Judy & I took a trip down to Chicago last weekend. If you’re not familiar with it already, I cannot recommend Priceline.com enough - especially if you’re doing a quick more-or-less unplanned getaway. We were able to score a nice room at the Hilton on Michigan Ave., across from Grant Park for cheap, cheap, cheap. Which left us with more money to spend on food…
The Gage
24 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 372-4243
After walking through the parks and searching for a lunch spot, we settled on a friend’s recommendation to try this place. Didn’t see much of the interior outside of the bar - we ate at a table out front on the sidewalk. Great beer selection. I had a Scotch Egg for a snack, and followed that up with the Beef Brisket Sandwich. The egg was, well, a Scotch Egg - served over greens with a dollop of dijon mustard and a generous amount of a mild stone ground mustard on the side. The sandwich was served open-face, topped with a swiss cheese - and could have served both of us with some to spare. Judy had a cup of their Lobster Bisque and a Whitefish Sandwich. Bill was a bit on the high side, but the portions were ridiculously large.
Mercat a la Planxa
638 Michagan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 765-0524
We were completely exhausted come Saturday evening, and didn’t feel like venturing out too far for dinner. Luckily, this newish Tapas-style restaurant was literally across the street from the hotel. I had planned on having a light dinner - maybe a salad or something - but changed my mind when we got the menus. Again, we sat outside on the sidewalk. Partially because it was busy inside and we had no reservations, and partially because the reviews I read mentioned that the place gets kind of clubby and loud at night. We never made it upstairs to the dining room, so I can’t say if that was the case or not. We ordered 6 dishes to share: Croquettas de Jamon, Truita de Patata con Espinica, Arroz con Cangerjo, Colcots, and Grilled Scallops a la planxa. Everything was delicious, and I would absolutely give it another try.
Orange
3231 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 549-4400
The fellas and I had brunch at this place twice while we were in town for Lollapalooza this summer, and I was anxious to go back. The Orange Coffee is a nice twist, and there are probably 10 things on the menu that I would try, given the chance. I had planned on revisiting the Chai Tea French Toast, but decided upon the Caprese Benedict. Judy had the Omelette #11.5 - for the life of me, I can’t remember what was in it. Washed it all down with some fresh-squeezed grapefruit/lemon juice, which was a great improvement over my last attempt at tomato-celery-ginger juice. Already looking forward to my next trip back.
Comments
One Comment
If I remember correctly, the omelet 11.5 was filled with grilled onions and mushrooms, tomato and brie topped with an avocado mousse. It was delicious.
Posted October 9, 2008 at 12:29 pm by Judy .