From the Inbox: Sixteen's Culinary Exploration of Chicago

I'm a tad late in sharing this info, but the winter menu at Sixteen is something you don't want to miss. So, think about heading over to give it a try while you still can. What a cool way to enjoy a meal at a Michelin Two-Star that is tied in with some history on our great city!

Sixteen's Culinary Exploration of Chicago

CHICAGO - December 18, 2013 - Chicago's storied past, influential moments in history, and culinary titans have made a lasting impression in kitchens and on plates throughout the city. Rife with historic events and trends to explore, Sixteen - the Michelin Two-Star, Forbes' Five-Star restaurant at Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago - continues its culinary journey through the seasons with the debut of a winter menu. The first menu update for the restaurant after receiving an upgraded designation from the 2014 Michelin Guide, it showcases the modern American cuisine of Executive Chef Thomas Lents.

After a year-long series of menus celebrating the best of seasonal offerings, Chef Lents has turned his focus to the story of the city surrounding the stunning, downtown Chicago restaurant. Beginning Wednesday, December 18, Sixteen's winter menu presents a culinary exploration of Chicago's birth, growth, and golden age. With a menu organized around the ubiquitous map of the Chicago Transit Authority's L system, diners will join Chef Lents and the expert team at Sixteen for an expedition through Chicago's history.

The meal commences with a Ferris Wheel filled with snacks that pay homage to items served at the Columbian Exposition's Midway, where the circular ride made its notable debut. The journey continues with a reflection on the Native American's connection to the city's first settlers, with dishes featuring a pemmican of venison, the trinity of squash, corn, and beans grown together in the Three Sisters agriculture technique taught to colonizers, and an interpretation of the famed "stinking onion" for which the name Chicago is derived.

Turning to the significant transportation innovations and connections that put Chicago on the map, subsequent courses will look at the impact of railroads, canals, and waterways. The invention of refrigerated rail cars - carrying meat from the heartland to the East Coast - is recalled with a dish of beef tartar and oysters served on ice.  The canals connecting the city to the Mississippi River are honored with a course featuring eels, a product introduced to the region through the linkage. Lastly, the reversal of the flow of the Chicago River is signified with a dish of pike prepared in a vacuum cooker with carrot consommé, an illustration of the backwards flow of liquid.

The symbols on the Chicago flag, with three stripes representing the North, South, and West sides of the city, are highlighted with courses signifying immigration to these neighborhoods and celebrating the traditional cuisine of Western European, Eastern European, African and Hispanic communities. An examination of the struggles and significant turning points in the city's history includes an interpretation of the Ploughman's lunch to signify the Haymarket Riots; a grilled beef heart that reflects on Upton Sinclair'sThe Jungle; and roasted venison, served tableside and pulled from the ashes, to mark The Great Chicago Fire.

Additional courses will connect the leading schools of architecture established and represented in Chicago to significant chefs and cooking styles that have taken root in the city. These courses include an exploration of Daniel Burnham's Classicism, Frank Lloyd Wright's departure from tradition and focus on Naturalism, and Mies Van Der Rohe's Modernism, creating a culinary interpretation of the architecture surrounding the dinning room's River North locale.

The menu culminates with dessert courses that celebrate the Century of Progress International Exposition held in 1933, with interpretations of the candy and confections created and made famous in Chicago.

A ten-course tasting menu, $150 per person, and a 20-course tasting menu, $210 per person, will be offered. A prix fixe menu for $105 and a la carte options are also available. Dinner is served at Sixteen nightly from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. To view menus or to make reservations, please visit the restaurant online or call (312) 588-8030.

About Sixteen

Located on the 16^th Floor of Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago, Sixteen was designed by Ivanka Trump and Chicago-based architects Valerio Dewalt Train Associates. Featuring world-class, modern American cuisine from Executive Chef Thomas Lents, Sixteen has received four-star ratings from Chicago magazine and the Chicago Tribune, a coveted two-star designation from the 2014 Michelin Guide, a Five-Star designation from the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide 2013, and Five Diamonds from AAA. Sixteen serves breakfast daily from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. and Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lunch is available Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is available daily from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The Bar at Sixteen, as well as the adjoining Bridges Room, open daily at 11 a.m. and offer a casual bistro menu from 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. For reservations, please call (312) 588-8030. You may also visit Sixteen on Facebook, Twitterand on its recently launched blog, On Sixteen.

About Trump International Hotel & Tower®Chicago

Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago, located in the heart of the city at 401 N. Wabash Avenue, welcomed its first hotel guests in January 2008. The hotel, comprising floors 14-27 of a 92-story residential tower developed by the Trump Organization, features 339 luxuriously appointed guestrooms including one-, two- and three-bedroom suites; Sixteen, the Michelin-rated restaurant featuring the progressive American cuisine of Executive Chef Thomas Lents; The Spa at Trump^® with 53 specially appointed spa guest rooms; the Trump Health Club; Rebar, a chic cocktail lounge; The Terrace at Trump and more. Designed by the noted architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with interiors by McGinley Design, Trump International Hotel & Tower^® Chicago is a stunning addition to Chicago's distinguished skyline. The hotel and restaurant were each awarded five stars by the esteemed Forbes Travel Guide in 2013. The property has also been recognized by Travel + Leisure as one of the top 5 hotels for business travelers in the "World's Best Awards" 2012 and named one of the "World's Best Hotels" for 2013. For room and event reservations at Trump International Hotel & Tower^® Chicago, call (312) 588-8000, (877) 458-TRUMP (7867).  Click here to follow the hotel on Twitter. Click here to find the property on Facebook.

About TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION^™

Launched in October 2007, TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION^™ is the next generation of luxury hospitality - one that is raising the bar in the top-tier travel experience with a level of customized service unrivaled in the market today. Presided over by internationally renowned developer Donald J. Trump and his three grown children - Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric - the prestigious portfolio includes the highly acclaimed Trump International Hotel & Tower^® New York, Trump International Hotel & Tower^® Chicago, Trump International Hotel™ Las Vegas, Trump International Hotel™ Waikiki Beach Walk^®, Trump SoHo^® New York, Trump Ocean Club^® International Hotel & TowerPanama, Trump International Hotel & TowerToronto^®, and Trump National Doral® Miami. Trump^® International Hotel, The Old Post Office, Washington, D.C. is slated to open in late 2015, followed by Trump International® Hotel & Tower Vancouver in 2016. Reservations can be made atwww.TRUMPHOTELCOLLECTION.com or by calling (855) TRUMP-00 (878-6700). TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION is headquartered at Trump Tower, 725 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022. Connect with TRUMP HOTEL COLLECTION on its social media pages.