This Sunday, October 13, thousands of runners will take that triumphant step over the finish line at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Most will have been training hard for months, preparing their bodies for the incredible feat of running 26.2 straight miles. It’s a task that requires intense mental focus, perseverance, and dedication. So is the equally important task of picking a spot for a celebratory postrace brunch.
As training program manager at the Chicago Area Runners Association, certified coach Meg Sullivan helps about 2,500 athletes train for the marathon each year. She usually celebrates the end of a race with a big, juicy cheeseburger.
“A lot of people crave salt after a run,” she said. “I think it’s because people are so sick of runner food—the gels and sports drinks and sugar.”
There’s no one meal that works for everybody, though. Some people want pizza. Others want breakfast foods, such as eggs and waffles. One of Meg’s coworkers crosses the finish line dreaming of sushi.
It’s not the type of food that’s important, Meg said—at least not once you’ve replenished your protein with chocolate milk or a recovery drink. “Go get what food you want,” she said. “Celebrate!”
Here are three restaurants a quick cool-down walk away from the finish line where you can do just that:
Steak and eggs at Eleven City Diner (1112 S. Wabash Ave.)
A South Loop staple, Eleven City Diner offers a whimsical take on the traditional Jewish delicatessen. There are portraits of Hasidim in prayer shawls on the walls and old-school diner drinks such as a cherry phosphate on the menu. The meal you’re after, though, is a little more straightforward—the steak and eggs ($17.99), served with grilled onions, house potatoes, and toast. The combination of potassium-packed taters and iron-rich meat could be just what your body needs. Opens at 8:30 a.m.
Eggs benedict at The Bongo Room (1152 S. Wabash Ave.)
Most of the diners here come to indulge in sugary heaps of mascarpone-laden french toast or pancakes drenched in hazelnut cream. Racers can bypass these in favor of a more savory option: the eggs benedict ($12.25), a tower of quivering poached egg, canadian bacon, and hollandaise served atop a crisp english muffin. Packed with choline, which promotes cell recovery, the egg yolk will do you good after a race; plus, there’s extra motivation to run fast to avoid the late-morning brunch crowds. Opens at 9 a.m.
Vegetable burrito at Flaco’s Tacos (725 S. Dearborn St.)
It may not be the most authentic Mexican place in town, but Flaco’s still dishes out a satisfying burrito meal. Beans rich with potassium and magnesium anchor the vegetable burrito ($7.45), which also packs in juicy portobello mushrooms and roasted poblano peppers. The iron-enriched tortilla is an added nutrient bonus. Plus, you’ll get to devour your dish inside Flaco’s picturesque space on Printers Row, where vintage doors, mismatched old tables, and mint-green walls make for eye candy as you eat. Opens at 10:30 a.m.
Photo: © Stephanie Bassos, Groupon
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Restaurants in Western Springs
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Select Local Merchants
Amid rich woodwork and four big-screen TVs, 800 West treats taste buds to savory steaks, scrumptious sandwiches, and seafood. Customers can commence consumption with the 800 West shrimp, tender prawns tossed in a spicy cream sauce ($10.29), before applying paws to a hearty handheld such as the grilled-barbecue-chicken-ranch sandwich ($9.29). Dive fork-first into the blackened mahi-mahi with pineapple salsa for a taste of the tropics ($14.99), or opt for the 7-ounce char-grilled filet mignon served with onion strings and maitre d' butter if you only eat fish born as cheesy crackers or 7-ounce filet mignons ($23.99). The six-cheese purse pasta—little pockets stuffed with sundried tomatoes, spinach, and garlic and blanketed with parmesan cream sauce—sates herbaceous bellies and pastaterian pandas ($10.99). To rinse down solids, patrons can saddle up to the full-service bar and sip a glass of wine ($7–$12), a beer ($3–$5), or a martini ($9–$10).
800 Hillgrove Ave
Western Springs,
IL
US
Vie Restaurant: A User's Guide
New American Cuisine | Hyperlocal Ingredients | House-Canned Goods | Smart-Casual Dress Code
Sample Menu
- First course: wood-grilled quail with roasted apples and carrots
- Soup: creamy pumpkin soup with foie-gras-mousse and oat streusel
- Entree: collard-green gratin with crispy spätzle and cheddar-beer fondue
- Dessert: gingerbread-spiced funnel cake with quince sherbet
Where to Sit: If possible, grab the table right in front of the fireplace, which adds to the coziness of the welcoming, yet elegant digs.
While You're Waiting
- Head to the modern bar with towering mirrors and shelves of attractive bottles to order one of the bartender’s signature Vie-tinis.
Chef Paul Virant's claim to fame is his knack for pickling and canning, which he wrote about in his cookbook, The Preservation Kitchen. Honor his passion by replacing your usual cufflinks with full-sized Mason jars.
Inside Tips
- The experienced wine director, Pablo Moncado, has meticulously curated a selection of fine wines to complement the meals, so be sure to ask your server for help in choosing the right bottle.
- Leave your tank top and beer helmet in the closet. Vie has a smart-casual dress code, which means patrons may wear informal, yet neat attire.
Reservations are recommended.
While You're in the Neighborhood
Before: Take a page out of the chef’s book and go on the hunt for fresh, local ingredients at the Western Springs Fruit Store (925 Burlington Avenue).
After: Catch a show at the Theatre of Western Springs (4384 Hampton Avenue), which hosts local plays and national acts, including the celebrated Beatle’s cover band, American English.
4471 Lawn Ave
Western Springs,
IL
US
Mécénat Bistro & Retail Wine Shop's menu is stocked full of seasonal American specialties. Guests can pair truffle fries, New Zealand grass-fed rib-eye, or blackened shrimp and rigatoni with one of 70 varietals on the bistro’s wine list. Domestic craft beers also span the menu, accentuating flavors in seasonal specialties as well as menu mainstays such as Prince Edward Island mussels and grilled asparagus and sugar snap pea risotto.
821 Burlington Ave.
Western Springs,
IL
US
One of the first things you notice about Tavern on La Grange is how colorful it is: hot pink and indigo lights wash walls in a neon watercolor effect, and the bottles behind the bar are backlit with red and fuchsia. Murals of art deco-style buildings and figures give the room another added pop. Pasta and steak dishes are among the menu's crowning achievements, along with the likes of the Tavern chicken, lobster tail and lamb chops. People fill the restaurant's spacious, kaleidoscopic dining rooms throughout the week to take in bistro-style meals, drinks, or one of the establishment's periodic events. Those evenings are just one part of what the restaurant's owners hope makes Tavern on La Grange "a quality dining experience and community meeting place."
5403 S La Grange Rd.
Countryside,
IL
US
A lively, friendly atmosphere underscores the Irish flavor of Kenny's, which welcomes famished sports fans with 26 flat-screen TVs, most of which show NFL Sunday Ticket. The affable menu is stacked with savory pizzas ($9.50–$15.50 for cheese; $1.50–$2.25 for toppings), juicy half-pound burgers ($6.95–$7.95), homemade corned-beef sandwiches ($5.95), Kenny's jumbo wings ($5.95), soups, salads, and many more appetite entertainers. The interior space is dappled with dark hues and Celtic decorative touches for an extra dose of Emerald Isle authenticity.
917 W 55th St
Countryside,
IL
US
On noodles, over rice, in soup, between buns?or simply plain on a plate. Any way you eat it, food at Omai La Grange Vietnamese Cuisine is as delicious as it is authentic. Shrimp, calamari, and crab dominate the seafood noodle entr?e, while onion and bell pepper get a garlicky makeover in the eggplant medley. Pho, or noodle soup, is endlessly customizable, its broth brimming with a choice of meat and vegetables, while banh mi sandwiches complement crispy pork or lemon-grass beef with pickled daikon and fresh jalapeno. As they wash down spicy bites with wine or beer, customers might notice that these piquant dishes juxtapose to a comparatively tranquil dining room?wicker pendant lamps illuminate accents of light wood and mint, while drapes sing soft, gentle lullabies.
50 South La Grange Rd
La Grange,
IL
US
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