TAVERNE ON THE SQUARE IN WESTMOUNT SQUARE/ MIES VON DER ROHE

I had plans to eat here the week before I did. A blizzard later and the supper was cancelled. But the stars aligned and when I suggested it for a supper place before plans to see a show at the Comedy Club, it turned out a friend worked across the street from the restaurant and agreed with the recommendation. Unfortunately we only had time for one course and a glass of wine before we had to go, but I was not disappointed. I love a good homemade pasta, especially if it's filled with butternut squash, and this version with a maple syrup and hot pine nut decadence. With an oaky chardonnay and a couple of fun friends, it was a great dinner on a cold night.

Interesting factoid: This restaurant is housed in a complex of tall buildings called Westmount Square, designed by a famous German - Chicagoan architect Ludwig Mies von der Rohe. He is famously quoted as saying, "Less is more" and "God is in the details". Curiously, he is recognized for designing a Barcelona chair, that I recognized far before I ever saw a building he had designed! Another curiosity is that he was born (Maria) Ludwig (Michael) Meis, but added his mother's maiden name when he divorced.  He is famous for buildings you may have seen but not yet learned to recognize (like yours truly!) like the Seagram building on Park Avenue/52nd in NYC, and a "Twin Towers" on the Lakeshore Road that can easily be missed in the beautiful skyline from Chicago's Magnificent Millennium Park.