Fall season in Chicago is about football, theater, fashion and good ol' comfort food. We can't guarantee you the Bears will make it to the playoffs this season (fingers crossed) but we can guarantee that you'll find something comforting to love about State & Lake Chicago Tavern.
C-Style visited last month to check-out what this centrally-located tavern had to offer. Conveniently located at the intersection of State and Lake in downtown Chicago, State & Lake Chicago Tavern sits at the base of TheWit Hotel. Hotel guests as well as locals and passerby are welcome to stop in for a drink (their speciality is artisanal beer) or a bite to eat on the way to a night on-the-town or day of shopping with the girls.
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| The Tastemaker |
Upon our visit we were warmly greeted by a server who seated us and offered us the cocktail menu.
Being partial to rum, I ordered the "Tastemaker." This craft cocktail is made with Cruzan Rum, lemon juice, ginger liqueur, muddled strawberries and hard cider. I wasn't particularly feeling this drink because the rum portion seemed a bit weak. Don't take my word for it, however, because I'm used to tasting pretty potent spirits and your mileage may vary.
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| The Mistress |
My dinner guest, Desiree, however, was pleased with her cocktail - "The Mistress." This was crafted from Absolut Grapefruit Vodka, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (one of my favorites), grapefruit bitters, grapefruit juice, and Sex Rose' Sparkling.
While we were waiting for our dishes to arrive, we met briefly with the general manager, Tim Sherlock, who offered a taste of one of their locally-sourced wonderful soups! (See cover photo). Tim told us how SLCT works with local markets to provide fresh produce for the meals they prepare. The soup was a great example of what "fresh" should taste like when dining out!
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| Pot of Maine Mussels |
Desiree decided on small plates, ordering the Pot of Maine Mussels (house smoked bacon, burnt orange, daisy cutter and bread) and the Little Gem Cobb (a de-constructed cobb salad featuring tomato, golden beets, house bacon, sarvecchio parmesan, cage free egg, avocado and house made ranch dressing).
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| Lake Perch Tacos |
I ordered the Lake Perch Tacos featuring avocado puree, cabbage slaw, cilantro lime vinaigrette and wood-grilled salsa. I was disappointed that the fish was chopped in small pieces and seemed to have used one fish for both tacos. I also don't care for corn-based taco shells, so this was just okay to me.
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| Little Gem Cobb |
I did, however, love the Little Gem Cobb which Desiree kindly shared with me. The avocado was some of the freshest and salted just enough (good lookin' out)!
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| Fudge Brownie Pie |
We finished the meal by sharing dessert. We shared the Fudge Brownie Pie - made with pecan coconut crunch, coconut dulcey caramel and vanilla bean creme fraiche. Excellent! I'm a big fan of dessert so if you go wrong here, I'm done. State and Lake Chicago Tavern passed the "dessert test!"
All-in-All there are many things to like about SLCT. The location is excellent, the menu is diverse, the list of artisanal beers expansive and comfort food can be had. We highly recommend the soups, salads, and desserts, and we'll be back soon to try out their weekend brunch for the fried chicken bucket and flight of (Goose Island) beer!
For complete and up-to-date information on SLCT's menus and hours of operation, go here!
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