The Walnut Room

Wonderful atmosphere. Elegant and calming. The Chicken Pot Pie was outstanding. Waitstaff great.

There's something so staid about the Walnut Room. Its timelessness sits in ironic juxtaposition to the rest of the store which is a mere skeleton of its faded glory.
The room remains grand and muted, the service impeccable. The menu, though limited in choices, is of high quality.
On an early Friday dinner, we shared the wonderful New England clam chowder and cheese plate. The classic chicken pot pie had a perfect hand-finished crust. For dessert, the key lime pot.
The music is perfect, as was the remainder of the experience.
Some things never change, and for the Walnut Room,  this is wonderful.

My husband and I have a annual Christmastime tradition of spending a day in downtown Chicago capped off by seeing Chanticleer perform at Fourth Presbyterian Church. On the afternoon of our 2012 Christmas date we decided to grab a light lunch in The Walnut Room at Macy's (the old Marshall Field's) to see the big Christmas tree because -- I kid you not -- in our 20 years of living in Chicagoland we had never eaten in The Walnut Room! Can you believe it?

The tree, of course, is spectacular. The dining room harkens back to a more elegant time. The waitstaff are impeccable. The food ... not so much. We ordered crab cakes -- which were pretty much all 'cake' -- and a cheese platter which was delicious but skimpy. We also had a nice glass of red wine (and I'm sorry I've forgotten what it was.) Prices were not bad. Certainly competitive with mainstream dining establishments in the suburbs.

All in all I'm glad for the holiday experience, but go for the atmosphere not the average food.