I've visited Chicago several times and I think of it as a "Foodie City". Chicago dogs, deep dish pizza, pizza pot pie...yum, yum and more yum. On my September trip to Chicago, I found our meals to be a bit hit and miss. We didn't plan out dining and as a consequence, we ended up at a few dives.
On the first night, we had dinner at a German restaurant, The Berghoff, which was located within walking distance from the Mid- City W Hotel, where we were staying.
Nothing says classy like the sign below, which was prominently displayed at the restaurant entrance. Did I mention that The Berghoff was just a few blocks from our hotel? Welcome to Chicago.
Another classy feature of The Berghoff. I love suspended pretzels and chocolate hearts.
I did like this informational placard, explaining Berghoff Beer and its association with the Chicago World's Fair of 1883. We were eating at a Chicago landmark.
Our meals were a tad lackluster. I had the roast beef with carrots and asparagus. The meat was tough and the taste was airplane food quality. Not impressed.
The next day, we were very busy sight-seeing, so we grabbed a quick lunch at Luke's.
If you look at that sign, Luke's was voted "Chicago Favorite" for its Italian Beef Sandwiches. Naturally, we didn't order what they're known for. Big mistake. We had the pizza. In a city that is known for its pizza, the pizza at Luke's doesn't rate. The restaurant does get points for being quick, cheap and having fun decor, like pasta loving bovines and giant mustard bottles.
Two disappointing meals in a row, was more than compensated by our dinner at McCormick & Schmicks. I've been several other McCormick and Schmicks locations on the West Coast and it's always a wonderful dining experience. Fish is my favorite food and if you're a seafood lover, this is the place to be.
I was enjoying my meal too much to take pictures of everything. However, I did take a snap of our dessert, the incredible chocolate purse. It's art. Art filled with molten chocolate.
On Sunday, we explored Navy Pier and ate lunch at Harry Caray's Tavern. I know next to nothing about sports, but even I've heard of Harry Caray. His highly themed restaurant was absolutely jammed with tourists. Our table even had a notice regarding a ninety minute limit on dining. The burgers were delicious and the service was lightening quick.
It was a short weekend trip, just three evenings. I had an accident and was on crutches ( more on that in a future post), that made it important to pick a restaurant close to our hotel for our final dinner. The group walked, as I hobbled, to a pub called the Elephant and Castle. I had a really delicious chicken pot pie and the cobbler, with its heap of vanilla ice cream, was outstanding. Dan liked the mini stuffed yorkies ( yorkshire puddings). Dan's parents stayed in Chicago longer than we did and they liked the Elephant and Castle enough to return for another meal. It's a good local pub.
Prior to heading to the airport, we ate breakfast in the cafe of our hotel, The Mid-City W. The cafe was fancy and although I didn't take pictures of the entire meal, I did take one of Dan's granola and the cool disposable tea pyramid.
This trip was filled with food highs and lows. The biggest low was not eating a street hot dog with loads of mustard. That was a major faux pas. Next time Chicago!