Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
restaurants in town. Set in the middle of Millennium Park, a hugely
popular gathering spot along Michigan Avenue and Randolph
Street, Park Grill makes a great stop after a late-afternoon stroll or
before a summer concert at the Pritzker Music Pavilion (since this is
a popular preshow dinner spot, definitely make a reservation). The
menu highlights American favorites, some prepared simply (grilled
leg of lamb and rotisserie chicken), others featuring a more interna-
tional twist, such as pappardelle pasta with littleneck clams, chorizo
sausage, leeks, and basil; and braised rabbit. For lighter appetites,
there are a number of fish dishes, salads, and some thin-crust pizzas.
Lunch selections include a good mix of sandwiches—everything
from Cajun chicken breast and barbecue beef to a smoked-salmon
club and BLT with truffle mayonnaise. There's also a kids' menu.
11 N. Michigan Ave. (at Madison St.).
&
312/521-PARK.
Reservations recom-
mended. Main courses $10-$21 lunch, $17-$41 dinner. AE, DC, MC, V. Sun-Thurs
11am-9:30pm; Fri-Sat 11am-10:30pm. Subway/El: Red Line to Washington or
Brown, Orange, Purple, or Green line to Madison.
Russian Tea Time
RUSSIAN/TEA Russian Tea Time is
far from being the simple tea cafe that its name implies. Reading
through this family-owned restaurant's extensive menu is like taking
a tour through the cuisine of czarist Russia and the former Soviet
republics (for Russian neophytes, all the dishes are well described).
The atmosphere is old-world and cozy, with lots of woodwork and a
friendly staff. Start off a meal with potato pancakes, blini with Russ-
ian caviar, or chilled smoked sturgeon; if you can't decide, there are
a number of mixed appetizer platters to share. For the best sampling
of old Russia, try the beef stroganoff;
kulebiaka
(meat pie with
ground beef, cabbage, and onions); or roast pheasant served with a
brandy, walnut, pomegranate sauce, and brandied prunes.
77 E. Adams St. (between Michigan and Wabash aves.).
&
312/360-0000.
www.
russianteatime.com. Reservations recommended. Main courses $15-$27. AE, DC,
DISC, MC, V. Sun-Thurs 11am-9pm; Fri-Sat 11am-midnight (the restaurant some-
times closes earlier during the summer months). Tea service daily 2:30-4:30pm. Sub-
way/El: Brown, Purple, Green, or Orange line to Adams; or Red Line to Monroe or
Jackson.
MODERATE
The Village
ITALIAN The Village, complete with a mid-
night-blue ceiling, twinkling “stars,” and banquettes tucked into pri-
vate corners, is the kind of pan-Chicago place where you might see
one man in a tux and another in shorts. This is old-school Italian:
eggplant parmigiana, a heavy fettuccine Alfredo that would send
your cardiologist into fits, veal scaloppini, and even calves' liver. The
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