Gastronomic tour with H&S;

              A Gastronomic
This is the second of a series of regional guides to good food, based on a survey of Haskins & Sells people who know the restaurants in the cities where they practice.
For many who may be heading toward that wonderful town of Chicago to settle a student on a nearby university or college campus, see the Chicago Bears take on their arch-rival the Detroit Lions, attend an association meeting or just be passing through on their way to vacationland, a memorable lunch or dinner can add immeasurably to their trip.
When one thinks of dining out in the Windy City, one thinks of going to a restaurant that serves flavorful steaks, for which this part of the Midwest has been noted. But Chicago dinners are by no means limited to good steaks. Many places specialize in different cuisines, ranging from the familiar to the exotic, from the continental to the oriental. Several people in our Chicago Office offer their suggestions for dining enjoyment in a city they know well.
For lunch or dinner, partner Bob Dickey thinks the Cape Cod Room in The Drake hotel (140 East Walton Street), several blocks north of the Loop and just off Lake Shore Drive, is one of the best restaurants in the country. Here seafood is the specialty. According to William Burns of The Drake, arctic char, a fish from western Canadian waters and described as a cross between salmon and trout, was first introduced to this city in the Cape Cod Room. Frequently this fish—still somewhat rare It in the Chicago area—appears on the menu. There is a large
selection of soups and chowders, with green turtle and Bookbinder red snapper soups being two of the favorites. Fresh shellfish is served at the oyster bar. The
charm of an old New England fishing town restaurant, complete with buoys, old bottles, lobster traps and copper chowder kettles, is recalled in the decor. All in ail, it is a comfortable, informal place for family dining. The tariff is moderate to expensive and reservations are requested.
Within easy walking distance of The Drake and of the John Hancock Center (that rises one hundred stories into the sky) is The Red Carpet (28 West Elm Street), where partner Russ Wende finds the food excellent and often unusual. This small, intimate French restaurant, housed in a refurbished mansion in the section that Chicago calls "the Gold Coast," offers a wide selection of entrees and complementing wines. On Tuesday through Saturday evenings, a pianist provides music to dine by. The prices range from moderate to expensive. Call for reservations.
Another restaurant on the Near North Side and in the general vicinity of the John Hancock Center is Biggs (1150 North Dearborn Street), which Jack McGrath, Chicago personnel director, considers to be "one of the more elegant restaurants in Chicago, with excellent food and service." In a restored mansion of the late eighteen hundreds, decorated in gaslight era style, the restaurant specializes in continental cuisine. There are no menus so the waiters list the three or four entrees to guests. Biggs is open for dinner every evening except Monday. Prices are high. Reservations requested.
Although it is about a twenty-minute ride southwest of the Loop area, the Sirloin Room at The Stock Yard Inn in the Chicago Union Stock Yards (4178 South Halsted Street), adjacent to the Amphitheatre, is a place