Lux Bar

For most Chicagoans, people watching and dining outside on a summer evening go hand in hand. In the Gold Coast, it’s protocol whether it’s Monday or Friday; and you better make reservations ’cause you aren’t the only one thinking about enjoying dinner outside. Lux Bar is in the middle of it all and you can expect to find the city’s chic and urbane crowd enjoying their meals…at a price that’s fit for all.

I’ve generally gone to Lux Bar for a night out with the girls to soak up their delicious dirty martinis, accompanied by overstuffed bleu cheese olives. And I’ve found myself sharing girl-time over brunch there; I can never go wrong with their eggs benedict and bloody marys. This time, I opted for dinner out with my brother Patrick, a 27-year-old University of Illinois graduate who prides himself on knowing the hippest spots to eat and drink. A self-proclaimed foodie (him) and a fan of food altogether (me), we found our reviews utterly similar: a summertime dinner at Lux Bar meant two for the price of one.

As we embarked on an evening of people watching and catching up with each other, our handsome waiter generously came over to check in on us. Patrick ordered his first of a few Bell’s Oberons on draft and I opted for a mojito. The mojito was just as I hoped it would be: crisp, refreshing and completely satisfying. We chatted for a bit and didn’t hesitate to order our appetizer when the waiter made another timely stop over. I let Patrick choose and, as we learned from our dad, he made sure to ask the waiter his opinion about which appetizer would be our best bet. The waiter put smiles on our hungry faces as he listed a number of his favorites and why each had a distinguishable taste. The winner was the tuna tartare was a modern twist on the classic with tasty wonton chips, soy sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger and delectable Sriracha mayo on the side. It looked mouthwatering and satisfied just about every taste bud. A perfect starter to our entrees.

In the midst of great conversation and wonderful people-watching, it was time to order our entrees. To no surprise, my brother ordered three sliders: the Kobe beef with succelent caramalized onions and truffle butter, the blackened tilapia with tartar sauce and the crab cake with hot pink mayo. I opted for the buffalo chicken salad. The description had me at hello: ranch dressing with corn and celery along with bleu cheese. The combination of flavors was nothing short of perfect. The buffalo chicken was spicey enough and the salad got an extra oomph with that bleu cheese and ranch. Patrick loved his sliders. Loved is an understatement. He scarfed them down like it was his last meal. Per usual, he helped himself to the extras on my plate. We were happy campers, but fully aware that we would have to get dessert to top it off. Twist our arms.

They feature a pie to die for: the Luxbar Snickers Pie. Completely indecisive about what we should choose, we again asked the waiter his opinion. Snickers Pie sounded to-die-for and according to him, it was. He said that the massive pie is built with a chocolate crust, heaping amounts of vanilla ice cream with layers of Snickers candy within, peanuts, chocolate and carmel to top it off. Two of us would clearly not be able to put a dent in this pie that can serve eight people so we went for a lighter dish: the Cookie Sundae.

Thank God for portion control because we made the final and best decision of the night. Our sundae was presented to us in my new favorite way. The cookie was still in the cast iron skillet that baked it, which meant warm dough, delicious pecans and even gooier chocolate. Atop the cookie was a generous mound of vanilla bean ice cream with the company of two whipped cream dollops on either side and a drizzle of chocolate sauce to top it off. I couldn’t stop eating it. Literally. I refused to leave any of it to the birds and my brother was full. Let’s just say I made sure to spend some extra time at the gym this morning.

All in all, this meal was a delightful experience. Every savory flavor in each course was robust and satisfying. We left as happy, albeit very full and a bit guilty, customers. I look forward to taking on that delicious Cookie Sundae again because it was worth every extra minute sweating it off this morning.