The purposes of a food court or hall is to make sure patrons have a variety of culinary items to choose fromand to make said items are tasty.
On both counts, the Marriott Marquis' Showroom Food Hall ( 2121 S. Prairie Ave.; www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/restaurant/chimq-marriott-marquis-chicago/ ) succeeds. The first of its kind at any Marriott restaurant, the food hall manages to incorporate an automotive theme ( hence the name ) with stops that offer everything from pizza to baked potatoesalong with tables that feature games ( tic-tac-toe and more ), outlets for charging and even a retro music player with headphones.
As for the stops at Showroom, they include Revolution Coffee & Sweets, The Nomad, Argosy, Winged Warrior and Hot Licks ( seriously ).
What Revolution offers is quite obviousand delicious. I'm not a coffee drinker, but the wondrous sweets are enough to attract anyone. Towering pies ( including the phenomenal banana-cream option ) sit next to tempting hand pies and other dessertsand the dispositions of the workers are almost as sweet as the items they sell.
For those who need to unwind during lunch, The Nomad might be the solution; get a brew, wine or cocktails while chatting with a co-worker or friend. And Argosy is a great retro food truck where one can choose from a selection of sandwiches and other dishes with names like Holy Bologna, Mama Bear and Pho-Show.
And, yes, Winged Warrior has wingsbut there's so much more, including pizza and charcuterie ( ! ). Lastly, Hot Licks was probably my favorite stop, as guests can get baked potatoes or sweet potatoes and choose from dozens of toppings, ranging from marshmallows to pulled pork.
Not only does Showroom have enough variety to keep you coming back for me, but you may not even want to vary things because you'll become addicted to the guilty pleasures you order initially. Try the spotyou'll like it, indeed.
Conn's caters to couples
On Oct. 3, Conn's Catering held an event at Chicago Mosaic School that was primarily for engaged couples, event planners and others.
Various exhibitors were present, such as Dish & Decor ( which loans vintage chinaa current trendfor various events ) and AngiLily Floral Studio. However, all eyes and taste buds were mainly directed toward Conn's ( 1535 W. Devon Ave.; www.connscatering.com/ ), which offered a variety of tables and passed hors d'oeuvres for attendees to enjoy.
Among the standouts were the chicken piccata ( a simple dish that was expertly done ), rumaki, focaccia with pesto aioli, and corn fritters. However, the main attention-grabber was a mac'n cheese bar ( with martini glasses for the pasta ) that had various toppings to choose from, such as scallions, bacon bitsand more cheese.
It's not hard to see why Conn's has been around for decades.
Note: Restaurant profiles/events are based on invitations arranged from restaurants and/or firms.