This is, by nature, more of an IMHO post, but given that it’s about food and a restaurant, I’ll start it out here. If the moderators prefer a relocation, that is fine.
I ate dinner Friday night at the 676 Restaurant and Bar in Chicago, located on the 4th Floor of the Omni hotel, 676 N. Michigan Ave. I had an absolutely fabulous dining experience! I wanted to share this with y’all, so that you can add this lovely location to your “must eat here when in Chicago” list (which, of course, is far longer than your “days I’ll actually be in Chicago list”!! ).
I started with a very tasty creamed potato soup, with carmelized onions in it and truffle oil. The soup itself was very creamy, and rich, with the subtle flavoring of the oil present always. The onions were quite a nice addition, not in any way anything but properly sweet and flavorful. Then, I visited Argentina. The restaurant is featuring flavors of that country. I had a lovely carmelized squash with arugula salad, that had regianito cheese shavings and a honey vinagrette. The squash were flavorful, and the salad wasn’t cloying, as happens all too often these days pandering to our sweet tooths.
Continuing my visit to Argentina, I ate the Malbrec-braised beef short ribs, accompanied by fennel whipped potatoes. The beef was so tender, it literally fell apart as I ate it; a knife was not needed at all. It was quite tasty, and there was plenty of it to eat; I had last night’s dinner from it as well.
My companion had the signature salad, which features dried blueberries, capriole goat cheese (VERY tasty, creamy and soft, not like feta at all!), and candied almonds. This salad was sweet, but oh goodness, in such a good way. I can understand why it’s the signature salad. She also had a oven-baked flatbread (pizza, if you will).
Cost, with drinks and tip: $100. VERY reasonable for the Miracle Mile, and quite a bit tastier than the meal I had at Spiaggia a few years ago (a much better known restaurant on the Magnificent Mile).