Lunch in the City ~ Dinner in the Room

Got out the door for the city about 11am and Google Maps has not disappointed yet.  Arrived in a part of town that is known as Ukrainian Village, Chicago and got to meet up with a colleague.  Laura was a delight and we headed to a place called The Old Oak Tap for lunch.

I decided to try something completely different and who knew I would come to Chicago to try a beer from Utah.  Baba Black Lager Uinta Brewing Co. UT. 4% abv. Robust and smooth, this full-flavored, certified organic lager is exceptionally drinkable and pitch black in color.  We also shared an appetizer of deviled eggs with wasabi and smoked salmon on top.  Here is Laura and she opted to try Stiegl Grapefruit Radler Austria 2.5% abv. Brewed with Stiegl Goldbrau and blended with soda and real grapefruit juice giving it a distinct tart aroma. The perfect summer thirst quencher!

For lunch Laura decided on their paella and as you can see it is a mighty portion.  Not the usual presentation, it still contained a lot of the regular components.  Clams, chicken, shrimp, sausage, rice, spices, etc.  It tasted OK, but I must share that I have had so much better.  But I said nothing, I was a good guest.  I was quite torn on what to have and in the end Laura decided for me.

I could not make up my mind on two sandwiches and in the end she ordered both and we split the one below.  A Grilled Cheese brie, Wisconsin Cheddar, Swiss, sliced tomato on grilled sourdough with a shot of tomato bisque with fries on the side.  The fries barely got touched, not because they were bad, just too much food.  The sandwich was fantastic and she had me go for the bisque which I must say, if it had been cooler outside, would have been perfect, but seriously, when it is in the 90's soup is just not on my radar.

The star of the meal had to be their Shrimp Po’ Boy fried shrimp, avocado and corn relish, sliced tomato, romaine, garlic mayo, French bread and I opted for the sauteed green beans on the side with slivered almonds.  They were exceptional.  The sandwich was ginormous and so ate it open faced which was perfect.  That top piece of bread would have made it too big.

Soon the lunch was done and I got back to the hotel just in time for the video conference call.  A nap happened thereafter and then called in room service.  This night saw an almost repeat of dinner last night of the Caprese Salad which is terrific and a Wedge Salad that harks back to the 50's style and just delicious.  I also tossed in a Fresh Fruit Tart of seasonal fruit, Raspberry Ganache and English Cream.  Water a plenty capped off the meal.  It was a good meal and set me in good steed for working the registration table at the conference.  That my friends was a clusterf**k to say the least.  I was totally amazed at out of control everything was.  Did what I could, but at 10pm, my shift was done and I went back to my room, dismayed at the lack of organization.  We shall see if tomorrow is any better.  Off to bed as I am on tomorrow helping out and then giving my presentation:  Gay Group Travel & Customer Satisfaction - Maximizing Profits and Experiences.  Yes, I can see you are saying, "What an exciting topic!"  Well, there are 195 people signed up to hear me speak from what JC told me.  Yikes!  We shall see.