I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille

There's a local show, here in Chicago, that's kinda taken public television by storm. It's called "Check Please", and it began quite unnoticed in 2001, but soon took off. Today, we often check the Check Please website, before choosing a new restaurant... and I know that there have been spin-offs in other areas of the country as well.

The show is successful, because the concept is simple, straightforward and elegant. Three normal Chicagoans, each week, would choose their favourite restaurants in the Greater Chicagoland area, and all three would review the restaurants, while sitting at a table, often drinking wine with Alpana Singh (Check Please's personable host, and professional sommalier).

When the show was brand new, he realized he needed willing guinea pigs to appear on the show... and for one of their first shows, David Manilow (the show's created and producer) called upon his good friend, coincidentally, an Illinois state senator, Barack Obama. Obama chose Dixie Kitchen & Bait Shop as his choice, a down-home southern food rrestaurant (excellent choice, in my opinion)... and his fellow reviewers chose LeBouchon in Bucktown, and Zia's Trattoria in Edison Park.

The episode was shot in 2001 and promptly shelved. It was never aired. Why?, you might ask... was it shelved, when they went out of their way to ask Senator Obama to appear? Was Obama a poor television presence? Did he not play well with others? Was he abrasive, unkind?? What?

Well, we're about to find out... On Jan. 16—when it will air as the program's 100th episode. Why did they wait almost eight years? According to the shows executive producer, he remembers Obama's debut as a restaurant critic, and at the time, the show was still being tweaked... it had Amanda Puck as a host, and the Senator was a little too good... a little too thoughtful and a little too articulate and good on camera. As you might imagine, knowing what we know about him today, he ended up dominating the conversation.

Manilow said "it was unbalanced, to put it charitably".

Well, we'll have our own opportunity, at least here in the Chicago area, to judge that for ourselves, when on January 16th, that 2001 show will finally air (I'm sure much to the joy of the other two reviewers who probably felt a bit cheated that they never got their 15 minutes of fame.... they've probably been telling friends for years.... "I once did a check please with president elect Barack Obama"... which I'm sure was met with "riiiiiggghhhhht", by their friends.... "so how come nobody has ever seen it?"... well, they're about to.)

I know my DVR will be set to record.