I've never stepped foot into the Intercontinental Hotel, even though I've passed it hundreds of times from construction to completion. I knew the hotel had a restaurant, I just never knew anything about it.
My boss took us here for our department's holiday lunch. The four of us arrived almost exactly at noon and the place seemed barren. Our reservation seemed very unnecessary. We sat down at an U-shaped booth and were given bread and greeted by the waitress (who was also shilling the lunch special). She seemed knowledgable about the wines and the food. The lunch special looked great, but we all passed.
I originally wanted the muscle and saffron chowder, but it wasn't available. Boo. Instead I went with the sweet potato curry soup. It was heavier on the curry flavor than it was on the sweet potato, with a hint of spice at the end. Very good. For the entree I chose the Bangkok Caesar Salad with Salmon. The waitress brought it out and put it on the table and it had chicken on it instead. Before I could say anything, the manager immediately came over and picked it up and apologized because he knew I ordered the salmon. Within minutes a correct plate was brought to the table.
My salmon was a little overdone on the bottom and I'm not sure what made the salad 'Bangkok.' There was no spice or anything special in the salad besides a few rice noodles on top. Regardless, it was very filling and tasty.
During the course of our meal the place filled up quickly. I thought for sure the staff would try and get us to leave as soon as my coworkers finished dessert. Nope, we were never pressured to leave or free up the table. I really liked that.
I don't know if this place is accurately described as New American, since the menu (at least during lunch) is a world tour. The prices were very reasonable as well, but I'm used to insane upscale lunch costs in Chicago.
I would definitely come back here again with friends. It sounds like the happy hour is amazing so that will be high up on my to-do list.