Quick Shot
Like other nearby riverside restaurant & bar brethren Flatwater (next door) and Rivers (a bit south on Wacker), Fulton’s is a great spot if you’re on an expense account or are in a top tax bracket. The rest of us may get a bit of sticker-shock when cracking open the menu. Fortunately, there’s the “Fulton Fixe” where, for just under $40, you get soup or salad, steak or fish and dessert for under $40. For lesser appetites, get the crab cake appetizer for $15. If you watch the water taxi, Chicago Architectural Tours and drunk rich people in boats go by, ask for a table outside along the river (recommended), though you’ll still need to enter on the ground floor of the Reid Murdoch Center to do so—the red brick building with the giant clock where the City of Chicago once had traffic court and makeshift hospital following the S.S. Eastland Disaster. Here, a revolving door leads to an spacious bar area with booth and table seating around a square island bar that is more laid-back, almost hushed than your average Loop or River North barroom. The maitre’ d will lead you down a long flight of steps to river level where a long corridor of tables awaits. If you’re looking for something more economical, just head a bit east to and Dick’s Last Resort, in front of the House of Blues, and the original, swankier Fulton Lounge is located nearby in the West Loop. For more information, check out the Fulton’s on the River website.
