Eventually we made it to the hotel, where we met up with Tanya. She explained that there's a restaurant on the Magnificent Mile where locals don't go because of the sheer number of tourists. It's called Grand Lux Cafe. Tanya lives in Chicago, but she loves this place because the food there is always delicious.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, they write down your name at the host stand and hand you an electronic buzzer that will let you know when a table opens up. Fortunately, they had seats for us right away, whereas some people wait up to two hours. So we dashed upstairs to the second floor, where a gay-looking staffer was already waiting for us; he asked "Tanya?", and upon getting an affirmative answer, escorted us to our table. A pity it wasn't by the window, but we hadn't had any luck with that the entire trip - what can you do. Even at Galileo's, I got to admire an excavator instead of the lake.
The restaurant is big, and it shows
As I've already mentioned, in the US, unlike in England, any food service establishment is called a restaurant. But not all restaurants are created equal. Fast food prices are low, but the food is garbage (at least in its ingredients, the taste can vary). Prices in "real" restaurants are no longer a joy, but in return they cook everything fresh and serve normal food, not sandwiches, hamburgers, and hot dogs. I haven't seen any middle-class joints - where prices aren't off the charts but where the food comes on plates and isn't just sandwiches, although according to Wikipedia's classification, they exist.
Our mom would have loved this interior - she's a fan of luxury and gilding
Now a little bit about prices. You can eat at a fast food place for $5-10, sometimes less if it's a poor region or there's a promotion going on. For $10 you can stuff your face so much you won't be able to get off your chair. In classic restaurants, a single dish costs at least $15-20 + a drink for $5 + a tip of 10-20% of the bill, depending on how much you liked the service.
On the other hand, in Daugavpils for $5 you can eat a delicious set meal at Gubernators or just a tasty lunch at Vesma. True, in Riga such luxury is almost gone - a decent meal there will set you back $7-8, if not more.
It was very hot in the restaurant, which is highly uncharacteristic for American restaurants. Usually it's so cold there that people deliberately put on fur coats, I mean sweaters. Tanya asked if we could be moved somewhere cooler, but the waitress apologized, saying it was like that everywhere in the dining room. To make us feel at least a little better, she brought huge glasses of ice. When Soviet people see them for the first time, they ask why they were brought a vase. By the way, the vast majority of American restaurants don't have a dress code. Americans show up there in their favorite shorts and tank tops. That's how I was dressed too. Interestingly, there were a lot of those who must not be named in the restaurant - go on and say THEY are poor after that. In general, there are very, very many of THEM in Chicago, especially in the service sector.
The ceilings are high
I ordered a steak, since I'd never eaten a properly cooked steak (for that matter, I've only been to restaurants a few times total). Steaks, as we know, have 5, or for gourmets, 8 degrees of doneness. From least cooked to most cooked, these degrees sound like this in English:
- Raw - raw. Oddly enough, in some dishes this is occasionally used.
- Blue rare or very rare - slightly seared on the outside, raw on the inside. Few people eat this.
- Rare - people actually eat this. Slightly seared, essentially raw.
- Rare plus - for those who worry the next degree might be overcooked to Medium, meaning they lean more towards undercooked than overcooked.
- Medium rare - a popular degree for those who like it not fully cooked through, slightly pink. This is already quite a popular degree.
- Medium - medium doneness, eaten by very many people.
- Medium well done - well cooked, but still not quite all the way through.
- Well done - Very well cooked, even slightly "burnt", if you can call it that.
I ordered without any frills - a classic Medium. Asked what vegetables I could get with the steak, they told me - anything from the special menu section. I settled on broccoli, and didn't regret it - it was delicious, unlike the one I later bought at the store. My sister ate fish, and Tanya - an appetizer altogether, consisting of pieces of semi-raw fish that you dip in a sauce. An appetizer is a starter, a dish served before the main course to satisfy immediate hunger, and usually brought out quickly. This time, however, they dropped the ball and dragged it out for a very long time, bringing it out after my steak.
The steak was very, very tasty (or maybe it just seemed so because I was starving), and of such a size that there was no room left for dessert. I did, however, try a little bit of everyone's dishes, and then also a little bit of the dessert the girls ordered. It was crème brûlée, I hadn't known what it was before, but here I immediately saw it made by the rules - it's a custard with a slightly torched crust on top. I liked the chocolate one better, the girls preferred the caramel.
Cracking the crust, just like Amélie in the movie of the same name
Waiters in the US are highly trained - polite, smiling, problem-solving, and they always come by several times during the meal to ask if you need anything. This is pretty much the only industry where the minimum wage is $2, not $6, and they make up the difference through tips. Which you are perfectly free not to give, unlike in some European countries where the tip is included in the bill. Tips are given in a curious way. First they bring you the bill, where you put your credit card, if you aren't afraid. Many people in restaurants pay with cash to avoid becoming victims of fraud - that's when they secretly copy your card details and then use it for online purchases. But if the establishment is reputable, you can pay with a card too. So, after your card is returned along with the receipt, you can write the tip amount on the check - they'll charge it automatically, you don't need to hand over the card a second time. However, the waiter often has to pay taxes on this money, so you can pull a fast one and leave the tip specifically in cash, especially since the bill is brought in a thick little hardback booklet where bills fit conveniently.
The beach, photo taken from the Hancock Tower
The dinner was filling and the portions were large, which is common in the US, so you can always take the leftovers with you. It used to be that you had to ask the waiter to bring a "Doggy box" for this - supposedly you were taking the leftover food for your dog. Over time the hypocrisy faded, prices started hitting the wallet, and the uncharacteristic American shyness disappeared. Now it's perfectly normal to just ask for a "Box" to take home the leftovers of an expensive meal if you haven't finished it all. You generally can't order a smaller portion though - it's just not a thing.
It looks like the sea, but it's Lake Michigan
After the restaurant we went to the beach, which is not far from downtown (I already mentioned this). There's a busy highway running right next to it, so people get to the beach via a pedestrian underpass, where there's also a free public restroom.
Oh right, I forgot to tell you about Tanya. Not sure though how many facts you can write about people without violating the scary concept of privacy. Tanya works as a lawyer for the "Playboy" corporation, which happens to be located in Chicago. We also saw Tanya's friend Derek, who, if I'm not mistaken, works at Playboy in SEO, meaning he's a search engine content optimizer. Tanya looks graceful, she loves fashion and people who dress nicely. Fortunately, in Chicago, unlike in small towns, there are such people. And when she flew to Europe, she completely reveled in the elegant men and women. Too bad I couldn't please Tanya, because I always dress like a log - as long as it's comfortable.
The pant leg plays anti-glamour