nsxtasy

Yes, Giuseppe Tentori, as noted on Boka's website. Their menu sounds great...

If I didn't live here and had to have one dinner in Chicago out of this group, I would go to one sixtyblue. I love, love LOVE one sixtyblue. I've been there several times now and on every occasion, the food has just blown me away. Aigre Doux was almost as good, pretty darn close, but I've only been there once; it (and also Blackbird, not mentioned) would be my second choices. NoMI... I like it, it's very good (especially the big windows with the view of Michigan Avenue), but it's significantly more expensive and I've been more impressed with the food at the previous two. Naha is very good too, about the same money, and a good choice if you've never been to the other two, but I would go to one sixtyblue first. Vermilion is good too; I'm sure you're already aware that the Indian-Latin food there is entirely different in style from the contemporary American fare of the others. If you want something totally different from contemporary American, it's a good choice. Green Zebra... well, I haven't been there, but I'm not a vegetarian and the prospect of a menu with only one non-vegetarian item doesn't thrill me. I'm sure it's excellent, and if you or a member of your party are/is a vegetarian then that would be the place to go. As you can see, all of these are excellent choices, and you can't go wrong with any of them. But these are the differences among them. Also, in case it's a factor in your decision, note that you can get 1000 points on opentable.com for reservations this Monday no later than 7:00 pm at one sixtyblue and 6:30 pm at Vermilion.

We're going to be taking my nephew out for Sunday brunch on an upcoming visit to Madison. Does anyone have any comments about the Sunday brunches at the places we're considering, and their suitability for a UW freshman who likes a wide variety of foods? Café Continental (European) Cocoliquot (French) Sardine (French) Eldorado Grill (Mexican) Tex Tubb's Taco Palace (Tex-Mex)

Mexican food in Chicago continues to evolve. Quite a few new places have opened up since this topic was updated, particularly for creative and provincial Mexican cuisine. Many of the places noted above continue to turn out excellent food. This post is intended to be comprehensive (rather than simply mentioning a few places), so forgive me if I repeat some of the recommendations above. Website links, public transit directions, and information on reservations are also included where available. For purposes of brevity ( ), I'm excluding places specializing in tacos and/or tortas (sandwiches). But I'm including some of the restaurants serving more conventional Mexican cuisine in a separate section later in this post. A note on Creative/Provincial Mexican Cuisine When we Chicagoans mention Mexican food to a lot of out-of-town visitors, often their immediate reaction is "but I can get that at home". This is not necessarily true. Chicago has a lot of very creative Mexican cuisine, including regional/provincial Mexican foods, and many of these foods are not all that common in most American cities. We are not talking about conventional, common Mexican foods like enchiladas and carne asada (although we have plenty of those as well, the best of which are listed at the end of this post - and this is admittedly an arbitrary distinction). We are talking about places that have several different kinds of mole, that serve a lot of different kinds of seafood and sauces, and other items that you just don't find anywhere. For examples of some of the more unusual preparations, take a look at menus of the restaurants in the links to their websites below. Creative Mexican restaurants in and near "downtown Chicago" Several restaurants offer some of our most creative Mexican food, within an easy walk or a short cab/bus ride of the downtown areas where most of the large hotels are located. Frontera Grill and Topolobampo 445 North Clark Street Chicago IL 60610 312-661-1434 The oldest and best-known of these are Frontera Grill and Topolobampo (sometimes simply called Frontera and Topo). These are sister restaurants, next door to each other, in River North. They are owned and run by Chef Rick Bayless, who won a James Beard Award this year for his contributions there. Topolobampo tends to be more expensive, although prices are somewhat similar at lunch. You can order from either menu at the bar at Frontera Grill. Topolobampo accepts reservations in advance, on opentable.com. Frontera Grill does not take reservations well in advance, and seats most of its business on a first-come, first-served basis; waiting times can be long, particularly on weekends. Frontera Grill also accepts a small number of same-day reservations first thing in the morning. (I believe they start taking calls at 8:30 a.m.) Frontera Grill serves brunch on Saturdays. Both tend to be rather crowded and noisy. I like both of them; a majority of reports on this and other forums have been positive, but a significant minority have been disappointed. It remains the standard by which other creative Mexican restaurants are judged. Salpicon 1252 N. Wells St. Chicago IL 60610 312-988-7811 Salpicon is a very creative Mexican restaurant in Old Town, just north of the Michigan Avenue and Gold Coast areas. Reservations can be made at opentable.com. I like it. Adobo Grill 3 locations: 1610 N. Wells Street (Old Town) Chicago IL 60614 312.266.7999 2005 W. Division Street (Wicker Park) Chicago IL 60622 773.252.9990 Shops on Butterfield 356 Yorktown Shopping Center Lombard, IL 60148 630.627.9990 Adobo Grill has several locations, including Old Town and Wicker Park, both of which are close to the downtown areas, and one in the western suburbs. Reservations can be made at opentable.com. I like it okay, although not as much as Frontera/Topo or Salpicon. Creative/provincial Mexican restaurants in outlying Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs Some of our best, most creative Mexican restaurants are located away from downtown Chicago, and can be inconvenient to get to without a car. Flamingo's Seafood 1590 S. Busse Road Mt. Prospect IL 847-364-9988 My very favorite Mexican restaurant in the entire Chicago area (heck, the best Mexican food I've had outside of Mexico) is Flamingo's Seafood, in suburban Mount Prospect, near O'Hare Airport. They specialize in Mexican seafood dishes, and always have a large number of daily specials in addition to their extensive regular menu. Last time I was there I had a grilled Chilean sea bass with guava habanero sauce and crushed pumpkin seeds that was to die for. (Unlike the appetizers and mains, which are fantastic, their desserts are okay but not great.) Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Located at Busse Road and Dempster, just north of Algonquin Road. From I-90 westbound, exit at York Road, go north to Algonquin, and turn left. From I-90 eastbound, exit at Arlington Heights Road, go north to Algonquin, and turn right. By public transit, take the Metra UP Northwest line to the Cumberland stop and catch the Pace #208 Golf Road bus, take it to S Busse Road, and walk south half a mile. Sol de Mexico 3018 N Cicero Ave Chicago IL 60641 (773) 282-4119 Menupages listing Sol de Mexico is a small storefront restaurant on the northwest side. Many people extol its virtues, particularly for their wide selection of different moles. (Personally, I think their menu sounds great and very creative, but I just wasn't overwhelmed by the food. But hey, we don't have to all agree!) Sol de Mexico is closed on Tuesdays. By public transportation, you can take the west branch of the CTA's Green Line or Blue Line west to the Cicero stop and catch the #54 Cicero bus northbound, or the O'Hare branch of the Blue Line to the Cicero stop and catch the #54 Cicero bus southbound. Using a CTA fare card will enable you to get a low-priced transfer, rather than the separate fares that are charged when paying by cash. Those on the north side can also take the #77 Belmont bus or #76 Diversey bus to Cicero Avenue and walk to the restaurant. More transit info on the CTA website. Fonda del Mar 3749 W Fullerton Ave Chicago, IL 60647 773.489-3748 Started by a co-worker of Rick Bayless. Reservations accepted on its website. By public transportation, you can take the CTA's Red, Brown, or Purple Line to Fullerton and transfer to the #74 bus west to the restaurant. Using a CTA fare card will enable you to get a low-priced transfer, rather than the separate fares that are charged when paying by cash. It's also about a mile walk from the Logan Square stop on the Blue Line. Tepatulco 2558 N. Halsted St. Chicago 773-472-7419 This is the latest restaurant from Geno Bahena, who formerly created Chilpancingo and Ixcapuzalco. It's in Lincoln Park, a short walk from the Fullerton stop on the CTA's Brown, Red, and Purple Lines. Mundial Cocina Mestiza 1640 W 18th St Chicago IL 312-491-9908 Menupages listing In Pilsen, near the 18th Street stop on the CTA's Pink Line. La Casa de Samuel 2 locations: 2834 W. Cermak Rd. Chicago 773-376-7474 Menupages listing In Little Village, near the California stop on the CTA's Pink Line. 2753 West 55th Street, Chicago 773-776-1637 Menupages listing In Gage Park. Take the CTA's Orange Line to Western and transfer to the #94 bus south to 55th Street. Lupita's 700 Main St. Evanston IL 60202 847 328 2255 I like Lupita's in Evanston a lot. I particularly like the creative dishes they serve as weekly specials for lunch and dinner, rather than their more conventional regular menu. Portion sizes can occasionally be somewhat small. Around the corner from the Main Street stop on the CTA Purple Line, and right next to the Main Street stop on Metra's UP-North line. San Gabriel Mexican Café 2535 Waukegan Rd (just south of IL-22 Half Day Road) Bannockburn IL 60015 847-940-0200 Started by Dudley Nieto, formerly of Adobo Grill. 3/4 mile south of the Lake Forest stop on Metra's MD-North Line, also served during commuting hours by Pace #622 bus from the Deerfield stop on that same Metra line. Fuego 17 West Campbell Street Arlington Heights, IL 60005 Phone: 847.590.1122 One block from the Arlington Heights stop on Metra's UP-Northwest line. Xni-Pec 5135 W 25th St. Cicero IL 60804 Mayan cuisine from Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. About one mile walk from the Cicero stop on the CTA's Pink Line, or transfer there to the #302 Pace bus to Laramie and 25th St. Salbute 20 East First Street Hinsdale, IL 60521 630.920.8077 One block from the Hinsdale stop on Metra's Burlington Northern Line. Bien Trucha 410 W. State St. Geneva IL 630-232-2665 Chicago Magazine blurb Opened by Ricardo Garcia-Rubio, former owner of Tia Maria's. About a half mile from the Geneva stop on Metra's UP-West line. Authentic, more conventional Mexican restaurants in Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs In addition to the restaurants noted above, there are many authentic, but more conventional, Mexican restaurants in Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs. These include the following places: Nuevo Leon 1515 W. 18th St. Chicago 312-421-1517 In Pilsen, near the 18th Street stop on the CTA's Pink Line. Pancho's Pistolas 700 W 31st St Chicago IL 312-225-8808 In Bridgeport; take the CTA's Orange Line to Halsted, then walk a mile or transfer to the #8 Halsted St bus to W. 31st St. Restaurante Cuetzala Gro 7360 N Clark St Chicago 773-262-9417 In Rogers Park. Take the #22 Clark St bus from the Howard stop on the CTA's Red, Yellow, and Purple Lines. Mi Fiesta 120 North Genesee Street Waukegan, IL 60085 847-782-8700 One block from the Waukegan stop on Metra's UP-North Line. La Casa de Isaac 431 Temple Avenue Highland Park IL 60035 847-433-5550 Across the street from the Highwood station on Metra's UP-North Line. New Rebozo 1116 Madison St Oak Park, IL 60302 708-445-0370 Menu on Foodler 1/2 mile north of the Harlem stop on the CTA's Blue Line, or 1/2 mile south of the Harlem/Lake stop on the CTA's Green Line, or take the Pace #307 bus at either station. Amanacer Tapatio 700 Ruby St Joliet IL 815-727-4001 About two miles northwest of the Joliet station on Metra's Heritage Corridor and Rock Island lines, and you can only get about halfway there from the station by Pace bus (#831 to Ruby and Broadway).

I've been to both places. Carlos is pretty good, but not great. Sanford, OTOH, is great, as good as the very best places in Chicago (which Carlos is not among, IMHO; I could easily name a couple dozen places in Chicago with better food). The food is far, FAR superior at Sanford. $.02

Here are a couple more suggestions of places in between Chicago and Green Bay, in case you're interested in stopping off for a nice dinner. If you want a world-class meal from a top chef, Sanford in Milwaukee is the place to go. Just spectacular. Fancy and expensive, too, of course. For a more casual and less expensive place (not "cheap eats" though), Margaux in Sheboygan (50 miles north of Milwaukee) is outstanding, serving contemporary food with influences from many global cuisines.

IMHO the one "must have" food in Chicago, which also falls into the "cheap eats" category, is our famous Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. There are two main styles: the single-crust "pan" pizza served at Lou Malnati's, Gino's East, Pizano's, and Due and Uno's (original location ONLY, please!), and the double-crust "stuffed" pizza served at Giordano's, Bacino's, and Edwardo's. The locations closest to the Raffaello are Gino's East on Superior for pan pizza, and Giordano's on Rush for stuffed pizza. With the one exception noted, these chains serve consistent quality across all their locations and have some of the very best pizza in town. People here argue which is the best, but I love all of them and I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. They all have websites where you can check out their menu; phone ahead with your order to avoid waiting 30-45 minutes while seated for your pizza to bake.

You might want to check out this topic (in which you previously posted ): Best restaurants in Chicago open on Mondays, 2007 edition

It's fine to post on more than one forum; each has its own audience (with some overlap) and its own atmosphere. Yes, I mentioned steakhouses because OnlyMe did so first. Most steakhouses offer very similar menus; I don't know why, but certain items, such as creamed spinach and lobster bisque, seem to be almost obligatory. It's not as uncommon as it might sound to find a vegetarian at a steakhouse. On the other forum, I posted the non-meat/fish offerings shown on the websites of several of the most popular steakhouses. These include a variety of salads (some entree salads) as well as many vegetable dishes. While most of the latter dishes are conceived as sides, they could be served as mains as well. Also, many restaurants (steakhouses and non-steakhouses alike) are happy to prepare a vegetarian plate for you even if it's not on the printed menu. Don't be afraid to ask (either at the table or in advance) if you don't see something you want on their menu.

To summarize my recommendations from that other forum - Dinner at one of our many excellent steakhouses - Dinner at Green Zebra - Dinner at North Pond - Indian and Pakistani restaurants on Devon Avenue - Atwood Cafe before or after the LaSalle Bank Theater - Desserts at Hot Chocolate, Fox and Obel, and Vanille Patisserie Have fun!

Now that you mention it, I believe that was my "warm caramel gooey butter cake, almond chocolate chip ice cream,almond lace cookie, almond toffee square":

It's a great guide to the variety that we have here. Just keep in mind that for every place shown here, there are lots of others that you could argue are just as good. For example, for contemporary American, Vie is excellent, but so are one sixtyblue, Blackbird, Oceanique, Tallgrass, and North Pond. For Mexican, Frontera Grill and Flamingo's are excellent, but so are Topolobampo, Salpicon, Adobo Grill, and Sol de Mexico. For deep-dish pizza, Lou Malnati's is excellent, but so are Gino's East, Pizano's, Giordano's, and Edwardo's. For creative splurge food, Alinea is excellent (perhaps even above others) but you can also get spectacular food at Avenues, Charlie Trotter's, Everest, and Tru. Same thing with places for barbecue, Italian beef, etc. What's really amazing about Chicago is not just that you can make a trip like this, but that you can make half a dozen trips like this, without repeating a single place, and they will all be equally wonderful. Every food-lover and frequent restaurant diner I know in Chicago, including myself, has a list of well-known and well-regarded places that they've never been to and have been wanting to try. And no one's list ever gets any shorter, as new places continue to open.

It was great to see Nancy and Bob again (after first meeting them at the Heartland Gathering in July), as well as local pals Ronnie, Julie, and Lucas. Some of my favorite dishes from the two meals we shared are not mentioned above. Maybe Ronnie has photos...? At Vie, my main was the "marinated and wood-grilled sturgeon, sweet potatoes, roasted cipollinis, organic crème fraiche, and roasted nichols farm brussel sprouts". It was good. My dessert was the "warm caramel gooey butter cake, almond chocolate chip ice cream,almond lace cookie, almond toffee square". It was phenomenal. Julie's dessert was a pumpkin creme brulee, also excellent. At Flamingo's, I had an incredible grilled Chilean sea bass. It was a huge piece of fish, about as big across as a baseball and maybe 1.5 inches thick. While grilled, it was basted with the same sauce that surrounded it on the plate, a guava-habañero sauce; it must have had very little habañero, as it wasn't overly spicy-hot, and the guava gave the fish a slightly fruity taste. It was topped with crushed toasted pumpkin seeds. It was simply divine. Very perceptive! When I first met Ronnie, Julie, and Lucas, it was at a meal at TAC Quick organized via eGullet. I thought the tom kha gai tasted very tomato-ey, just as you state. It was okay, but I generally prefer one without the tomato overtones and with a nice balance between the creaminess of the coconut milk, the lemony taste of the lemongrass, and the kha (galanga). Currently the very best tom kha gai in the Chicago area, IMHO, is at Thai Sookdee, in Evanston, which I like the best of all the Chicago-area Thai restaurants (although AFAIK it doesn't have a Thai-language menu with exotic specialties like fried worms - yes, worms - like a few of the other places in town).

Last month I ate at their new location at Roosevelt and Wabash and I loved them. They had blueberry pancakes topped with almond panna cotta cream. Yum! I also liked the fact that you could order one or two pancakes instead of a full order of three, making it easier to try more than one item on their menu.

We get a lot of good food here in Chicago, and I've been enjoying some of our best places the past few weeks (one sixtyblue, North Pond, Vie, Flamingo's, Lou Malnati's). But I'm still jonesing for those beef cheek perogies at Lola during the Heartland Gathering last July; they were pure heaven! And their strawberry mascarpone shortcake for dessert was sooooo wonderful, too...

For breakfast, it depends partly on the day of the week. Many restaurants serve Sunday brunch but are not open the rest of the week. To me there are three basic types of brunch: 1. A la carte at places that serve the same breakfast menu during the week as on the weekends. There are lots of good ones, and some of them have multiple locations; my favorites are Walker Brothers and other locations of the Original Pancake House, Bongo Room, Flo, Wishbone, M. Henry, Kitsch'n, Orange (no website), and Lou Mitchell's. 2. A la carte at places that only serve on weekends (usually only Sunday, a few on Saturday), including North Pond, Magnolia Cafe, Sola, and Frontera Grill. 3. Buffet places that only serve brunch on Sundays, including Seasons at the Four Seasons, the cafe at the Ritz, NoMI, Allgauer's, and Barn of Barrington. (Some of these serve a separate a la carte breakfast during the week.) Several of the places above have opened additional locations in the city and suburbs in the almost two years since this topic was active, including Bongo Room at Wabash and Roosevelt in the South Loop. Typically, you can make reservations at (2) and (3), and there are often long waits on Sundays at (1), which don't usually accept reservations.

Incidentally, the name of the fabric store is Vogue Fabrics, not Vogue Drapery. Founded 1945. Read tim's post above. Yes. Try it at Bennison's. It's pretty darn good.

Yes, Meier's Bakery (their original, or at least long-time, name) was in the space that became Judy's Bakery and is now Trattoria D.O.C. If you're looking for a traditional bakery, Bennison's and Tag's both do a decent job. You can also find some excellent baked products at Foodstuffs on Central Street. A couple of other north suburban places that have excellent baked products are Three Tarts Bakery in Northfield, and the Gourmet Frog (adjunct of Froggy's restaurant) in Highwood.

The bakery on Main Street is no longer there. It was in the location currently occupied by Trattoria D.O.C.. It changed names several times in recent years. I believe the most recent name before it closed was Judy's Bakery. Bennison's Bakery on Davis Street, mentioned above and founded 1938, is still there. They have bread pudding, in individual portions in foil cups. Tag's Bakery on Central Street, founded 1937, is still there also. I don't think they have bread pudding; they are best known for their florentines. There hasn't been a traditional bakery on Dempster Street in Evanston that I know of; however, Blind Faith Cafe, founded 1979, is still there, and has a bakery counter at the entrance to the restaurant.

I was there in March and at that time they offered 3-, 5-, and 10-course menus for $90, $120, and $160, respectively. My understanding is that they have changed that and now offer 5-, 10-, and 15-course menus, but I don't know what the corresponding prices are; the former prices ought to give you some idea, though.

Both of Rick Bayless's restaurants are excellent. We have some other excellent Mexican restaurants here, too, but these two have the advantage that you can walk there from your hotel, so I think they are great choices. Keep in mind that Frontera Grill does not accept reservations (they sometimes do but only on the same day you're dining) so you may have to wait a while to get seated. Topolobampo accepts reservations (on Opentable.com) and is a bit pricier. Unless your timing works to be at Frontera Grill by the minute they open the doors, I find Topo to be a lot more convenient because of the reservation factor. They are also open for lunch during the week; check their website for hours. And Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, they (or other places) may not be following their normal hours for lunch, since it's a day when a lot of people have the day off from work. I don't know anything about this particular hotel, but the location is excellent for restaurants, shopping, etc. Good catch - I didn't check those dates, have since gone back and edited my post. It's also worth noting that Friday, Nov 23, the day after Thanksgiving, is a HUGE day for shopping (the busiest day of the year at many stores, I think) so the Michigan Avenue shopping district may be even more crowded than usual. The places I mentioned above would apply to both Friday Nov 23, and Saturday Nov 24. Reservations for Saturday evening tend to book up further in advance than Friday evening, so you may want to keep that in mind. Not that it's all that hard to get a reservation at most places in Chicago, particularly if you are flexible on the hour, but I would definitely make an advance reservation for Saturday night, and even Friday is not a bad idea. Especially if you really really really want to go to a particular place, and it's one of our hottest (e.g. Avenues). Alex's mention of Opentable.com is a good one; it's a quick way to check availability for a particular date and time. Not that EVERY place in Chicago is in there, but most of the nicer places are (including six of the eight places I consider our absolutely top tables). I think all the places I mentioned in my previous post accept reservations with Opentable.com

The recommendations above were for the OP, who was looking specifically for a place open late. Without that restriction, you can literally go anywhere on Friday Nov 23 and Saturday Nov 24; just about every place will be open. Recommendations? There are SO many places. Thinking specifically in terms of places within walking distance of your hotel, you have the splurge category (Avenues, Tru, NoMI), contemporary American (Aigre Doux, Naha), Italian (Coco Pazzo Cafe or, for a longer walk, Cafe Spiaggia or Coco Pazzo), seafood (Shaw's Crab House, Hugo's, Fulton's), and lots of steakhouses. Thursday Nov 22 is our Thanksgiving holiday, and if you're not familiar with it, it is a MAJOR holiday. Most restaurants are closed, and many of the few that are open offer a special dinner featuring roast turkey. See this topic for links to an article and listings for restaurants open for Thanksgiving. Places within walking distance of your hotel include Vermilion (a great choice), the Lobby/Avenues (expensive but great), the Signature Room (at the top of the John Hancock Building - fantastic view, known also for mediocre food), Lawry's, Viand (in your hotel, I think), Coco Pazzo Cafe, Fulton's, David Burke's, and Bistro 110. EDIT: Corrected dates

Good for them! I think it will be a great move, partly because of the additional space (their former space was very small) and because of the additional visibility of a downtown location. I wouldn't say that I was overwhelmed by their cuisine - I give them high marks for creativity, but I didn't think the food was as delicious as it ought to be, given those aspirations - but I give them credit for offering leading edge cuisine that is not readily available elsewhere in GR, as well as for their independent, couple-run enterprise. I'm very happy for them and wish them every success in their new, bigger location. I think it's funny that link says that their cuisine is similar to Cafe Solace, whose space they are taking over. While I haven't been to Cafe Solace, a quick review of their menu makes it sound very mainstream Americana, not at all like what Bloom serves. Now, if Bloom could just get around to creating a website (which would also help their visibility)... It's so easy and relatively inexpensive to create a website for a restaurant, and it's reached the point where almost every decent place has one, I'm really surprised that they haven't done this.

I visited central Indiana again at the end of August. I went to Oakley's Bistro and loved it as much as I do 14 West and maybe even more. Just a great place in every way. I also went to Kincaid's in Carmel and was disappointed (after trying one of their California locations earlier this year and liking it a lot).

Metromix is the entertainment website for the Chicago Tribune. Every year, the Tribune and Metromix do an article featuring a few of their top picks for Thanksgiving dinner. For this year's article, click here. For more complete listings of places doing something special for Thanksgiving, click here. (Any other places that are open just serving their regular menu might not be included in either listing.)