Hunger is like Bigfoot—its presence can only be confirmed by the disappearance of a plate of twig pies and mud cakes left on the front porch. Capture fleeting phenomena with today's Groupon: for $10, you get $20 worth of hearty breakfasts and heaping evening entrees at Mirage Restaurant in the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Schiller Park.
Mirage Restaurant plates an extensive menu of meats, pasta, salads, and more for overnight guests and casual passersby. Lay lunchtime claim to George's burger, a midday meeting of broiled ground sirloin with raw onion and crispy bacon on grilled dark rye ($7.75), or take in fresh fare with the Mirage salad, made of baby greens coddled by gorgonzola cheese, sliced apples and radishes, toasted pine nuts, and sweet raspberry vinaigrette ($8.75), which can be bulked up by chicken ($2.20 extra) or salmon ($4.20 extra) for those in need of a protein punch before going dolphin-lifting. Dinner's array of fresh game and sea-game come in a pasta disguise in the seafood carbonara, splashed with sautéed Gulf shrimp and sea scallops ($12.95), or augmented by applesauce with the center-cut pork chops ($10.95).
Go from pillow to plate with myriad breakfast options, including organic granola pancakes, a crunchy concoction with rolled oats and warm maple syrup ($6.50), or the hunger-knabbing gypsy skillet, heaping with hash browns, melted cheese, diced ham, onions, mushrooms, and two fresh eggs ($7.75). Lounging at half-moon booths and shiny mahogany tables, gourmands enjoy hotel-grade comforts at Mirage without the stress of 1 a.m. turn-down service, and gilded pillars and wide archways in the space give way to open fields of foodventures.