Chicago: The Gage (August 2011)

My spouse and I ate a late-night dinner at The Gage in mid-August 2011. The restaurant borders Millennium Park on Michigan Avenue, and was a quick and easy walk from our hotel, the Parker House Hilton. The restaurant facade has some Louis Sullivan background, for those interested in architecture, and served as a millinery factory in years gone by (some relics still decorate the walls, and the former factory usage is apparent in places - which I mean in a good way!). We arrived at the restaurant around 8:30 pm after an afternoon flight to Chicago, and the place was bustling! We were glad that we had the foresight to make a reservation using Open Table, or we would have had a long wait. It appears to be a popular place for locals, because it seemed to be filled with many larger groups of families and coworkers all celebrating and enjoying one another’s company. The indoor space is enormous, with many, many tables, and there is some limited outdoor seating as well. The menu was interesting, with a sort of a gastropub-y, upscale comfort food twist. We shared a lovely cheese plate as an appetizer; this is one starter that we often share, and it was well done here as compared to others we have had. I had an awesome crispy rabbit salad followed by an Amish chicken entree accompanied by quinoa, while my spouse had an octopus salad followed by an entree of local sausages and crispy brie potatoes, and we shared the roasted brussel sprouts tossed with brie and bacon as our vegetable. (Sounds like cheese, overload, I know!) The food was very tasty, and the portions were large. Sadly, we had no room for dessert, but the offerings sounded delicious (beignets, brulees, lemon tarts). The service was good; there were many staff members on hand and they worked well together. We would definitely recommend this restaurant and would gladly try it again!