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I have to agree that traveling east to west during rush hour in the north-northwest suburbs is hell. Willow, Dundee, Lake-Cook, and Deerfield are all congested beyond what can be considered "normal" rush hour traffic standards. I do make a conscious decision not to attempt to leave home (I live near Winnetka and Hibbard Roads) until after 6:30 (if at all) during the week if I'm planning to drive west or northwest. As a result, places which I would, under better traffic circumstances, patronize now do not see my business. I'm particularly fond of Bin 36 in Lincolnshire and would love to go more often, if only I didn't have to brave the outrageous traffic nightmares.

Sure. I'm conscious of the fact that the place is only a month or so old. I take that into account when deciding when to go; I typically like to wait until the growing pains subside and initial wrinkles can be ironed out. In this case, we were invited to go, so we decided to relax our usual standards of high taste JUST THIS ONCE! Atmosphere is a factor in the justification of high prices. Of course, atmosphere is just one part of the dining experience, but if a place has a unique location (North Pond, The Signature Room, Tavern on the Green (in NYC), etc.), the food quality becomes slightly less of a factor in determining overall experience. In the case of Le Lan, the noisy room and crowded dining space is a constant roadblock in the enjoyment of the meal, and the food we had just didn't justify the uncomfortable surroundings. If a place aspires to be "fine dining" (even casual fine dining), there should be an effort made to make the diner comfortable; good lighting, acceptable noise level, and space are luxuries for which I don't mind paying extra. Tables are jammed uncomfortably close together at Le Lan, so close that the diner is constantly interrupted by waitstaff which can barely navigate the dining room. At the back wall where we sat under the flourescent lights of the mural didn't make any of us feel good (the correct color of the wine in our glasses couldn't even be determined); the lighting of a space makes a subliminal impact on the experience. Atmosphere issues can be remedied, however, but at what cost? The assumption is that many big bucks were spent on the design here. I'm not sure if the business plan would survive either a revamping of the lighting scheme or the removal of tables, i.e., revenue, in order to make the diners (who can't seem to get enough of this place, at least for now) more comfortable. Flavors are subjective, and lovers of thyme may swoon over ice cream that tastes like pencil shavings. Not everyone has to love everything. But when the highs are few and far between, the lows seem lower than they might under better circumstances. I got the feeling that Le Lan is fairly settled into what it's going to be, and that many changes are not planned for the immediate future. It's set lofty ambitions for itself, with prices to match. It falls short of its aspirations in key areas. To that end, I'd not make it a priority to go back anytime soon.

Five of us dined here on Saturday night, and we were quite underwhelmed. The decor is touted as being beautiful and serene, however we were seated at the back under a wall-sized mural of a dragon which was illuminated with flourescent lights, which gave all of us a sickly look. In addition, tables were placed very close together, making it a tight squeeze for waitstaff to pour wine and deliver dishes to the furthest diners. Noise level was very high, and fellow diners were dressed in everything from kahkis and t-shirts to jacket and tie (I wore a jacket, no tie.) The first bad sign came when, at a French-Vietnamese restaurant, olive oil for dipping bread was poured. This didn't seem very authentic to us, but one dip revealed the olive oil had been infused with something which made it taste like, I kid you not, Lemon Pledge. We were ulitmately grateful, then, to have it replaced with good ol' EVOO. Appetizers were very small and unexceptional, better in print than on the plate. I had a salad which was drenched in a pungent, bitter dressing, masking the flavor of everything else on the plate (there was some kind of pork belly in there) and forcing me to take a break from drinking the '89 Pommerol we'd been enjoying (we ended up ordering three bottles, which were decanted only after we had to ask.) I had the crisp-skinned duck, which was done past the medium at which it was ordered. The flavor was there, however, and the cardamom sauce tasty. I wondered what polenta was doing on the plate, even though I realize that polenta is eaten in France. Dessert was another let-down, the only interesting choice being the clafoutis aux cherries (bad language editor!) The cherries had been poached in something, and all the flavor was poached out of them. Preferring to try something different (three of five ordered the clafoutis), I tried the sampling of ice creams ($8!), which turned out to be four small quenelles, three of which (vanilla, banana poppy seed, and fresh coconut) were ordinary to good; the fourth (cashew) was the best thing I ate all night - rich, buttery, and densely cashew-flavored. The much-touted chocolate cake turned out to be a standard issue (read: tiresome) molten-center chocolate cake flavored with "Vietnamese cinnamon" (huh?!?) and thyme ice cream. The thyme ice cream tased like pencil shavings. Total tab for five: around $1,100. Much of this, but not enough, was spent on wine.

We're going on Saturday! I'll provide a full report.

I think North Pond is one of the most gorgeous restaurants in the city, with food to match. I was overwhelmed during our late-winter dinner several months ago. The park at that time of year has a beautiful eerie silence.

We have plans to go to Le Lan on 8/7. My friends got spooked by this article and started having second thoughts. But I held firm, saying that the eGulleters had nothing but good things to say about it - and they don't like anything So I'll report back after we've been.

In this morning's Tribune: Le Lan--dare we say--has yet to flower Comments?

When you're there, take a look at the lamps on the tables that are booths. They're copper lamps made to look like acorns, about a foot hight, eight inches wide, and they weigh a ton. The shades are heavy glass and look like the top of an acorn. The server told us they cost about $5,000 each. If I'd only worn my pants with the deep pockets that night I may have been able to slip one out without anyone noticing!

During our trip to Napa two weeks ago, we had our best meal at Martini House. Absolutely spectacular in every way. Sitting inside the breathtakingly beautiful Arts & Crafts cottage is surprisingly preferable to the peaceful outdoor patio. I'd go back in a heartbeat. These are the other places we tried: Dinner: Terra and Bistro Don Giovanni Lunch: Wappo Bar and Bistro and Bouchon

We had a wonderful dinner at GZ a month or so ago. We were with two others, one of whom is a vegan. Many great choices for her. We ordered two dishes per person per course, so were were able to sample a lot of things. Wonderfully inventive, and we didn't miss not having meat at all!

We got a reservation for 8/7!

With apologies to chefwoody for my tardiness (my hayfever decided to kick in during the last couple of days), here's my experience at Sona: Click on logo for website The room is stark and modern, dark carpeting and white walls. A very soothing place to dine. Six- and nine-course tasting menus are offered ($79 or $109), but we opted to order larger courses. We sampled two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts. Four our appetizers, we had the seared foie gras with rhubarb chutney, almond milk foam, pain d'Epice, and cilantro syrup; and the Maine lobster risotto with English peas and lobster emulsion. For the entrees, we had the Liberty Farms' duck breast with braised cherries and plums and black olive spaetzle; and the Prime beef short ribs served with crispy bone marrow, mushrooms and potato puree. Our desserts were the Mara de bois (wild strawberries) with nectarines, lavender ice cream and brittany pastry (not unlike a tart); and "Mikado" Banana split made with caramelized baby bananas, marshmallow fluff and peanuts - a deconstructed banana split of sorts. Accompanying our dinner, after cocktails, was a wonderful bottle of Vosne Romanee from Clos des Reas, fairly priced at about $150. The service was professional, knowledgeable, and efficient. We spoke with the manager, Joseph, for a while, who turns out to have done a stint at TRU, here in Chicago. We hadn't heard much about Sona before trying it, but it looked like the kind of place we like: serious food, relaxed atmosphere, and just enough formality to justify the ambitious menu.

We recently returned from three nights at Milliken Creek Inn, which I can't wholeheartedly recommend. Our room was $625/night, plus tax and 7% service charge. Here are the comments I had about it which I posted on tripadvisor.com: Three out of five stars. Wanting a different lodging during this trip to Napa, and used to high-end resort properties, we were convinced by the good press about and the beautiful website from Millikin Creek Inn that this was the place to try. Our experienced was mixed. We stayed for three nights over the July 4th weekend. The Inn is indeed peaceful and decorated in soothing colors. Check-in was delayed while we waited for the desk clerk to finish a lengthy phone call. A bellman was not on property at the time (about 2:30pm) so we had to help the desk clerk (who was genuinely friendly) carry our bags to our room at the end of the property and one flight of stairs up. We never did meet the owners. The room was spotless, and the view of the not-very-picturesque river was nevertheless relaxing. Very pleasantly decorated, the room nevertheless did not hold up to closer scrutiny: the furnishings are of the Pottery Barn/Restoration Hardware variety, which are nice but hardly the types of pieces worthy of an upscale property. Doors to the bathroom and water closet were hollow plastic. The bed and linens, however, were supremely comfortable. Turndown service was nice, when we had it: it was non-existent on one of the three nights. Breakfast service was prompt and the continental breakfast tasty. As we had to leave very early on the day of our departure, we checked out late in the afternoon of our last day. No arrangement was made (or offered) to help us with our bags, and this "last straw" made us wonder just why exactly a 7% service charge was tacked on to every room tarrif. So we ended up paying approximately $250 for two breakfast deliveries, two turn-down services, and two room make-ups during our three-night stay. Millikin Creek Inn advertises itself as and aspires to be a world-class Inn with topnotch rooms and service. Though comfortable, the rooms are definitely not at the same quality level as other similarly-priced upscale Napa Valley properties, and the service is spotty. Though much of the stay was nice, we will look elsewhere when planning our next trip to the area.

We spoke to some people who just finished a stay at The Kenwood Inn and had nothing but raves about it. Their only caveat was that it was a bit off the beaten path (which isn't that bad), and a long, curvy drive to the restaurants of Napa Valley (which is). Let me know how your trip went when you return - this place looks wonderful.

You didn't think we'd take your assertion that Chicago's theatre scene is "bush leage" sitting down, did you? I think many towns have great theatre, and that no town can lay claim to being the best. Part of the fun of traveling is sampling the many different theatre scenes throughout the world.

We'd hosted several dinner parties at TRU over the last five years. In addition, Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand did a dinner for ten at our house last Fall - we bid on it at a charity auction. It was a wonderful evening.

Let me know when you're going. I'll call them and let them know a "VIP" is coming in and you'll get the Royal Treatment.

One word: Meritage. On North Damen. And North Pond - in Lincoln Park on, you guessed it, the North Pond.

Have you been to TRU?

My experience was that the service was efficient and solicitous, and the portions were more than adequate. More to come tonight.

We're supposed to have dinner with some foodie friends who are in from California tonight, so we wanted a guaranteed good place. I'd love to try Le Lan, but think it's still too early to "risk" hitting some bumps. And besides, they're booked! So we decided on Spring.

I'm from Chicago and had dinner at Sona last Thursday, July 8, when we were visitin LA. It was absolutely wonderful. So much so that I asked for a copy of the menu, which they gladly provided. Unfortunately, the menu's at home now and I'm at work! I'll check back in with a detailed report later today.

I'm usually weary of trying new places so soon after they've opened, no matter what the pedigree. I trust Suzy when she says she had a wonderful experience there, but still... I recently went to Miramar (in Highwood) on its second night. It was wonderful, but there were still some glitches which presumably will be/are already fixed. How long does everyone out there think is a good enough time to allow a place to iron out its opening wrinkles?

...and we also got The Producers and (domestically, at least) Mamma Mia! first!

I agree. NYC may have the big commercial hits, but Chicago has a great regional theatre scene. Lots of great talent has come out of Chicago.