Grand Luxe Cafe

Yeah, yeah, I know it's the spawn of Cheesecake Factory. I know they have three hundred items on the menu. But it's still one of my favorite places to take out-of-towners for a fun, reasonably priced meal. We went there last night, and were all the more impressed because both my brother-in-law, who's a chef, and my nephew, who won't eat anything not breaded or covered with cheese, were delighted.

My wife had a big salad with chicken, which was truly huge and filled with fresh ingredients in a very nice dressing. My turkey club was piled high with real sliced turkey and thick, smoky bacon on toasted sourdough. The B-I-L ordered Sunday Night Pasta, a mish-mosh of steak, short ribs, mushrooms and ground beef in red sauce over spaghettini. Finally, the hard-to-please nephew tore into a kid-sized pepperoni pizza. Everything was served up promptly, at the proper temperature and, amazingly, without the server asking, "OK, who had the....?"

With a couple of cocktails, soft drinks and no dessert (everyone was way too full), the bill came to about $75 plus tip. I think that's quite reasonable for the location, food quality and especially, the gawkability of the place.

Grand Lux Cafe
600 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611-3113
(312) 276-2500

oh man! you missed the orgasmic chocolate molten cake and the luscious beignets? shame on you!

I, too, must say that I enjoy GLC myself. Wait times for seating can be horrendous, especially on weekends, but its definitely a great place to get good sized portions and as a they say, location, location, location!

The B-I-L ordered Sunday Night Pasta, a mish-mosh of steak, short ribs, mushrooms and ground beef in red sauce over spaghettini.

Is it served in a trough?

I'm sorry, you know, in the last week and a half I've eaten at California Pizza Kitchen, Wendy's, and Cosi, so I'm no purist, especially when it comes to dining in the Magnificent Mile area. But... that's just overkill with a side of gluttony.

GLC is a guilty pleasure of mine, especially during the Xmas season where a table overlooking Michigan Ave features some of the best people watching in town.