nsxtasy

Quite aside from the distinction between the Midwest Region and the Chicago Region, Chef Bowles is no longer under 30, as noted in this bio on the Peninsula Chicago's website.

I usually advise folks about the 30-45 minutes it takes to bake. To avoid having to wait at the restaurant, check out the menu on their website and phone your order in ahead of time. It's still my favorite Chicago deep-dish pizza. (But see below.) Very true. All the big local chains - Giordano's, Edwardo's, Bacino's for double-crust stuffed pizza, and Lou Malnati's, Gino's East, and Pizano's for single-crust pan pizza - seem to do a great job of maintaining the quality across all locations. The one exception is Uno's, which is now a national chain; the quality at the original Uno's and Due in River North is still excellent, but elsewhere, forget about it. As for Lou Malnati's, I had a pizza there a few weeks ago, and it was absolutely fantastic, as good as (albeit different from) Giordano's stuffed pizza. I don't think you can go wrong at either place.

My three favorites are Leo's (which I adore - not necessarily the most creative food, but very fresh seafood and I love their preparations), Bistro Bella Vita (more bistro than Italian, very good) and Bloom (see my review in the link in Alex's post). Best of all, if you don't mind driving 40 miles to a place that doesn't accept reservations, is Everyday People Cafe in Douglas. You mentioned staying at the Amway Grand. Two of their restaurants, Cygnus and the 1913 Room, are very highly regarded. I have not been to either one. Yet. As for Bar Louie's, which we have here...

I'm not surprised. You can find excellent steakhouses in any major city, and I assume that's the reason they didn't mention them.

I wouldn't go quite as far as that statement, but I can sympathize with it. To me, a really great restaurant is one where I can go with a friend, order two appetizers, two soups, two entrees, and two desserts, and all eight dishes will be superb, where every bite screams "WOW! THIS IS DELICIOUS!!!" You expect and experience this from the super-expensive splurge places, like Avenues, Everest, etc. So I consider those places almost in another category, and I'll set them aside for a different discussion, leaving this one to Blackbird and similar restaurants in the "casual fine dining" genre. There are many, many casual fine dining restaurants in the Chicago area where you can get excellent food. But the ones that meet this qualification of "greatness" are not all that many, in my experience. Blackbird is one of those few. To it, I would add one sixtyblue and Aigre Doux in the city, Oceanique in Evanston, Michael in Winnetka, and Tallgrass in Lockport. All six of which are in roughly the same price category (typically around $100 per person including 3-4 courses, tax/tip, and alcohol/wine of moderate quality/quantity). I would hesitate to have to choose ANY one of those as "best" over the others, because they are all so very, very good. (Although I have eaten at four of these six within the past twelve months, and Tallgrass was the best of those four great dinners.)

Yes. I ate there in winter 2003, and I thought it was excellent. I remember having a smoked prime rib that was superb. I went back about four months later and thought it was not all that good. Arun's has been up and down in the buzz department. As noted above, many restaurants get a lot of buzz when they first open. (And they hire publicists to ensure that this happens.) Unlike those others, Arun's received buzz, not so much when they opened (in 1989, I believe), but at certain times since then, such as when they received certain ratings/awards (4-star ratings in the Trib, Sun-Times, and Mobil Guide, and James Beard nominations for Best Chef - Midwest) which were virtually unheard of at the time for an Asian restaurant.

I forgot to mention, the Magnolia Cafe also has a nice outdoor dining area in front of the restaurant, and it's very pleasant, weather permitting.

Arun's had very little buzz when it opened, quite a few years ago. And apparently no one remembers Masck at all, even those who worked there, because other people posting about it don't even remember how to spell it. I guess I just don't go to Alinea with wine aficionados who are willing to spend ungodly amounts of money on upgrading their wine pairings. My friends and I go there and spend $300 per person, with rather moderate wine. I just assume that we're more typical of Alinea customers than people who go there looking to spend an obscene amount of money on wine. Of course, you can spend a whole lot more money than is typical, if you crank up your alcohol quantity and quality. I can assure you that it's easy to go there and spend $250-350 per person, either with the smaller menu and generous wines, or the larger menu and moderate wines. Heck, you can get the smaller menu and not drink a lot and get out under $200, if you want. What's most common? I don't know. But I've never, and everyone I know who has been there has never, spent anywhere near $500+ per person.

It may be what someone spent, but again, it's about double what is most typical there. I would disagree with the comment about "squandering buzz". When a place is truly good, its reputation continues. Green Zebra, West Town Tavern, and North Pond have as good a reputation, and as much buzz, now as they did when they opened, and they are highly regarded indeed. Scylla did, too; it closed because the owner decided to move to the Pacific Northwest, despite the fact that Scylla's reputation and, by all reports, business volume were as good as ever. I don't think Butter or Thyme ever achieved all that much buzz.

True. Alinea is more similar to Per Se in New York than to Le Bec. Some of our best restaurants do lunch - not that handful of dress-up splurge places, but places that are more casual, but still serve spectacular food. Some of the best places in Chicago that serve lunch include: Aigre Doux Bistro 110 Blackbird Cafe Spiaggia Coco Pazzo Custom House Naha NoMI and many others, including most of the steakhouses.

You have probably heard of Alinea, but just in case you aren't aware of the specifics - Chicago has a bunch of extremely creative, extremely expensive, and extremely excellent restaurants, with top chefs, places that are among the best in the country (think Le Bec Fin, maybe even several notches higher, at least in the case of Alinea). Alinea is the best of these best, but also the most expensive, figure $250-400 per person including tax, tip, and reasonable wine/alcohol; others include Avenues, Everest, Tru, and Charlie Trotter's, which are almost as expensive (Everest is often the least expensive, but still $150-275/pp). These are fancy, "splurge" places, which may or may not be what you're looking for. None of them is open for lunch (unlike in New York, where lunch is a less expensive way to enjoy some of the finest restaurants) and none is located particularly close to the Riviera.

That's high. The smaller tasting menu is $135 and the larger one is $195. I don't usually get the wine pairings - I am a moderate wine drinker - and it's been around $300 per person. Granted, you can go crazy driving the price up with wine and other alcohol, but most folks end up somewhere in the $250-400 range per person.

I wonder how many people came to the same conclusion I did. Some years ago - I'm not sure how many, but I bet it was at least 12, maybe more - I ate at Arun's. I thought the food was decent, but not all that different from (or any better than) other Thai restaurants. And I concluded that it is just not worth the price differential. I haven't been back since. I wonder if a lot of people try Arun's once and never go back. Chicago has many Thai restaurants, and IMHO some are significantly better than the handful whose names keep getting mentioned on various forums. I think if you try a lot of them, you're bound to find that most are decent, and a few you like a lot. Maybe even some that are close to you. And not necessarily those that keep getting hyped. And I bet you all of them are substantially less expensive than Arun's. I should also note that I am not of the "cheaper is always better" school, and I appreciate the difference in food, service, etc that you can find at top, expensive, splurge type places. I just couldn't find anything worth the higher price at Arun's.

Just to clarify - it sounds like you're looking for breakfast in or around Evanston where you're staying, lunch anywhere, and dinner near the Riviera Theater. Evanston itself has some places for breakfast, but the best one is much easier to get to by car than public transportation. The very best place in the area for breakfast is Walker Brothers Original Pancake House just over the town line in Wilmette, but it's not near the el (subway) or Metra (commuter rail) stations; I believe the Pace #213 bus is the only thing that comes close. Their huge, puffed-up apple pancake, pictured below, is their specialty. Within Evanston itself (and near the el), there are lots of coffee shops, but for a real sit-down breakfast, the places that come to mind are Dixie Kitchen, for Cajun food in downtown Evanston, Clarke's (website not working), a pancake/diner house in downtown Evanston, and Lucky Platter, a funky eclectic place in the Main Street shopping district. All are pretty good (although not necessarily spectacular the way Walker Brothers is). Lunch anywhere is too broad a question to answer, but if I had to make one recommendation, it would be to get Chicago deep-dish pizza. IMHO it's the one local specialty you shouldn't miss if you're visiting from out of town for the first time. The best chains here - Lou Malnati's and Gino's East for single-crust "pan" pizza, and Giordano's and Edwardo's for double-crust "stuffed" pizza - all serve excellent, delicious pizza, and all have locations all over the Chicago area. Check out their menus on their websites and call ahead with your order to avoid having to wait 30-45 minutes for your pizza to bake. Other than pizza, let us know what kind(s) of food you would like for lunch and an approximate geographic area, and we can make additional recommendations. For dinner, there's an excellent restaurant right near the Riviera called Magnolia Cafe, serving contemporary American food. They have a website at www.magnoliacafeuptown.com but it doesn't appear to be working at the moment; you can also view their menu here. Magnolia Cafe 1224 W Wilson Ave Chicago, IL 60640 (773) 728-8785 Also near the Riviera is the stretch of Argyle Street running east a couple of blocks from Racine, and this stretch has many Vietnamese restaurants. You could walk over there, look at the menus in the windows, and pick whatever sounds good. A bit further than these other places, but still within walking distance of the Riviera, is the Hop Leaf, a pub with a gazillion kinds of beer and food such as moules frites. FYI - Websites for public transportation information include the CTA (subways and buses in Chicago and a few nearby suburbs), Pace (suburban buses), and Metra (suburban trains). All have the "trip planner" function which provides point-to-point recommendations using all three agencies, as does the website of the RTA, the umbrella organization for all public transit agencies in the area. Walker Brothers apple pancake (photo from their website):

I don't know which is more ridiculous - these particular nominees for "best sandwich in the nation", or the whole idea of trying to decide the "best sandwich in the nation" in the first place!

Tru is a restaurant. It is part of the Lettuce Entertain You organization. Rick Tramonto is the executive chef and Gale Gand is the executive pastry chef. Their previous projects included the now-closed Trio, in Evanston, where they (along with partner Henry Adaniya) were part of the three founders after whom the restaurant was named. They are now also principals in the two Tramonto namesake restaurants in a hotel in north suburban Wheeling. You can find more information about Tru on the restaurant's website at trurestaurant.com.

This advice applies to both places.

These would be my top two picks for lunch or dinner within an easy walk of the Hilton (just a couple blocks). Custom House is wonderful, and although it's not inexpensive, they have a three-course pre-theater dinner that's a good deal; also, like most places, lunch is a lot less expensive than dinner. Deep-dish pizza is THE can't-miss local specialty, IMHO, and Edwardo's is an excellent representation of the species. Call ahead to place your order if you want to avoid waiting 30-45 minutes for the pizza to bake. Oh, websites will help: www.customhouse.cc www.edwardos.com One more recommendation. Everest is one of the very best restaurants in Chicago, and it, too, is just a few blocks walk from your hotel. They specialize in French/Alsatian food and it it simply divine, for food as well as service. Very romantic, too; the view from their dining room at the top of the Midwest Stock Exchange Building is wonderful as well. It is not inexpensive, although it's less than our other top restaurants, and they offer a $50 three-course pre-theater special at 5:00 and 5:30 each night they're open except Fridays. Everest 440 S. LaSalle St., 40th Floor Chicago, IL 60605 (312) 663-8920 www.everestrestaurant.com For breakfast or brunch, Orange on Harrison is just a couple of blocks from the Hilton also. Great egg specialties, custom juices, and pancake "flights". Orange on Harrison 75 W. Harrison St. 312-447-1000 (no website AFAIK) (Incidentally, Manny's, Opera, and the Bongo Room, while good, are much further south, roughly 3/4 of a mile away, and you don't want to walk that far in December, believe me.)

Sanford is absolutely wonderful. I don't care about hype; I care about trying a place and judging for myself. I had one of the very best dinners of my entire life at Sanford a few years ago. It's the real deal, a spectacular world-class restaurant in every way, one that should make all Milwaukeeans proud. A visitor from Philly can think of it as "Le Bec Fin of Milwaukee". Sanford Restaurant 1547 N. Jackson Street Milwaukee, WI 53202 (414) 276-9608 Milwaukee has a very nice public market, which you can read about on its website at http://milwaukeepublicmarket.org One media resource you might want to take a look at is the searchable restaurant listings and reviews in the Journal-Sentinel, their largest newspaper, at www.jsonline.com/index/index.aspx?id=126 Their annual articles on the "best restaurants" and "best new restaurants" have been insightful. Unfortunately, their excellent restaurant reviewer, Dennis Getto, passed away earlier this month, and he will be missed. Milwaukee Magazine occasionally has some good dining write-ups as well, at www.milwaukeemagazine.com

I think their food is still as delicious and creative as ever. They are still creating wonderful food after twenty years, and they never really fell into a "rut" of familiarity. Furthermore, just because a few others have come along with even more acclaim, I don't think it diminishes their achievements in any way. For anyone to be one of the top restaurants in one of the top restaurant cities in the world is quite an achievement; for a place to be considered in that stratosphere for twenty years is that much more unusual an accomplishment. Congratulations indeed!

Funny, I was thinking about exactly this when reading the following transit information in today's Trib; fortunately, the days you're planning are right before the construction they're talking about, so you should be okay:

Bin 36 is fine. They're known as emphasizing wine more so than food, although obviously they do both. They're just a couple blocks walk from the Clark Street stop on the el's Blue Line, if you end up taking that. You can read more on their website. What's funny is that their sister restaurant, Bin Wine Cafe, is located even closer to the Blue Line; it's right AT the Damen stop.

A few notes... If the hotel provides a shuttle bus, then proximity to the el is no longer a priority. But ask in advance, as many hotels don't simply provide a shuttle bus on demand for no charge (even for eight guests). Blackbird is excellent, but it's not exactly close to the Blue Line, the el line that runs from O'Hare. You could walk the ~8 blocks from the Clark and Lake stop on the Blue Line, or you could transfer to the Pink Line or Green Line to the Clinton stop, which makes it more like ~2 blocks. Also, you can expect to spend $80-110 per person there including wine and tax/tip (even more, if you go crazy with the wine). If you are taking the el, I would consider Lula, which is within a block of the Logan Square stop on the Blue Line, or Spring or Feast, both of which are within a block or so of the Damen stop on the Blue Line. (Feast's website is under construction; their Metromix listing is here. Note that they have moved and their current address is 1616 N. Damen Ave.) Spring is a bit more expensive than Blackbird and may be more than you are willing to spend; Lula and Feast are both closer to your stated budget than Blackbird is. The O'Hare Hilton is directly over the O'Hare el station, so the amount of time it takes to walk from the lobby of the O'Hare Hilton to the el station is perhaps one minute - not exactly a major impediment. As I mentioned, Blackbird is not that convenient to the Blue Line. But the other three places I mentioned are much, much closer in terms of time. Both the stops mentioned above - the Logan Square stop and the Damen stop - are before you would get to downtown on the el, if you kept going. Your door-to-door travel times to any of the three places I mentioned, including walking at both ends, are probably 30-40 minutes by el. Granted, you could take a cab to the Black Ram and be there in 10 minutes. Anyway, those are the travel times.

Right now, you can get a reservation on opentable at Topolobampo for 5:30 tonight. Next week is unavailable; maybe they're on vacation for a week? The following week you can make reservations for.

I agree with that remark about the need to communicate the concept well. Just look at all the different concepts already discussed in this topic - and this is among those familiar with the restaurant industry. Say "dessert bar" to a bunch of eGulleteers and it's like the parable about blind men describing an elephant; everyone has a different notion of what it might be. Just to cite another example of the difficulty of communicating the concept - the instant you used the term "wine bar" in your post, my mind immediately shifted to that other concept. We have wine bars in Chicago; they typically have a wide assortment of wines, and usually include full-service restaurant food (i.e. full dinners with savory dishes, etc). Up till now I envisioned the "dessert bar" as having only dessert wines, brandy, cognac, maybe liqueurs, but when you say "wine bar", I think of the full range of reds and whites you would find at any restaurant. I'm not trying to nail down what you mean by saying this; I only note this as an illustration of how elusive and confusing it will be to communicate the precise concept of what the place is in marketing it to prospective customers.