Bar Tue Sep 18 2007

The Gage

The opening of this new bar/restaurant across from Millennium Park was met with several reviews that seemed to suggest that the place was almost but not quite what it could be. Most of the criticism focused on the food, which aspires to be quite high-end but falls a bit short of expectations. My solution? Skip the "restaurant" and head straight to the bar. As Heather Shouse writes in her Time Out review, the drinks do indeed "sport downtown prices," so my mojito rang in at just shy of $10. My friends who were in from New York didn't bat at an eye at the price list, but we Chicagoans grumbled a little. The beer list was decent, and I probably should have stuck to that since my drink was mostly full of big wedges of lime and mounds of mint leaves rather than alcohol. Still, the atmosphere is glamorous but comfortable, and big groups are definitely welcome. I have a feeling this place will stick around a while.