Walnut Room, ‘Great Tree’ steeped in 115 years of tradition
During the months of November and December, Walnut Room Executive Chef Brad Saylor and his team at Macy’s on State Street in Chicago make more than 25,000 of Mrs. Hering’s scrumptious chicken pot pies each month to serve hungry holiday shoppers. And for dessert, more than 5,000 decadent chocolate cake Yulelogs (a holiday menu highlight added two decades ago) are baked, frosted and decorated as a sweet holiday delicious course finale.
Saylor, who has an 18-year history with the department store dating back to Marshall Field’s days, hosts several hundred grateful in-the-holiday-spirit guests each day dining around “the Great Tree” during these busiest months of the year.
As the first department store to feature animated window displays, Macy’s began the tradition of holiday window displays in 1874. This year, Macy’s, along 111 N. State St., unveiled the windows featuring a toy shop theme on Nov. 5, and they will remain on display until
Jan. 1. The 45-foot-tall Great Tree, the focal point of the Walnut Room on the seventh floor, also was unveiled Nov. 5 and shares the same theme.
I asked Saylor to share some of his favorite highlights and memories for feasting and toasting the holidays at the Walnut Room:
Columnist Phil Potempa: What is favorite menu highlight you recommend besides the signature beloved potpie?
Chef Saylor: “My favorite this year is the Cider Glazed turkey. We slow roast the turkey and constantly baste it with a recipe of local apple cider, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar. We serve it with fresh green beans, whipped potatoes and our house-made cranberry chutney. We recently celebrated the Walnut Room’s 115-year anniversary. We added some retro menu items found in our recipe archives back on the menu for the celebration. They were so popular we ended up putting one on the holiday menu. The iconic Field’s Special is a combination of salad and sandwich. It has all-natural turkey, Swiss cheese, applewood smoked bacon with tomato and Thousand Island dressing. I have met customers who had this dish 40 years ago.”
Potempa: Last year, eggnog was tough to come by for many restaurants due to supply shortages.
You have a tempting brandy-spiked eggnog on your holiday menu in 2022. Any other recommendations?
Chef Saylor: “The Poinsettia (champagne with a splash of cranberry juice) is our number one cocktail, but a close second is our Walnut Room Old-Fashioned or Uncle Mistletoe’s Hot Whiskey Cider. Our bar manager Curtis Shed makes a fantastic Old-Fashioned, that uses house-made walnut infused simple syrup, black walnut bitters, and fresh orange. The cider is a perfect cure on a
Chicago winter day made with fresh local apple cider, pumpkin syrup, lemon, bitters and cinnamon.”
Potempa: The Walnut Room is attached to favorite holiday traditions/memories for all of us. I’ve covered so many of the celebrity tree lighting ceremonies over the decades in the Walnut Room during my 30 years writing ... Caroline Kennedy, Vera Wang, Tommy Hilfiger, Mayor Daley, Martha Stewart, Bill Cosby, Ryan Seacrest and so many others. Do you have a favorite notable memory with any of these luminaries or a favorite story regarding some other notable guest?
Chef Saylor: “My first tree lighting was quite memorable. The night before, we did a charity event dinner with Emeril Lagasse. The next morning, we found out Billy Crystal was in town for his one-man show. Next thing I know, he is in front of the Great Tree doing the countdown! I’m a big fan so that was huge for me.”
Holiday dining in the Walnut Room continues through Jan. 9. Reservations are required in advance and are available for booking via OpenTable. More information about the Walnut Room’s holiday dining menu and current offerings and dining hours are available at macyswalnutroom.com.