Have a "Gold Bar" in a historic bank turned hotel and bistro

One of the best things to happen to Homewood, Illinois in recent years was the conversion of an old bank building in the downtown area into a luxury boutique hotel with a magnificent bistro in 2015. The hotel was named La Banque, which in French means "The Bank."

The former bank looks like a bank no more, but some special little touches to the building give hint to its former occupants - including plate covers from the safe deposit boxes that were used for room numbers and to decorate the bar area. In the restaurant, a vault serves as a private dining room with the inspection labels still intact showing the signature of J. Edgar Hoover, then the head of the F.B.I. A vault in the basement serves as a workout room in the gym.

There's so much charm and history to this building and so much to love. The restaurant, La Voute (French for "The Vault") is a bistro serving all the best French cuisine and also their signature dessert, the "Gold Bar," which has a bit of edible gold shavings added for good measure.

Located just a block from the Homewood Metra station, the hotel is easily accessible by train. Click here for more on the hotel and to view the page for the bistro, click here. By the way, they have a great wine list, some of the best scallops I have ever eaten, al fresco dining and fun monthly beer pairing dinners. If you live in the Chicago area, make sure you put this place on your foodie bucket list - and if you are ever traveling to Chicago, make plans to stay at La Banque and enjoy some delicious dinner and a gold bar at the bistro.