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To not be confused with Gaslight on Racine, the Gaslight Membership located within the O’Hare Hilton is the final of the unique 20s-era speakeasies that impressed the previous Playboy Golf equipment. The waitstaff consists of pretty and charming can-can ladies wearing corsets, tassels and fishnet stockings. The Gaslight Membership’s extends past even that, attracting extra of a transient enterprise clientele with few regulars coming from the town or suburbs. Gaslight was open to key-holding members till 2001 and is now obtainable to anybody wanting a cocktail, steak or seafood dinner, and dwell piano leisure in a fancy throwback setting.
The O’Hare Hilton is located throughout from Terminal Three, throughout the confines of O’Hare Worldwide Airport. Guests both fly in, take the Blue Line “L” or park within the short-term lot. The Gaslight Membership is situated on the northwest finish of the foyer, to the best of the entrance desk. Serbian proprietor Ranko (Ray) Dabizljevic leases the area from the Hilton and advertises the gown code as “enterprise apparel,” a rarity today.
To the left of the framed Gaslight signal promising “Elegant Eating & Leisure,” you may discover the maitre’ d stand beneath a white statue of a lady that appears like she’s about to dive into water-perhaps your pockets as an alternative… In case you’re eating, the hostess will lead you to your desk down a slender carpeted aisle with Victorian wallpaper and illuminated by Tiffany lamps. A small room to your proper encompasses a handful of low-slung, four-seater tables, throughout from a collection of tall, leather-upholstered picket cubicles. Smaller, two-seater tables lie beneath fake bookcases alongside the jap wall.
Past the eating space is the guts & soul of the place, The Longhorn Room: a sq., two-story area that’s simply massive sufficient to accommodate the big crystal chandelier introduced over from a citadel in Europe. A number of smallish, low-slung picket tables fill this area, seemed upon by massive, ornately framed Rubenesque nudes and a photograph of Jimmy Durante smiling broadly and surrounded by the unique Gaslight Membership ladies. Nightly leisure facilities across the piano discovered midway down the western wall. Whereas Dixieland Jazz was as soon as featured, you may discover the everyday piano bar cowl songs as an alternative like what you’d hear at Redhead Piano Bar, Zebra Lounge or Davenport’s. Maybe it is the big chandelier overhead, however the piano seems to be a bit small, particularly with the loosely piled stack of music books stacked upon it. A portal underneath the big “Longhorn Room” signal hanging on the jap wall results in the kitchen, past which is a small aisle for servers that’s flanked by two elevated tables.
The bar is discovered on the north finish of the room with a powerful picket back-bar framed by stately columns. The signature cocktail is the lemon drop. Relatively than the pictures you might need had at a spot just like the now-defunct Spike’s Rat Bar, this one is available in martini kind, made with Limoncello and a lemon wedge. A reasonably pedestrian beer listing (no craft brews, thanks) has its counterpoint with a superb dessert choice of ports, cognacs, single malt whiskey, and some different delectable spirits. Although as soon as served in ceramic mugs, all drinks are actually served of their customary glassware.
The menu is certainly geared to these on an expense account. Signature steaks and chops run $34-49, the highest finish of which is the Gaslight Steak (prime bone-in rib chop), and surf & turf goes for $60+ (filet mignon and lobster tail)-all of that are served à la carte (count on $6 for a baked potato). For these wanting a step down in value, the Rooster Florentine and Wienerschnitzel are really helpful. For dessert, the lemon mousse hits the spot fairly properly, although the chocolate mousse and Eli’s cheesecake are probably extra well-liked.
After all, dinner and drinks are served by pleasant, slender, well-endowed, principally Jap European Gaslight Ladies sporting low-cut tops, frills masking their backsides, fishnets or nylons, and high-heels-similar to a Playboy bunny outfit, minus the tail (in any case, it was this outfit that impressed the bunny outfit). Water and bread (served on a slicing board) are distributed by elegantly dressed busboys.
The primary Gaslight Membership opened on October 27, 1953 in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, by Burton Browne-a Colonel Sanders look-alike that sincerely felt he was a mountain lion in a former life. The unique Gaslight Membership was in such excessive demand, that it needed to transfer to a bigger area at 13 E. Huron (now a high-rise) that additionally featured the bar from the notorious Everleigh Membership. A second Chicago location was added on the Palmer Home (closed in 1988).
In 1956, the New York Membership opened in a luxurious previous mansion and featured Elizabeth Taylor as a Gaslight Woman, whereas filming scenes there for Butterfield 8, for which she gained and Academy Award. The Washington DC membership opened in 1959 after which Paris in 1961. Gaslight Membership O’Hare opened in 1973. After Burton Browne handed on, board member Robert Fredricks ran the golf equipment till 1984 when long-time Gaslight Membership member Jim Roberts, Jr, took the reigns. At its peak, the Gaslight Membership boasted over 26,000 members, every with a gold-plated key. Nonetheless, by the late 80s and early 90s, curiosity in members-only golf equipment considerably declined and each Gaslight and Playboy Golf equipment have been closed with growing frequency. Till a brand new Playboy Membership opened up lately in Las Vegas, Gaslight Membership O’Hare was the one one among its variety to outlive.
At this time, the Gaslight Membership is taken into account an oddity, cherished by these few who learn about it and loved on layovers. Whereas both the placement and/or value of the entrées scares off most Chicagoans and suburbanites, the Gaslight Membership is a one-of-a-kind unique and positively price a go to. Simply get to O’Hare an hour earlier than you should be there, resist the urge to wedge your self into the tiny, nondescript bar close to your gate, and have a drink on the Gaslight Membership bar as an alternative. Simply ensure you do not let the Gaslight Ladies make you miss your flight… For extra data, take a look at the Gaslight Membership web site. Capital!
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Source by Sean Parnell