The new eco-conscious
Spertus Museum features a Wolfgang Puck Cafe. The prepackaged deli-case is an upscale version of the kind you find in airports, with one important difference: it's all kosher. The offerings include exotic selections like the sushi roll sampler ($5), a rare roast beef half-sandwich with either chips, pasta salad or fresh fruit ($9), and a salmon french lentil salad ($8). Two crock pots usually contain butternut squash soup and Moroccan tomato and basmati ($4 each). The menu, which includes fancy salads like tuna nicoise, doesn't vary much. You can nosh on baked goods, fruit cups, Israeli couscous, Terra Gold chips and veggie crudites for a few bucks. A banquet-style table acts as a coffee bar and canned pop, sparkling fruit juice and water round out the beverage selection.
What the 2nd-floor cafe lacks in style it makes up for in space and views. One side looks out of the distinctive, slanted-glass façade over Michigan Avenue into Grant Park. The other side edges up to the three-story Spertus lobby. The thirteen tables are spaced far apart and a projection-presentation area makes up the wall opposite the cafe cases. The bright, open space is calm and inviting. You have to sign in at security and get a visitor's lapel pin to get access to the café.
Centerstage Reviewer: Robert Duffer