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My students are playing jazz tonight for an event at the Ritz. Part of the deal is that each member, including me, will get a gift certificate to Foodlife to cover dinner. As it beats the usual square-cut pizza, the Foodlife options look kind of...meh.

Has anyone here been? If so, how can I make the most out of this gift card?

Thanks LTH!


Foodlife
Water Tower Place
835 North Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 335-3663

The stirfry station is my go-to if I'm ever stuck eating at Foodlife. Fresh ingredients, cooked in a wok right in front of you. Can't go wrong.

If you're a fan of Big Bowl (I am), then the "Chinese by Big Bowl" food station would be a decent option also...it's not as good as the restaurant because everything's sitting in steam trays, but it's not terrible.

There's also pretty standard upscale-mall sushi...not as good as a neighborhood sushi joint, but not nearly as bad as pre-packaged Jewel sushi.

The sausage/hot dog station serves Vienna Beef products, so it's a reasonable option for you as well.

Finally, the taqueria isn't great, but it isn't awful if some of the kids don't like any of the Asian options. I guess there's pizza too...I don't care for the pizza at Foodlife, but it's dough, sauce, and cheese, so some of the kids might still like it.

Here's their website for more info: http://www.foodlifechicago.com/

Hi- I happen to like foodlife. It is good for a group like yours, because it is very eclectic, and there is bound to be something for everybody. I know that they have a hamburger and turkey burger made to order. When I am there, I sometimes get the never ending soup. I think for $5 you get a soup bowl, and you can fill it up as much as you want. Like somebody said, the stirfry is good too, because it is made on the spot. I have never had any, but I believe that they have tossed salads too, which would be a good choice. They do so much business, that the food turns over pretty quick. I have even gotten mashed potatoes a few times, and they have been ok. Desserts are good there too. I know they have brownies and ice cream, and a few other desserts. Hope this helps, Nancy

My "go to" at Foodlife was the chicken cobb salad. It got me through the Bar exam! (I passed!)

Most of the salads were passable, imho.

I used to eat there all the time. Do they still have the burger station?

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Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening

I don't think they have a burger station (or "kitchen" as they note them on their website) anymore. There's an M Burger in the old market space just outside of foodlife.

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-Mary

The food is generally very good and the variety cannot be beat.

There are 8-9 stations and honestly, the pickiest of eaters will have no problem finding something that they'll like.

Wish they still had the Cajun station that they had when they opened, though.

It is generally where I take guests when we head up into that area as it is reasonably priced.

Thanks for the recommendations. It ended up being much better than expected. In my mind it was a cheesy foodcourt, in reality it was a great concept with great execution. My students mostly went for M Burger, Big Bowl, and the milk shake place (forget the name). I went for the brisket after staring at it long enough to be offered a sample (6 seconds, a new record). I requested the fattier side, and it was very juicy and smokey. Similar to Smoque, but the flavor wasn't quite on par; but definitely not bad.

As well-trained musicians, they were geeking out on the acoustics of the place. They showed me that once you cross the threshold of M Burger, you can no longer hear the music in the seating area. It was pretty cool; great design.