Chicago Holiday
Chicago is definitely my kind of town! I love its wide streets, architecture and the people who live there. I took advantage of the direct flight from Chattanooga and went to experience some Christmas cheer and to see how the youngest is getting on after his move.
Chicago is easy to get around in but I’ve never taken the train. The kid showed me the ropes and I’m now the proud owner of a Ventra card that I can reload for my next trip.
Our first stop was the Christkindlmarket. It was a Saturday afternoon and pretty crowded but it’s a small market so not something you’ll spend all day in any way. Grab a beer or mulled wine and a pretzel. We picked up a gift or two and a boatload of cool sweets for stockings. Next year we plan on getting reservations at Stammtisch.
Another must-do was the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus Holidisco. That show gave me so much joy I made a donation. I was dancing and laughing to tears! It was the perfect antidote to holiday stress.
And then there’s the food! Here are the notable places we dined.
This is a small-plates, tapas-style wine bar. The stand out dish was the roasted beets with goat cheese and pistachio butter. It was amazing how well the pistachio butter worked with such a basic dish.
The next favorite thing was the short-rib. It literally melted it was so tender.
Another small-plates place but more Mediterranean/Middle Eastern. It has a beautiful interior and a knowledgeable but not too hovering wait staff. We went with everything the server recommended which is never a bad move.
House-made Stracciatella
Short-rib Hummus
Happy Kid!
Taking a break from holiday shopping, I grabbed the Express Lunch at Margeaux Brasserie. It was the best value meal I had my entire trip. I imagine this what fancy private school kids have for lunch (without the wine….or not).
Sunday Brunchday was had at Little Goat. I loved this place! Don’t miss the sourdough pancakes! We ordered just one as a side and it was worth it! Did you see all those exclamation points? That’s how good they are. This is the Bullseye French Toast with eggs, crispy chicken, sweet onion brioche, and bbq maple syrup.
One of the more controversial places we ate was Au Cheval. We heard it was the best burger in Chicago from several sources so we HAD to try it. It took us three days to get a table. Not kidding! They don’t take reservations and they won’t put your name on the list until certain criteria are met. It’s a process. Anyway, we finally got a table on a Monday night and after all that I can say, it was serviceable.
We started with a chocolate martini (which was actually a shot but after the trial to get the table I needed something for my nerves).
The best thing we had was the fried chicken with had a sticky Korean-bbq type sauce on it. Bless them for including wet washcloths!
Here’s the much-anticipated burger. We got it as a double (three patties as opposed to a single that has two patties) with a side of beef-cheek marmalade that came highly recommended by a reviewer on Yelp!
The third patty made it impossible to eat. It totally threw off the architecture of the burger. The burger was sliding all around in the bun so I didn’t get the proper burger-to-bun ratio. The beef-cheek marmalade was good but it was too sweet to have with the burger. I’ve had bacon jam before and it works because there is enough salt to counteract the sweet. This was just sweet. PRO TIP: our server suggested we keep the leftover chicken sauce for our fries. It was a game-changer! A fry dipped in mayo then that sauce….sublime!
We closed it down with a root beer float. Their root beer is on draft and reminds me of the root beer at the drive-in when I was growing up. Another highlight.
All and all, it was a good meal but I wonder if it wouldn’t have so much hype around it if it were bigger and took reservations. I don’t think it was two-hour-wait worthy but it was good and worth the time and calories if you go early or for lunch or the wait time is not over 30 minutes. If there is a long wait, put your name down and go across the street to Haymarket for a beer. They will text you when your table is ready.
My favorite part of any visit to any city is walking around and Chicago gives you plenty to look at.
Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season!
