Cape Cod Room

Whenever I am in Chicago I try to stay at one of the two really nice Hilton properties, The Drake or the Palmer House. I like The Drake hotel a lot for its historic atmosphere,  its lake view and the proximity to a few bars that always seem to be busy. Today I was in a bit of a rush for dinner with a craving for salmon, so I went to the Cap Cod Room. This was my first and last time there, even though I hope my experience was not representative.

I had the lobster bisque and the salmon.

The lobster bisque was very good, better than most I've had (and I had many). Creamy, but not too creamy, slightly spicy and with a fresh distinct lobster taste. It also had the right amount of lobster in it and the portion size was on the generous side.

And after having that, I was very much looking forward to the Loch Duart Salmon Steak I ordered which features a poached salmon. Poaching is one of my favorite ways of preparing fish, because if done well (i.e. fresh fish + correct timing), it results in incredibly tastful, soft, juicy fish. My salmon today however was severly over poached and as a result had a weird tough consistency and tasted really fishy. Salmon is specifically sensitive to over poaching and turns quickly from excellent to almost uneatable. This specific salmon was one of the worst salmons I had in a long, long time.

When asked, I told the waitress what I thought about the salmon and she brought the manager. He listened to what I said, told me he would talk to the chef and went his way, without even trying to rectify the situation.

Dear Cap Cod Room, if you ask for $32 for a salmon, you better make that an awesome salmon and you better poach it on the spot. If you mess it up, which happens even in the best of restaurants, do something about it. This could be such a nice place, with the history and the atmosphere and I really wished you would have mastered either the food or the service tonight.

4 stars of the lobster bisque, 0 for the salmon and 0 for the service.

Just had dinner at the Cape Cod Room at the Drake.  Simply...it was wonderful!  Food great, service great!  We will be back.

This is a wonderful seafood restaurant in the city. I've been a loyal customer since I was in high school and that was a LONG time ago. The decor is old school with a vintage and cozy feel. The gulf shrimp cocktail is delicious - very fresh and meaty.  The signature bookbinder soup is a must.  The gulf shrimp de jonghe, grilled Alaskan salmon and dover sole meuniere are all delicious.  The service is consistently excellent.