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Adult entertainment calls for other adult things, from a good locked door to new batteries for the remote control. With the fever of adoptions by gay couples, all of this speaks to a greater issue: no kiddies allowed. So, while you are celebrating all things adult, head on over to a restaurant for a no kiddies dinner.
Enter through the hotel's lobby and everything feels very adult, sort of like a mod "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas", with big chandeliers, a curving staircase, and curvy striped carpeting. The restaurant itself is housed in an impossibly high-ceilinged room, lined with a curved row of banquettes on one side and prime tables for four overlooking Michigan Avenue and Grant Park on the other. These might be easier to snag at lunch than at dinner, when things intensify. Greeters and servers are friendly and attentive, ready to explain that Mercat is a tapas style restaurant (for the most part). There are many interesting tapas choices on offer while the lunch menu also presents a selection of large sandwiches with terrific fries (these can and should be ordered as a tapas plate) for about $11.00. You could also make a lunch of one of the salads, say the Romaine with Grilled Chicken, artfully presented as a whole heart of romaine alongside a sliced, flavorful warm boneless breast. Divided between fish, meat, and vegetable (not necessarily vegetarian), the choices are wide but not overreaching and limitless. Many are traditional (olives, Serrano ham croquettes) and I especially like one of the simplest: grilled green onions with an almond dipping sauce is top notch. The harshness of the onion is tempered by the grilling while the thick sauce is more like a spread, and a good reason to ask for some accompanying bread slices. The fried peppers are salty and a surprise, as some are hot and some are not. It's luck of the draw. Tender scallops are large and come four to an order, and again presented simply, allowing the scallops and accompanying aioli to stand on its own. The sautéed spinach is more complex, flavored with olive oil and dotted with raisins, pine nuts, and sprinkled with apple. A fava and lima bean salad gets its kick from candy-like bits of ham. At dinner, many more large plates are offered, including traditional steaks, fish, pork belly, ravioli, and more. So, it's easy to see why getting a table at dinner is a riskier proposition than snagging one at lunch. Speaking of those tables, the prime spots are the four-tops right at the floor-to-ceiling windows. However, all of the tables afford excellent views and allow one to take in the room. It would only be diners facing inwards at the banquettes that suffer from less interesting sights. Mercat a la Planxa 638 S. Michigan Ave | 312.765.0524 | www.mercatchicago.com Editor's Note:
In Issue #08.09 the article "Where Have All The Chinese
Restaurants Gone?" was not appropriately credited as being
written by Lee Gerstein. |
Right
now, the hot dining scene in the South Loop is almost 100% kid
un-friendly, which means you can go to one of these trendy spots
without the fear of the little ones knocking over the wine; that's
for you to do after one too many. A brand new South Loop spot
is located in the renovated, recently reopened Blackstone Hotel,
on the corner of Michigan and Balboa. Housed in a National Historic
Registered building, the Mercat a la Planxa restaurant
nevertheless feels very of the moment. Featuring Spanish (Catalonian)
cuisine, Mercat is under the able stewardship of Jose Garces,
a Chicago-born chef and Kendall College graduate who recently
returned to his hometown after a very successful stint in Philadelphia.