![]() Orsi who was only 29 at the time, worked there from 1967 to 1969, when he decided to return to his native Lyon to take over the famous eponymous restaurant. Some of the notable chefs, cooks, and maitres D', who worked in that famous kitchen were Pierre Monet, Michel Grobon, Gérard Humilier, Christian Gaborit, Jean-Paul Weber, and Pierre Orsi. All the celebrities who came to town and the local “beautiful people” would of course start their dinner with Champagne.Īll the chefs and head waiters had been trained in Paris and were brought in, along with Monsieur Bompart, by Vaudable with the local help of Nancy Goldberg. The wine list was probably the richest in Chicago at the time in Great Bordeaux and Bourgognes. It’s Italian-Croatian - rich and clever - that kind of uniquely American combination.The menu was a repertoire of French classics: From Cream of Mussels Soup, Sole Albert, Mousse de Foie Gras, Foie Gras sauce Périgourdine, Steak Diane, Filet de Boeuf en Croûte, Pommes soufflées, to Veal Orloff, and of course marvelous dessert soufflés. ![]() Most importantly though, pizza from Bonci’s - not deep dish but Roman style, twice-cooked, crisp - the best I’ve ever tasted.Īnother evening in the same neighbourhood, I dine at Rose Mary which serves small plates (a Chicago small, though). I sample meatballs from Nonna’s, a Do-Rite doughnut, caramelised chicken dumplings (Urbanbelly) and some delicate chocolates (Bad Bach). West Loop is packed with restaurants partly thanks to Oprah Winfrey opening her studio here in 1988. He explains to me the importance of the big three - deep dish pizza, Italian beef sandwiches and hot dogs. Many of us are critical of our metropolitan surroundings, but David is one of several Chicagoans I meet who feels almost honoured to live here, and his depth of knowledge reflects that. It’s why the local soccer team is called Chicago Fire. The following day, on a food tour of the West Loop neighbourhood, my guide David mentions the fire again and says the city is proud of its rebirth. The 1929 Art Deco building was finished with black granite, green terracotta and gold leaf to resemble a champagne bottle. It also gives me a different perspective on The Pendry, a 364-room hotel which opened in the summer, where I’m staying. I hear a couple behind me ask aloud why the Tribune needed such a big building: ‘Probably for back when people bought newspapers’ is the conclusion one of them reaches.įloating down the river we pass streamlined Art Deco towers, brash postmodernism and shining late modernism. The Wrigley and the Tribune buildings (neither houses either any more) are the twin peaks which begin the tour. The oldest building we see dates from 1898, around the time Chicago hoped to become the ‘Paris of the Prairie’. ![]() ![]() The 18-mile Lakefront Trail is once again dotted with runners and cyclists enjoying the last gasps of bearable weather.Īt The Dearborn, Amy Lawless, who runs the restaurant with her sister Clodagh (they moved here from Galway 22 years ago), says that a few nights ago, for the first time in 18 months, she saw queues of people three-deep at the bar during the pre-theatre rush.īut the disruption caused by Covid is nothing compared to that following the fire of 1871 which raised the downtown area, as I learn from guide Adrianne on the CAFC River Cruise, an architectural boat tour. Downtown theatres are busy and people are out late as the L train rattles overhead. And now the lights are back on in the city. ![]()
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