08/16/2007
First Bite: Tavern at the Park
Trine Tsouderos
Chicago Tribune
OK, we might as well get this out of the way: The new Tavern
at the Park (130 E. Randolph St.; 312-552-0070), brought to the
Millennium Park neighborhood by the folks behind the very fine
Keefer's, has an eye-popping cocktail called the Cloudgate that
costs a whopping $199.
You get a martini glass rimmed with edible silver and filled
with Grey Goose vodka, Hypnotiq, pineapple juice, sour mix and
a silver bean necklace from Tiffany. Get it? The bean necklace
served at a restaurant overlooking Millennium Park and its bean-shaped
Cloud Gate sculpture?
The necklace martini is the splashiest item on a menu designed
by Keefer's chef John Hogan and packed with modern comfort food.
We're talking herbed chicken fondue (pulled rotisserie chicken,
roasted garlic and fontina cheese, $11), prime rib chili ($9)
and chicken pot pie (braised chicken, wild mushrooms, thyme,
Madeira wine in a puff pastry crust, $17).
The food didn't scream summer, but still, everything sounded
tempting. We ordered the mango-glazed sticky fried shrimp ($12)
and the marinated barbecue chicken sandwich ($12). Portions were
large; the food satisfying and in the case of the sticky sweet
shrimp, delicious. The chicken sandwich, which suffered from
slightly dry bird, was glazed with a sweet barbecue sauce that
contrasted nicely with a layer of smoky bacon.
Service was attentive, seamless, accommodating. The restaurant
itself is handsome, done up in dark woods, leathers (the tables
were leather, an unusual and gorgeous but seemingly impractical
choice) and stone. The overall feel was updated Prairie Style,
a big contrast to Millennium Park itself, which is ultra-modern
and light. There are two levels -- the first is dominated by
the bar and bustles after 6. The second level is a quieter dining
room, with some tables commanding views of architect Frank Gehry's
Pritzker Pavilion across the street. A lovely dining experience.
A spectacular location.
-- Trine Tsouderos return to main review menu
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