Back in late September, Dave and I celebrated our two-year dating anniversary. Since the infant stages of our relationship, food has been one of our top interests. We read through Yelp reviews of restaurants nearby in Wicker Park to help us decide where to go on our first dinner date. There were so many great options that we started an Excel spreadsheet called “To Eat” of restaurants we wanted to try. Fast forward to two years later and we’ve eaten at well over a hundred restaurants in cities across the U.S. Time flies when you’re eating food! In honor of our two-year anniversary, we decided it would be fitting to dine at a two-Michelin star restaurant in honor of the special occasion.
Enter Sixteen. Located on the 16th floor of the Trump International Hotel on the Mag Mile, Sixteen has an intimate, upscale atmosphere without being stuffy and a stunning view of Lake Michigan. There are huge windows from the floor to the ceiling that truly elevate the dining experience. We were thrilled to be seated by the window, but there really isn’t a bad seat in the house due to those huge, gorgeous windows. Tables are also spaced wide enough apart that you cannot hear any of the conversation of other diners, which is an important factor in special occasion dining for a lot of people; diners’ comfort is clearly a top priority at Sixteen.
In fact, Sixteen fulfills all the special occasion criteria beautifully. From the moment we arrived, we were wished a happy anniversary and when we arrived at our Lake Michigan-facing table, there was frame with the word “Happy Anniversary” on the table. It’s details like that that really make a dining experience for me.
We started out with a caviar eggplant amuse bouche with a melt-in-your-mouth creamy texture. So good! This was definitely set the tone for our delicious meal. Next, we enjoyed a bread course that was so good that I couldn’t deny the offer for a second round of carb goodness. Luckily, Dave is also a carb enthusiast, so it was a judgment-free zone.
We split our starters because I could not decide what I wanted to order. The salad of tender greens with berries, almond, goat cheese, and lavender tart was exquisite. The sweetness of the berries and lavender tart complemented the goat cheese so well. The tartare of salmon with apples, endive, and espelette lavosh was so fresh and had a great flavor, too.
Next, I enjoyed the Norwegian cod with shelling bean ragout, chanterelle mushrooms, and vin jaune hollandaise. The cod had a great buttery, soft texture and the hollandaise was so creamy. This was definitely one of the best cod preparations I’ve had in a while! Dave devoured his prime hanger steak with eggplant caviar, carmelized shallots, and mustard jus. So, if that is any indication, Sixteen knocked that one out of the park.
For dessert, we selected the gianduja with cherries, chocolate, and raspberry sorbet, which was another hit. Confession: I discreetly googled how to pronounce gianduja before we ordered so as not to make a fool of myself. So, clearly, this was our first time having gianduja, which is basically a hazelnut paste if you’re wondering. The sorbet complements the hazelnut flavor perfectly. Delicious!
Sixteen rounded off our meal with celebratory champagne, which we enjoyed outside on the Trump Terrace. I would definitely recommend Sixteen for a special occasion meal. When you’re booking your reservation, be sure to make a note that you’re celebrating an anniversary, birthday, engagement, etc. in the “Notes” section of the OpenTable form so the wonderful staff can help make your meal extra special.
{Fun tidbit: This entry is posted a *bit* later than it was written. I actually wrote this post while sitting on the edge of my seat as the Cubs went into the 10th inning in the seventh game of the 2016 World Series and won, thus breaking the 108-year-old curse!}
Leave a Reply