Chicago Illinois Hotel Room

Sixteen is the restaurant that is located on the sixteenth floor of the Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois. It is one of three food and dining options that complement the hotel's room service offering. Sixteen opened in early February 2008, and an adjoining outdoor patio terrace, named The Terrace at Trump, opened on June 25, 2009 following the completion of the hotel's construction.

The restaurant and its terrace are known for their views of the city. The restaurant is considered expensive, but its prices are not unlike those of other top Chicago restaurants. The eastward view includes Lake Michigan, Chicago River, and the Wrigley Building clock tower. During the summer the view includes the seasonal semi-weekly fireworks displays over the lake from Navy Pier. The restaurant is one of nine restaurants in the city with either a four- or five-star rating, according to the Forbes Travel Guide (formerly Mobil Travel Guide ).

Details

History

Sixteen was designed by Joe Valerio, whose previous credits included the Garmin flagship store on the Magnificent Mile. Valerio had to design the restaurant within the spacial constraints determined by the tower's architects, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. This left Valerio to deal with complications stemming from a variety of column shapes — some square, others round, still others rectangular. Additionally, he was obligated to incorporate the skyscraper's aluminum window frames and a garage for window washing equipment, which uses floor space overlooking the Chicago River into his design. Sixteen opened in February 2008 a few weeks after the lower floors of the Hotel had a partial opening, although construction on the building was not yet completed.

Architectural detail

It is described architecturally as a sequence of spaces that do not reveal themselves at once, but rather in "procession". The restaurant's foyer is T-shaped, and a passageway to the hotel is lined with floor-to-ceiling architectural bronze wine racks in opposing red and white wine rooms. The passageway leads to views—praised by Chicago Tribune Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Blair Kamin—that showcase the Wrigley Building clock tower and the Tribune Tower's flying buttresses. Kamin notes that these views are "more intimate" than the panoramic ones of the Signature Room, a restaurant near the top of the 100-story John Hancock Center. The views are described as equally impressive by day and by night. The main part of the procession is the Tower Room, a dining room with a 30-foot (9.1 m) dome-shaped ceiling made of West African wood. The dome is furnished with Swarovski chandeliers and incorporates mirrors so that all diners can experience the view. The restaurant has two other dining rooms, named for their views: the Bridge Room and the River Room.

Dining

Executive Chef Frank Brunacci has worked in two AAA Five Diamond establishments, Diamond Victor's at The Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans, Louisiana and The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton in Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia, and also at restaurants in London and Australia. In addition to using European techniques, he relies on spices from North Africa and India. The cuisine, decor and architecture have all drawn impressive reviews.

The restaurant serves New American cuisine. In addition to its entrees and appetizers, the restaurant has six-course and ten-course tasting options with optional wine pairings. Food is available à la carte or in tasting services.

Critical review

Image of clock tower and another building tower from the terrace of a tall building

Fodor's praised the food as a "unique fusion of European and Asian flavors". According the critic from Time Out Chicago , the restaurant is more of a place to impress clients and dates than a top–notch dining experience with top-notch cuisine due to its association with Donald Trump and its views. The magazine's annual Eating & Drinking guide describes the dining room as stately and impressive, the staff as attentive and professional and the food as well-presented. Kamin remarks that although some of the comments that he received by e-mail are not as supportive of the entire structure as they are of the restaurant, the restaurant provides an opportunity for people to emulate Guy de Maupassant, who is said to have disliked the Eiffel Tower so much that he ate at the tower's restaurant daily so as not to have to look at its iron monstrosity. The Forbes Travel Guide recommends the restaurant, noting that Oprah Winfrey is a fan of its turkey burger. However, BlackBook Magazine' s 2009 Guide to Chicago describes the restaurant as views for a price and opines that Oprah's favorite turkey burger is overpriced. According to the Forbes Travel Guide : 2010 City Guide: Chicago, the hotel hosts one of the seven four-star restaurants in Chicago, which had two five-star restaurants. The guide describes the restaurant as "larger-than-life" in every way (hostesses, views, interior decor and food).

The restaurant has been described as expensive, and one critic partly attributes the prices to Sixteen's status as a hotel restaurant. However, others feel the prices are appropriate for the ambiance created by the interior design, architecture, views, and association with Trump. According to Vettel, the prices are respectable given the overall experience. Sixteen has a bar that Kamin complains has limited views, but that Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel says was pleasant. Fodor's notes that the views may cause you to overlook the food, but nevertheless endorses the food, especially the breakfasts.

Related venues

View of a tall building at a bend in the river. The Terrace at Trump is located adjacent to Sixteen on the first setback of the Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago. late night fireworks beyond a river at night Navy Pier's fireworks over Lake Michigan beyond the Chicago River and the Michigan Avenue and Link Bridges from The Terrace at Trump

In addition to Sixteen and the traditional hotel room service dining option, Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago provides two other food & dining options for its guests.

The Terrace at Trump

The Terrace, whose June 25, 2009 opening was reported on Reuters, has views of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan as well as Navy Pier's seasonal Wednesday and Saturday evening fireworks and was designed for al fresco dining. It is located adjacent to Sixteen on the first setback of the tower, and it was part of a larger 2009 movement to supply al fresco dining options to the Chicago marketplace. The view also features a close-up of the Wrigley Building's clock tower. Although it offers a menu of appetizers and entrees, it is said to focus on serving drinks, and Time Out Chicago describes it as a posh playground for consuming cocktails. The Chicago Sun-Times praises its views and ranks it as the number one al fresco dining venue in Chicago. It is open daily afternoons and evenings, weather permitting.

Rebar

Located on the mezzanine level, the hotel bar named Rebar bar opened on April 18, 2008. It touts itself as a "Liquid Kitchen" due to its use of fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables. Two weeks after its opening, it was selected by David Himmel, a contributing editor to RedEye from Metromix, as the best new bar to take a date to. Himmel described Rebar as "sleek" and spoke highly of its eastward Chicago River views. The bar was named after the 50,000 short tons (45,000 t) of reinforcing steel bars, called rebar, that support the hotel. Another Metromix contributing editor spoke highly of the views and described it as a hotel bar with a cozy feel. Rebar has both a main bar and a standing room only bar. One member of the WMAQ-TV Street Team commended it for its signature cocktails and sushi, while another gave kudos for the design and the stainless steel swizzle sticks that the bar calls "stirs". Rebar is equipped with a 25-person VIP room overlooking the lobby. The Zagat: Chicago Restaurants 2009/10 review of Sixteen mentioned that Rebar hosts Champagne tastings on Wednesdays.

See also

  • 16 (disambiguation)

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Food & Wine". trumpchicagohotel.com . http://www.trumpchicagohotel.com/Food_Wine/food_wine.asp . Retrieved 2009-08-11 .

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