Wow. We haven't been to a lunch since August. Shame on us. Hopefully we'll have more time after the holidays!
Eat well!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Vermilion
Lunchicago took advantage of Gilt City's $25 for $50 deal for Vermilion. This is a very unique combination of cuisine with a Latin American and Indian fusion. It's at 10 W. Hubbard in Chicago's River North area. Their website is http://thevermilionrestaurant.com/.
I would definitely mention if you have a limited time for lunch. It was a lovely afternoon, but we might have indulged too long. The courses can be done like a normal meal or, and this is how we did it, with set selections from "meat", "vegetable", "seafood", etc. But that was our choice and so I definitely don't see that as a negative thing for the lunch.
We each did their three course lunch prix fixe one was seafood and the other vegetable and we shared. The other thing to note is that they made really great faux-coholic drinks. From the looks on their website this might be somewhat of a niche.
The other great thing about Vermilion is the menu changes weekly and it is all seasonal foods. When they say something is hot spicy...they aren't kidding. I have to admit, some of the dishes were a little too strong and had to be mixed with something else to tame it.
This is an adventurous food stop in my opinion, but if you like what you see on the seasonal menus, you won't be disappointed. The staff was great and very informative. Definitely do not skip on the dessert!
I would definitely mention if you have a limited time for lunch. It was a lovely afternoon, but we might have indulged too long. The courses can be done like a normal meal or, and this is how we did it, with set selections from "meat", "vegetable", "seafood", etc. But that was our choice and so I definitely don't see that as a negative thing for the lunch.
We each did their three course lunch prix fixe one was seafood and the other vegetable and we shared. The other thing to note is that they made really great faux-coholic drinks. From the looks on their website this might be somewhat of a niche.
The other great thing about Vermilion is the menu changes weekly and it is all seasonal foods. When they say something is hot spicy...they aren't kidding. I have to admit, some of the dishes were a little too strong and had to be mixed with something else to tame it.
This is an adventurous food stop in my opinion, but if you like what you see on the seasonal menus, you won't be disappointed. The staff was great and very informative. Definitely do not skip on the dessert!
Monday, July 18, 2011
The Purple Pig
Our make up lunch for June was at The Purple Pig. This great spot is tucked off of Michigan Ave. at 500 N. Michigan. What I really like about this place is both outdoor and indoor seating is desirable. This is more tapas style dining so we shared everything we ordered. We started with the whipped feta with cucumber smear - which comes in this pretty big bowl with thick toasted bread pieces. This is quite addicting and we had to order more bread. The calamari salad with pistachio is awesome! the calamari pieces are the perfect texture and the crunch of the pistachio bits accent the salad very well. For our main dish, seared tuna. It was perfectly done and the crust on the top and bottom was a nice way of finishing off the piece of fish. It came on a bed of greens that seemed like a slightly bitter, thin asparagus, but I'm not sure the name of it. We wanted to stay for dessert but the tuna took a bit longer than expected and we had to head out. Over all this is a superb place for lunch in the city. I am ready to go back for their signature menu items; cheese, swine & wine.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Ara-On
For May's lunchicago we visited Ara-On, a "fine asian-french fusion cuisine & sushi bar" (http://www.ara-on.com/). The decor was very modern and interesting. They had a nice bar area with couches for more lounging and dining. The bar was set to eat at and looked very fresh. The main dining room had large colorful paintings that contrasted the large white walls well. There was also a metal sculpture that we thought was very interesting and added a nice touch to the space.
We started with non-alcoholic beverages, a peach tea for my Mom and a sparkling lemonade for me. They weren't homemade but they were still good.
Anne ordered the prix fix menu which all sounded good but there were no options for sushi. Her first dish was soup that tasted similar to a creamy wild mushroom mixed with a sweet/sour type of soup. Her main course was the risotto that had asparagus, carrots and ..? I think that's it. It looked a bit sad. I went with three sashimi choices, two different types of tuna and shrimp and for my main course Miso Scallops. Which came out on the same risotto that my Mom had. I shared some of my scallops with her so we basically ended up having the same thing. I don't thing my Mom was disappointed with the risotto, but I thought it was lacking as the main dish.
Her prix fix came with dessert, which she had chosen mango sorbet. We shared that despite wanting to try the Green Tea Creme Brulee, but were too full.
Overall, lunch was good. Not great. I would like to go back for more of the maki/sushi. This was one of the more reasonable lunches coming in under $70 with tip.
We started with non-alcoholic beverages, a peach tea for my Mom and a sparkling lemonade for me. They weren't homemade but they were still good.
Anne ordered the prix fix menu which all sounded good but there were no options for sushi. Her first dish was soup that tasted similar to a creamy wild mushroom mixed with a sweet/sour type of soup. Her main course was the risotto that had asparagus, carrots and ..? I think that's it. It looked a bit sad. I went with three sashimi choices, two different types of tuna and shrimp and for my main course Miso Scallops. Which came out on the same risotto that my Mom had. I shared some of my scallops with her so we basically ended up having the same thing. I don't thing my Mom was disappointed with the risotto, but I thought it was lacking as the main dish.
Her prix fix came with dessert, which she had chosen mango sorbet. We shared that despite wanting to try the Green Tea Creme Brulee, but were too full.
Overall, lunch was good. Not great. I would like to go back for more of the maki/sushi. This was one of the more reasonable lunches coming in under $70 with tip.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The Atwood Cafe
Yesterday, lunchicago checked out The Atwood Cafe at the southwest corner of Washington and State street. This historic building shares the space with the Hotel Burnham. "When Mr. Burnham, John Root and Charles Atwood revolutionized their world and downtown Chicago by creating the 14-story Reliance Building (Hotel Burnham) in 1895, they became fathers of the modern day skyscraper (http://www.atwoodcafe.com/chicago-restaurant-history.php)."
The room is lovely, and very open and bright. My mom wasn't having a very good day, so this didn't feel like a proper lunch that we could focus on all of the particulars that we usually do.
For starters, we split the Baby Beet Salad (goat cheese mousse, frisée, brioche log, lemon vinaigrette). I liked this salad a lot but I felt that the goat cheese mousse was lacking a bit of flavor. I should have opted for the fresh ground pepper that was offered, I'm thinking that would've made it better.
Next we split an open egg salad sandwich - that is not listed on their site's menu. I loved this! It was on a toasted brioche bread and topped with a hollandaise sauce.
We also had a nice treat at the end of the meal for my mom's birthday, a chocolate molten cake with rum whipped cream! YUM!
I would definitely like to go back and try this place again. The wild mushroom orzo and amaretto creme brulee are calling my name.
Here's a link to their lunch menu: http://www.atwoodcafe.com/chicago-loop-dining.php?sec_id=2
The room is lovely, and very open and bright. My mom wasn't having a very good day, so this didn't feel like a proper lunch that we could focus on all of the particulars that we usually do.
For starters, we split the Baby Beet Salad (goat cheese mousse, frisée, brioche log, lemon vinaigrette). I liked this salad a lot but I felt that the goat cheese mousse was lacking a bit of flavor. I should have opted for the fresh ground pepper that was offered, I'm thinking that would've made it better.
Next we split an open egg salad sandwich - that is not listed on their site's menu. I loved this! It was on a toasted brioche bread and topped with a hollandaise sauce.
We also had a nice treat at the end of the meal for my mom's birthday, a chocolate molten cake with rum whipped cream! YUM!
I would definitely like to go back and try this place again. The wild mushroom orzo and amaretto creme brulee are calling my name.
Here's a link to their lunch menu: http://www.atwoodcafe.com/chicago-loop-dining.php?sec_id=2
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Henri
Yikes! Where did the month of February go? We had planned on going to Henri several times but meetings or other commitments came up; we need to watch our calendars better so we can focus on our lunchicago duties. Sorry we got behind on this project.
We went to Henri's on Michigan Avenue, what a lovely restaurant. It's small with less than 20 tables in the restaurant, but the European atmosphere was delightful. The tables had cloth tablecloths, fabric walls and the bathroom had a wonderful reptile-type textured wall-paper. Our waiter was pleasant, however we were in the last part of the lunch crowd and he seemed somewhat finished for the day. I think Brooke is posting pictures of the restaurant on her blog. We both agreed this would be the place to 'seal the deal'. Clients would be impressed with this environment and definitely attentive to the person who escorted them here and picked up the tab.
We both ordered a sparkling lemonade, but the wine list is extensive along with other types of cocktails. The bar area is near the door, it is a beautiful, ornate wooden bar that fits perfectly into the decor of the restaurant. I ordered the butternut squash potage with caramelized pecans and shrimp. My entree was the Nicoise salad with purple and white potatoes, olives and the usual collection of green beans, hard-boiled egg and tuna chunks. The potatoes were a nice addition, the color variation added a nice dimension to the salad. Here is the down side, our bill was almost $100. You can read Brooke's blog for her meal, but I thought with no alcoholic beverages we would have a bill in the range of $60 or $70 dollars. We both ran out of time and needed to get back to work, so no dessert for us this time. I would definitely have dessert the choices were wonderful. . .creme brulee, dark chocolate tart, the menu is online.
I shouldn't complain about the money part, because we agreed to try restaurants for lunch that were very nice and different. I will merely give you the price without a commentary about how much it costs. It was a lovely place and we were surrounded by business people chatting about business 'stuff'. The gentlemen who sat next to us were definitely on a business lunch. The lead person used his iPad to show the other gentlemen various pictures of environments. They had a great business lunch, with pictures too.
Do try this place, it's an elegant, impressive environment, and the food was great. Their website is elegant as well: http://www.henrichicago.com, notice the unusual meats in the entree's.
We went to Henri's on Michigan Avenue, what a lovely restaurant. It's small with less than 20 tables in the restaurant, but the European atmosphere was delightful. The tables had cloth tablecloths, fabric walls and the bathroom had a wonderful reptile-type textured wall-paper. Our waiter was pleasant, however we were in the last part of the lunch crowd and he seemed somewhat finished for the day. I think Brooke is posting pictures of the restaurant on her blog. We both agreed this would be the place to 'seal the deal'. Clients would be impressed with this environment and definitely attentive to the person who escorted them here and picked up the tab.
We both ordered a sparkling lemonade, but the wine list is extensive along with other types of cocktails. The bar area is near the door, it is a beautiful, ornate wooden bar that fits perfectly into the decor of the restaurant. I ordered the butternut squash potage with caramelized pecans and shrimp. My entree was the Nicoise salad with purple and white potatoes, olives and the usual collection of green beans, hard-boiled egg and tuna chunks. The potatoes were a nice addition, the color variation added a nice dimension to the salad. Here is the down side, our bill was almost $100. You can read Brooke's blog for her meal, but I thought with no alcoholic beverages we would have a bill in the range of $60 or $70 dollars. We both ran out of time and needed to get back to work, so no dessert for us this time. I would definitely have dessert the choices were wonderful. . .creme brulee, dark chocolate tart, the menu is online.
I shouldn't complain about the money part, because we agreed to try restaurants for lunch that were very nice and different. I will merely give you the price without a commentary about how much it costs. It was a lovely place and we were surrounded by business people chatting about business 'stuff'. The gentlemen who sat next to us were definitely on a business lunch. The lead person used his iPad to show the other gentlemen various pictures of environments. They had a great business lunch, with pictures too.
Do try this place, it's an elegant, impressive environment, and the food was great. Their website is elegant as well: http://www.henrichicago.com, notice the unusual meats in the entree's.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Lockwood Restaurant (Palmer House)
Once a month my mom and I have been going out for lunch at high-end restaurants in Chicago. We've decided to start a blog about the places, experiences, and our reviews of the lunch. My mom is a professor at Columbia College in Chicago, and I am a graphic designer at law firm in the Loop. LUNCHICAGO was initially my mom's idea - wanting to check out the "fancy" restaurants for lunch to get the experience and getting a better deal with lunchtime prices.
Today's our first blog and lunch date for 2011. We're going to the Lockwood Restaurant and Bar in Chicago's famous, Palmer House (17 W. Monroe).
This was a great start to the year! Mom ordered the Butternut squash soup and Ahi Tuna burger. I had the Asparagus risotto and a side salad, and an iced tea. The Ahi Tuna burger was by far the winner of the meal! The manager, Brian Gray, mentioned that it was just added to the menu two weeks ago! Well, we hope it stays! As my mom put it, "Mmmmm mine is way better than yours!". This is not to down play the risotto, but the Ahi Tuna burger has that "special something".
The bill (with tip) was just over $70.
Anne's comments:
We really liked the ambiance of the restaurant for the 'lunch crowd' too. . .not too noisy, plus we mentioned that we were both on limited time for lunch. The waiter was attentive and managed to serve our food in a timely fashion keeping us both within a reasonable, but not rushed lunch hour. The manager stopped at our table and checked on our lunch, a nice guy. The manager mentioned that the Ahi Tuna burger was new on the menu. The chopped cabbage with the special dressing made the sandwich tangy which was a great balance for the grilled tuna with cracked pepper (yikes, I hope I described it correctly). The pieces of fruit on the top of the fruit cup that I ordered with the sandwich were starting to get that crazy wrinkly look to them on the edges. . .the fruit underneath was fine, just the top few pieces. Maybe they sit in the refrig without a little cover on them. . .hmmm. We thought we should share dessert, since this was our first official lunch for the blog. We shared the chocolate/banana torte. . .so yummy. The chocolate covered banana's over the crust filled with mousse, was light and delicious. A great way to end the lunch. This was a great beginning for our lunchicago reviews. We do look forward to ideas for February, we also have some thoughts about our next venture too! Hopefully, we will give you some great ideas this year for neat places to have lunch in the loop [and surrounding areas, when the weather is better]. How about the blizzard business???
Today's our first blog and lunch date for 2011. We're going to the Lockwood Restaurant and Bar in Chicago's famous, Palmer House (17 W. Monroe).
This was a great start to the year! Mom ordered the Butternut squash soup and Ahi Tuna burger. I had the Asparagus risotto and a side salad, and an iced tea. The Ahi Tuna burger was by far the winner of the meal! The manager, Brian Gray, mentioned that it was just added to the menu two weeks ago! Well, we hope it stays! As my mom put it, "Mmmmm mine is way better than yours!". This is not to down play the risotto, but the Ahi Tuna burger has that "special something".
The bill (with tip) was just over $70.
Anne's comments:
We really liked the ambiance of the restaurant for the 'lunch crowd' too. . .not too noisy, plus we mentioned that we were both on limited time for lunch. The waiter was attentive and managed to serve our food in a timely fashion keeping us both within a reasonable, but not rushed lunch hour. The manager stopped at our table and checked on our lunch, a nice guy. The manager mentioned that the Ahi Tuna burger was new on the menu. The chopped cabbage with the special dressing made the sandwich tangy which was a great balance for the grilled tuna with cracked pepper (yikes, I hope I described it correctly). The pieces of fruit on the top of the fruit cup that I ordered with the sandwich were starting to get that crazy wrinkly look to them on the edges. . .the fruit underneath was fine, just the top few pieces. Maybe they sit in the refrig without a little cover on them. . .hmmm. We thought we should share dessert, since this was our first official lunch for the blog. We shared the chocolate/banana torte. . .so yummy. The chocolate covered banana's over the crust filled with mousse, was light and delicious. A great way to end the lunch. This was a great beginning for our lunchicago reviews. We do look forward to ideas for February, we also have some thoughts about our next venture too! Hopefully, we will give you some great ideas this year for neat places to have lunch in the loop [and surrounding areas, when the weather is better]. How about the blizzard business???
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