The Pump Room

Hello everyone and a special shout-out to those of you who are reading this blog in such far-flung places as Russia, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, and Colombia...very cool!

As I mentioned yesterday, I went to the newly reopened Pump Room at the Public Hotel last night with my friend Leslie and her fiance Shannon. It's been at least ten years since I was last there and I was really curious to see for myself Ian Schrager's transformation of the legendary Chicago celebrity watering hole. I had a great time. It was fun catching up with Leslie and meeting Shannon. They're a terrific couple and I look forward to their wedding in July.

The Pump Room is definitely worth checking out and I will definitely be going back. The lounge area is right off of the hotel lobby so you can't miss it. My recollection of the place had been a rather dark stuffy interior with heavy draperies and furnishings that looked as though they hadn't been replaced or remodeled since the 1950s. What greeted me instead was a large and very open space done up in almost blinding--but not sterile--white marble with plenty of seating and lots of light. Our server, Amber, was pleasant and helpful without being intrusive which made a change from a lot of similar places I've been where the service staff treats you with indifference at best and something akin to contempt at worst. Amber was attentive. She smiled a lot and was very accommodating.

We ordered drinks. I had an Old Fashioned. I had to laugh though because while I do enjoy an Old Fashioned every so often, I've never thought to ask what is actually in one. It just sounds kind of cool when you order it and yes, I am pretentious like that. Amber was a little vague about this. When asked, she ran through the obvious ingredients--sugar, maraschino cherries, and bitters. I've had bitters before but have never quite known what it was. Amber didn't seem to know either. So I Googled it and discovered it's a liquor made from anise. I also discovered that the "base" alcohol of an Old Fashioned is bourbon which is no doubt what gives it its kick. We then somehow started chatting with Amber about absinthe: no, the Pump Room doesn't serve it and, as far as Amber knew, only two or three bars in Chicago do. Amber said she'd had it once and, based on Amber's experience with it, I doubt she'll be having it again. I knew that absinthe had been banned here in the United States since the beginning of the 20th century until it was reformulated a few years ago--minus the wormwood, no doubt-- and that it was a favorite among the 19th and early 20th century Parisian ex-pat and artistic community, with Toulouse-Latrec and Hemingway among its fans. I think I'll stick with the Old Fashioned.

The Pump Room lounge serves a rather limited menu of small plates. We had a couple orders of the tempura-style shrimp, a bowl of olives, and something else that for the life of me I cannot remember. I wasn't overly keen on the shrimp. I'm a big fan of tempura but I'd have preferred the shrimp to have been minus its legs or whatever and shell...it was a little too much like soft-shell crab that, after a rather bad experience with it at the North Pond Cafe a couple years' back, I don't care to ever have again. We finished with a bowl of bite-sized sugar donuts (Munchkins really) that came with a rather tasty, buttery sauce that was actually quite good. I was disappointed though that the menu didn't offer a cheese plate. I love cheese. It's hard to go wrong with cheese. It was missed.

While I didn't get a chance to see the main dining room menu and can't comment on it, I hope the selection is a little more varied than what is served in the lounge.

I give the Pump Room a thumbs-up for its ambience and staff. The noise level isn't deafening though I noticed this morning my voice was a little hoarse so it must have been louder than I remember. Still, if you're looking for a nice place to grab a drink and hang-out with friends, the Pump Room is worth your effort. Hats off to Ian Schrager for pumping new life into the Pump Room.

Ciao.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: "What's your drink of choice?"