Chicago is an underappreciated city. We never fail to be charmed by its use of the lake, its neighborhoods and its food. (And the theater’s pretty fine, too, but this wasn’t a theater trip.) We don’t visit often enough, as we invariably find ourselves saying about 48 hours into any Chicago adventures. For instance, we hadn’t seen Millennium Park, just north of the Art Institute on Michigan Avenue. While the grassy amphitheater and Frank Gehry building were nice, it was the strolling and the sculpture that really rang a bell with us. On a Sunday afternoon in August, the joint was jumping. Cloud Gate, a huge, shiny bean-shaped sculpture was irresistible to both kids and grownups, and there were plenty of benches and chairs, plus a snack cart, to allow for extended people-watching.
The best, however, is the stunning Crown Fountain. Two square, red brick towers sit in a plaza. Water flows from their tops, sometimes on all sides, sometimes on just one or two. The side of each tower that faces its twin also serves as a giant television screen that shows the face of one of dozens of Chicago citizens photographed for the project. For a little while, they simply stare at the camera. And then the mouth begins to move, the lips purse – and a stream of water spurts out of the "mouth," adding to the fountains’ flow. The most marvelous part is that children, along with a few supervising parent types, were, and there is no other word for it, frolicking in the fountain, exulting in the splashes, running to where the flow was greatest. No signs saying "Stay out of the fountain." No one wondering if the Segway-riding cops were going to present a problem. That was what it was meant to be: A place for people to enjoy.
We haven’t made up our minds about the proposal regarding changing the Arch grounds, but if it could be turned into something like Millennium Park, it’s an outcome devoutly to be desired. And it would take more than legislation and money, it would take people willing to come out and play.
And speaking of playing, we found a wonderful site for making anyone feel like they’re playing hooky. Tucked into the curve where Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive intersect at Oak Street is the Oak Street Beachstro. Set directly on the beach, complete with palm trees and gazebos, it feels downright tropical, at least until you turn around and spy the Hancock Building. It’s a very casual spot, not high-fashion dining, that opens around the first of May every year and closes around the first of October, but stretches a little in nice weather. Breakfast on weekends, lunch and early dinner, plus a walk-up window for ice cream and other snacks. We had a light lunch, just a salad, a tuna sandwich and some of the house’s trademark waffle fries. The best way to get there is via an underpass that begins at Oak and Michigan. Kim and Anthony Priola own the Beachstro (we met her parents at a Stone Hill wine event last spring), and the manager is Christopher Klapp, a St. Louis guy.
Oak Street Beachstro
Oak Street Beach, Chicago
312-915-4100
We got started talking about Chicago food with Chris Klapp and, on his recommendation, we had dinner one night at El Barco, a very un-touristed but first-rate Mexican seafood restaurant on North Ashland 
Avenue. No reservations, but the line moves quickly. The huge menu is one of those things that complicates decision-making. No wonder there are lots of tables for large groups; it’s the best way to taste everything you’d like. Adequate but immense margaritas start things off, and then it’s away we go, with a mixed ceviche that was tangy but not blazingly chile-laden, the seafood pleasingly un-rubbery, and some mussels cooked in white wine with lots of cilantro and chiles. Many tables wore whole fish, crispy deep-fried, like the snapper in many Chinese restaurants, and we were tempted, but ended up with mahi-mahi tacos and shrimp enchiladas. Interestingly, along with the expected but particularly flavorful refried beans, and rice, came a gaggle of
steamed vegetables. We never expected to see broccoli on a plate of tacos.
El Barco
1035 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago
773-486-6850
Chicago has become a big town for morning food. However, we were not very happy with West Egg Café, clearly resting on its laurels and serving cold, dry bagels and overcooked lox and eggs. Only a couple of blueberry granola pancakes were even vaguely worthwhile. The Bongo Room (gotta love that name) a retro-looking joint in the Wicker Park neighborhood, has a great reputation, especially for its pancakes. We had a swell scrambled egg and avocado breakfast burrito there, but the lemon-raspberry pancakes, while gorgeous, were tough. We freely acknowledge that folding lemon curd into whipped cream is a great idea, but the texture of the cakes themselves was less than stellar.
Bongo Room
1470 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
773-489-0690
Choosing where to have brunch was, in a word, difficult. Chicago has many good-sounding candidates. What tipped the scale was a menu on the website of Sweets & Savories that offered eggs Benedict made with duck confit. We knew it might not still be offered every week, but any place that thinks up a dish like that is our kind of restaurant. It turned out to be a small place; we were glad we made a reservation.
The bread plate included five different items, something to nibble on with some good coffee while we debated the menu options. This is a two-course prix fixe, and we ended up with a wonderful, rich, cool 
vichyssoise and a grapefruit brulee that arrived not browned enough under the grill and therefore the only dish that wasn’t exciting. No duck confit to go under eggs, but beautifully braised short ribs were almost as good, rich and unctuous, providing a cradle for perfectly poached eggs. No English muffin base, which is fine with us; we can use the calories and tummy space for better things. Good hollandaise gilded the lily quite nicely. And now (or then) for something completely different, to use the old Monty Python phrase, the other entree: bacon risotto. Bacon, parmesan and, nestled in the center in an eggshell, an egg yolk. The waiter tipped the yolk into the steaming risotto and stirred it in. The result was very close to risotto carbonara, and very satisfying it was.
And as an aside, for a before-breakfast treat, we found an on-the-street tire-repair shop just two blocks away that removed an almost-flat tire, fixed a slow leak and slapped it back on in 20 minutes for a total cost of only $10. A great appetite stimulant.
Sweets & Savories
1534 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago
773-281-6778
www.sweetsandsavorieschicago.com
Like all big cities, Chicago also can be defined by its neighborhoods, though their ethnic makeup changes with immigration and housing patterns. On a tip from a reliable source, we drove through Pilsen, south of downtown and near the new University of Illinois-Chicago campus. Despite its name, 
it’s a Hispanic neighborhood, pretty quiet at noon on a Sunday. There was, however, plenty of action at one spot, Carnitas Uruapan, a small store with a few eat-in tables and a booming carryout business. We joined the line waiting for a share of what looked like a quarter of a whole hog, roasted, and being carved in the shop window so that passers-by could watch the action, too. We walked out the door 15 minutes later with a pound of sliced and chopped pig, a dozen corn tortillas, a large handful of roasted peppers and a Styrofoam cup of the house salsa, all for $9.75. We took it to – and ate it for – dinner at the Ravinia Festival (Patti LuPone! Audra McDonald!), a picnic meal (rent two chairs and a small table for $7) that was less elegant than those many around us were eating, but soul-shakingly delicious.
Carnitas Uruapan
1725 W. 18th St., Chicago
312-455-0019