A secret room with a view

fifth floor, please

Hi, everyone!

First off, holy shit — judging by the numbers, it looks like you guys loved Young Choi’s top 100 favorite restaurants around Chicago. (Here’s part 1, and part 2.) Lists are all subjective, but like he mentioned, I too believe that there are things we can take away from them. In his case, I see a really affectionate view of Chicago’s restaurant community, which is why I thought it fit into the newsletter so well.

This week’s edition of the newsletter, which falls under the free schedule (don’t forget to upgrade, everyone), is a really fun one only because today’s restaurant is located in such an unusual place. It’s in a surrounding that many of us normally associate with stress, which makes it both hilarious and somehow unreal at the same time.

As some of you know, I am dealing with the late stages of a rare eye disease called Coat’s disease. I am blind in one eye aside from light and motion perception, and since it’s degenerative, I have to be monitored regularly. Right now I’m fairly stable, thanks to the hard work of a team of doctors at Rush.

But as you can imagine, I have to go to the doctor’s office. A lot. I take public transit there because sometimes my pupils get dilated, which means you probably do not want to see me driving afterwards. If so, good luck to all of us!

What’s unfortunate about the Rush campus is that there really isn’t much to eat nearby when you’re traveling on foot. So naturally, nosing around online caused me to stumble upon a curious in-facility dining space that wasn’t the hospital cafeteria or the Panera Bread in the next building. (Though a hospital cafeteria review would be awesome.)

I found a spot in the very building I get treated in that had a takeout system for lunch, but the food actually looked okay, with burgers, fish entrees, and salads. Basically stuff you’d find at a normal cafe.

I wondered if you could dine in, and so I texted my friend Sarah (hi Sarah!), who works in the neurology department at Rush, to see if I could just like, eat there as part of the general public. She confirmed I could, though at one point in the past it was only accessible to staff.

That’s how I found myself in Room 500 in Rush’s Professional Building, after a routine eye checkup.

Based off the name, yes, it’s on the fifth floor.

And once you get off the elevators you’ll see what appears to be a massive conference room. You are in the right place. I am sure it serves as a conference and banquet facility too, as I saw banners for upcoming events displayed near the host stand. A host will greet and seat you once you walk up, and since I was the first person in that day, she put me right next to the window.

Okay, so it’s still sort of clear you’re still in a hospital, based off the austere environment.

Hey, at least there’s soothing music being piped through the speakers, which probably helped me unwind a little after my doctor’s appointment.

We have to talk about this menu, though.

It becomes clear that things are a little nicer here when you look closely at it. I immediately noticed a Creole shrimp, mango, and avocado salad, which doesn’t seem like regular hospital fare. The entree side had some pretty nice-looking sandwiches, like an ahi tuna BLT, along with things like burgers and clubs. Those things, I think, are generally available for takeout.

But the main entrees were where things get a little more unexpected, because there were things like entire roasted half chickens with demi-glace and Maryland crab cakes on it. A roasted half chicken? At a hospital?

There was also a separate weekly specials page that had items like a gyros sandwich, Greek salad, and a falafel sandwich (I’m seeing somewhat of a theme here), but I made sure to stick with the regular options in the off chance you find yourself here someday. I ordered a few things I thought were the most interesting.

I was given an unexpected zucchini muffin to start with, which I guess is standard practice.

It’s exactly what you’d think, just a typical sweet zucchini bread not unlike banana bread.

I like to think of it as Room 500’s version of bread service. The server could see the surprised expression on my face when she brought it, and she told me she thought I’d enjoy it. She wasn’t wrong.

You’re now looking at the coconut crusted shrimp ($13.50), which comes with a large charred pineapple wedge, along with chipotle cream and a seasoned mango puree.

I am as surprised as you when I say these were shockingly good. The shrimp had a perfectly crunchy fry to them, they were big, and the dipping sauces were both well-paired. The chipotle cream was the gentler of the two, adding a slightly smoky and creamy flavor to the shrimp, which thankfully weren’t cloyingly sweet. The mango puree, which I mistook as an emulsified salad dressing at first, was fruity and sweet with a little bit of heat in it.

I asked the server if the kitchen made these from scratch, and she said that they did. I also dug the charred pineapple, because it added some juicy bites in between, and wasn’t just there for garnishing purposes.

The most intriguing entree on the Room 500 menu was the steak frites ($23.95).

I still couldn’t believe this whole setup. I’d literally just gotten out of an eye examination like 20 minutes prior, and here I was, just a few floors below, about to tuck into a plate of steak and fries. The menu described the steak frites as beef tenderloin with mushroom demi creme on a bed of fries, and it occurred to me that I hadn’t mentioned how I’d wanted it cooked. It came out at just over medium-well.

While it was nice that there were some pretty hard grill marks on the steak, they were a little too intense, which left the meat bitter in some places.

That, and the steak didn’t appear to be seasoned much, if at all, but the mushroom cream had plenty of salt to it, which made up for the missing flavor. And something seemed a little suspect about the beef tenderloin descriptor, as the steak wasn’t nearly as tender as the tenderloin cut would suggest.

The fries were perfectly good foodservice fries, and I couldn’t seem to get enough of them with the mushroom sauce — so if you end up there, just ask for extra demi creme poured on top. Okay, so it wasn’t the best steak frites I’ve ever had, but at the same time, it sort of was. Next time I’m back I’m totally trying that half roasted chicken.

When I had messaged Sarah, she also mentioned that her favorite days at Room 500 were Fridays, when they do lunch buffets with not one, but two meat carving stations. This all just feels like a weird private club that you’re not supposed to be able to access, but the host had assured me that the room was available to all.

I’d already ordered plenty of food, so I didn’t want to look weird and order an extra sandwich to dine in (but I wanted one more thing to show you guys).

So I asked for a caprese sandwich ($15.50) to go, which comes with fresh mozzarella, tomato, fresh basil, pesto, and balsamic glaze, all on grilled bread. You get your choice of fries or a fruit cup on the side, too.

This sandwich was exactly what it looks like: It was fine, and there wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about it. You’ve all had a version of a sandwich like this at some point, I’m sure. That price is a little bit off-putting, but I guess it’s one of those things where you’re paying for convenience. Plus if you’re working in healthcare and going to a restaurant like that for lunch (Room 500 is lunch only, by the way), you can probably afford that easily.

I left feeling much happier than when I’d arrived at the doctor’s office. Normally I’m feeling a little dejected, only because my frequent visits remind me that I’m there for a not-so-fun reason. Was the food amazing? Well, okay, that shrimp was fucking great, and admittedly, the steak could use a mild tune-up. But the fact that the place is just hidden in plain sight is a delight to me.

And I mean, it’s Rush. Many of us will find ourselves having to deal with something or other there someday (God forbid), since it’s a nexus of so many health specialists. But if you’re there during the day and are hunting for something to eat that’s not from a vending machine, just know you’ve got another option. You take your kids out to ice cream after their shots, why not take yourself to get a grilled peach burrata salad or some crab cakes after yours?

Room 500 (5th floor of the Rush Professional Building)
1725 W Harrison St.
Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 942-5522

Hours:
Monday - Friday: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

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I do have some housekeeping notes today, so stick around for just a sec. But don’t forget to share today’s newsletter as it’s such a weird but delightful place:

And second of all, one of my friends, Joe Roy, was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. He was one of the cohort I started food writing with early in my career. Joe’s since moved to Fort Wayne to be closer to his family, but the cancer diagnosis has tossed some uncertainty their way.

If you donate to his family’s GoFundMe and show me a screenshot (you can reply to this newsletter, or tell me via Substack messaging, or let me know via Instagram), I’ll upgrade your account for 90 days — on me.

Lastly, Davida’s family is visiting Chicago next weekend, which is typically when I write. So I’ll probably have to skip next week’s newsletter due to a time crunch, but we’re looking forward to showing them around. And one thing on our agenda? Hot dogs.

Okay, everyone, have a great week. Love you guys. Keep enjoying your Chicago summer.