But we thought we’d tell you about it anyway.
Pat Bruno visits Woodlands, a new restaurant (ever-so-slightly New American) in the new Promenade (a mall) in the relatively new Bolingbrook (incorporated 1965). Bruno is impressed by the design of the mall and the restaurant, but finds the food utterly boring. Well, of course it’s boring! People move to the suburbs because they’re too boring to live in the city and, as such, don’t want their palates or intellects challenged overmuch. So the Woodlands people did a lot of market research to discover what appeals to the broadest swath of slightly-upper-middle class shoppers and threw it haphazardly onto the menu. And the result is calamari and cheeseburgers and Kobe beef sliders for people who think they’re being fashion-forward, and grilled salmon salad for people who think they’re being health-forward, and steaks for people who think they’re rewarding themselves. It’s a hodgepodge of soulless adequacy, but we don’t particularly feel sorry for the clientele.
Meanwhile, the Reader has tips for the reader - of foodie books, that is. Mike Sula runs down a list of his favorite titles this season, an eclectic group that includes titles on North American oysters, kitchen knives, cheeses, and cocktails. Even the hardiest of foodie book skeptics will probably find something appealing in the set. After the article, check out the list of places to eat near the downtown shopping strips to remind yourself why you don’t go there.
Walk in the woods [Sun-Times]
Books for Cooks [Reader]
