The Blackhawk was a restaurant in the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Loop from 1920 to 1984. It served a menu of

American cuisine American cuisine consists of the cooking style and traditional dishes prepared in the United States. It has been significantly influenced by Europeans, indigenous Native Americans, Africans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and many other cultures a ...

, notably prime rib and a signature "spinning salad bowl", and was, in the early part of its history a nationally known entertainment venue for

Big Band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

music. Its legacy continued until 2009 at Don Roth's Blackhawk in

Wheeling, Illinois Wheeling is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it is primarily in Cook County, approximately northwest of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,137. Wheeling is named f ...

History

Otto Roth opened The Blackhawk on December 27, 1920 at 139 N. Wabash. In September 1926, The Blackhawk began featuring a dance orchestra, Carlton Coon-Joe Sanders and their Kansas City Nighthawks. In addition to providing dance music for the local diners, the music from the Blackhawk was broadcast nationally as "Live! From the Blackhawk!" over

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and the

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. By the time Coon-Sanders moved on from the Blackhawk in 1931, the broadcasts from the Blackhawk were so popular that a telegraph machine was installed so they could take remote requests. The Coon-Sanders band was followed by a rotating crop of musicians which, over the years, included

Kay Kyser James Kern Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985), known as Kay Kyser, was an American bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s. Early years James Kern Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Emily ...

, Chico Marx,

Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he forme ...

Ish Kabibble Ish Kabibble (January 19, 1908 – June 5, 1994) was an American comedian and cornet player. Early life Born Merwyn Bogue in North East, Pennsylvania, he moved to Erie, Pennsylvania, with his family a few months after his birth. Career Bogue st ...

and many more.

Mel Torme Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

, whose first paying performance occurred at the Blackhawk in 1929, became a frequent performer there. In 1938, Bob Haggart of

Bob Crosby and the Bobcats George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the younge ...

composed "

Big Noise from Winnetka "Big Noise from Winnetka" is a jazz song co-written by composer and bass player Bob Haggart and drummer Ray Bauduc with lyrics by Gil Rodin and Bob Crosby, who were members of a sub-group of the Bob Crosby Orchestra called "The Bobcats". They a ...

" at the Blackhawk. Doris Day made her first appearance with the Crosby band at the Blackhawk in the spring of 1940. In 1944, Don Roth (1913-2003) inherited the Blackhawk upon the death of his father. Roth used his experience as a theatrical booker to increase the restaurant's reputation in and outside Chicago. When the Blackhawk stopped featuring orchestras in 1952 and removed the bandstand and the dance floor, Don Roth declared the restaurant's theme was "The Food's the Show" and focused on the house specialty of prime rib served from carts brought to the tables and its "spinning salad bowl". Waiters would bring a large bowl of greens set into a larger bowl of ice. As they spun it, the waiters would add ingredients and describe what they were doing to the diners. Roth borrowed these concepts from Lawry's in Beverly Hills, California. The Blackhawk remained open until August 31, 1984.

Don Roth's Blackhawk

In 1969, Don Roth opened a second restaurant, Don Roth's Blackhawk, in the northwest Chicago suburb of

. This location, which was later decorated with photos and memorabilia from the original Blackhawk, remained in business until December 31, 2009, when Roth's widow, Ann, nearing 90, elected to close the restaurant. The building was demolished in March 2014. Don Roth's Blackhawk continued to feature the "Spinning Salad Bowl" and prime rib.

Spinning Bowl Dressing

The signature spinning salad featured two kinds of dressing, one of which the restaurant had specially bottled. The bottled dressing continues to be manufactured and sold in the Chicago area.

References

External links

Blackhawk Spinning Salad Bowl recipe

Tribute video - "Spinning Through Time: The Blackhawk Restaurant Story"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackhawk (Restaurant) 1920 establishments in Illinois 2009 disestablishments in Illinois Music venues in Chicago Restaurants established in 1920 Restaurants disestablished in 2009 Defunct restaurants in Chicago