Sunday, May 18, 2014

Artists Cafe on Michigan, Chicago




On our first night in Chicago, at the start of our Route 66 adventure, we did not hit our hotel until around 7.30pm, so you can imagine that we weren't in the mood to go exploring.  Our hotel was in Michigan Avenue, and was shared by lots of Comic Con visitors, so we were keen to find something close by and get back to our room before a zombie or a super hero came after us.

Luckily for us, the Artists Café on Michigan was a short stroll down the road on Michigan Avenue.  What I immediately loved about the Artists Café was all the terrific old advertising prints that they had framed on the wall. I am a huge fan of old advertising, so it gave me plenty to look at while we ate.



The menu outside the café is what made us decide to venture inside; the Artists Café has a great range of sandwiches and burgers.  I chose the Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich ($11.95) with coleslaw, onions and BBQ sauce:


Interestingly, I found that a lot of sandwiches in the US come on a burger bun rather than between two slices of bread.  This is not a criticism; it is just unusual from an Aussie's perspective.  I am a huge fan of pulled pork, and this tasty sandwich did not disappoint.  The shoestring fries came as a side.

To make me feel virtuous by having some greens with my meal, I ordered a Café Salad ($6.95) to share.  This was a typical garden salad of garden greens, tomato, capsicum and cucumber:
 

Tim and I both ordered alcohol and we were amused at being asked to produce ID; I think that sadly we both look older than 21, but I guess it was still nice to be asked.  We also ordered coffees, but although they came from an espresso machine, they weren't quite what we are used to.

Our waitress was friendly and helpful, and we went to bed with happy tummies that night.

To finish off, here's a gratuitous shot of the Chicago skyline from the shore of Lake Michigan with my mug out in front.  The day was bright and sunny, but don't be fooled - there was a killer wind that cut straight through your jacket, and I spent the day wishing fervently that I had worn my polar fleece hat.



412 S Michigan Avenue
Chicago IL 60605
USA
Ph: + 1 312 939 7855


 

6 comments:

The Caked Crusader said...

that sandwich looks soooooo good!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Hehe my friend told a waitress "I love you!" for asking her for her ID! :P

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Looks like you had a terrific time in the Windy City! I've shopped Michigan Ave in November...boy does the wind bite then!!!

Kari said...

Isn't American coffee funny? It's just not the same as ours, at all! It sounds like 'sandwiches' aren't either - I must not have ordered many when visiting and so didn't pick up on the trend towards burger buns instead of bread.

Kayte said...

Well, Chicago is the Windy City! Great photo of you with it all in the background. Yes, hamburgers come on a bun in America, unless you get something called a Patty Melt and then it comes on bread (usually rye bread). And they usually come with fries unless you tell them to knock it off and could you please have something other than fries...lol. I'm not a big fry fan. Enough already with the fries. The salad did look good though. Great time in Chicago, right? I knew you would be tired.

Judy said...

Pulled pork sandwiches typically come on a bun, here, rather than sliced bread. A week or so ago, I ordered a burger at a local restaurant and they served it on sliced bread -- I was shocked!! I'm just starting to read about your cross-country journey, and am looking forward to your remaining posts.