Omnivore - Dakota Blue: it's so Marais
A stroll and a burger in Grant Park
Don't you love it when you're taking a walk on a Spring night in the 'hood and feel suddenly transported to the Marais district of Paris?
That was how I felt last night when I visited Dakota Blue, a few blocks from our house in Grant Park. There's the old building, the neon light, the cafe tables...the heady perfume of the cigarettes the French love so much.
The view inside was kinda Toulouse-Lautrec, kinda Norman Rockwell. The staff, as always, smiled a lot — even at a trio of silent women who stood in the middle of the room like wax sculptures of zombies.
I was tempted by the special of ropa vieja over rice pilaf, but opted for my usual steak frites bacon-burger with cheddar cheese and fries that I drenched in malt vinegar. It's a fun place to hang, especially outside, even when the kids are out en masse.