As a "Broadway in Chicago" season ticket holder, I've tried to get a reservation at 312 at least a half dozen times. As the Chicago theater scene is booming, the restaurant scene in that area is not, and I've walked in circles around Randolph for hours trying to find someplace that is actually open after 6pm.
Consequently, I've given up the search and have been frequenting the Walnut Room at Marshall Fields and have been pretty satisfied with their service and prices yet the food is somewhat pedestrian, making me long for something new. So again, walking in circles around Randolph we decided to try 312 and foolishly asked for a table for two.
We got the standard answer of a minimum 2 hour wait, on a Wednesday night, and was told we could sit at the bar. There is usually a pretty long wait for the bar but this time we saw an empty table and pounced on it. Finally we were going taste exactly why 312 is one of the hardest restaurants in town to get into. After we devoured our entrees from being over hungry and exhausted we came to the conclusion that it is not the food that drives its popularity.
It has to be the location and the utter lack of any other options besides McDonalds in proximity to the theaters. The service was extremely prompt and helpful, as probably 90% of the people in the restaurant are going to a show, the staff keeps things moving, which is appreciated. I liked the presentation of the seafood risotto special with shrimp with a buttery flavor that was enjoyable enough. The halibut sitting on a potato puree with butter drizzle and scallops was also good, if not a bit too salty.
It's just that they were dishes I've had at many other restaurants many times before, and sometimes better. The menu was not extensive, which is OK however nothing really jumped out at me. I saw the standard Caesar salads whiz by, although I did not order one, and the dessert menu looked appealing. Yet I wasn't wow'd by the experience. While I might try my chances at getting that table in the bar again, I will most likely go back to the Walnut Room knowing that I'm not missing out on anything, and will still make it to the theater on time.
312 Chicago
312 (duh) 696-2420
136 N. Lasalle
Eating before a show downtown is kind of a mess. If you don't plan a week in advance, according to 312, you won't get a table on any given Wednesday. Considering it's technically a hotel restaurant I find it preposterous that guests at the Allegro would have to eat room service unless they booked their dinner and hotel reservations simultaneously.
Downtown you have surprisingly few options. Chicago is obviously not New York as almost every restaurant, though mostly lunch places, shuts down after 6pm if not earlier. Alternative suggestions made by 312 over the phone included the Atwood Cafe, same owner, and Italian Village. I know that the theatres are big tourism draws but I wish there were more options not geared towards the tourists from Iowa. Nothing against a cautious palate but when Trader Vics is the ethic restaurant of choice- this part of downtown... kind of sucks.
We walked in to 312 anyway and did get a seat at a table in the bar. Considering you can order off the menu and we didn' t have to wait we were thrilled. My standby, the Walnut Room, wasn't appealing to me this night.
I was at 312 once before and had a good late working lunch with a tasty bit of quail and a decent salad that I remember as being good but nothing specific.
This time we ordered asparagus risotto and halibut with fava beans and bay scallops over pureed potoes. We were famished to the point of crankiness and were happy when the food came promptly.
After a few bites we switched dishes. My permanent roommate found the hallibut too salty. I was enjoying the risotto in spite of a very butter-saturated feel but welcomed the switch. 3 bites into the risotto and it was feeling heavier and heavier.
The hallibut was served as two good-sized pieces and one was over salted. The other was not and the garlic crust was as expected. The potato puree I enjoyed as it was spun to a sauce consistency and went well with the fava beans and tiny bay scallops.
On the whole the place is very good and the potato puree and a variety of beans and the like are as deviant as many people want their food to be. Considering I eat out so much I would die a young and congealed man if I was to eat heavy food like this consistently. On the occasion that I want a big meaty meal with heirloom veggies and purple potatoes or something sort of like that I could see coming back. I would wash it all down with 3 glasses of cab having a grand time of things, lying when I vow to work it off the following day.
Other than that type of appeal I find the hassle of 312 standing in the way of the comfort food that it ends up being to me. I suppose when you're one of the only games in the theatre part of town this can't be a negative but you can't be all things to all people.
Posted by: josh | May 13, 2005 at 01:58 PM