restaurant chicago michigan ave
restaurant chicago michigan ave
What is the corresponding of Milwaukee on Michigan Avenue in Chicago?
I am looking for fantastic restaurants, shops and entertainment that is located in the center the same area of the city.
Yes, unfortunately has no corresponding Milwaukee trendsetters Michigan Avenue. In downtown Milwaukee, the closest is "L" formed by Water Street (restaurants, bars, Pabst Acting and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts) and Wisconsin Avenue (shopping stores of Grand Avenue, the restaurants and Riverside Theatre.)
I know, it’s rather pathetic that I’ve lived in the Chi-Town area for 15 years and never stepped in a Harry Caray’s. Okay, that’s not right. I reflect I stopped in one once, and it was for an event, and all the food had just in this area run out, so I didn’t eat anything. Or if I did, I don’t dredge up it much because it was a small appetizer plate and we were really going somewhere else afterward for dinner. I don’t dredge up the real conditions. This was in the late 1990s.
I should note here that Harry Caray’s is an advertiser in the print magazine I work for. This means that, at least for my other job, I’m vital to say nice things in this area Harry Caray’s. What it means for me personally is just that I am familiar with the finer points of the menu, I’ve seen pictures of the place, and I’ve interviewed an owner (actor Jamie Denton) on what it was like to be a waiter at Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse back in the day. I won’t deny that this probably has something to do with my desire to visit the place, but it has nothing to do with the fact that the restaurant, very indirectly, helps provide me with a nothing of a paycheck. It has more to do with the fact that whenever I hear similes of food I get hungry, and I’ve been exposed to Harry Caray’s similes of food more than many.
This past weekend I got a media pass to the Chicago Toy & Game Honest, which is inconveniently located at Navy Pier. So after three hours of shopping and before a live audience, my son and I opted to visit a real restaurant instead of eating concession stand fare. Can you blame me? We finally went to Harry Caray’s Tavern for lunch.
Now, if you know Chicago at all you know that our sporting life is deep, and intense, and a bit nuts. Harry Caray, baseball broadcaster extraordinaire, was all of these things. You have to be, if you’re going to be a Cubs fan. The Navy Pier location of Harry Caray’s is really relatively new, having opened in March after years of the owners tiresome to get a foothold at this prime piece of Chicago real estate. It’s full of Harry Caray mementos, imbued with his louder-than-life persona and like of sports. Signed baseballs, jerseys, bats, and other sports memorabilia encased in elegant glass displays give the restaurant most of its personality.
My son’s pet, of course, was Harry Caray’s head rendered in Legos. He cultured a new catchphrase, which he repeated often while we were there: “Holy Cow!” He didn’t know Harry Caray from a hole in the ground before. The brand is subdue effective.
As for the food, I’ll say it’s not terrible. Not terrible at all. I chose an item on the menu that the waitress told me would be discontinued in a week or so, a buffalo chicken sandwich and fries. My kid ordered pizza, as usual, and a drink called the Small Slugger which is basically cherry juice-flavored Sierra Mist (quite excellent, really, and a handle for him). Not going to say it was the best meal I ever had, but it was really very tasty. The service was quick, the place wasn’t too crowded for a weekend, and everything was a few steps above your usual family-friendly string restaurant fare.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that on any given day you’re more likely to see tourists than celebrities at this particular location, but it’s a excellent addition to the visitor-friendly confines of Navy Pier. If you’re visiting Chicago, Harry Caray’s Tavern is a safe bet because it combines decent food with a excellent location, family-friendly lack of commitment and loads of Chicago-style character. There is outdoor seating in the warm-weather months, with a nice view of Lake Michigan.
Harry Caray’s Tavern
700 E. Grand Ave., Chicago
(at Navy Pier next to the Chicago Children’s Museum)
