While on business in Chicago in 1999, I visited the Rainforest Cafe — "a wild place to shop and eat" — a place where "delicious cuisine is served in the dining room under a dense canopy of jungle foliage. Watch out for the monkeys!"

     Yes, it's a 'rainforest' theme restaurant complete with all the require packaging and merchandizing efforts.  I was [sort of] impressed by the 'Rainforest tunes' CD's they sold, because they included some of my pop faves like Cheb Khaled and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.  The only problem is that Khaled is from Algeria, and Ali Khan from Pakistan — neither of which have a square mile of rainforest to my knowledge.

On the menu:

"Gorillas in the Mist Banana Cheesecake"

"Rasta Pasta"

     Aside from the silly names, I will say that the food was far better than I expected. And, I got to hear an interesting anecdote about the man who founded this chain of restaurants.  The gent lived in Nevada, and decided to make his home into an indoor rainforest.  He has so many hydroponic grow lamps in his house that one time the DEA came in to investigate him.   Instead of a drug lord they found an overgrown fern freak.  Of course, since the man's restaurant features stuff like the "Magic Mushroom Juice and Coffee Bar" I suppose it's not too surprising.  This place reminded me somewhat of the Hotel Mexico (later, Hotel Discovery) in Cincinnati, a ridiculous place that featured "Hey Mon Chicken" and which I believe may now be closed.

Visit the Rainforest Cafe to find a location near you.