Where to Dine - Chicago - page 54

while enjoying one of the city's top views. The space is nothing dra-
matic (it looks like a high-end corporate dining room), but the focus
here is the view, the food, and you (the service team seamlessly antic-
ipates your every need). Chef Jean Joho draws inspiration from the
earthy cuisine of his native Alsace, and mixes what he calls “noble”
and “simple” ingredients, such as caviar or foie gras with potatoes or
turnips. While the menu changes frequently, the salmon soufflé and
cream-of-Alsace-cabbage soup with smoked sturgeon and caviar are
popular appetizers; signature entrees include roasted Maine lobster
in Alsace Gewürztraminer butter and ginger, and poached tenderloin
of beef cooked pot-au-feu style and served with horseradish cream.
Desserts are suitably sumptuous, and the wine list offers some won-
derful American and Alsatian selections.
440 S. LaSalle St., 40th floor (at Congress Pkwy.). & 312/663-8920. www.everest
restaurant.com. Reservations required. Main courses $27-$46; menu degustation
$89; 3-course pretheater dinner $49. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Tues-Thurs 5:30-9pm; Fri
5:30-9:30pm; Sat 5-10pm. Complimentary valet parking. Subway/El: Brown Line to
LaSalle/Van Buren, or Red Line to Adams.
EXPENSIVE
Atwood Café AMERICAN If you're tired of the exotic
menus at trendy restaurants, Atwood Café will come as a welcome
relief. Located in the historic Hotel Burnham, this place combines a
gracious, 1900-era feel with a fresh take on American comfort food.
The dining room—one of my favorites in the city—mixes elegance
and humor with soaring ceilings; lush velvet curtains; and whimsi-
cal, colorful china and silverware.
Executive Chef Heather Terhune dabbles in global influences
(most notably Asian and Southwestern) here, but the vast majority
of the dishes are straightforward American. Recent entree selections
included maple-grilled pork chops with three-cheese macaroni;
braised lamb shank with lemon zest-mint pesto; and spinach tagli-
atelle with bacon, peas, and shrimp in a garlic cream sauce. In the
winter, try one of the signature potpies. Terhune began as a pastry
chef, so desserts are a high point of Atwood Café's menu. Seasonal
fruit is the basis for cobblers, trifles, and pies; for a decadently rich
experience, tackle the banana-and-white-chocolate bread pudding.
1 W. Washington St. (at State St.). & 312/368-1900. www.atwoodcafe.com. Main
courses $18-$26. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Fri 7-10am; Sat 8-10am; Sun 8am-3pm;
Mon-Sat 11:30am-3:45pm; Sun-Thurs 4:30-10pm; Fri-Sat 5-11pm. Subway/El: Red
Line to Washington.

Finds

Park Grill AMERICAN Location, location, location—it's
what sets Park Grill apart from all the other upscale comfort-food