The Windy City in April
Last weekend we went to Chicago for the Discovery Ball in support of the American Cancer Society. We used the opportunity to have a little get away. I am a big fan of the Kimpton Hotels and we stayed in the brand new Palomar Hotel. We were not disappointed the entire Staff was great and very helpful. First night we were there we thought we would try the restaurant Cafe Spiaggia (Classic Italian) owned by Top Chef Master Tony Mantuano. This restaurant has been permanently put on the map as President Obama's preferred date night restaurant. There are two parts of the restaurant the Formal Dining section and the Cafe, we went to the Cafe. The meal was very good but not memorable, it could have been what we ordered. The service was great the bill was reasonable I think if we had listened to the waiter on his suggestions we might have had a different taste experience. On Saturday after spending a full morning shopping on Michigan Ave. we found our self at Frontera Grill (Classic Mexican Food) which is owned by T
op Chef Master Rick Bayless. During our walk to the restaurant we had heard how difficult it was to get in (usually a 1 hour+ wait) and we had heard that the service was a little indifferent. We were surprised, we walked in and after 5 minutes were able to get seats for 2 at the bar and had a spectacular lunch. I had a duck dish that was combined with mango and chiles my wife had these little street tacos that were garnished with egg, chorizo and beef. Our server who was also the bartender gave us great service and provided some great suggestions. Sunday we decided to take the recommendation of an acquaintance and tried Le Colonial Restaurant (French Vietnamese) on Rush Streetthis was a great suggestion no Food Network stars here but the food and service were memorable. The Sunday Manager was awesome and the waitstaff could not have been better. The Pho soup is terrific and the entrees are even better. I had a deconstructed pork spring roll which was an entree and my wife had a great Duck Curry. Well we came away from Chicago with 3 good food experiences, we hope you try them and provide your feedback.
op Chef Master Rick Bayless. During our walk to the restaurant we had heard how difficult it was to get in (usually a 1 hour+ wait) and we had heard that the service was a little indifferent. We were surprised, we walked in and after 5 minutes were able to get seats for 2 at the bar and had a spectacular lunch. I had a duck dish that was combined with mango and chiles my wife had these little street tacos that were garnished with egg, chorizo and beef. Our server who was also the bartender gave us great service and provided some great suggestions. Sunday we decided to take the recommendation of an acquaintance and tried Le Colonial Restaurant (French Vietnamese) on Rush Streetthis was a great suggestion no Food Network stars here but the food and service were memorable. The Sunday Manager was awesome and the waitstaff could not have been better. The Pho soup is terrific and the entrees are even better. I had a deconstructed pork spring roll which was an entree and my wife had a great Duck Curry. Well we came away from Chicago with 3 good food experiences, we hope you try them and provide your feedback.