PopSugar Chicago

Going Public: Billy Zane, Zoe Saldana, and Ian Schrager Open the Pump Room

Rebecca Taras — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:30:00 CDT

It may have only been a Tuesday, but the biggest party of the week (if not the month) was the PUBLIC Chicago (1301 N. State Pkwy., 312-787-7200) premier party. I was lucky enough to attend the dinner in the Pump Room preceding the 8 p.m. festivities in the hotel (full menu deets ahead!). I was really excited, as I had not been back to the hotel (or the restaurant) since one of the last nights the 1938 original served its last drink and flamed up its last baked Alaska (the dining room closed in January of 2010.) That night, the room was filled with regulars from days gone by. Come 6 p.m. this past Tuesday, it was another story.

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News Flash: Did Chicago Choose to Keep the Pump Room?

Rebecca Taras — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:09:46 CDT

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my affinity (and Chicago's) for the historic Pump Room in what was the Ambassador East Hotel, soon to be PUBLIC Chicago (1301 N. State Pkwy., 312-787-3700). At the time, Ian Schrager started a two-week contest asking Chicagoans to vote on whether or not to keep the Pump Room name or to switch things up with Gold Coast Kitchen. You voted; he listened, so to see the results,

I'm happy to report that the resto is keeping its name as the Pump Room! With Chicago greats like Marshall Field's being traded for a New York transplant and the Sears Tower being stripped of its name, it's about time we got to hold on to a piece of history. Schrager also announced that Bradford Phillips (Blackbird, Tru, LM) will be the executive chef. I used to work with Brad back in my restaurant marketing days, so I can confirm we're all in for a treat.

Check out this super-cool video of Chicago celebs (Jeremy Piven, Jane Lynch, and several others) weighing in on their opinion to keep the Pump Room name!

Source: Flickr User Chicago Geek

Your Input Needed: Should The Pump Room Change Its Name?

Rebecca Taras — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 08:02:00 CDT

I still remember my mom dressing me in a little blue number with a faux fur wrap and my brother in what he called his "monkey suit" when my parents exposed us to one of our first fine-dining experiences at The Pump Room in the Ambassador East Hotel. What made it even more special is we sat in the famed "booth one," which my dad explained to us, at the impressionable ages of 7 (me) and 11 (my brother), that this special seat had been a fixture for celebs like Liza Minnelli, Stephanie Powers (pictured), and Judy Garland. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall celebrated their wedding in booth one, as did Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner. When he ordered baked alaska for dessert, I didn't know what to expect, but I'd never forget it, along with the entire dining experience we had that day.

Considering The Pump Room has been a Chicago fixture since 1938, I'm not the only one with a good memory to hold on to. The Pump Room closed its doors last year, but not for good. The hotel and restaurant are currently undergoing serious renovations thanks to boutique hotelier Ian Schrager, who acquired the property. Chicago magazine recently did a great interview with Schrager and also reports that the resto is slated to open Sept. 12. I can't wait.