Chicago restaurant

 Wednesday July 22nd, Day 4: Conference time

I had a great sleep, curled up among a variety of pillows on the comfortable Sheraton bed and woke at  my usual 6 am time, full of energy.  I decided to have a leisurely breakfast and then go down to the Link cafe and take care of my on-line check-in for tomorrow before heading over to the conference centre.. This is a terrific feature that the Sheraton has - they don't charge for Internet access using the computers in their Link Cafe. Unusually for me, I did not bring my laptop on this trip, so I forgot to check wether wireless Internet access using one's own laptop is also  free.

Anyway it was simple to check in with United on line and print my boarding pass.  Then I decided to check my email - and found an urgent message sent late yesterday with an apology for the late notification,  telling me that I should be at the opening of the Plenary Session for the morning, as a short presentation of  the CSCC award winners would be  made and we were supposed to be there to stand and be acknowledged.  Hmmm. I looked at my watch. It was 9. 20. I had missed it. Oops.

BOKA Restaurant and Bar.
1929 N. Halsted Street,
Chicago
Ph: 312-337-6070 or Reserve Online

Day 3 in  Chicago- July 2009  was the only free evening I had to see a play. Fortunately we were able to get two tickets to Up at the Steppenwolf theatre. The show time was early - 7:30 - and my friend was driving in after work, so I would be dining alone. I decided to see if I could get a table at BOKA, across the street  and a little up (no pun intended) from the theatre. After an excellent dinner the night before at  Perennial, their sister restaurant  I had checked out the BOKA  web site and the menu of executive chef, Giuseppe Tentori, looked great.  

Despite being alone, I was warmly greeted and offered a very nice table in the courtyard. As a frequent solo traveller, one of my criteria for classiness of a restaurant is how they treat the solo diner. All too often one gets stuck out of the way near the washrooms or the server stations. But not in this case.

The courtyard filled up quite quickly during the time I was there. The table settings were attractive, with black cloths and napkins and white china. Very soon I was sipping a glass of the 08 Babich Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, and admiring the extensive wine list. 

Perennial
1800 North Lincoln Ave.,
Chicago
Ph: 312-981-7070 or Reserve Online

For our Monday night dinner, my friend chose Perennial on North Lincoln Avenue. We were delighted that it was open as it appears that, in the same way that most theatres are dark on Monday nights, many restaurants here chose not to open on Mondays.

We decided against ordering a bottle of wine as I wanted white wine and my friend wanted red so instead we each ordered a glass of wine. I chose the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier from California and she ordered a Babich Pinot Noir from New Zealand.

We also decided to share our appetizers so we could maximise our tasting of the food.   We picked a Big Eye tuna crudo or sashimi served with pickled grapes, orange , and a basil oil reduction. The orange was a good contrast to the tuna.

We also picked the Charcuterie platter with country pate, and foie gras torchon. It was served with pickled cherries and a tart plum compote.

Terzo Piano at the Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Ave.
Ph: 312-3443-8650 or Reserve Online

On Day two in Chicago, exploring Visual Arts and Culinary Arts, we chose to wander around Millenium Park and visit the Art Institute. Before beginning our exploration of the new modern wing galleries of the Institute, we visited the new restaurant, Terzo Piano, a 160 seat restaurant with indoor dining and al fresco dining on a terrace that overlooks Millennium Park. The restaurant which opened in May 2009 when the Institute opened its Modern Wing, was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, for whom the restaurant is named.

Chosing to eat on the terrace we  were ushered to a pleasantly shaded table. I liked the design of the chairs - modern, but very comfortable and indeed the table and settings on the patio were stylish.

Takashi
1952 N. Damen Ave.,
Chicago
Ph: 773-772-6170 or Reserve Online

As I noted in my  Chicago Diary 2009, this visit to Chicago  is brief,  essentially only four nights, so we wasted no time before setting out  to sample  some great food.  The first restaurant  my friends chose for me to check out was a Japanese cuisine and sushi restaurant, Takashi, in Bucktown on Chicago's North side. The restaurant takes its name from chef Takashi Yagihashi.

We were led upstairs to a pleasant seating area and initially seated at a corner table which was really too small to seat three people comfortably. On request we were quickly moved to a more comfortable arrangement with two tables pushed together. Our drink order was taken promptly and we were offered a selection of sesame or multigrain bread or baguette.