corner of Barry and Clybourn, 90 Miles has brought desperately needed food to an area whose other culinary options are chips from the vending machine at the gas station and beer from the Underbar. And not just any food. So far I’ve only tried the empanadas (one oozing fresh goat cheese, the other stuffed with a spicy mix of grilled veggies), a guajrito — marinated steak, grilled onions, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes pressed between two slices of plantain — and some dense and sweet bread pudding. But the other night a giant piece of pig stewing away on the stovetop was giving off such crazy, seductive smells that I’m already looking forward to next Saturday, when I can go back and try the lechon.

As a plus, everyone there seems to be ridiculously happy and nice, and the cafe con leche kicks ass. They’ve been open since August or so, but are already expanding; the owners signed a lease on a space on Armitage last month (according to LTH, the former home of Calvin’s BBQ) and are planning to launch an annex in March. 

In the meantime, if you are wandering the food desert of the greater Belmont-Western-Clybourn triangle, your salvation is finally at hand. Just, don’t forget they close at 8.