PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

If you're tired of the exotic menus at trendy restaurants, Atwood Café will come as a welcome relief. Located in the historic Hotel Burnham, this place combines a gracious, 1900-era feel with a fresh take on American comfort food. The dining room -- one of my favorites in the city -- mixes elegance and humor with soaring ceilings; lush velvet curtains; and whimsical, colorful china and silverware. Executive Chef Heather Terhune dabbles in global influences (most notably Asian and Southwestern) here, but the vast majority of the dishes are straightforward American. Appetizers include calamari with graham-cracker coating; ahi tuna and salmon tartar; and warm pistachio-crusted goat cheese salad with roasted beets, honey, and orange zest vinaigrette. Recent entree selections included maple-grilled pork chops with three-cheese macaroni; roasted duck breast with wild mushroom risotto and sour cherries; and pan seared scallops with roasted corn pudding. In the winter, try one of the signature potpies. Terhune began as a pastry chef, so desserts are a high point of Atwood Café's menu. Seasonal fruit is the basis for cobblers, trifles, and pies; for a decadently rich experience, tackle the banana-and-white-chocolate bread pudding. Because Atwood Café is located inside a hotel, the restaurant also serves breakfast and lunch daily, as well brunch on weekends.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Chicago 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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