Seems these days that everyone has a "Home Office." It's a spare bedroom turned into a workspace of some kind. But how many people do you know who have an "Office Home"? I might be the first.

You see, we are just about finished building a condo in Chicago that will house our expansion offices. Envision a private elevator that opens up to our conference room and seating area. Off to the side is the kitchen/catering area for meetings. What most would call their dining table for us is the conference table. The "great room" is a "great big conference room." Offices fill the rest of the 3000 square feet, and we have really cool panoramic skyline views from the twin roof decks.

So why the parking ticket?

I am putting together the whole office in less than 45 days. That means ordering every piece of furniture and coordinating deliveries from stores in Madison and Chicago and from just about every catalog that hits my mailbox. One Saturday I spent three hours in Rubin's Furniture in Madison. Michael, my favorite furniture consultant, was helping me search far and wide for what I need. I've done biz before with Michael and he knows I'm a serious buyer. Michael and I have a history. A good one.

At the end of my three hours, I was starving. I had had very little breakfast and no lunch. Michael was escorting me out of the store when his boss called from behind Michael's shoulder.

"Hey Michael, the meter readers have been checking parking today." Well, instead of just escorting me to the door, Michael walked out of the store ahead of me and then ran across the street to my car. He pulled flapping papers off my windshield and, without saying a word, started back to the store.

You guessed it. He had my parking ticket(s) in his hand. Now that's what I call furniture buying service of the First Class kind.

I can't wait to eat in the "conference room" and tell all of my clients and friends what a great guy Michael is. I hope it pays off for him over and over and over.

Speaking of First Class, here's a first class entree you can serve at your next party on your dining table/conference table or whatever you call it.

Barbecued Tenderloin Open-Face Sandwiches

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 filet mignon cuts of beef tenderloin (4 to 8 oz. each)
3/4 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
3 Vidalia onions peeled and cut into half-inch slices
1-1/2 cups of shredded white cheddar
1 loaf of focaccia (Panera's Asiago focaccia works great)
Olive oil
1 bag of organic greens prepared for salad
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Oil the grill so your steaks don't stick. Grill the tenderloins to your liking. (Approximately 4 minutes per side for medium on a grill heated at medium level. It depends on your grill.) During the last 3 minutes of grilling, baste the tenderloins with your barbecue sauce. Do the same for the onions. Put them on the grill at the same time as the steaks. Grill them alongside the steaks and baste with sauce.

Slice the focaccia in half horizontally so you have two "pie shapes." Then cut the pie shapes in half so you end up with 4 half-moon shapes.

Baste the cut side with your favorite olive oil. You can use flavored olive oil if you want; basil or pepper-infused olive oils work great. Grill or broil the cut side until it's lightly browned.

Put the bread face up on a cookie sheet. Cut the filet into 1/4-inch strips. Lay the strips, overlapping, side by side on the bread. Pile the onions on top. Put the grated cheese on top of the pile and put it under the broiler for just a minute to melt the cheese. While the cheese is melting, lightly dress your salad greens with olive oil and grate salt and pepper on the salad to taste.

Take the sandwiches out of the broiler. Use a spatula to transfer them to your plates. Pile the "salad" on top of the sandwiches and let it cascade down the sides.

Enjoy!