-
On October 23Charlie Trotter answered the question:
Which five restaurants are best for brunch in Chicago?
I guess I'm partial to some of the hotel brunches. I love the Four Seasons brunch and The Peninsula's brunch is also outstanding. I know that's an easy pick, but when we do the family vacations where it's granddad's birthday, or it's an Easter celebration but we don't have a planned date to go to someone's house, those are the kinds of places we tend to go to. -
On October 23Charlie Trotter answered the question:
Which five restaurants are best for brunch in Chicago?
I guess I'm partial to some of the hotel brunches. I love the Four Seasons brunch and The Peninsula's brunch is also outstanding. I know that's an easy pick, but when we do the family vacations where it's granddad's birthday, or it's an Easter celebration but we don’t have a planned date to go to someone's house, those are the kinds of places we tend to go to. -
On October 23Charlie Trotter answered the question:
What does Charlie Trotter think is the best brunch in Chicago?
I guess I’m partial to some of the hotel brunches. I love the Four Seasons brunch and the Peninsula brunch is also outstanding. I know that’s an easy pick, but when we do the family vacations where it’s granddad’s birthday, or it’s an Easter celebration but we don’t have a planned date to go to someone’s house, those are the kinds of places we tend to go to. -
On October 23Charlie Trotter answered the question:
When is the best time to visit Chicago?
Mid-September through the end of October, followed by mid-May through mid-June, because of the weather, when one is at the start of autumn where the air is crisper and the nights gets colder, but the day is still warm again — in the upper 60s and low 70s with no humidity. The other best time is sort of at the end of winter when things are getting warmer. -
On October 23Charlie Trotter answered the question:
What time of year does Charlie Trotter think is the best time to visit Chicago?
Mid-September through the end of October, followed by mid-May through mid-June, because of the weather, when one is at the start of autumn where the air is crisper and the nights gets colder, but the day is still warm again — in the upper 60s and low 70s with no humidity. The other best time is sort of at the end of winter when things are getting warmer. -
On October 23Charlie Trotter answered the question:
What are Charlie Trotter's favorite Italian restaurants in Chicago?
You can start with Spiagga, which is a fantastic place. Or, you can go to a more, 'it's all about pasta' place — there's a neighborhood place in [Lincoln Park] called Pasta Palazzo, and I think my wife and I eat there every other week. The local Coco Pazzo I think does a good job, too. You also have the crazy Italian Village, and that's great because you've got three different dining opportunities in one building, from fine dining to La Cantina to another. -
On October 23Charlie Trotter answered the question:
What are Charlie Trotter's favorite Italian restaurants in Chicago?
You can start with Spiagga, which is a fantastic place. Or, you can go to a more, 'it's all about pasta' place — there's a neighborhood place in [Lincoln Park] called Pasta Palazzo, and I think my wife and I eat there every other week. The local Coco Pazzo I think does a good job, too. You also have the crazy Italian Village, and that's great because you've got three different dining opportunities in one building, from fine dining to La Cantina to another. -
On October 23Charlie Trotter answered the question:
What are Charlie Trotter's favorite Italian restaurants in Chicago?
You can start with Spiagga, which is a fantastic place. Or, you can go to a more, “it’s all about pasta” place — there’s a neighborhood place in [Lincoln Park] called Pasta Palazzo, and I think my wife and I eat there every other week. The local Coco Pazzo I think does a good job, too. You also have the crazy Italian Village, and that’s great because you’ve got three different dining opportunities in one building, from fine dining to La Cantina to another. -
On October 23Charlie Trotter answered the question:
What are the five best things to see and do in Chicago?
One of my favorite things to do when I have out-of-town visitors — when we have out-of-town chefs — is to take them to different restaurants that they would never see, especially in Europe. They don't really have classic steakhouses in Europe, they have places that kind of specialize in meat, but it's not the way we have Smith & Wollensky or Gibson's, or places where they just have big slabs of meat. And what we do sometimes is we order every steak on the menu, maybe nine of them, and have them come one at a time, so everybody cuts a bite, chews it over and discuses it — so that's interesting. From a restaurant standpoint, that's always fun to try.
From a cultural standpoint, it's also fun to take European visitors to the top of a building, because they don't have a building like the Hancock where you can get out to an observation deck and see everything. I mean, the highest buildings in Spain are 35, 40 stories. Plus, I always take them up to the Baha'i Temple, this multi-denominational faith place of worship, and it’s this magnificent building. It's up in Winnetka, on the lakefront.
And then there's always the architectural boat tour which out-of-towners love, because you get to see things from a different perspective. Those are kind of the things — from food to the top of buildings to the Baha'i Temple to a tour — so it's a little bit of everything. -
On October 23Charlie Trotter answered the question:
What are Charlie Trotter's favorite things to do in Chicago?
One of my favorite things to do when I have out-of-town visitors — when we have out-of-town chefs — is to take them to different restaurants that they would never see, especially in Europe. They don’t really have classic steakhouses in Europe, they have places that kind of specialize in meat, but it’s not the way we have Smith & Wollensky or Gibson’s, or places where they just have big slabs of meat. And what we do sometimes is we order every steak on the menu, maybe nine of them, and have them come one at a time, so everybody cuts a bite, chews it over and discuses it — so that’s interesting. From a restaurant standpoint, that’s always fun to try.
From a cultural standpoint, it’s also fun to take European visitors to the top of a building, because they don’t have a building like the Hancock where you can get out to an observation deck and see everything. I mean, the highest buildings in Spain are 35, 40 stories. Plus, I always take them up to the Baha’i Temple, this multi-denominational faith place of worship, and it’s this magnificent building. It’s up in Winnetka, on the lakefront.
And then there’s always the architectural boat tour which out-of-towners love, because you get to see things from a different perspective. Those are kind of the things, from food to the top of buildings to the Baha’i Temple to a tour, so it’s a little bit of everything. -
On October 23Charlie Trotter answered the question:
What would Charlie Trotter serve at his ultimate dinner party?
I love oysters, so I would start with many, many oysters. I love oysters from Maine and the European waters because they're from colder water, so they taste a little more steely — a real oyster lover's kind of oyster. But I also love Pacific oysters because they're creamier — like little Fanny Bay oysters or Olympia oysters that are the size of your thumb. So, a whole variety of oysters and shellfish — crab, lobster, shrimp and mussels, razor clams. So you can drink a great champagne, a crisp chablis, and eat shellfish, so that would be the first sort of thing. Then there would be something like very, very loosely cooked scrambled eggs that are completely covered in white truffles. And then you're having white burgundy with that.
And then, probably something like a potato tart — this is really rustic stuff — just layered with black truffle, so this meal could only happen in December, because you only have about a three week window where white and black truffles overlap. So with the potato, just thick layers of black truffle with a little bit of meat juice on it, and we'd have a red burgundy with that. And then, I think pieces of duck confit legs for each person, some kind of braised, bitter green vegetable, and then red bordeaux with that. And for dessert — I love dessert — there would be cheese service, you have to have some kind of cheese service, and then a little almond tart, and we'll be drinking sauternes by then. How does that sound? And then with 15 minutes to go until midnight, I'll go down to my cellar and bring up a couple of magnums of 1900 Chateaux Margaux.
HomeTastemakersCharlie Trotter
Charlie Trotter
Tastemaker
Chef
Chicago
Charlie Trotter opened Charlie Trotter's in Chicago in 1987 with his father, Bob Trotter, as his partner, which he operated until its closing in 2012. After earning a bachelor of science degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and traveled around the U.S. and Europe, dining only at the finest restaurants. He wanted to learn how the best gained that title, and see what the future could possibly hold for him. Trotter has always had a strong philanthropic sense and his establishment of the Charlie Trotter Culinary Education Foundation, which supplies scholarships to those entering culinary programs, is closest to his heart. In 2012, he was presented with the James Beard Award for Humanitarian of the Year.
