It seems president-elect Barack Obama has found his way into my building at Rubloff three times in recent months (including last week, celebrating his victory no doubt). I am well aware of the second time – I had to wait while the parking garage was shut down to let his secret service group out! No great bother though.

Seems Mr. Obama is a fan of one of the best views in Chicago – The view overlooking Oak Street Beach and Lake Shore Drive from the second floor dining room at Spiaggia, an upscale Italian restaurant in the Mag Mile Building at Oak and Michigan in Chicago. Curiously, that view is identical to the seven floors up at the Rubloff offices. Us locals as Rubloff tend to hit Spiaggia Café, adjacent to the building, for lovely crispy thin pizza and a great Italian wine list – with a little more casual setting.

North Michigan Avenue actually has a number of venues with haute cuisine and fantastic city views. The dining room at The Drake Hotel is immediately across from Spiaggia and has a similar vista. For a higher perspective people in the know love NoMI at The Park Hyatt. Tourist and locals alike are fans of the dining room at the 95th in the John Hancock Building. Although at that height Chicago looks a bit more like an ant farm!

So dine like a president, or a regular ‘ole Chicago politician, at one of North Michigan Avenues many fine local haunts!

Posted By: John D’Ambrogio