Fun Playing With Food in Chicago, Last Part

Our time in Chicago was marked by a roller coaster of weather. Ice storm Sunday, followed by seasonally cold Monday, nearly record-breaking warm and soggy Tuesday, falling towards seasonal and wet on Wednesday, then going into the deep freeze as we waited for the bus Wednesday evening after a delicious dinner at Little Goat Diner. We woke early on Thursday to a polar zone, complete with a biting wind that took the breath away. But we were going to make the best of our remaining time here, beginning with a repeat visit to Lou Mitchell's Restaurant, which we'd had to rush through on our last visit. The cold weather deterred me from taking any outside photos (you can see this exterior of this classic place on their website), but once we were inside, it was like coming home. There is something about this place that channels The Catskill Mountains for me, though the olfactory triggers were less pronounced this time (probably owing to the winter season). 

Complimentary fresh-baked donut holes always grace the entryway

Tell me that this glass of iced tea doesn't make you feel like you're at The Nevele or Kutsher's. The size and shape of the glass, the overly generous slice of lemon and the taste of freshly brewed tea just take me right back.

Complimentary Orange and Dried Plum (Prune)

Our last visit was at lunchtime; I assume that this nosh is standard fare at the breakfast hour. Another nice hospitality touch.

I asked our server about the contents of this bottle (and it's siblings scattered throughout the tables) - she said she'd been instructed to say it was all real maple syrup, but admitted than some customers had questioned this. Sadly, the customer is usually right, and it turned out that there was quite a bit of sugar water in this bottle. A shame, because Lou Mitchell's not only prides itself on making almost everything served from scratch, but we noticed on this visit that the menu touted a number of "local" and "organic" items, as well as the real butter served with pancakes, waffles etc. I'd have gladly paid a reasonable upcharge for pure maple syrup to accompany that real butter.

Pecan Bun

Bob was still pretty stuffed from his All American Burger, Smoked Fries and Mac N Cheese from dinner the night before, and so ordered only coffee (which he pronounced very good) and this bun. We could see trays and trays of freshly made-in-house bakery, so I wondered why they toasted it. Still, it was very tasty.

Belgian Malted Bacon Pecan Waffle

Real syrup or no - this was a mighty fine waffle. Bacon and pecans just go together so well, especially with maple flavors. More comfort food to comfort the discomforted.

The Silversmith not only honored our request for a late checkout, they didn't put a time limit on it. Though I can't guarantee you that kind of accommodation "in season," they really do seem to be a very customer-friendly hotel. So, we waited to shower and pack until after breakfast. We debated whether we had enough appetite to share another meal downtown, or whether we should wait and try to find palatable eats at Midway Airport. After some internet research suggested we'd be disappointed with anything we tried to eat at the airport, one last meal downtown seemed in order. But where? The weather was even more bitterly (single digit) cold than it had been earlier in the day, with a nasty wind that would make mass transit impractical. And there were time constraints.

We wound up at the restaurant of Iron Chef Jose Garces, a short cab ride down the street: Mercat a la Planxa. Our EGullet group was supposed to dine here that fateful Sunday in 2008 (later switched to Burt's Pizza). The restaurant offers The Catalan Express for lunch - two courses plus soft drink for $18. As that name implies, the cuisine is Spanish, and particularly focused on Catalonia. The bar is at street level, and the restaurant up either a flight of stairs or  a short elevator ride. It is most beautiful, with an open kitchen, and tantalizing smells enticed us to our table.

Alas, Mercat was the only meal of our trip (other than the water/sugar-maybe some real syrup described above) to not deliver an exquisite experience. Not that it was bad; it just didn't wow as the other places did, with either food or service. The soup course wound up the star of the meal.

ARROZ A LA CAZUELA WITH SHRIMP, CHICKEN, CHORIZO SOUP WITH ARTICHOKE CONFIT & PIQUILLO AIOLI

Neither bowl of soup was piping hot. Bob's soup tasted good to me, but he confirmed that the shrimp had a lingering flavor of sodium tripolyphosphate.

SOPA DE FORTMAGE Y CERVEZA IDIAZABAL AND ESTRELLA DAMM SOUP WITH TRUFFLE AND POTATO

You can see how a skin formed at the top of my cheese soup, from sitting under the heat lamp. Why this happened is a mystery, since it was after 2pm, and there weren't more than 6 tables occupied in the place. Still, the flavors of this soup, which included luscious cheese, speck, potato and truffle, were winners.

THE MERCAT BURGER 8 OZ BLACK ANGUS BURGER WITH LA PERAL, PADRÓN PEPPERS & RED WINE ONION JAM

I don't know what possessed Bob to order a burger after the magnificent patty he'd enjoyed last night. But burger he did. The burger was good, though nothing extraordinary, and the house made chips were cold and a bit salty.

VIEIRES I ALBERGÍNIA DIVER SCALLOPS A LA PLANXA, ROASTED EGGPLANT PUREE, ARTICHOKE SALAD

My entree was the only outright disappointing dish of the trip. I judge all scallops against those prepared by Cleveland's Brandt Evans, and these simply didn't cut it. A day or two older than they wanted to be and a little cold, the scallops sat atop an artichoke relish that I found inedibly sour. The off-green roasted eggplant puree added nothing to the visual appeal of the dish, though it tasted ok. However, between the waffle breakfast and the cheesy soup course at Mercat, I did not feel unsatisfied as we hailed a cab back to the hotel for our final departure.

The weather cooperated enough that we were only a bit late returning to Cleveland, but we weren't hungry enough to eat - a compliment to the many chefs whose food we'd played with in Chicago over the past week.

As much as I enjoyed Chicago's food scene, I can't help but appreciate a moment we had at Girl and The Goat. While perusing the menu, we noted how we were still a little sated from lunch at The Gage, and our server exclaimed, "but you have to have room for pig's face!" Smilingly, we ordered the goat belly instead, explaining that we can get pig face in Cleveland (at The Greenhouse Tavern). So, win lose or draw - it is a wonderful life, isn't it? Filled with fun playing with food, this time in Chicago.