Nora - Chicago
Gone are the days when hotel restaurants were an after-thought; Nora, the restaurant in the St. Clair, is the centerpiece of this classic Chicago hotel. Because it's located in a hotel that caters to many national and international visitors, their menu is designed to appeal to everyone.
Nora at the St. Clair in Streeterville reflects Mediterranean inspiration -- specifically from the island of Sardinia -- and "Midwestern warmth." Whether you're doing business in The Loop or taking a break from Michigan Avenue shopping, Nora has an abundance of menu items that will satisfy. For a light lunch, enjoy the complimentary homemade focaccia bread and charcuterie (for two) featuring soppresata, prosciutto, gorgonzola, pecorino, pickled vegges, and mixed olives; add a glass of wine and you have the perfect sit-down lunch of the go.
Starters include oysters (East and West Coast), grilled octopus and, because it is after all Chicago, there are some superior smelts, wild caught, with basil olive oil and fried sage.
For a light and tremendously flavorful salad, there's a Nora Caesar with za'atar croutons, cauliflower and beet salad, and a very popular roast duck salad with blood orange and pickled onion.
Pasta and risotto offerings include original takes on the classics: seafood carbonara, for instance, as well as tiny gnocchi with wild rabbit.
If you've come to Nora with meat on the mind, there is a lot to choose from: bone-in lamb shank and chops, roast suckling pig (done in traditional Sardinian style), New York strip tagliata, braised short rib and filet mignon.
As this is primarily a Mediterranean restaurant, there are abundant fish and seafood offerings, sea bass a la Nora (with fennel and confit tomatoes), monkfish wrapped in grape leaves, and grilled halibut with herb gremolata.
The desserts are also worthy of note: baklava gelato sundae is proving a local favorite, and you might also want to check out the seada, a deep-fried semolina dumpling.