byNicole Bernardi-Reis
As soon as summer heat hits, Chicago goes boat crazy. But even the heartiest sailor has to eat sometime, and a trio of restaurants on the Chicago River provide great excuses for getting out of the galley.
For boat-lovers who make Chicago their own personal Venice, the Green Dolphin offers aquatic access to an upscale evening of entertainment and cuisine. Approximately thirty minutes up the river from downtown's bustle, the swank supper club boasts nightly jazz acts with both local and national notoriety and five-star cuisine from Executive Chef Eric Kendrick.
The menu reflects the club's sophistication, favoring French, Italian and Alasatian influences. Diners can start with seared day-boat scallops in a beet vinaigrette, or the house favorite of artichoke hearts with Provenal corn relish and goat cheese terrine. Main courses range from roasted Alaskan halibut with lentil cake to New Zealand venison wrapped in grape leaves. Kendrick even features Asian-influenced Tamarind-glazed sushi - rare tuna served with five-spice spinach.
Green Dolphin emphasizes the good things in life and its full, specialized bar, decadent desserts and club-room humidor reflect it. After dinner, try chocolate pt with vanilla-bean dry-cherry ice cream and cherry whiskey sauce, or an espresso brule with tuile cookies.
Appropriately situated at the end of the River East Plaza (formerly North Pier), Dick's Last Resort is an easy destination for boaters. For those wanting to eat on the river, Dick's offers a boat-side cafe featuring a full menu of finger foods and meals, as well as a limited bar selection. Patrons who want to take advantage of Dick's extensive beer menu - which proudly displays a Yuppy [sic] category without a hint of irony - have to head inside, where the food is augmented by free nightly live bands, patrons in balloon hats and a chatty waitstaff who will sit down with you for a quick monologue about their daily encounters with (drunken) tourists.
Dick's offers typical bar fare influenced by the high rents and office lunch crowd that surround the restaurant. Those coming for a mid-day meal can pick-up a Dick's D-lux Salad, with mixed greens, artichoke hearts and chicken; chicken Caesar wraps for the healthy-minded; or a variety of sandwiches, listed on the menu as "roadkill on a bun." Want something more substantial? Try hearty pork chops, burgers or Dick's special buckets of ribs or seafood - a handy meal in a can.
With the setting sun comes drinking food. Less prevalent are the suit-friendly salads; their place on the menu is taken up by appetizers such as black-peppered boiled shrimp, crawdads and cheese sticks.
Those who prefer a more relaxed eating experience can float down the river to Division and Elston, where Lodge Management, owner of Rush and Division street mainstays The Hangge-Uppe and Mother's Too, has decided to try its luck with a riverside eatery. Slow Down and Eat! is the latest incarnation of the corner's picturesque establishment that was most recently (the unfortunately named) Hot Tuna.
Lodge has thrown a lot of money and thought into Slow Down and Eat!, winterizing the wooden structure so it can stay open all year. But General Manager Sergio Interial admits it's still a work in progress. One thing is for sure, there is a theme: Slow down - life's too short. Filled with assorted nautical kitsch, tie-dye wearing waitstaff and a Top Forty/retro-eighties jukebox, Slow Down is shaping into Dick's laid-back cousin. The restaurant plans to have live music, and may run submarine races for patrons. But, as the view from the second- floor deck proves, the hectic hustle of downtown remains a few miles away.
Open only a month, the restaurant features a limited menu and shortened kitchen hours, but that will change once boating season gets into full swing. Then spicy homemade chips, fantastically spicy wings (served with a smooth and tangy mustard dipping sauce instead of the traditional ranch), chicken sandwiches, burgers and chops will share the menu with seafood.
Green Dolphin Street, 2200 North Ashland, (773)395-0066. Docking fee is $10/hour.
Dick's Last Resort, 435 East Illinois, (312)836-7870. Docking fee is $10/hour.
Slow Down and Eat!, 1177 North Elston, (773)384-1040. Currently negotiating a price for boat valet.
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