Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
127
other tot treats. Baja chicken tacos, barbecued ranch chicken salad, and avocado egg rolls
are a fe w of the items on the wide-ranging menu. And the cheesecake! S ave room for
white chocolate raspberr y truffle, chocolate peanut butter cookie dough, or , seasonally,
pumpkin cheesecake.
875 N. Michigan Ave. (in the plaza of the John Hancock Center).
&
312/337-1101.
Highchairs, boosters.
Main courses $8.95-$16. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs 11:30am-11pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-12:30am; Sun
10am-11:30pm. Subway/El: Red Line to Chicago/State.
Coco Pazzo Café
ITALIAN Here's the per fect combination for families: food
sophisticated enough for gr own-ups, simple enough for kids. An added plus is a scenic
sidewalk cafe for that rar e perfect-weather day in Chicago . The cafe is the mor e casual
version of Coco P azzo restaurant. The decor is color ful, with ceramic tile, wall murals,
and a copper-topped bar . C uisine is r ustic Tuscan and nor thern I talian. The menu
includes focaccia, thin-cr ust pizza, seafood, v eal, chicken dishes, and pasta. F or adults,
specialties include fish
cartoccio
(fresh fish in parchment paper), gnocchi with tomato and
basil, and tagliolini with wild mushr ooms. Sunday brunch features a fix ed-price menu
that varies every week.
636 N. St. Clair St.
&
312/664-2777.
Highchairs, boosters. Reservations recommended. Main courses
$9-$15. AE, DISC, V. Mon-Thurs 11:30am-10:30pm; F ri-Sat 11:30am-11pm; Sun 11:30am-10pm. Sub -
way/El: Red Line to Chicago. Bus: 3, 145, 146, 147, 151, or 157.
ESPN Zone
AMERICAN Kids will love it, but grown-ups prone to indigestion might
want to tread carefully. (Maybe you'll want to skip dining her e and just hit the ar cade?)
The frenetic activity inside this temple of televised athletics will likely please y our kids
(and please y ou, too, if y ou hav e tr ouble keeping them enter tained) but can be a bit
overwhelming. Every wall is co vered with television scr eens or sports art, with a full-on
visual and audio assault on y our senses. This massive 35,000-square-foot sports-themed
dining-and-entertainment complex features three components: the Studio Grill, designed
with replicas of studio sets fr om the cable networks' shows (including
SportsCenter
); the
Screening Room, a sports pub featuring a 16-foot screen and an armada of TV monitors
and radio sets carrying live broadcasts of games; and the Sports Arena, a gaming area with
interactive and competitiv e attractions. G ood news for adults: The food her e is better-
than-average tavern fare, including quite a few salads and upscale items such as a salmon
filet baked on cedar and ser ved with steamed rice and grilled v egetables.
43 E. Ohio St. (at Wabash A ve.).
&
312/644-3776.
K ids' menu , highchairs , boost ers. M ain c ourses
$7.25-$20; kids' menu $5-$8. AE, DISC, MC, V. Sun-Thurs 11am-midnight; Fri-Sat 11am-1am. Subway/
El: Red Line to Grand.
5
Jack Melnick's Corner Tap
AMERICAN This casual neighborhood pub provides a
comfortable, welcoming, and fun environment—a local hangout where folks can “come
as they are.” Specialties include burgers done seven ways, chopped salads, and home-style
specials such as barbecued ribs and chicken. A 50-foot old-fashioned bar is the epicenter
of Jack's, featuring an extensiv e bottle and tap beer selection fr om ar ound the world,
“from Old Style to N ewcastle.” Patrons can catch just about any spor ting event from
baseball to hockey on the 16 scr eens featuring D irecTV, or play a game of dar ts. The
dining room has always been one of my fav orite spots on the M agnificent Mile, with a
screened-in porch area that lets in the lake br eeze in the summer , and a stone fir eplace
and deep booths that make for cozy dining in the wintertime. Desserts include apple pie,
banana cream pie, and a chocolate-chip-cookie skillet sundae. O n Sunday catch brunch
from 11am to 4pm.
