LAZ

They've been pretty quiet about that! Well, I expect it's still nice on the veranda, whatever it's called.

I'm not enamored of sidewalk cafes on busy streets where you get bus fumes with your dinner and bums sidling up to beg for spare change. I have a very narrow comfort range when it comes to temperature, 68-72 degrees, and I dislike high humidity, so I mostly think there are about six weeks of weather -- three in the spring and three in the fall -- when it's pleasant to dine outdoors in Chicago. Here a few of my favorite private garden spaces for those all-too-brief days for al fresco dining. Alas, another favorite, Lutz's, is apparently closed for remodeling (though the bakery is still open). Timo 312/226-4300 464 N. Halsted St., Chicago Newly Italian-slanted version of Thyme with the same lovely enclosed garden. Now the wood-grilled rotisserie Amish chicken comes with porcini sauce. Carmichael's Chicago Steak House 312/433-0025 www.carmichaelsteakhouse.com 1052 W. Monroe St., Chicago Casual steakhouse has a great outdoor courtyard and a menu of Choice-grade Certified Angus steaks. Also potent martinis and excellent shrimp de Jonghe. Cerise 312/645-1500 www.levyrestaurants.com Le Méridien Chicago 520 N. Michigan Ave. (entrance on Rush), Chicago Undersung French spot with a walled veranda hidden away on the fifth floor of a Mag Mile hotel. Don Roth's Blackhawk 847/537-5800 www.donroths.com 61 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling Spinning salad, steaks, prime rib, Boston scrod and creamed spinach on a rear patio where a metal fire pit, taken from the original Blackhawk in Chicago, hangs suspended from wood beams.

We were there on a recent Thursday. I didn't realize they were closed on Tuesdays and called that day to get a reservation. An alarming recording said they were booked three weeks in advance, but I left a message anyway, in case they had a cancellation. We got a call back offering 5:30 or 6 p.m. on the Thursday and took the 6. We walked into an all but empty restaurant and it was still more than half empty when we left at 7:45, nor did we see any early arrivals for 8 p.m. reservations. So you can certainly get in there early on weeknights and it's probably worth a call even if you haven't booked in advance. Terragusto 773/248-2777 1851 W. Addison St. Chicago

Just to report that Schwa is closed till June 22 and not taking reservations until then.

Frontera only takes reservations for groups of five or more. While this group qualifies, the no-reservations policy means you may wait even with a reservation. So it depends on how patient your toddler is. My experience with both the restaurant and toddlers says this is not a good choice. Scoozi is much more suitable for kids. Ben Pao should be fine. Brasserie Jo might be OK. (I've been there with kids age 4-11; they had a hard time choosing suitable things to eat.) I don't think either Vong or Vermilion would be a good choice with a toddler. I think you might also do very well at Bistro 110, which is an excellent French bistro. Or for something kind of fun and different, there's foodlife, which is a sort of uscale food court serving everything from Asian to Italian -- all very good and freshly prepared. Bistro 110 312/266-3110 www.bistro110restaurant.com 110 E. Pearson St., Chicago foodlife 312/335-3663 www.foodlifechicago.com Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago

And another.... Vesuvio Cafe 2 Westbrook Corporate Center Westchester 708-409-1111

Here's another one, supposedly opening this month.... Fiorentino's Cucina Italiana 773/244-3026 2901 N. Ashland Ave. Chicago 60657

A slippery slope, indeed!

I dunno. It seems to me that Chicago is chockablock with Italian restaurants. Not that it's definitive, but for example, Zagat lists 187 Chicago-area Italian restaurants to 16 Thai eateries and six German places. Osnav, I don't know where you're located, but here are a few mid-priced places you might want to try. Amici Ristorante 847/967-0606 7620 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles Cozy and old-fashioned. Anna Maria Pasteria 773/929-6363 www.annamariapasteria.com 4400 N. Clark St., Chicago Wide variety of nice, house-made pastas. Joe & Giuseppe 847/259-6448 925 S. Arthur Ave. (off Central), Arlington Heights Hole-in-the-wall successor to the original Joe & Giuseppe in Glenview. Try the escarole soup. Joey Buona's Pizzeria & Restaurant 312/943-3337 www.joeybuonas.com 162 E. Superior St., Chicago Owned by the Buona Beef family: an Italian beef stand on the ground floor and a second-floor restaurant serving Italian-American faves. La Donna 773/561-9400 www.ladonnaitaly.com 5146 N. Clark St., Chicago One of several local restaurants owned by various members of the Barbanente clan, who hail from Bari, Puglia, on the Adriatic. Don't miss the pumpkin ravioli in richly flavorful balsamic cream sauce. I always want to lick the plate. Monastero's Ristorante 773/588-2515 www.monasteros.com 3935 W. Devon Ave., Chicago Longtime family favorite in Pulaski Park serving Sicilian specialties. Try the arancini. Quartino 312/698-5000 www.quartinochicago.com 626 N. State St., Chicago Another new one, concentrating on small plates, with house-cured meats, inexpensive wine by the carafe and cheap valet parking. A bargain for its neighborhood. Via Veneto 773/267-0888 viavenetochicago.com 6340 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago Another Barbanente family restaurant. They have a nice hand with calamari, octopus and mussels.

What's with all these new Italians? Pretty soon the city's going to be all trattorie and sushi bars. Riccardo Trattoria (Northern Italian from the longtime chef at Bice, opened February in Lincoln Park) Terragusto (BYOB with organic, fresh pastas, opened February in Roscoe Village) Spacca Napoli (Neapolitan pizzas, opened February in Ravenswood) Tony Rocco's (casual homestyle, with twists like Broasted chicken, opened February in River North) Jay's Amore on Madison Ristorante & Lounge (February in the West Loop) Timo (March Italian redo of Thyme on the Near West Side) Frasca (Pizzeria/wine bar from the cousins behind Dunlays on the Square and Dunlays on Clark, May in West Lake View) Rosebud Prime (Italian steakhouse at 1 S. Dearborn St., May) Cafe Bionda (South Loop, from an ex-Rosebud chef, May) Trattoria 31 (Bridgeport, May) Erba (Lincoln Square, from the people behind Brioso, May) Gruppo di Amici (Rogers Park, opening in June)

The sale of horsemeat as a human food is banned, apparently for this reason, although it's OK to sell for pet food. I'm not certain what the status of it is, but at the time the foie gras brouhaha first surfaced, Illinois, which bans sales of horsemeat for human consumption within the state, had pending legislation that would forbid its sole horse abbatoir from exporting horsemeat as human food, too. We can buy balut here, though.

"Gosh, Auntie, I guess I'm a better cook than you are."

What might hit the city where it hurts is if the National Restaurant Association moved its show elsewhere in protest. That might have an impact. But really, I don't see how they can enforce this. If a restaurant puts "duck liver" on the menu and claims it isn't foie gras, and shows a receipt labeled "natural duck liver," how are they going to determine that the duck was force fed?

Here are some Grecian diners that may serve, although I'm not sure about the gravy fries and lemon-chicken soup (they do all have big menus and Athenian chicken): Omega 847/296-7777 Golf Glen, 9100 W. Golf Road, Niles IL 60714 24 hours Melrose 773/327-2060 3233 N. Broadway St. Chicago IL 60657 24 hours And while it's not quite Vietnamese in the suburbs, Nam Viet is just south of Park Ridge in Edison Park. Nam Viet 773/763-0307 6731 N. Northwest Highway Chicago, IL 60631 Also, not quite in the suburbs, Bar-B-Que Bob's in Rogers Park is first-rate -- much better than Hecky's and even has a few tables. Great ribs with a light glaze of sauce, good sides (excellent greens) and wonderful pies. Bar-B-Que Bob's 773/761-1260 Howard-Hoyne Plaza 2055 W. Howard St. Chicago, IL 60645

It really is mystifying that the family would close/convert this great institution, beloved by generations of Chicagoans, in this way. I can understand selling -- if they want or need the money for the business and/or the land -- but not this. If the senior Berghoffs want to retire and their daughter doesn't want to run the place as is, why not either sell or bring in a management company? It's a great pity. We've already lost Eli's this year, and are about to lose Trader Vic's (though perhaps not permanently). I bet lots of people figured that the grand old places like these would always be there. Visit your favorite institutions while you still can. (Spinach fans: Try the spinach at Lawry's. I always thought it was a toss-up between these two restaurants for best Chicago creamed spinach. Now it won't be.)

When I saw this wish list topic, I thought it was something else. Here's my list of restaurants I wish would open: A Jewish-style delicatessen/restaurant with food as good as Manny's but full-fledged (i.e., offering smoked fish, bagels, carryout, etc.), on the North Side, and open for dinner. Late-night/24-hour spots beyond diners and taquerias. Any 24-hour restaurants in the NW 'burbs. A full-service Brazilian place that's not a churrascaria. Sinha is doing brunch on Sundays now -- that's something. Portuguese. Burmese. Indonesian, with rijstaffel. Swiss, with rosti, raclette, etc. Richtree Market, or something like it. Upscale Chinese. City-quality food of any kind in the NW suburbs.

Seoul Market in Buffalo Grove has what they're labeling "black pork." I have not tried it and I don't know whether they'd carry anything like a crown roast. You could ask. It's a pretty nice Korean market. Seoul Market 847/870-8830 1204 W. Dundee Road (at Arlington Heiqhts Road) Buffalo Grove

Bring back cheese, sausage and beer. Where to eat depends on what kind of food you're looking for. Upscale? I haven't been there, but Sanford has a fine rep. Ethnic? There are several good German places and the wonderful Old Town Serbian Gourmet House. Be sure to have some frozen custard. Kopp's is my favorite. Here is an account of a recent visit of mine. Sanford Restaurant (414) 276-9608 1547 N Jackson St Milwaukee, WI 53202 Old Town Serbian Gourmet House 414/612-0206 http://www.wwbci.com/oldtown 522 W. Lincoln Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53207 (closed Sunday and Monday) Kopp's Frozen Custard http://www.kopps.com 414/961-3288, 5373 N. Port Washington Road, Glendale WI 53217 414/282-4312, 7631 W. Layton Ave., Greenfield WI 53220 262/789-9490, Galleria West, 18880 W. Bluemound Road, Brookfield WI 53045