Revist: New Summer Menu at Grand Lux Cafe

"Two words: Hen Night," Brandy said to her good friend Starr. "What does that mean? Are you asking me to go out for fried chicken?" "No, silly, a Hen Night! You know, with cocktails and gossiping and lots of fresh summery nibbles?" "Oh! A Girl's Night Out!" "Right! We call them Hen Nights on my side of the pond." "Gotcha. Where should we go?" "Somewhere downtown with a lovely view so we can people watch. And somewhere with an extensive and varied menu so we have lots of options for snacking. And fantastical drinks, of course. Comfy seating." "Sounds like somewhere we both know very well. Grand Lux Cafe it is!"

And so, Brandy and Starr headed down to the Magnificent Mile, grabbed a prime booth by the window overlooking Michigan Ave, and started off a night of frivolity and a whole lot of inappropriate giggling.

Drinks were in order, of course, to kick everything off. Brandy went with the classic Mai Tai, which she found to be perfectly fruity and delicious. Starr went for the more sophisticated sounding Asian Pear Martini, which she actually found quite sweet and strong, but with a pleasant flavor at the front.

Picking from the new summer items, Brandy and Starr ordered the Tuna Poke Tacos, a delightful fusion of Latin and Asian cuisine. The taco shells were actually deep fried wonton wrappers, which had a brilliant crunch that matched well with the soft and silky filling of tuna, avocado, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. "Now these are the definition of finger-licking good!" said Starr as she finished off the last of her taco. They also ordered the Pot Roast Fries, which Brandy instantly fell in love with. "Tender meat, cheese sauce, and crispy potatoes. This speaks to the most primal part of my soul," she said as she stuffed another handful of fries into her mouth.

Next, to lighten things up, they split one of the new summer salads, which came dressed with roasted pears, strawberries, feta cheese, and almonds, in a balsamic dressing. Brandy has always been a big fan of fruit in her salad, so this mix of sweet, creamy, and crunchy ingredients was just perfect for her.

Starr went for the Fish and Chips as her entree, which also came with a side of peanut coleslaw. The fish was tender and light with a nicely crisp tempura batter. She also liked that the dish came with a side of house made tartar sauce, which combine well with the lashings of vinegar she added to the fish. The slaw was also a nice little surprise, as it had a unique peppery flavor and plenty of crunch.

Brandy went with the new Brie and Bacon Burger. The combination of the melty brie cheese, the smokey bacon, some peppery greens, creamy mayo, and a sweet red onion jam was so utterly perfect in Brandy's mind. Of course, the combination of the sweet and savory flavors was an instant hit, but Brandy also really liked that no one thing really overwhelmed anything else. As a side dish, Brandy
also ordered the Crispy Glazed Brussels Sprouts, which turned out to be the best thing she tried all night. Sweet, a little crisp, savory, and so very delicious, Brandy could have eaten several more servings of these sprouts if she hadn't already indulged in so much deliciousness.

Finally, the ladies wound down their evening out with a pair of coffee cocktails and an order of Warm Butter Cake. The rich and gooey cake was so perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a sprinkling of marinated strawberries as accompaniment. Even though both ladies were full to the brim, they still managed to finish off every last bite of that cake, which is certainly saying something.

"Ah, we need to do this more often!" Brandy sighed with contentment. "Not too often though," said Starr, "Otherwise you're going to have to buy me a gym membership!"

The writers of this blog were invited to dine by the restaurant free of charge in order to facilitate the writing of this post.

SideDoor or Hops To It

The Slow and Savory Review

"I have very exciting news!" Mama Bee told Brandy over the phone one day.  "Did you finally find a place to open your new bakery?" Brandy asked.  "No."  "Did you... develop a less sticky honey?" Brandy guessed.  "No."  "Did you get stung by a hive of your bees and spent the last three weeks in hospital, unable to speak, but the swelling finally went down, so now you're calling me?"  "No."  "Then what is the bloody news?" Brandy asked, exasperated.  "I can't tell you over the phone," Mama Bee said, slyly, "I need you to pick a place for us to go to brunch, somewhere special, and I'll tell you then."  "Well, Bunny did discover a really fun place a few months ago that I've been meaning to return to called SideDoor," Brandy mused, "It's a gastropub sort of place, but they specialize in rare micro brews and hand carved meat.  They don't have a brunch service per say at the moment, but they do serve lunch and-" "Perfect!" Mama Bee interrupted her, "I'll meet you there!"

Just as she remembered, the interior of SideDoor was Brandy's favorite kind of eclectic, looking like the parlor of an eccentric millionaire's mansion in New England.  Quirky decor infiltrated every open space, like a fossilized tortoise shell, a snowflake made from old dishware, altered classical style portrait paintings, and even framed puppet schematics in the bathrooms, which hinted at the building's own varied history (which, yes, did include at one time being a puppet theater).  "I always feel right at home in any place that looks like it might be haunted," Brandy told Mama Bee, smiling.

The two ladies were seated near the back of the dining area, just beside the meat carving station where they could watch all the action.  "Now if I remember correctly, Bunny said that this place has a pretty good beer program," Brandy said, glancing at the menu.  "I don't know.  I'm not very knowledgeable about beer," Mama Bee said, also taking a look at the daunting line up of options.  Knowing her friend's sweet tooth, Brandy suggested Mama Bee try the Not Your Father's Root Beer, a surprisingly potent alcoholic version of the popular soft drink ("Which is actually a more traditional preparation of root beer," Brandy informed her).  Mama Bee was positively infatuated with the drink at the first sip, immediately searching on her phone to find out where she could buy some more for her own private stash.  Brandy went with her old standby of ordering the darkest beer on the menu, which in this case proved to be the Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout, which was hoppy, toasty, and very smooth.

After studying the menu in depth, the ladies decided to split a few dishes, starting with the Pear Salad (a recommendation from Bunny's previous visit).  Mama Bee really enjoyed the silky greens mixed with the sweetness of the pear slices and the candied pecans, while Brandy enjoyed the salty shavings of ricotta salata and slight tanginess of the vinaigrette, which had been applied to the salad just perfectly.  "I do think a good salad should be a parade of complimentary textures," Brandy said grandly, "And this little mix definitely delivers on that ideal."

Next, the ladies tried the French Onion Press, a sort of panini inspired by French onion soup.  Much to Brandy's surprise, the sandwich really did have a very authentic French onion soup flavor, right down the meatiness of the caramelized onions.  She also really enjoyed to pop from a decent layer of whole mustard on the sandwich, as well as the butterniess of the toasted bread.  If anything could have improved the sandwich for her, it would have been just a bit more melty cheese, as everyone knows that the best part of French onion soup is usually the crusty cheese cap, but Brandy was still so smitten with the dish that she considered scooping up Mama Bee's half for herself while her friend was distracted by her delicious root beer.  The sandwich also came with a side of house made potato chips, which were pretty good, but were ultimately forsaken for another potato based delicacy coming to the table.

For their last shared plate, the ladies had ordered up the Prime Rib Poutine, which came topped with plenty of shredded, tender beef, a rich brown gravy, lots of melted Pepper Jack cheese, and most unusually, some house made giardiniera.  Being the connoisseur of poutine that Brandy is, she did have to doc the dish points for not actually using cheese curds ("A poutine without cheese curds is cheese fries.  Get it straight, people," Brandy has been known to say), but she was very happy to see that the fries had remained crispy, even under the burden of the toppings.  Mama Bee really liked the addition of the giardiniera, which she felt added a nice bit of heat and a little zing to the dish, as well as some texture from the still crisp veggies.  The only thing somewhat regrettable was that the incredibly tender beef got a little lost among the boldness of all the other flavors.

Just as they were reaching the limit of their stomachs, a well dressed young man approached their table and introduced himself as Jeff Van Der Tuuk.  "Oh yes!" Brandy exclaimed, "You're the beer director Bunny told me about!"  And upon hearing Bunny's name, Mr. Van Der Tuuk insisted on coming up with a few little surprises for the table.  "I've got some things in my stash you might like to try," he told the ladies with a wry smile, "Also, I see you've not had anything sweet yet.  I'll have the kitchen send a little something over."  "Oh, a man after my own heart!" Brandy sighed, "I will always cherish the restaurants that know the value of mixing sweet and savory for brunch."  In due course, a small beer sampler was set at the table, consisting of an IPA from Against the Grain (hilariously entitled Citra Ass Down), which had a sweet, crisp, and hoppy taste with a pleasantly bitter finish, Ol' Leghorn (a collaboration from Three Floyds and Firestone Walker), which was a bit heavier with very smooth, oaky flavor, Fire and Blood from Ommegang, a reddish beer with a surprisingly lighter taste and a fruity finish, and Old Rasputin Imperial Russian  Stout, which was rich, smokey, and slightly creamy.  Delivering on the promise of a sweet finish to their meal, Brandy and Mama Bee were presented with a plate of Sticky Toffee Pudding, topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.  The texture of the pudding was soft and spongy with a little chew from the caramelized crust at the bottom.  There was also little bursts of flavor from a few scattered raisins, and the whole things was topped by a huge dollop of house made whipped cream.

As she had been before, Brandy was mightily impressed with the service at SideDoor, but the food almost made quite a lasting impression.  Though slightly on the high side price wise (most dishes were between $10 and $15), the quality of the food definitely justified the price, and of course, access to such unusual and rare beers was quite a treat.  "I have to say, I have one tiny complaint," Mama Bee said as the ladies headed out the door, "They should be carrying my new honey mead!"  "You have a make honey mead now?" Brandy exclaimed, "Oh yeah!  That was what I was going to tell you over brunch!" Mama Bee laughed.

The Short and Sweet Review

Postcards from Bunny: Chicago Chocolate Tour

Greetings dear readers!  We hope you are all enjoying a very exuberant Independence Day weekend!  This week, we have wonderful news.  Our dear Bunny is once again back in Chicago for a little visit in between investigations into a sunken pirate ship deep in the depths of Lake Michigan!  So when XperienceDays.com contacted Our Ladies with the opportunity to try one of the amazing experiences they offer, Bunny thought it might be the perfect chance to re-aquatint herself with Chicago.

XperienceDays.com host an amazing array of luxury experiences that make for great gifts, exciting dates, or even a super treat for your self.  Among the many packages available for Chicago (XperienceDays.com also hosts over 2000 experience packages for cities all across the country) were things like bike, segway, and walking tours of various parts of the city, various cruises down Lake Michigan and the Chicago River (including a brunch cruise!), art classes, NASCAR racing classes, and even one package that would let one have a simulated dog fight in a WWI replica flyer.  As appealing as hot air balloon rides, song writing workshops, and helicopter tours sound, Bunny naturally gravitated towards the food related experiences, which included things like pizza tasting tours, beer tasting tours, and even cooking classes.  After much deliberation, she settled on the Chicago Chocolate Tour of the Magnificent Mile.

The tour began at the Shoppes at 900 N. Michigan where the group met their endlessly cheerful tour guide, who helped them to learn a little about the history and manufacturing process of chocolate.  Going upstairs to the 5th floor, the tour began properly at Teuscher Chocolates, a traditional Swiss chocolate shop, decorated with beautiful garlands of silk flowers and boasting handmade truffles, bon bons, cordials, and more.  The group sampled a signature Champagne Truffle, which had a delicate chocolate coating and a dreamy, creamy, burst of concentrated champagne flavor in the middle.  Our ladies also eyed up the chocolate bars, which boasted flavored like Truffle, Pink Peppercorn, and Chili.  And then there were the adorable handmade figurines which actually doubled as chocolate boxes.

  

The next stop on the tour was Hendrickx Bakery, sellers of fine Belgian baked goods.  The group sampled several of their wares, including a White Chocolate Muffin, an orange scented Chocolate Cake, some Country Bread, and their signature Liege Waffle, studded with crunchy pearl sugar.  Brandy was particularly taken with the colorful Mignons, miniature layer cakes with flavors like raspberry, pistachio, and coffee.  Bunny wisely pointed out the daily lunch menu, suggesting Brandy may want to come back some day for a little Belgian brunch.

As the group walked along, the tour guide pointed out a few spots of interest, from staples of the Chicago skyline like the John Hancock Building and the Trump Tower, to smaller, easy to miss details like the plaster statue of a cow dressed as a lady bug, mounted onto the side of the Talbott Hotel.

Next up was More Cupcakes, one of the more fashionable gourmet cupcake spots that have sprouted all over Chicago in the last few years.  Though a small space, both Our Ladies agreed that the

cupcake wall that took the place of a more traditional pastry case was a brilliant feature.  The group sampled a Chocolate Chocolate Cupcake, which was lovely and rich.  Bunny and Brandy were especially drawn to one of the regular "savory" cupcakes, the Maple Bacon, as well as one of the daily specials, The Mimosa.  "You could make brunch out of those two for sure!" Bunny whispered to Brandy.

Lastly, the group traveled to Argo Tea, a common site to Chicago dwellers that specializes in gourmet tea based drinks, doing for the beverage what Starbucks did for coffee.  There they learned about some of the health benefits of chocolate while sampling a bit of fresh baked Chocolate Croissant and some Chocolate Chai Tea.  The tea, in fact, was so delicious, that our ladies decided to buy a cuppa to sit and catch up over.

The Chocolate Tour did a good job of introducing Our Ladies to some hidden gems they weren't incredibly familiar with, but the small samples did leave them a little wanting (though, when it comes to Our Ladies and chocolate, there probably isn't enough in the world to make them stop asking for it).  Brandy suggested that better incentives from the shops to buy their wears would have made things a little more special, such as a free gift with purchase or a percentage off same day sales for all members of the tour.  But all in all, it certainly was a lovely experience, inspiring Bunny to browse some of the other packages on XperienceDays.com to find the perfect birthday present for her husband, Benedict (last we checked, she was still debating between a sky diving lesson and beer tasting tour).

*Tickets to the Chicago Chocolate Tour were provided free of charge to the writers of this blog by www.xperincedays.com in exchange for an honest review of the experience.

Roof at The Wit or ...Waitress?

The Slow and Savory Review

There comes a time in every blogger's career when it is their sad duty to give a bad review.  So far, Bunny and Brandy have been rather generous with their findings across Chicago, for after all, how badly can you screw up brunch?  They used to think that the worst that could be said about brunch was that the dish consumed could have been made at home.  But how to review a place where you never even got to try the food?  We shall, dear readers...

Bunny had come across a few articles from here and there announcing that the famous Roof at the Wit Hotel (which normally serves as a trendy nighttime hot spot, known for cocktails and its spectacular views of downtown Chicago) was to be serving Sunday Brunch.  So she and Brandy headed down to State Street with high expectations.

Upon arrival, they were told to sit anywhere that didn't have a reserved sign.  They managed to find one table in the shade that wasn't reserved and made themselves comfortable.  A menu had already been placed at the table, so they began to peruse and see what was on offer.  Soon after, a hostess approached their table and informed them that she had meant to place a reserved sign on the table they were seated at and asked if they might move to some sun chairs (which had no shade and no tables).  Brandy asked if they might be able to move to a table under shade, as the day was blazing hot, and the hostess responded by rolling her eyes like a teenager, huffing, "Never mind.  We'll figure something out," and storming away.  Needless to say, Our Ladies were rather taken aback by this attitude, but decided to brush it aside and enjoy the gorgeous views.  Minutes later, a waitress approached their table and said cheerfully, "Hi ladies, so a bridal party is going to be using this table in an hour and we're going to move you.  Do you know what you want to order yet?"  Once again shocked by being told they would be moved from a table that to their knowledge was unreserved, Bunny and Brandy dived into menu to quickly choose their meals before they were forced to another spot. 

Other than a few sushi rolls, the menu wasn't very diverse or original and they ended up settling for a few dishes to share.  Unfortunately, the waitress never came back to the table.  Not even to deliver a glass of water.  They sat and watched as the hostess and waitress circled around the table, waiting on others at reserved tables (a reservation at Roof is $100 a person and supposedly includes all your food and drink, though even at a highly priced establishment like this one, you would be hard pressed to consume $100 worth of food and drink at Sunday Brunch).  Bunny was all for playing their little game of cat and mouse, but Brandy's patience soon wore thin and she began insisting on leaving.  After 45 minutes of this standoff, Our Ladies had finally had enough and got up to leave.

The hostess stood at the front, avoiding their eye contact, and a male host asked if they were leaving already.  When Brandy informed him that they had not been served, he seemed surprised and asked them to return to their seats, to which they responded they were told to move from their seats and could not return even if they wanted to. 

The mistakenly unreserved table aside, there is no excuse for service like what Bunny and Brandy received (45 minutes without so much as a glass of water is inexcusable in their book), and it is for that reason alone that they cannot encourage anyone to visit Roof at The Wit.  Better views are to be found at other spots with more friendly servers, such as Signature Room.  And as they never got the chance to judge the food, they will leave that up to others.

Hopefully Roof will have learned their lesson, the lesson every restaurant in Chicago should know by now; make Bunny and Brandy mad, and everybody's gonna hear about it!

The Short and Sweet Review

Signature Room or On Top of the World

The Slow and Savory Review
Our Ladies have been longing for a true Chicago brunch experience, and this week, that opportunity was presented to them in the form of a very special summons. The very affluent and very influential socialites Barry and Blanche Black (dear friends of Our Ladies for many, many years) extended an invitation to Bunny and Brandy to join them at the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. There, they were told, a fabulous brunch buffet was prepared every Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 2:00, and for a flat fee of $45, one could partake in any number of palate pleasing plated provisions.

The elevator ride up to the restaurant is enough to make any tourist squeal with joy at the sheer speed and quantity of ear pops. Sadly, upon exiting the lift, Our Ladies and guests found the famous view from the 95th floor obscured by dense fog. “Is there anything you can do, dear?” Bunny asked Blanche politely. With a wave of her exquisitely bejeweled hand, Blanche simply stated, “It shall be done.” A few moments later, the sun poked its head out from behind the clouds, revealing a spectacular landscape of skyscrapers, lakeside coast line, and bustling city streets. The interior of the Signature was just as stunning, boasting huge art-deco styled chandeliers hung from impossibly high ceilings ("Ah!" Bunny cried, "reminds me of my prom."), exceedingly well dressed tables, and a live piano player playing a live piano live. The staff were very warm and friendly, especially a happy-go-lucky busser name Gabby who could do nothing but smile at every table he passed.

A round of mimosas was ordered before the party “hit the buffet” as they say. Our Ladies reported being overwhelmed by the wonderland of choices before them. To the left, a raw bar, set up with fresh oysters, crab legs, shrimp, and three kinds of caviar, as well as selections of sliced salmon, herring, and five seasonal salad choices. To the right, the dessert table, presented in proper high tea fashion, was laid out with cakes, cream puffs, strudels, and cookies, as well as a vat of home made ice cream. Moving forward brought them into a circular space which housed the breakfast proper. Starting from the left, there was a table dressed with breakfast pasties, such as filled croissants, small muffins and mini bagels. Next came bowls of fruit; pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, melon and the like, all presented with fresh, house made yogurt and shinning granola, to be mixed as one pleased. Beside that stood a young man, ready to make omelets to order with any combination of veggies or meats you liked. Then came a table laden down with covered tureens, labeled with things like “Poached Eggs Benedict” “Garlic Potatoes” and “French Toast.” At the other side of this table was another nice man, who would slice up your desired amount of roast beef or ham. Lastly came a table with several kinds of fresh baked rolls and crackers, a stockpot full of the soup de jour (shrimp bisque), and a selection of cheeses, cold cuts, and pates.



After loading their plates as full as they would go (“Ladies,” Barry Black reminded them, “It is a buffet after all. You can take as many trips as you like,”) Our Ladies and their gracious hosts sat down for some conversation and comestibles. Bunny’s favorites included the shrimp bisque (“Amazingly savory,” was her declaration), the Eggs Benedict (of which she is one of the world’s leading authorities), and the house made yogurt. Brandy enjoyed the cheese selection immensely, especially the drunken goat cheese (Blanche informed her that Signature Room only uses local cheeses and actually travels to the individual dairies to acquire them), as well as the carved roast beef (“It has almost a cured quality to it,” she mused between forkfuls), and Signature Room’s signature dessert, which consisted of dark chocolate cake, milk and white chocolate mousse, and a topper of chocolate ganache.

A very pleasant brunch indeed is to be found high in the clouds above Chicago. At $45 a person (not including the price of drinks) Signature Room is probably not a place to be enjoyed every week, at least not for the average person. Though if you have the kind of money and influence of the Blacks, you may do as you please, but for the rest of us, Bunny and Brandy would highly recommend making a reservation for you and your holiday guests, as this is definitly the place to celebrate something or someone special.

The Short and Sweet Review: