Lunch at Millennium Park
I wasn't sure I would ever get to Chicago this whole trip, but yesterday was a little warmer with a little more sun and a little less wind. My daughter had classes straight through from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
So I got on the el (shudder) and after an hour arrived at the Monroe stop and Millennium Park.
Let me say it was worth every minute of the el ride. Thanks for the encouragement, those who told me Chicago was actually a great city.
I did what I always do to prepare for a sightseeing trip, which is to say nothing, so I knew nothing about Millennium Park or what I was looking at. I can't wait to read up on it, now that it's too late if I missed something.
And, yes, there is food in this post. I actually ate in a Chicago restaurant. ...
I had lunch at the Park Grill on the edge of Millennium Park. One could say that the reason I had to wait 45 minutes for a table was location, location, location; but lunch was actually quite good: end-of-summer vegetable soup with "hand cut" pesto and olive croutons; a roasted squash salad with arugula, whipped Brie, apples, cashew brittle, and a red wine vinaigrette; and a glass of sangria.
Comments
Feeling stupid, but what is the large silver thing and who's portrait is on that bldg? Your lunch sounds great, it makes me want to make my fall curried squash soup. And, oh my, whipped brie! That sounds delish! (I have to stop saying that it's reminding me of Rachel Ray)
You have to follow the link and read about Millennium Park (those are two sculptures there), which I also haven't done yet. :-) EL
Posted by: Joyce W. | October 3, 2008 10:13 AM
El: I hope that, if you get back to Chicago, you will go to either Frontera Grill, or Topolpbampo, Rick Bayless's Mexican gourmet places. Both are great, the grill is a bit less formal. There are really tons and tons of great places in Chicago.
Posted by: earl | October 3, 2008 11:09 AM
I heartily second Earl's recommendation of Frontera Grill! (haven't eaten at Topolobampo, but I have no doubt it's also excellent) My friend, who grew up in TX, actually scraped the last bits of guacamole off the lettuce leaf it was served on, because it was so good she couldn't waste any (she bemoaned the fact that she couldn't just pick the leaf up and lick it clean). And the non-basics were just as good.
Posted by: KristinB | October 3, 2008 11:42 AM
Rick Bayless - is he the blonde guy on Public Television who does the Mexican food show?
Posted by: Eve | October 3, 2008 12:32 PM
Whipped Brie? It must be heavenly!
Posted by: Rosebud | October 3, 2008 12:46 PM
Yes, you were right. I have so much adult ADHD that sometimes, I skip lines in recipes (that I've made before) and left stuff out. I'd much rather have someone "cut to the chase" for me. But, I did my homework and it's very interesting. The big steel thing actually does reflect the Chicago skyline - I can see it now in your picture.
Posted by: Joyce W. | October 3, 2008 1:00 PM
Rick Bayless does have a show on public television. I do think that Mari Luna is just as good as Frontera Grill.
Posted by: Elite Elephant Lover | October 3, 2008 1:20 PM
That's high praise indeed, EEL, Rick Bayless is considered a Mexican food god by many. Has Mari Luna opened the new place yet?
Posted by: Joyce W. | October 3, 2008 2:39 PM
I'm sure Rick Bayless is an excellent cook, but his current TV show is awful!
Posted by: Hal Laurent, VoR | October 3, 2008 5:08 PM
Hal -- I agree that Rick Bayless is nothing special as a TV chef (his prior PBS series was also mediocre), but I wish somebody would pass a ban on TV cooking shows with chefs and their offspring, a particularly odious genre. Besides the current Rick Bayless and daughter series, Jacques Pépin did a series with his daughter a few years back that was equally unwatchable.
Posted by: hmpstd | October 3, 2008 6:06 PM
I didn't find Jacque Pepin's series with Claudine as annoying as Bayless' current series, but that might be because I really like Jacque and am willing to cut him more slack. At least his show pretty much stuck to the cooking angle, which can't be said for Bayless.
Posted by: Hal Laurent, VoR | October 3, 2008 10:24 PM
I don't know whether or not the new place has opened. I know it is high praise for Mari Luna to be compared to Frontera but believe me it is true. I base this on multiple dining experiences at Frontera though it was a few years ago. One thing I do remember is spending around $80 for one at Frontera and now my wife and I dine at Mari Luna for under $50. If anyone is ever in Berkeley CA try Picante for the best Mexican I have ever eaten.
Posted by: Elite Elephant Lover | October 4, 2008 1:46 PM
Hal, I understand where you're coming from. Every chef doesn't appeal to me either. From the beginning I used to call Emmeril "Lurch" (the butler in the Adam's Family) because he was so stiff and boring. Even when he became a "superstar" chef, I never could understand it. Now, Mario Batali on the other hand, kind of a weird show, but I just enjoy the guy, so I'm sure I'm more forgiving.
EEL - just got done reading the new "Smart Shopper". There is an ad in there saying the new place is now opened.
Posted by: Joyce W. | October 4, 2008 6:01 PM