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Restaurant Thu Mar 25 2010
Province is Pink ...and Green
Yesterday I attended a lunch meeting at a restaurant I had never heard of before (and I like to think I hear about these things), so I looked up the restaurant online before heading out the door to make sure I could find it. After eating lunch, I'm surprised I hadn't heard of Province before. Located in the West Loop, Province was recently awarded the Gold Level LEED Certification by the U.S.Green Building Council and is located in the Chicago Transit Authority building which was the first building in Illinois to be given the LEED-EB (existing building) certification by the USGBC. Province takes sustainability seriously -- a whole page on the website is dedicated to their green efforts and another page lists their local farmers and vendors. The menu is seasonal and the décor is made of recycled and natural materials with bursts of color (vibrant pink accent walls). Province's executive chef and owner is Randy Zweiban, from Nacional 27, and he has created a restaurant where the atmosphere is comfortable and the food is sophisticated.
I'm sad to report that since I was at a meeting, it would have been a big faux pas to take pictures of my food, but it was delicious! My lunch started with a caesar salad with chili-spiked dressing. The dressing was spicier than expected but it wasn't enough heat to overwhelm you before the main course. Then I enjoyed the ten hour braised lamb, which was so tender (so tender!) it melted in my mouth. The cornbread dressing had chorizo and eggplant in it. I'm not a huge fan of eggplant but it worked well in this dressing. Throughout the meal I sipped on jasmine-infused ice tea and I definitely wanted to cry when I had to skip out on dessert because I had another commitment I was running late for.
Province is located at 161 N. Jefferson, Chicago, 312-669-9900 and if this is the first time you're hearing of Province, I strongly suggest you check it out. If you've already been to Province, I'm also sure you've already been back -- I know I will be!
