Well, It Was There
Written: Oct 14 '05 (Updated Oct 15 '05)
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Pros: nice ambiance, good food
Cons: fairly high prices, slow service last week
The Bottom Line: If you’re there for another reason, it’s adequate. It’s not worth a trip downtown.
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| Saxguy's Full Review: Pavilion |
Last Friday found my downtown at the Chicago Hilton on South Michigan Avenue for a seminar. I look forward to an occasional seminar downtown, as I try to get together for lunch with my buddy, Chris, who I’ve known in grade school. Since he works downtown and I work near the airport, we don’t hook up much except for weekends and sporting events.
Anyhow, I had around an hour for lunch and he had not that much more, so we settled to have lunch again at The Pavilion, a restaurant in the lobby of the Hilton. We had lunch here a year earlier when I was downtown for another seminar, so we figured it was a good choice.
The restaurant is open, bright and airy, next two but separated from the lobby and corridors. The separation provides some detachment, but I think it’s still nice to see all the bustle and commotion. The Hilton is a big hotel, taking up most of a city block. That day, the bustle was due to the hotel being the headquarters for the Chicago Marathon, held the following Sunday. The dress is described as casual, but there seemed to be as many people with business suits as not.
We had no trouble getting seated, although I think they could have put us at a larger table. Upon entry, I noticed a salad bar with nice variety, but I was not interested in it. The waiter gave us our menus, went through some forgettable specials (obviously, I forgot them) and we talked and decided.
The menu is eclectic. I would describe the genre as American, as it several had burgers, sandwiches, and entrees suggesting good old American food. However, there were menu items reflecting Asian and Mexican influences as part of its variety. The hotel describes the restaurant as bistro fare, and I think that description accurate. I noticed that they had a menu described as healthy (low fat) and I perused those items. The menu had the typical salads and steamed fish but one item looked interesting to me: a steamed Halibut salad with Asian vegetables over Sobe noodles. I also ordered the baked French Onion Soup, as the seminar room was chilly. Chris ordered a deli sandwich build your own, asking for two meats, instead of one. The waiter said that was an unusual request but it would not be a problem.
My soup came right away and was done competently. I could taste the onion and mozzarella; it was very warm but not scalding. Not the best I’ve ever had, but adequate.
Our entrees arrived a little before I finished, but that was ok because we were both on a schedule.
I was quite pleased with my entrée. The halibut taste came through, with just a little spice. The portion was modest, which is what I expected, and was very firm, indicating that it had been cooked enough, but not too much. The Asian vegetables were Baby Bok Choi and Snow Peas, among others, and were warm yet crisp. The noodles themselves were satisfying. The portion was large enough given that it was a low-cal menu, and were tasty and firm as well. In total, it was a pretty good amount of food, assuming the reported calories on the menu were accurate. The only thing I didn’t like about the entrée was that it came with a little bit of broth, which was not reported in the description.
Chris told me that the meat, bread, lettuce and tomato was fresh and tasty. I did notice that he had to ask the waiter twice for mustard.
The service was attentive and relaxed, until the entrees arrived and then the waiter disappeared. That’s ok while we were eating, since we were conversing about grade school, the White Sox, his job, my job and next gig, but we were getting a little tight on time and the waiter was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t just us, either. The table next to us had 5 people also attending the seminar I was in, with the same waiter and the same result.
Finally, we got our bill, but it took a while for the waiter to take my credit card (recently reviewed on Epinions – see below). Chris left before I paid because he was late and I was picking up the bill anyway. The waiter took still more time with the credit card before I could sign and dash upstairs. The table next to me had the same result.
I was a little surprised about this. The restaurant obviously is accepting of a business card and I would think they could handle the close and financial transactions a lot better than they did. I don’t remember it being a problem the last time I was here.
The total was under $40. We had no beverages, much less alcoholic ones.
Knowing that this was embedded in a Hilton, I didn’t expect much lower prices... Still, this was priced higher than moderate and I would expect better service, particularly in getting the guests on their way.
If you’re already at the hotel for some reason, The Pavilion is a viable option. It’s certainly not worth making a trip for, particularly with parking and transportation cost.
The Hilton is located at 720 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The Pavilion is open daily from 5:30am to 11pm.
Thanks for reading. God Bless:
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Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Halibut/Sobe Noodles salad from the healthy menu
Best Suited For: Business
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