FASHION AND MODE

Posts Tagged ‘leisure’

One of the few restaurants in the country to be immortalized in a Sinatra song, the Pump Room in Chicago is now a hot spot once again. The Pump Room was one of the first quality restaurants to open in Chicago after the end of Prohibition, and soon became a Windy City icon. In addition to Sinatra (who sang the praises of the place in the classic song Chicago), the place was a favorite hangout of a lot of famous people including Marilyn Monroe, Sammy Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Ronald Reagan, Bette Davis and numerous others. The Pump Room, named after a spa in Bath, England, remained open long after the giants that once graced its premises had left. Unfortunately, time took its toll on the legendary establishment, and its culinary fare was soon surpassed by the fine dining scene exploding in Chicago and characterized by uber-chef Charlie Trotter.

The Pump Room opened in’38 under the ownership and management of Ernie Blyfield. Blyfield’s inspiration for the name and ambiance of his restaurant was an 18th Century London pub frequented by celebrities and nobility, including Queen Anne. The ‘Pump Room’ moniker came from the hot drinks ‘pumped’ into the cocktails of its customers.

The Chicago Pump Room was a smashing success from the time it opened. It’s most desired table reserved for ‘A list’ celebrities was Booth #1, which for a time may have been the most sought after table at any dining establishment in the country. Booth #1 at various times hosted Frank Sinatra and his associates, Bogart and Bacall, Judy Garland and daughter Liza Minnelli, John Barrymore and countless others.

Blyfield died in’50, but the Pump Room remained a Chicago hot spot and hosted a new era of superstars including Mel Brooks, Beverly Sills, Paul Newman, Robert Redford. More recently, Michael J. Fox, Eddie Murphy and Mick Jagger have made appearances. A funny story involves former Genesis drummer Phil Collins, who was refused entry for not wearing a jacket. The incident was commemorated in the title of his next solo album No Jacket Required which has since sold over– million copies worldwide and launched Collins into solo superstardom. Following its release, the Pump Room sent Collins an apology”and an appropriate jacket so that the incident wouldnt be repeated.

The Pump Room was purchased by a large restaurant management group in the late’90′s. They spent a lot of money to renovate the facility, overhaul the menu and hire a top flight chef. While the Pump Room’s golden era trade mark flaming food served on a sword was a tragedy of city fire codes, the menu is now on par with any in the city serving a sophisticated interpretation of classic American cuisine. In addition to the revamped cuisine, the Pump Room upgraded its wine offering and expanded the bar area.

Current Executive Chef Nick Sutton has continued the restaurant’s tradition of excellence. The big draw of the Pump Room, however, remains the amazing sense of history that the dining room offers. The realization that a who’s who of civilized American culture from Bogart and Clark Gable to Sinatra and Jackie Gleason broke bread in the room is a pretty amazing vibe. The good news is that the Pump Room again offers the quality of food and service worthy of such icons, and is a victory for culinary excellence amid the national infestation of mediocre chain restaurants.

Not too long ago, Mark Coleman headlined UFC 109 facing Randy Couture. Several days later, he’s apparently no longer good enough to remain in the UFC at all. On Wednesday, following a lopsided loss to Couture the UFC released Coleman from his contract and cut the veteran heavyweight. Coleman is now free to sign with any other promotion, but at 46 years of age his most likely-and most advisable-course of action is retirement.

Coleman became the first UFC fighter to be cut immediately after headlining a PPV event. Others have left due to drug test failures or for other opportunities, but none have ever been cut from their contract. Sources close to the UFC suggest that it was a decision no one wanted to make, but that all felt was unavoidable due to Coleman’s age and deteriorating skills. On the other hand, its interesting that the UFC sees fit to keep any number of other aging fighters with deteriorating skills on the payroll but not a Hall of Famer in Coleman.

While the fact that Coleman is a shell of the fighter he was at his prime, the UFC’s suggestion that they have his best interest at heart is somewhat duplicitous. He was kept around and booked into last Saturday’s fight–a fight that no one particularly had any interest in seeing in the first place–simply because he was a fighter that Randy Couture could beat. Were the UFC interested in the well being of their aging fighters there’s several others on the roster that should also be cut for the same justification as Coleman. Couture, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell are all well past their prime but they’re still under contract and will all likely fight again. No one really wants to see these relics fight, but the UFC has long had a policy that what their fan base wants to see is of minimal importance.

Coleman’s age has never been a secret and his diminished skill level was evident to anyone who has watched his recent fights. If the UFC was really interested in his physical well being, the main event against Couture should have never taken place. The fight itself wasn’t exactly one that UFC fans had been clamoring for and one that met with derision from the MMA media from the time it was announced. The UFC has tried to hide behind a litany of excuses as their PPV buyrates have eroded including the economy and a spate of injuries but at the root of the problem is the hubris of the promotion and the misguided notion that whatever sort of substandard product they serve up will still be bought.

While retirement would be in Coleman’s best interest, he may attempt to fight in a smaller US promotion or in Japan where he’s well known from his time in PRIDE. He’s already a member of the UFC Hall of Fame with a 26-10 career record and has fought the best in the world including Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko Cro Cop.