nsxtasy

Il Retrovo? No, not at all. Margaux? Maybe. Still, you must realize that Sheboygan is a resort town, not your typical small town. Granted, it has had its ups and downs over the years. But the presence of Kohler (the plumbing fixture manufacturer) and the American Club (the resort it created) have always brought an affluent recreational aspect to the Sheboygan area, as has the Road America racetrack in nearby Elkhart Lake. In recent years Sheboygan put a lot of money into redeveloping its lakefront district with tourist-friendly restaurants and shops, and that is now benefiting its nearby central business district as well.

I've enjoyed the food at Vong's Thai Kitchen. The primary downside is that it's an upscale place so the prices are substantially higher than at neighborhood-type Thai restaurants.

This is the right forum. You might want to check three previous topics for recommendations: Lunch recommendations Kalamazoo or Mid Michigan Michigan Kalamazoo, Michigan

By way of preface, I don't know anything about food in Muncie, which is about 40 miles northeast of Indianapolis. However, over the years I have been a frequent visitor to Indy and towns west of Indy. I used to think of that area as terrible, food-wise, too, but no more! There is much more variety now and the quality has increased dramatically. In Indy, my dinner at Oakley's Bistro was one of my top ten of last year (better than Vie!), and I've enjoyed delicious meals at 14 West and the Oceanaire. I've also found a really great B&B in Terre Haute that serves dinner to non-guests on some evenings. All of these places have opened within the past 5-6 years.

Josh mentioned the el, which can take anywhere from 35 minutes (in commuting times, when you can take one train all the way) to 50-70 minutes at other times (you have to change trains at Howard, so waiting times can vary). There is also a Metra commuter train that runs more or less hourly from the west side of the Loop to Evanston (Davis St) in about 20 minutes. Josh also mentioned cabs, which will take about 25 minutes in non-commuting times; I'm guessing $25 or so with tip. You might want to see the full, detailed schedule of activities and venues, once it's finalized, before deciding where to stay. While downtown Chicago has the most hotels, there may be other properties that are more convenient to the event venues. Well, the other venues have not been specified yet, so it's hard to say for sure. The Chicago area has excellent public transportation that goes pretty much everywhere; however, it can take longer to get places than driving, particularly on weekends and at off hours. My guess is that you'll do okay without a car. Not only is public transportation an option, but (based on observation at last year's gathering) there are often plenty of other attendees who will be happy to give you rides from one venue to another.

Two, for everything.

A few updates... Biro has closed. O is still open. There are multiple restaurants at the American Club, the most upscale of which is the Immigrant; I believe the one I visited (see comment above) was the Wisconsin Room. I've been to Lake Street Cafe in Elkhart Lake, which I would rank just below Bruce's in the list above. I have heard very positive reports about The Paddock Club in Elkhart Lake, and hope to try it on my next visit to the area. I've also heard good things about Trattoria Stefano, an Italian restaurant in Sheboygan.

There's no need to smuggle. The sale of foie gras is illegal within the city limits, but its possession isn't. And it's not yet clear where the various activities will be located - more specifically, whether they will be in the city or suburbs. So if we have our activities (restaurant dining and shopping) in the suburbs, it's unaffected; and if we do our heartland feast in the city, it's perfectly legal to buy foie gras in the suburbs and bring it into the city. (Many restaurants in the city continue to serve it, too, some more inconspicuously than others.) I've also observed that the prevalence of foie gras on menus of upscale restaurants in the suburbs has increased since Chicago passed its ordinance.

Regarding TAC Quick, I suspect most of us don't worry as much about decor as about food, right? FWIW, it appears to be a typical neighborhood storefront from the outside; the inside is semi-stylish but isn't exactly luxurious by any means. For example, the chairs are not upholstered, and are the stackable kind you'd find in your typical community center. But the use of colors and art on the walls make it a bit more attractive than your average neighborhood ethnic place. Bottom line, it's more dumpy looking from the outside than the inside. As for the food, I think it's pretty good, although not what I would call great. Some people like it for its authenticity and for the unusual dishes on their Thai language menu. I generally prefer the more conventional Thai dishes, and theirs are okay, but there are other places around here that do a better job. If there is one dish that I judge Thai restaurants by, it's tom kha gai, and theirs is tomatoey, which that soup should not be. One additional plus is that they are very convenient to the el's Sheridan Road stop on the red line. I ate at Mysore Woodlands for lunch a few months ago, and I was disappointed. For one thing, most Indian restaurants along Devon Avenue have an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, which is a great value and a nice way to try a multitude of foods. MW doesn't have a buffet. And while I had a lunch with an assortment of dishes on it, none of them really struck me as good, let alone great. My go-to Indian place on Devon Avenue has been Tiffin, but I went there for lunch last year and it seemed to have gone down a notch or two - still okay, but not as good as it had been in past visits. Next time I'm in the area, I'll try something new (someplace I haven't been). I love Chicago deep-dish pizza, both kinds - double-crust "stuffed" pizza (e.g. Giordano's) and single-crust "pan" pizza (Lou Malnati's). However, I generally eat it for dinner, rather than lunch, because it (either style) is very filling.

And thus, you would go to your "foie grave".

I'm sure we can come up with a good quote from a Chicago-based chef.

Yes, you can. However, their business model lends itself to items that are typically ordered one or two at a time, for shipping. For custom-made apparel and other promotional items that will be sold and/or distributed at a single place and time, such as at an event, you can usually do better (for price and often for quality) by working with a local vendor specializing in such items.

Frontera Grill and Topolobampo are sister restaurants, long-time favorites founded and run by award-winning Chef Rick Bayless, who is still usually on the premises. They offer very creative Mexican food, not your standard "enchiladas and beans". I like them; generally most people like them too, although in all fairness, I've also heard a few people report they were disappointed. Frontera Grill is less expensive than Topo, although the prices are rather similar at lunchtime. Topo takes reservations; Frontera doesn't, except for a handful of reservations first thing in the morning for that day only, and you may need to wait to be seated. (Hence Nancy's advice on arriving before they open.) You can check out their menus (including prices) on their website at http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants. They are walking distance from your hotel. Either is an excellent choice for lunch (one of many). For breakfast, either location of Bongo Room is far enough away (a couple of miles) that you will want to take a cab (or bus or el). Another place specializing in breakfast that's slightly under a mile west of your hotel is Kitsch'n (River North location). Closer and walkable (and to the north) is the Bellevue Place location of the Original Pancake House, same franchise as Walker Brothers (with the puffed-up apple pancake). The upscale restaurants in the luxury hotels in the immediate vicinity also serve excellent breakfast, although they are generally expensive - NoMI in the Park Hyatt, the Cafe in the Ritz-Carlton, and Seasons in the Four Seasons. If you happen to be going into the Loop (about a mile south of your hotel), perhaps to visit Millennium Park or the Art Institute, two places that serve interesting breakfasts are Atwood Cafe (American comfort food, in the Hotel Burnham) and Heaven on Seven (Wabash location, for Cajun food). As a final possibility, for breakfast, lunch, or otherwise, about half a mile from your hotel (to the southeast) is Fox and Obel, which is our premier gourmet grocery store, with the finest in ingredients (meats, fish, produce, cheese, etc) as well as prepared foods. Not only is it fun to check out, but they also have a cafe in the rear of the store where they serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, and light snacks. No fancy decor - basic coffeehouse - but excellent food at reasonable prices. If you enjoy breakfast pastries, I strongly recommend their cinnamon swirl rolls; they also have the best bran muffins, too.

You didn't mention where (what city neighborhood or suburban town) you'll be staying; if you do, we can provide recommendations for something in the vicinity. My favorite breakfast place in the city is Bongo Room. They have all kinds of egg and pancake specialties. They have one location in the South Loop (Wabash and Roosevelt) and the other in Wicker Park. Details and sample menus are here. If you're on the north side, a place I like almost as much is M. Henry, in Andersonville. In the north and northwest suburbs, any location of Walker Brothers is pure bliss. Get the big puffed-up apple pancake. For lunch, it really depends on what you like (and again, what neighborhood you're in). You can get everything from deep-dish pizza, to contemporary American (Blackbird and Aigre Doux are open for lunch), to Greek in Greek Town, or Frontera Grill or Topolobampo for Mexican, or Lao Sze Chuan for Chinese in Chinatown, or Italian...

This latter group that we're talking about - Alinea, Avenues, Everest, Trotter's, and Tru - are the very best restaurants in one of the very best restaurant cities in the world (and Moto, Spiaggia, and NoMI are pretty darn close as well). Their food and service are superb. (My best service experience, ever in my entire life, was at Everest - just amazingly friendly, approachable, and helpful.) All are very creative, but there are gradations of such. Everest and Avenues are perhaps the most traditional of this group, while the other three lean more towards molecular gastronomy (although not as "out there" as, say, Moto). I assumed when you said that you did not want "weird" that this is what you were talking about. Within this group, I really like Everest a lot, for several reasons. The view is unmatched; it's at the top (40th floor) of the Midwest Stock Exchange Building, with the entire city spread out below. Also, you can order a la carte, if that's your preference; they even have a special pre-theater deal (at 5:00/5:30 every night they're open except Fridays, 3 courses for $50). Even without that deal, they tend to be somewhat less expensive than the other four places. Oh, and they have free parking, too. You asked about tasting menus vs a la carte at Alinea and Avenues. Alinea offers a choice of a 10-course or a 23-course tasting menu, no a la carte. Last year Avenues changed to a choice of a 5-, 10-, or 15-course tasting menu. Also Graham Elliot Bowles will be leaving Avenues in late March to open his own restaurant; a new Executive Chef has been named, to keep up the restaurant's reputation. As for the choice between these "splurge fine dining" places and the "casual fine dining" of one sixtyblue, North Pond, Blackbird, and Aigre Doux, they're just different kinds of places, but you can get spectacular food at either one. The casual places lean towards the a la carte, whereas the splurge places lean towards tasting menus, often of many courses. You can view the menus on their websites, and you'll see the difference in terms of style, ingredients, etc. The casual places are less expensive, typically $80-110 per person with moderate alcohol and tax/tip, vs $200-300 for the splurge places (a bit less than that at Everest without the pre-theater, considerably less if that works for you). So it just depends on what you're looking for. (Note that Cafe Spiaggia and Spiaggia are very different places, despite their common ownership and location - forming a great example of the difference between splurge fine dining and casual fine dining.)

I was there a couple of months ago. Our dinner was excellent. We loved the setting in the park, of course. Even seated in the inner dining room (the one that doesn't have the big windows with the view of the park, but has the open kitchen), it was a lot of fun and very enjoyable. The service was friendly and helpful. The food was excellent. The mains had 3-5 different things on a plate, and typically, one or two were just heavenly and to die for, and the others were very good. I had a piece of fish that was very good, and one of the accompaniments was a crab mousse of some sort that was to die for. I loved one of the desserts, an almond flavored custard of some sort. Although everything was very good, not everything was to die for - that may be why I think one sixtyblue is better, at least in the food department - but it was a very special and very satisfying dinner.

Everything I had there was both ample and spectacular. Don't complain about a place you've never been to. Try it and judge for yourself.

Is this the suggestion for UE, or for Robyn? If the latter, I think one of the more casual places might be better. Yes, the food at Spiaggia isn't as "weird" (her word) as at Tru, but the formality (e.g. jackets required) might be off-putting to a younger couple. I really hate websites that don't provide the fundamentals (menu, hours, location) and make them easy to find. And you're right, the hours are not shown on Table 52's website. Grrr... There are several other sources where you can look up hours, including Metromix, opentable.com, and menupages. Unfortunately, I've found instances on all of these in which the hours are wrong. FWIW, both Metromix and menupages say that Table 52 is open on Sundays, 4-8 pm. Call in advance for reservations, as it's one of the tougher places to find openings.

I agree with UE that Tru is probably not the best place for someone without much fine dining experience. It's too "out there", extremely creative but not really approachable for the inexperienced. The dressy attire might be a turnoff as well. My very top choice for them would be one sixtyblue. Just spectacular food - the very best food in the city, other than the fancy dressy splurge places, IMHO - combined with relaxed, contemporary decor (hip but not in-your-face hip), and reasonably casual attire (e.g. business casual - maybe not blue jeans, but certainly not jackets or ties), great service, etc. The previous suggestions of North Pond, Spring, and Blackbird are good ones, too, for the same reasons. In addition to the food, North Pond also offers its exquisite setting in the middle of Lincoln Park. You really can't go wrong with any of these four. But I'd still pick one sixtyblue first.

Of these five, my vote goes to Aigre Doux. If you have not been to some of our other places that have been around for quite a while - one sixtyblue, Blackbird, and North Pond - those are still as great as ever, and also worth considering.

Well, we didn't have the scallops, but the $97/person we paid, for three courses plus alcohol and tax/tip, is similar to what we pay for the best casual contemporary American cuisine restaurants in the city (e.g. Blackbird, one sixtyblue, North Pond). The portion sizes were typical of such restaurants (IOW ample).

← That news, from the Tribune's food blog, was followed by a report outlining Chef Bowles's plans for his new place. Having enjoyed his cuisine in the past year, I wish him tremendous success with his new place. Especially the part about having a place where you can dine often rather than once a year.

Avenues has re-opened.

Great choices, as long as you can handle two big meals in the same day. But see below. I assume you are referring to OTOM, the lower-priced restaurant a few doors down from, and opened by the former sous-chef at, Moto. I haven't been there - sorry - but if you're interested in reading a review in the Tribune, click here. Well, going to two sister restaurants, Avec and Blackbird, on the same trip strikes me as redundant. Not that there's anything wrong with either, it's just that having somewhat similar food from the same chef, two days apart, well... If I were you, I would consider one of the following changes to your itinerary to avoid this duplication: 1. You could change your Friday night dinner to someplace else. one sixtyblue is absolutely wonderful, with food maybe even slightly better than Blackbird if such a thing is possible. I like the experience too - it's a bit less noisy and frantic, and I find the decor to be warmer and less stark. Another possibility is North Pond, which specializes in local and seasonal ingredients and has excellent food from James Beard nominee Chef Bruce Sherman. One advantage of North Pond is its exquisite location; as mentioned above, it's in the middle of Lincoln Park (the actual park, not the surrounding neighborhood). Before it was renovated into a restaurant, the building served as the warming shelter for ice skaters on its namesake pond, which it faces, with the city skyline looming over the opposite shore. One dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows facing the pond; even the other dining room, with the open kitchen along one side, is a pleasant place to dine. Bottom line, I think the food at North Pond is excellent, but it's even better at one sixtyblue; the contemporary decor at one sixtyblue is appealing, but the unique setting and historical nature of North Pond is captivating. 2. You could leave your Friday night dinner at Blackbird, but change your Sunday dining plans to someplace else other than Avec. North Pond (see previous paragraph) is open for Sunday brunch as well as Sunday dinner. Another possibility is Lula, which also is open for Sunday brunch as well as Sunday dinner. It, too, specializes in local and seasonal ingredients. It is located in Logan Square, right at the el stop on the Blue Line if you happen to be taking the el to O'Hare. OTOM, one sixtyblue, and North Pond accept reservations on opentable.com You will have to call Blackbird or Lula for reservations. Avec doesn't accept reservations, of course.

If you're planning on going in the next couple of weeks, be aware that Avenues is closed for the month of January. The Lobby restaurant in the Peninsula is being renovated this month and that restaurant is using the Avenues space during this period.