Jan 31, 2008
Dish Deux: Sky-High Breakfast
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Breakfast for Two at Sixteen
For the first 15 minutes or so, it was just the two of us, which meant that we were the most fascinating people in the room. The staff kind of hovered. Even though construction of the 92-floor building won’t be finished until summer of 2009, things looked pretty swanky from where we were sitting. Which just happened to be in the River Room, in cerulean blue chairs next to one of the 30-foot-high windows, with a very nice view of the Wrigley Building’s clock tower. It’s a striking space, full of beautiful swirly-grained African wood.
As soon as we sat down, our waiter asked if we wanted freshly squeezed orange juice. Sure. Skinny shooter glasses filled with yummy berry juice came as freebies. Faced with numerous possibilities for upscale morning fare, I foolishly ordered the plainest plate on the menu: sunny side-up eggs, ham, home fries, tomatoes Provençal, and toast ($15). For some reason, they brought out just the ham and eggs. As two side orders. No tomatoes, no home fries, no toast. (I asked for the tomatoes, which eventually arrived, and just wrote off the other two.) The eggs were good, but they were just eggs; the ham flavorful and meaty. Nice tomatoes (though they’ve got nothing on the tomatoes Provençal that my mom makes); the breadcrumb topping held together pretty well. I know this because I knocked some of it onto the floor and it was easy to pick up. The food was fine, but at these prices, I expected more. I also expected the rest of my order.
My companion went with the eggs Benedict ($17), which our waiter recommended. Perfectly cooked eggs, puffy toasted English muffin. And Sixteen brings home the bacon—it’s moderately crispy, not too fatty. The highlight of the breakfast, though, was the crumpets ($3). We shared not one but two orders of the savory snack, which were tasty and doughy and fluffy, excellent with a bit of butter.
Service was great. The staff was attentive, and our friendly waiter even took us on a field trip to the ballroom after our meal. A nice touch that even The Donald would appreciate.
Posted at 06:10 PM in Dish | Permalink
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Comments to this blog are moderated. We review them in an effort to remove foul language, commercial messages, and irrelevancies.
Reader Comments:
How can you say the service was "great" if they forgot part of your order? At $15, I would like the entire order.
First day review?? C'mon, even if it is a restaurant owned by a short fingered vulgarian I think that's pretty unfair.
If I were the chef and it was the first day, I'd be reading every order that came in and matching the delivery to it. Missing half the order - and a fairly simple order at that - was sloppy, but almost humoursly so. That said everyone is entitled to first-day jitters as long as they don't last beyond the first day.
Whatever! I worked at the Peninsula Hotel and had to train the entire summer prior to the grand opening. NO excuses "Trump."
It appears that you gave this reataurant a positive review. Evendiently you don't eat out much. I would not bother to read any of your reviews in the future. I hope that the Tribune gets a restaurant critic who knows his job.
She is an INTERN if you read it ? Give her a little slack
"Evendiently"....EVIDENTLY, you don't spell or read much.
This is the Chicago Magazine review, not the Tribune...and I agree with the previous post, "She is an INTERN", not a restaurant critic.
Are we critiquing the intern or the restaurant? The place sounds lovely, give them a chance to "get it together".
My goodness. Vindictive, anyone?
After reading the review, I feel like I would know what to expect and what to watch out for when dining at Sixteen. The food looks and sounds tasty, but apparently missing food items is a problem. The dining area is posh, spacious and well-windowed, which is no less than to be expected from the Donald. Well done, Chicago Dish intern. I will happily continue reading your reviews.
Yeah - and it was pretty funny writing, too
Not wanting to pick on interns or typos (could there be a guiltless party here?), but I am curious to know: Do they serve more than breakfast? What else is on the breakfast menu? What inspired you to order just ham and eggs for a review? Clearly someone capable of penning "cerulean blue" and "swirly African wood" can get a little more creative on some more insightful menu options. But alas, I still do not even know what the other options are! Age and experience aside, go ahead and critique any review and reviewer. There is nothing more appropriate and perhaps poetic. It is the magazine that chooses to put this information out there, regardless of the source and certainly your right to comment on it. Just please run a spell check before you do so. For sensitivity sake, I did.
At least one of the Trib brands (Metromix) provided the details...
Sixteen
The upper levels of the Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago are still under construction (the Aon Building remains the city’s second tallest -- for now), but The Donald is ready to move in. They're currently serving breakfast; Feb. 6, this chic restaurant begins lunch and dinner service. Featuring killer views and modern American cuisine—pork trio with calvados sabayon and canterelle croquettes, and lamb loin crusted with parsley, harissa and salsify, for example—the restaurant will likely attract a healthy mix of foodies and scenesters, and even a few architecture buffs. If you’d rather just have a drink, Rebar, the second-floor lounge, is slated to open later this year.
Hey, even "just an intern" would know if he/she got good service for 15 dollars. Considering this is Trump's restaurant.....yes,the man who boosts the he's the best,always right,kick ass businessman in the world there is no excuses! Do you really think Donald would pay $15.00 for an incomplete order, even on a 1st day?
I don't understand the "understanding" attitude towards the restaurant or the intern. If the customer should expect less because it's the restaurant's first day, it follows that the restaurant should also charge less. Since the restaurant is not giving a discount, the customer should not expect less service or less than representative cuisine.
Regarding the intern, shame on her supervisors, first, for not providing clearer guidelines on restaurant review, and second for not editing the review...that short on material?
I don't understand the "understanding" attitude towards the restaurant or the intern. If the customer should expect less because it's the restaurant's first day, it follows that the restaurant should also charge less. Since the restaurant is not giving a discount, the customer should not expect less service or less than representative cuisine.
Regarding the intern, shame on her supervisors, first, for not providing clearer guidelines on restaurant review, and second for not editing the review...that short on material?
I found myself trying to figure out where "16" actually was while reading the article. It wasn't until the end that "The Donald" gave it away like it had been some kind of a mystery.