by Sierra

June 29, 2004

From journal Good Eats in the Windy City

In 1999, The Cheesecake Factory opened the first of its new chain of stores - the Grand Lux Cafe - in the Venetian resort in Las Vegas. To date, there are only two other GLC's: one in Los Angeles and one in Chicago, which is located on the Magnificent Mile stretch of Michigan Avenue. A friend raved and raved about the restaurant till finally I caved in and tried it out. Now I'm the one who raves and raves!

While its given address is '600 N Michigan', you actually enter the restaurant from the Ontario Street side of the building, where you are greeted by the hosts. You take an escalator upstairs to the main restaurant, which puts you right in front of the dessert counter and open kitchen for a tantalizing view as you are led to your seat.

The decor is a bit hard to describe. It's like Imperial Russia collided with Parisian dining rooms and a little dash of Vegas tossed in with a splash of Chilluly. And really, while that sounds like a train wreck, I mean it in the absolute nicest way - the Chicago restaurant is tastefully done in warm golden and maroon tones. The seating is fantastic, totally comfortable - in fact it's with no small reluctance you get up from your seats at the end of the meal.

That is, IF you can get up. Come hungry - the Grand Lux is going to feed you, and feed you heartily. They have one of the largest menus you'll see anywhere, and every choice seems to get better and better, so it's hard to decide! Be warned, even their starter salads are big, so split appetizers (which is good for those on budgets, although GLC has a wide range of prices on their menu).

My favorite appetizer (so far) is "Double Stuffed Potato Spring Rolls," which are mashed potatoes made into spring rolls - a wonderfully light and tasty variant on baked potato skins. For salads, I often get the caprese salad (fresh mozzarella, tomato, spinach and arugula). As for entrees... it's hard to decide, with nearly 100 entrees to select from, and influences that range from German (Wiener Schnitzel) to pan-Asian (shaking beef) to Caribbean (mahi mahi Barbacoa) to Italian to American to... I get something different every time and have never been let down.

If you still have room after the big meal you've just had, ponder sharing one of their tall desserts. House specialties include their chocolate chip pecan cookies (fresh baked), and their fresh beignets, which are quite tasty. They say you need to order some of their desserts half an hour in advance, but I’ve seen people order them late and have them come out faster than that.

In all, the Grand Lux is a highly satisfactory dining experience. Try them for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or on Sundays for their brunch.

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