The Pump Room

Our next Restaurant Week meal was at The Pump Room in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago. This restaurant was originally established in 1938 and has served lots of celebrities over the years.  Natalie has heard about it for a while and wanted to try it.

Appetizer
- salmon, crispy sushi rice and chipotle aioli
- roasted carrot and avocado salad, crunch seeds, sour cream and citrus vinaigrette
Both of the options were tasty but we just wish there was more of them.  The salmon (as you can see from the picture) was just two sushi size pieces. Both dishes were inventive and different than the typical sushi or salad.

almon with crispy rice

Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad

Main

Salmon with Broccoli Rabe

- slowly cooked salmon with broccoli rabe, ginger-chili vinaigrette
- lamb chops, mushroom bolonese, broccoli rabe and chili oil
The main dishes were good; but we enjoyed the appetizers a lot better. Again the salmon was super small, especially since we wanted to split it so we both could try it.


Dessert
- sundae, salted caramel ice cream, candied peanuts and popcorn, whipped cream, chocolate sauce
Nice dessert with a lot things going on with it.  The combo of the ice cream flavor itself with the peanuts and popcorn was unique and now we have new items to add to ice cream sundae bars.

Lamb Chops

Ice Cream Sundae

Final thoughts on The Pump Room:
Food - the food was great and we had lots of unique dishes but the salmon dishes (both appetizer and main) were extremely small considering a restaurant week cost of $44 for the fixed course meal. When we ordered the server kept asking if we wanted to order more food - we understood why when we saw the size of the dishes. We left feeling really hungry. It was just a really low value for the food itself.

Service - we felt like we could have had things explained a little better.  Instead of the server prodding to see if we wanted to order more, she could have explained that the courses were small.

Atmosphere - the space itself is very interesting, lots of orb lights floating above.  The Pump Room is attached to to a hotel.  The hotel changed management a few years ago and the Pump Room changed a bit at that time. Overall it is a bit pretentious feeling though. Maybe for us it that whole feeling started with where this is located.  The neighborhood is mostly residential and therefore all of the street parking is by local permit only.  So really it is only valet parking only in the few blocks surrounding the restaurant.  If it had been summer we would have found another parking place a few blocks away that didn't have to be valet.  So this combined with the low food value ratio just caused us to be disappointed. We wanted to enjoy this experience but were left feeling bad about "wasting" a Restaurant Week dining experience here.

Sixteen

Pretzel bread

Right after Christmas we went to lunch at Sixteen in the Trump Hotel to celebrate Natalie's parent's 40th wedding anniversary. There were six of us and we were seated at a round table overlooking a magnificent view of Chicago (since the restaurant is on the sixteenth floor of the building).  We have been to the top of the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Tower but this offers a very unique view of the city.

View of the top of the Tribune Tower & the Wrigley Building

Pumpkin Soup

Burrata and Beet Salad

Pumpkin soup - with Parmesan, balsamic and pepita.  This cream based soup was super indulgent.  In addition to the pepitas (pumpkin seeds), there were very small chunks of pumpkin in the soup.



Burrata and Beet salad - with walnuts and arugula.  Nick was hoping for more beets than burrata.  But Natalie loves the Burrata (soft cheese).

Maine Lobster Roll and Waffle Fries

Maine Lobster Roll - with lemon mayo, romaine and New England bun.  The lobster roll had a crisp and clean taste, not fishy or slathered in mayo.  Each flavor had its time to shine.

Venison Ragout - with red cabbage and root vegetable.  This dish was tender and not gamey. The potatoes were served almost like spaetzle would be served at a German restaurant.  The dish was also served presented in a pot.


We shared a bouche de noel - cake roll with chocolate and cherries.  It was good but Nick was hoping for more sweet flavors.  The tart cherry flavor was more dominant.

Non-alcoholic cocktails

We also had non-alcoholic cocktails with our meals.
Mango Refresher - mango and ginger puree, lime juice and soda.  The drink was sweet and tasted like smoothie without that consistency.
The Lemon Basil Soul Cleanser was very aromatic (like a good kick to the senses).  The basil cut the tartness of the lemon.

Venison Ragout

Final thoughts on Sixteen:
Food - We enjoyed our food and even got to try a few tastes of other plates on the table.  It seems like the dinner menu is quite different with a fixed price meal.  We were happy with the choices but it certainly does have a limited menu. 
Service - really excellent, the waiter was super patient in taking pictures of all of us from all angles to get the amazing view. They did a great job of making the wedding anniversary special, including a special dessert.

Atmosphere - this is definitely one of the nicest setting for a restaurant.  It is located on the 16th floor of the Trump hotel so it has great views of city, especially close views of the clock on the Wrigley building and the top of the Tribune building with its flying buttresses.  It would be a great place for a romantic dinner as well and we went at lunch but if would be fun to see it at night with all of the buildings lit up. Also all of the Christmas decorations were still up in the hotel lobby and one of the elevators up to Sixteen was decorated as the Gingerbread Express which was a lot of fun.

Bouche de Noel



Train in the Gingerbread themed elevator

Cured salmon and beets

Salmon Tartar

Duck Confit

Fake fireplace in the elevator

Condiment platter that came with lunch



Tallgrass

Amuse Bouche - Crab cake

We went to dinner at Tallgrass in Lockport.  It has been featured on Check Please and is generally known as one of the few fine dining establishments in the southwest suburbs.  It is located in downtown Lockport, which is far away from us, so it would be way far away for those who live in Chicago.

Potato that accompanied steak dish

The menu is set up in that you have a fixed price course meal (you cannot order any items a la carte).  You can choose to have 3, 4, 5 or 7 courses.  We chose the 4 course meal.  Basically of all of the items listed on the menu you can choose what you want as part of your courses and in what order.  You also designate one of the items as your main course, and this course is a slightly larger size and the other courses are more appetizer size.

Before the official first course we had an amuse bouche of a small crab cake. It was buttery and sweet as crab was in season.

First Course:

Soup Trio

Soup Trio: Squash/ Leek, Red Pepper/ Eggplant, Parsnip / Apple - all three soups were combined in one bowl.  They are 3 different colors so it looks like strips in the bowl. You could taste the distinct flavor of each soup. The red pepper soup had a warmer flavor. The parsnip/apple had a sharp note to it.  The squash/leek soup was sweet.

Asparagus, Feta, Endirve Sweet Red Pepper Panna Cotta

Asparagus, Feta, Endive, Sweet Red Pepper Panna Cotta, Hazelnuts, Chive Oil - This dish was amazing.  We have never had savory panna cotta but it was delicious.  Everything tasted great together.



 

Second Course:

Three Cheese Ravioli, French Onion Soup, Buttered Crumbs and prosciutto.  We expected a bit more french onion soup, but it was perfect size for a coursed meal.  The onions were sweet and although the ravioli were in the soup it didn't make the pasta soggy. 

Three Cheese Ravioli

 

Wild Diver Scallops, Chorizo Pilaf, Crisp Garlic, Piperade Shot,Lemon Butter - The scallops and rice pilaf were a nice combination.  The rice was a bit spicy due to the chorizo, but it certainly made us like rice pilaf better than normal.

 Third Course (main course):

N.Y. Strip, Fresh Herbs, Capers, Roasted Garlic, Paprika Aioli - we were surprised to see it served already sliced, but this made the presentation much more beautiful.  The flavors were awesome - nice and juicy steak.

Scallops

NY Strip

Assortment plate

Assortment Plate:  Lobster Lasagna, Prawn/Chorizo Tostada, Crab Beignet, Smoked Salmon Gnocchi, Parmesan Deviled Egg. This was also presented quite beautifully, with small portion of all the items. The beignet was warm and gooey but in a good way.  All of the seafood was delicious and delectable.  The deviled egg being served in the eggshell must be in presentation right now as we had the same presentation with an egg desert we had a few weeks ago at Takashi.

 

Fourth Course- We chose dessert as our last course but you could pick all savory options for all of your courses as well, if that is what you would prefer.

Chocolate Quintet: Tower, Truffle, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Crepe, Souffle, Pot de Creme.  No question about what dessert Nick would choose considering the options. The quintet covers all the bases with wonderful chocolate dessert options that all tasted great.

Pumpkin Souffle



Pumpkin and Maple Praline Souffle - there was a small chocolate souffle on the chocolate quintet plate, but this was a larger souffle of wonderful fall flavors. The creaminess of it melted in your mouth.

Chocolate Quintet

Natalie was pretty full at the end of the meal and Nick was pretty much full.  So 4 courses was definitely plenty for us.  You would probably have to be pretty hungry to do the 5 or 7 courses. 

Final thoughts on Tallgrass:

Food - really good food, I think we prefer it slightly to Courtrights which we recently dined at (one of the other fine dining estalishments in the southwest suburbs)

Service - the waitress explained each of our dishes as they came out, they brought out different utensils for each course

Atmosphere - a relatively small space, entrance is downstairs. One thing to keep in mind is that there is a set price depending on how many courses you choose to have. However, some of the food selections have a slight upcharge, so you may have a higher bill than expected.  The upcharges are specified clearly in the menu so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

Outside the restaurant (your enter down the stairs)

Courtright's

Rack of Lamb

Amuse Bouche

As a continuation of Natalie's birthday celebration, we went by ourselves to Courtright's in Willow Springs. We had heard about them a few months ago from them receiving a Michelin Star. They have also been featured on Check Please and we checked out that video before making a reservation.

You can order food a la carte, but most people (including us) seemed to order prix fixe menus. We had the 3 course meal where you can choose an appetizer, soup or salad, an entree and a dessert.  Monetarily it works out to be a slightly better deal to order this way - unless you choose the least expensive appetizer and entree available.

Baked Brie

Before the courses came out there was an amuse bouche of gorgonzola cheese and figs.  Also they brought out a bread basket with prezel and ciabatta rolls, and other breads.

First Course:

Baked Brie and Pistachios with Raspberry Coulis - the crunchy pistachios were nice with the smoth brie.  Nick felt the Raspberry was a bit tart, but overall the combination was nice.

Marinated Shrimp

Passion Fruit Marinated Shrimp with Summer Salsa and Vanilla Corn Coulis - a nice combination of flavors - interesting to have the fruit, vegetable and seafood flavors all at once. Nick felt it was a bit small, but at least we each got to have a shrimp.

Second Course:

Australian Rack of Lamb with roasted tomatoes, baby zucchini, eggplant caviar, french beans and a rosemary lamb sauce. Very tasty. The lamb was tender and Nick loved the zucchini.  The eggplant caviar was really just an eggplant puree.

Buffalo Strip Loin

Grilled Buffalo Strip Loin with truffle creamy quinoa, roasted baby beets, grilled asparagus in a red wine sauce. We both like this dish best.  The buffalo obviously tastes a lot like beef, but much leaner.  Natalie absolutely loved the quinoa (probably because of the truffles).  The vegetables were also great.  Overall the whole dish was complex and satisfying.

Third Course:
Creme Brulee - with peaches, raspberries and nectarine sorbet.  It was a pretty typical creme brulee, but it was presented in a not so typical fun bowl (with a candle to celebrate Natalie's birthday),

Blueberry and Brioche Bread Pudding with mint ice cream - the bread pudding wasn't too heavy.  Natalie thought the combo of the blueberry and mint might be a bit strange, but they complimented each other.

Creme Brulee

In order to celebrate Natalie's birthday they put a candle in her dessert. We noticed that pretty much every other table had one (or two) candles in desserts as well.  So this seems to be a special occasion restaurant more than anything.  I guess with the higher prices you might not be frequenting this place all the time.

Blueberry Bread Pudding and ice cream

Final thoughts on Courtrights:

Food - the food was definitely a step above other American/European restaurants. All of the dishes were well thought out and creative. Very rich and indulgent food without feeling too heavy. We noticed a lot of other tables were ordering the 4 course meal (where you get a soup or salad and an appetizer), but we felt the 3 course was more than enough food.

Service - our waiter was nice enough but he seemed a bit stiff. There was another server that brought all of our food to the table and described it for us.

Atmosphere - beautiful setting with big windows looking out to a lovely garden. The restaurant itself looks almost like a home. It is located across the street from the infamous Willowbrook Ballroom.

Table 52

Before we talk specifically about the next restaurant we ate at, we want to give a short introduction to Chicago's Restaurant Week (since 3 of our next few restaurants will be a part of this).  Chicago's Restaurant week started in 2008 with 35 participating restaurants; now there are over 200 restaurants and it is running from Fri 2/17/12 to Sun 2/26/12.  During Restaurant week, participating restaurants provide a fixed price multi-course meal for a lower price than the regular menu.  This sometimes means smaller courses, but usually it is a better deal than ordering the items separately.  For lunch the meals are $22 and for dinner the meals are $33 or $44.  We are going to 3 restaurants during this event and wish we could go to more (but there is the time and cost factor that limit us).  We made the reservations a month ago to make sure we would get in to some of these places.

Table 52

Deviled Eggs

Our first Restaurant week stop was dinner at Table 52 in the Gold Coast.  It is located at 52 West Elm Street in Chicago. Table 52 is known for classy Southern/comfort food. The chef, Art Smith, is known for being a personal chef to Oprah.  This was the first year that Table 52 participated in Restaurant week and apparently all the tables were reserved before the week even started.  This factoid didn't surprise us because the restaurant is popular on its own and there only 13 tables in the main dining area.

Lemon and goat cheese drop biscuits

Although we went to eat at Table 52 during Restaurant Week, they certainly did not skimp on the quality of the food or ingredients.  Here is all the food we got:

Deviled Eggs Amuse Bouche- a good start to the meal; they served them with the bottoms slightly cut off to make them level to avoid rolling around on the plate.

Lemon and goat cheese drop biscuits - these were cooked in little cast iron skillets in the restaurant's wood burning pizza oven. The aroma was intoxicating and it was a great combination of ingredients - it wasn't too strong of a goat cheese to overpower the rest of the biscuit flavor.  We wished we could have had more.  (Actually we overheard at another table that if you order from the regular menu you get continuous service of biscuits.)

Peanut Fried Green Tomatoes

Low-Country Shrimp and Grits 

Appetizer course (we got to choose from 3 different options)
1) Peanut Fried Green Tomatoes with pimento-goat cheese, country ham and green tomato relish. We loved this appetizer and it is definitely a reason to return to this restaurant. The tomatoes were crispy and paired well with the goat cheese spread.  This was only the second time that Nick had eaten fried green tomatoes and he may be ruined for trying them anywhere else.
2) Low-Country Shrimp and Grits with wild shrimp, stone-ground white corn grits and spicy tomato stew.  The grits were warm and gooey and the shrimp was cooked perfectly. It came a close second in our opinion to the fried green tomatoes.


Entree (we got to choose from 3 different options)

 Cornmeal Crusted Catfish

1) Cornmeal Crusted Catfish with bacon, cheese grits, braised collard greens and a hush puppy. The aroma of the hot sauce really tied the whole dish together. It wasn't so hot that it overpowered anything else but it enhanced all of the flavors. The fish was firm and flaky and not overcooked.
2) Short Rib with barley risotto, carrot-ginger puree and shallots.  The short rib was a well marbled  piece of meat that was full of flavor (whoever on the show Top Chef thought this was a healthy meat was definitely mistaken).  The whole dish made you feel like your were in a Southern household.

Short Rib with barley risotto

Note: this next item was not part of the fixed price menu.
We decided to order the cornbread as a side dish since we had heard it was really good.  The cornbread was baked in the wood burning oven and was filled with bacon and jalapeno bits and covered in a honey butter glaze.  The heat from the jalapenos with the sweetness of the honey were in balance and enhanced all the flavors.  The texture of the cornbread was smooth throughout and wasn't gritty like boxed cornbread would be.  We were hoping to eat the cornbread along with our main entrees.  Unfortunately this didn't happen.  We kept waiting and mentioned the cornbread to our waiter who was aware of the situation.  (We have found in the past with other fixed price meals we have eaten that it sometimes throws the wait staff off by adding other food to the order.) So we were done with our entrees for several minutes before we got the cornbread - in fact the wait staff had cleared all of our plates and silverware so they had to re-set everything for what we later called our pre-dessert course. The title of pre-dessert was somewhat deserving because it had sweet points and was worth the hype and the wait.  Later the wait staff did comp the cornbread and were very apologetic about its lateness in arriving to our table.

Cornbread

Dessert (we got to choose from 3 different options)

Hummingbird Cupcakes

1) Hummingbird Cupcakes - banana pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting.  Natalie had researched this ahead of time and knew this was their signature dessert.  Nick hadn't read the reviews so his expectations were low but he loved it - the pineapple didn't weigh the cake down, but it was soft and airy. On the regular menu this is served as multi-level cake, so it would interesting to see it presented in a different way.
2) Southern Pecan Pie - Shortbread crust, fresh whipped cream, caramel sauce. This was a typical pecan pie; compared with the cupcakes, it was nothing extraordinary or unique, but good nonetheless.




Final thoughts on Table 52:

Southern Pecan Pie

Food - everything was very delicious. We would want to go back and eat the meal again. It was definitely elevated Southern food - we've never experienced food like this in such a fancy setting.  We love their "baker" - the items from the wood burning oven (biscuits and cornbread) were amazing. The restaurant week value for the meal was exceptional.  We definitely got a great deal.
Service - very attentive, the wait staff is constantly refilling your water glasses from chilled water carafes (in fact for Natalie it was almost too much but Nick drinks water more quickly than Natalie). The wait staff were very accommodating about the cornbread incident and we didn't hold it against them.

Small Cookies as a final thought

Atmosphere - Table 52 is located in the Gold Coast in a former carriage house of a mansion that survived the Great Chicago Fire.  The interior has painted tin ceilings and the pictures hung on the wall remind you of a warm Southern home. It felt like we were eating in someone's dining room.