Chicago is a beautiful city, American to the bone, and Trump Tower sits in a perfect location. The Terrace Bar, outdoors, on a Saturday night at dusk, seemed quite magical. Despite the long waiting list for a party of two to grab a drink outside, $20 gets you in fairly quickly.
It was worth it. My wife and I were there for a very special occasion, with reservations to Sixteen awaiting right after the cocktails at The Terrace. The staff were extremely nice, and we even got a window table. After all, the view is part of the experience.
The first thing that became apparent after we sat down is the true Donald Trump-like nature of the restaurant. Despite us supposedly getting the only available time slot for dinner reserved a month in advance, there were empty tables around us. I also realized that the coveted window tables are not worth tipping the host. There was more than one available, and the windows looked onto the party crowd at The Terrace. But the famous "We'll try to accommodate you to the best of our abilities" speech, especially on an anniversary dinner, makes one feel a bit jumpy and start fishing for greenbacks in the pocket.
The quality is top-notch. I had lamb four ways, and my wife had a duo of beef as entrees. Her short ribs were some of the tastiest, actually cooked medium-rare yet the most tender. My lamb creations were superb as well, from loin chop to the spring roll. Everything is well seasoned, well executed, beautifully presented.
The portion size is small. I have had smaller in my lifetime, but these were not dishes that would stick to your ribs. Granted, the carnivore that I am, whenever I see a $45 dish, I expect it to be described as USDA Prime, 32 oz., you get the idea. Appetizers, above $20, are surely tiny, so don't expect to fill up on food.
Speaking of appetizers, there was one faux pas: the fois gras torchon (read cylindrical pate of fois gras). While the torchon was supposed to be the centerpiece, it came sandwiched between gingerbread cookies, topped with muscat grape gelee, and surrounded by a creamy substance containing five-spice. The delicacy and finesse of the torchon was completely lost. We ended up separating the torchon from its sweet-and-spicy surroundings and spreading on a piece of brioche.
These things happen on occasion at high-end restaurants, where chefs get overly creative and bring to many flavors into a dish whose main ingredient has a refined flavor of its own. And it makes the customer feel like the money is going somewhere. After all, it's $25 for a quarter-sized slice of pate.
Desserts are fabulous, creative, presented with flair and immaculate attention to detail. They are also the largest portions on the menu. There is pre-dessert course as well, free of charge, and the after-dessert course of cookies and chocolates. Our 3-year old was quite grateful about the latter course the next day, produced from a doggie bag.
After all the sugar, we felt full, but not for long, as you can imagine. When we got home, the burger from The Terrace, or Byron's for that matter, seemed like a good idea. Ok, maybe half a burger, with some fries.
All in all, Sixteen is definitely a great place to celebrate something special. Almost every table had a birthday, an anniversary, or some other jubilee in progress. But even with the quality of food, the views, and free sweets, I had a feeling we were subsidizing the growth of Trump Tower empire. My suggestion to management would be to feed their clients a little more and pretend to be the most exclusive a little less. Then the tables might actually get overbooked.
I think we'll go back to The Terrace for a burger, though, with some friends. They say the wait is shorter for larger crowds, but I'll have a neatly folded $20 just in case.
This moment will nap, you will have a dream; But this moment study,you will interpret a dream.
Posted by: air jordans | November 02, 2010 at 08:37 PM