A Special Sunday in Chicago at CDA and Driehaus

 

I live two hours from downtown Chicago, so I almost always stay overnight. Occasionally, the time is too short and the opportunity too great, so I make an exception. This was the case on the day my friend, Kim, and I went for brunch at Sofitel’s CDA and checked out the Driehaus Museum.

The CDA Restaurant at Sofitel Hotel in Chicago is the epitome of modern elegance. The decor and service are first class, yet it feels very comfortable with the large windows and white design. 

The brunch menu is most definitely French, though they do have their version of the Mexican breakfast favorite Chilaquiles. Named “Sofitel Chilaquiles Rojos,” they are made with sunny side eggs in a crispy corn tortilla and served with a cilantro yogurt.

It was difficult to decide as everything sounded so good. After my initial excitement at the Ricotta Pancakes, topped with bananas and cocoa nibs, then drizzled with Cinnabon topping, I decided to save my sweet tooth for dessert and order the Chicken and Waffles. These were covered in whipped Boursin cheese and spicy honey. 

Kim picked the Sofitel Breakfast Croissant. It was a fresh baked croissant, filled with gruyere cheese and prosciutto. It was served with herb roasted potatoes. Both our dishes were as good as they were described. We had plenty left to go home with.

Everything on the dessert menu is tempting. We looked it over a few times and couldn’t decide between three. Our waiter encouraged us to get all of them. Why not?

 All of the desserts were presented beautifully. They were (almost) too nice to eat. Within a short time, we had Pecan Sticky Buns with a caramel sauce and crème anglaise, French Macarons, and

Crème Brulee with a berry compote. 

We enjoyed them all, but I would say the Sticky Buns were my favorite, though they were very rich. One was more than enough.

We stopped at the bathroom before leaving Sofitel. I was impressed with how big and wheelchair friendly it was. It was just a short wheel to the museum. The walk and the entrance were also easy to access with my powerchair. 

I always wanted to go to The Richard H. Driehaus Museum, but it never worked out. It probably was best because it wasn’t made completely accessible until just last year.

Driehaus was a Chicago philanthropist who founded the museum in what once was the Nickerson Mansion. It would be five years of renovations before it opened to the public. Then, in 2022, the Museum purchased the John B. Murphy Auditorium next door and expanded the museum campus. 

The museum is filled with art in nearly every form. There are photographs, urns, fireplaces, portraits, sculptures, lamps, tables, stained glass (some from Tiffany’s), chandeliers, candelabras… all you can imagine in precious metals and exquisite design. It is floors of stunning artifacts from the Gilded Age.

It was a too short Chicago trip, but I discovered two places I most definitely want to return to.