435 Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
Open seven days; brunch on Sundays with music
Named for the esteemed architects of the Chicago Tribune
Building built in 1925, Howells and Hood is best known for its stylish
setting, good food and large craft beer selection. It’s a large eatery and bar occupying
the ground floor of the building with one of the best outdoor patios along the
Magnificent Mile. Business types frequent the place during weekdays; tourists
tend to predominate on weekends.
No doubt patrons return here for the good food. Howells and Hood presents a somewhat conservative, grill
house menu with steak, seafood, pork tenderloin and smoked chicken at night.
Lunch includes burgers, some seafood, steak sandwiches and daily soups.
Fellow diners claimed the onion soup, delivered
in a lidded mini-crock dish with a small French bread roll, to be some of the
best they’ve
tasted. Fried oysters, fresh, with a slight kick in the breading, earned
kudos from companion diner. This was high praise coming from a native
Louisianan. A generously portioned lobster
roll, accompanied by enough house-made fries for two, and a steak sandwich prepared as
ordered, left the three of us wishing we could return. The highlight of the
meal was the restaurant’s signature dessert—Blackberry, Orange Buttermilk Cake,
served in a small pan with vanilla bean ice cream. A Grand Marnier orange
compote sat at the bottom of this piece of art, making for a delightfully decadent,
delicious and memorable end to the meal.Howells and Hood claims to have one of the largest craft beer selections in Chicago. It takes up three pages of their menu. Beers, a wide variety of mixed drinks, 29 TVs and a great menu of “shareables” appeal to the after-work crowd. I also recommend a meal at Howells and Hood when returning from a boat tour on the nearby Chicago River.
Tags: Chicago
restaurants, restaurants near Chicago River boat tours, restaurants near the
Architecture Boat Tour, lunch in Chicago, dining at Chicago Tribune Building,
patio dining along the Magnificent Mile
