Cherry Circle Room at CAA

Just had lunch at the Circle Cherry Room inside the Chicago Athletic Association. Checking out the web site it looks like we had the brunch menu. It's been open awhile and I'm surprised no one has posted about this place. Short story is that it was a really nice spot, the food was excellent and pricey.

The longer story is that I arrived in the lobby of the CAA around 12:30. I was taken aback when I saw the killer line for Shake Shack. My buddy told me we were headed to the Cherry Circle Room. We head up stairs and through the lobby (looks a little like a college library crossed with a hotel lobby; people sat at long tables looking like they were studying). Past a small coffee stand and the through the Game Room (another restaurant with a different menu and games!). Finally we get to the restaurant. It's a lovely room with a few rows of booths and another row of tables. The bar is a beauty that seems well stocked with trendy and rare liquors.

Menu looked pretty good. There are some more inexpensive options, but I had the 3 course prix fixe lunch. Onion soup or salad, 3 entrees (turkey sandwich, some grain dish and Trout in a seafood soup) and a berries for dessert. My companion got the crab cake and pork belly for a starter. Onion soup was very good, maybe a too much cheese. My taste of the pork belly was delish. Trout was excellent; looking at the menu it was their Loup de Mer (maybe a smaller portion) with a hunk of trout on it. The balanced broth played well with the trout and the shellfish. The dessert was modest, but tasty. A small scoop of raspberry sorbet with assorted berries, some sort of white chocolate thing (looked a little like a long squirt of toothpaste, but appetizing) and some granola. A perfect light finish to the meal. Service was unobtrusive; although we waited a bit to pay.

Overall the quality of the food and room was very nice and you paid for it. My lunch prix fixe was $25 and was probably the best value at the restaurant. Overall I think total tab (no booze, with tax and tip) almost $65. Circle Cherry Room is what you'd expect from the Land and Sea Dept folks. I only wish I didn't have to go to work, so I could have ordered one of McGee's fancy drinks

12 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60603
312-792-3515
http://www.cherrycircleroom.com/food/

Just one note, I was at the CAA for an event recently & afterwards scouted out the dining options (except Shake Shack, go to Rudy's if you want a burger in that part of town). Don't know what it's like at brunch time, but in the evening the CC Room is very very dark indeed. Flashlight needed to read the menu dark.

Went there for dinner last night and loved it. Wonderful, warm and inviting room and nice cocktails. I was with a chef, a foodie from Montreal who had come to taste what Chicago has to offer, and 3 other people, so we grazed through the menu. The leg of lamb was a special hit. We had the OG dry aged steak which was tender and nice but did not have a dry aged flavor or smell, to our disappointment. I wasn't disappointed with any dish....I'd recommend it highly and would like to return soon.

I've been wanting to try this place and thankful for the posts/info above. Just a small correction to the name of the establishment and title of the thread; it's the "Cherry Circle Room" (vs. "Circle Cherry Room"). Moderators, feel free to delete this post if this gets corrected.

PeteF wrote:I've been wanting to try this place and thankful for the posts/info above. Just a small correction to the name of the establishment and title of the thread; it's the "Cherry Circle Room" (vs. "Circle Cherry Room"). Moderators, feel free to delete this post if this gets corrected.

Good catch. I read right past that. It's fixed now.

=R=

We hit the Cherry Circle Room for a pre-Hamilton dinner last night. Our server was excellent -- knew the menu and the story of the restaurant very well. Ask about the napkins and plates -- it's an interesting story! She was aware of our time restriction and shepherded us through successfully. Our friend had the burger, which she enjoyed. Mr. X and I split the mussels (steamed bouchot mussels, lobster broth, coconut, red curry), risotto (broccoli, smoke cured egg yolk, parmesan) and beet salad (buttermilk, oats, orange). The "buttermilk" of the beet salad was essentially a panna cotta. I liked this dish, but didn't love it. It skewed too sweet. The mussels and the risotto were excellent. We asked and received extra bread to soak up the delicious broth. For dessert, we split the "chocolate & mint", which is described as chocolate cremeux, mint meringue, whipped caramel. This was also tasty, especially when a spoonful contained bits of the various elements of the dish.

I loved the clubby, dark feel of the room. As noted above, it's "flashlight to read the menu" dark, but they provided flashlights. Although we started with a cocktail at Cindy's on the rooftop, the bar at CCR looked appealing. Our meal, including a couple glasses of wine, was around $120 for the three of us before tip. That seemed fair for the quality.