First stop: Gibson's
E: Gibson's Steakhouse, as you may know, is one of Chicago's legendary steakeries and also serves as the exterior of the bar on one of our favorite shows, The League.
M: The interior featured on the show more or less matches the bar area as it actually exists. The rest of the restaurant is much fancier.
Photobombed by the celebrity (and not-so-celebrity) photos on the wall
E: It's one of those places with photos of all the celebrities that have eaten there hanging on the walls in the entry way, which is tiny by the way, and the main dining room is like something out of an art deco movie. Super old school Chicago.
M: Rumor has it that a small amount of Al Capone's ashes is sprinkled on every dish served. And let me tell you, they are delicious.
E: Now that Michel has finished creating his own Chicago legend...
M: You don't know that.
E: We will now tell you about the food. Or, more specifically, the macadamia turtle pie.
The Macadamia Turtle Pie
Size comparison: It is literally as big as Michel's head...which is quite large.
E: First, let's be clear. The food is good. Real good. But what made the experience was Paul, our waiter. Paul is one of those career waiters who can turn a good meal into a spectacular meal, a nice dinner into a lifetime memory, just because of how he does his job. Our table was not that great. It kind of jutted out into a major walkway for the waiters, and it was crushed in against several other tables. In fact, the group ahead of us was supposed to have that table and stole our booth. When Mom noticed that they were asking to be relocated, she asked the host, "They didn't like the table?" He said, "Yeah, but you're actually the winner here. You have Paul as your waiter."
M: Paul's presentation of our various meat options was astoundingly thorough and immaculately performed. Also, Elizabeth has undersold the food. My steak was truly great.
E: Paul recommended the turtle pie. This is Paul. ↓
Paul is the best.
M: I think it bears pointing out that most of what you see in the turtle pie is ice cream. It is a foot tall ice cream thing.
E: Delicious. It was a really fantastic evening and a great way to start my parents' visit.
Cab usie!
M: I think it should be called a selvesie.
Next Stop: The Field Museum
E: After breakfast at Marmalade the next morning, we headed over to The Field Museum, home of Sue the T-Rex, to see the paleontology and Egyptology exhibits.
Sue the T-Rex!
Rawr! Sue is about to eat us!
M: The paleontology exhibit is an impressive and extensive look into the evolutionary process. In terms of quality, it is much closer to what can be found in the Houston Museum of National Science than is the Egyptology exhibit.
E: That is to say the paleontology exhibit is better than the Egyptology exhibit, just in terms of organization and use of space. (Though it's hard to beat HMNS's brand spankin' new Egyptology exhibit. It's pretty spectacular.) However, the Field Museum has mummies. A ton of them.
M: Rumor has it that a piece of Al Capone's skeleton is included in every dinosaur on display.
E: True fact: T-Rexes used their tiny arms to tickle each other to show affection. We learned that in Houston, but it applies to the giant T-Rex in the middle of the lobby, too.
That is a giant sloth. Not kidding.
The coolest part was that you could actually see into the excavation lab to see what they were studying and cleaning. This is the only picture I got, though, because everyone else said it was creepy that I was taking pictures of the paleontologist in the box.
Final Stop: Gather
E: After the Field Museum, we ordered pizza and watched the UT game, so Sunday morning was all about brunch. We chose another new place (for us) in the neighborhood called Gather, known for its Sunday Brunch. When we arrived, we were ushered into the back room for a semi-private dining experience.
M: Semi-private until the party of 90 showed up. Even then, though, the room stayed pretty quiet.
Front Room
E: And the food was so delicious! I had French toast with cinnamon baked apples. The French toast was tasty, but the apples totally made it.
M: I had The Skillet, which consisted of braised pork shoulder, a fried egg, cheddar cheese, avocado, black beans, potatoes, and fire roasted salsa. It was really great.
E: Mom had the Sunday omelete with shitake mushrooms, onions, goat cheese, and an arugula salad, and Dad made his own breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, and toast.
E: We had the opportunity to go back a week or so ago with my cousins, and Gather continues to be amazing. This time around I had the sweet potato hash, and Michel had the fried chicken biscuit. This is definitely one we'll be adding to our visitor rotation!
M: Rumor has it that Al Capone started Gather with his college roommate.
E: Well, he was known to hang out not too far from here, so maybe... In any event, it was a great way to end Mom and Dad's visit!
Snow! It always snows at the end of Mom and Dad's visits...even in April.
Until next time!
