We spent the past 4 days in Chicago for Ski's graduation from the University of Chicago. He arranged for us to stay at his professor's house who lives a few blocks from campus.
The 1st night he took us out to a sushi buffet. Mick and I are not big on sushi so we ordered something else but it was fun to watch Ski, Spencer and Mike go at it. You were given a menu where you checked the items that you wanted to be served. The trick is, not to order too much because you have to pay for whatever you don't eat.
On Friday we went to the
Science and Industry Museum which I highly recommend...especially if you have a bunch of smart science geeks in your family. We spent most of the day there and finished off with a trip downtown for some shopping at H&M. We also stopped by to pick up some cupcakes from
MORE. YUM!!! We highly recommend the salted caramel and passionfruit meringue.
That night we went out to dinner at the
Chicago Firehouse with Ski and his girlfriend Laura. The food was fantastic. Mick and I shared a trio of filet mignons that were crusted in various things like blue cheese. TO DIE FOR! And the bonus for the evening is that I don't think we scared Laura too badly.
Saturday was the graduation and it rained hard for most of it.....which wouldn't have been so bad except that it was outside. I know that Ski was pretty miserable but it was a very neat experience for Mike and I to see him get his diploma. I didn't get a shot of him in his cap and gown due to the rain and also because there wasn't supposed to be any videoing or photography - although I did get some video and this shot while standing in line to go in.
Later that evening we went downtown to the restaurant
TRU. It was a truly memorable experience! We were led into the dining room where 5 members of the waitstaff were standing reading to seat us all in unison - we totally failed that one!
Then they come around with your napkins on a silver platter and give you a choice of selecting black or white - this can be a tricky decision since you don't know if later it will impact what or how you're served.
When serving or removing the courses, there are at least 3 of the waitstaff that surround the table and they serve or remove the plates in unison moving clockwise around the table until everything is served or cleared. They can only pick up one thing at a time, so sometime they circle the table several times.
It was like performance eating! Very entertaining!
And...best of all, the food was impeccable...surprising...interesting in how it was presented and most of all, utterly delicious! There were a couple of items that had roe (fish eggs) in them that weren't my favorite but other than that it was outstanding.
Ski ordered venison and it was baked in a chocolate cake-like crust. Spencer's soup arrived as just a bowl of lobster and crab meat and they waitress appeared with a carafe and poured the steaming soup over it then garnished it with a special foam.
It was pretty obvious that we were not high-bred city folk but we had fun with that too. Especially when Mick spilled on the white table cloth and they came over with a white napkin and laid it out to cover up the stain. Mick also had one bout of spewing water when someone crack a joke midstream.
Again...if only I had brought my iPhone...well, Ski might have stood up and walked out if I had started taking pictures. :o)
It was pricey but if you're ever in Chicago looking for a memorable dining experience, I highly recommend it.
All in all, we had a marvelous time.