SeAAttle

I will spend a few days on my own in Basel and then go to Geneva for a conference. Will stay in the old town in Basel so any recommendations within a reasonable walking distance would be appreciated. An older thread gives a rather limited selection but it's 3 years old. Prefer local cuisine rather, but will certainly consider anything that comes highly recommended. In Geneva, I am responsible for finding a restaurant for dinner with a couple of friends from Australia who enjoy fine dining in a pleasant setting. I know the cost will be high so we are probably not interested in the very top tier. Will be staying at the Starling Hotel and Resort, not in the main downtown area. Thanks for any recommendations.

Thanks. That is important to me.

Chose Restaurant Eugene. Will report back. Are restaurants in Atlanta non-smoking?

Thanks to you and micropundit for the suggestions, both restaurants and jazz.

Sorry for the vague request. The four best is what I had in mind. Had considered the first three but need to read about The Dining Room. Thanks.

I will be in Atlanta for a conference late June. A colleague/friend will also be there and we have a tradition of dining at top end places whenever we attend the same meeting. Staying at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and happy to take a cab. I lived in the South for 10 years and am not interested in "traditional southern". Also, since I am from Seattle, seafood is out. Not a big steak fan. (Gee, I am sounding very particular). Have dined in Atlanta twice before. One I remember was New Year's Eve 2000 at Panos and Pauls. Any recommendations for the hot spots would be appreciated. Also, jazz club recommendations. Unfortunately, I think we will have only one night free (probably a Thursday). Thanks for your help. S.

I recommend Lazy Susan in Cannon Beach for breakfast. It is a much smaller, quieter experience than P 'n P (ok, I realize that is faint praise). Also, don't miss Yummy, as syrah girl suggested. For dinner, we have found the fixed price dinner at the Stephanie Inn to be quite good. A new chef started a couple of years ago and she has rejuvenated things.

We have dined at Elemental several times in the last two months, usually celebrating a professional event with another couple. Everyone has been very impressed and we have stopped ordering from the menu, but instead just have Phred bring us whatever. He asks if anyone has food allergies and the rest is up to him. Great setting for a long conversation with small tastes and good wine pairings. They have opened space immediately adjacent for light meals and drinks. Also a nice place to wait for the second seating. Still very high on our list as a pleasant experience and very tasty food at a very reasonable price.

Recommend Maximilien in the Market, lunch or dinner. Just to the left of the fish throwers in Pike Market, take the corridor that angles off to the left. Great view of Elliott Bay, even if the weather is not great. Best to make reservations for dinner, although walk-ins will often be fine.

Hmmmmm - we have dined at Le Gourmand several times and I would not put it in the same class with Rovers - both quality and price. Rover's will be much more than $200, unless you meant per person.

We returned to Stumbling Goat, at the recommendation of acquaintances who are regulars, for the first time in several years. We thought the food was quite good, the service was certainly adequate, and the wine list is extensive. I agree that the entrees are pricey. At least they now have real wine glasses!

I second the recommendation to plan a lunch (or brunch on Sunday) at Maximilien.

From what I read in the PI, I'm looking forward to the new incarnation. Tilth ← Tilth will be located less than a block away from Smash Wine Bar. Great place to have a drink before dinner. We went back this week for a second time - most enjoyable.

I thought I should report back on our dining experience in Chicago since the group here was so kind in helping with recomendations. Schwa was everything we expected it to be. I am sorry to say it has been several weeks since we were there and I cannot remember what we had. Unfortunately, one bottle of wine we brought from Seattle was corked, but that did not deter our enjoyment. I noted that the regulars brought their own wine AND wine glasses! The small water glasses for wine were the only negative (obviously not a big deal, just a preference). I have struggled to identify a restaurant in Seattle that is quite as creative as Schwa (although I must admit I could do without the "foam"). We recommended it highly to friends who live in Chicago but have not yet been. North Pond was delightful - the setting, the decor, the service and the food. Highly recommended. Custom House was also very good and "suffered" only by comparison to Schwa and North Pond. Our wait person (also the wine steward?) was very knowledgeable (even about Oregon/Washington State wines) and helpful. We may return in September for a long weekend to try out a few spots we could not include this time. Overall, a very pleasant visit to Chicago, gastronically and otherwise. Thanks to all who helped us plan our Chicago dining experience.

I assume that "downtown Hilton" means the one on S. Michigan. If so, you're walking distance from Gioco. Yes, that's correct - Chicago Hilton. Thanks for the Gioco recommendation. The remainder of the itinerary includes four days of fasting!

Our food intinerary is now set with Schwa (Saturday evening), North Pond for Sunday brunch (a special Easter event) and Custom House on Sunday evening. Originally thought we were being hosted on Monday evening, but now that is uncertain. I may not know for certain until late Monday. Any recommendations for a last minute reservation, preferably not too far from the downtown Hilton (reasonable cab ride)? Thanks.

I agree completely. We went once and found the service ok but uninformed, the food good but not great, and the prices much too high.

On another thread, I asked for recommendations for our April trip to Chicago - two nights available. For Saturday, we have booked Schwa. I am very interested in Custom House for Sunday night. A couple of questions: Is Custom House non-smoking? We are very sensitive to smoke drift. Second, I have tried to reserve on Open Table for April 16 and get the message that the date exceeds the maximum advance reservation time. Do they take reservations only a month in advance?

All set for dinner on Saturday evening at Schwa. Judith, I mentioned your recommendation when making the reservation. They really appreciate your support. For Sunday evening, I am leaning toward Custom House. It seems fairly close to our hotel (Hilton downtown) - helpful since Monday will be a work day for me. Also, with the focus on meat, I thought CH might be a good contrast to Schwa. Opinions?

This is probably best discussed here. =R= ← OK, OK, I know. Just curious where Chicago folks dine when they visit the PNW.

Ruth's Chris is in the Hyatt, not quite attached to the convention center. It's just a steak house. Most of the downtown restaurants that are raved about on this forum are reasonable walking distance, Palace Kitchen, Lola, and Dahlia for instance (and all owned by the same local company.) Union is all of 8 blocks as is the Market. Tulio's at The Vintage Park Hotel is not that far either - and you can look at the Central Library across the street. Restaurant Zoe may be a little farther, but worth the walk. If it isn't raining hard or really windy, it's almost flat and not that scary. ← Brasserie Margaux is in the Warwick, just down the block from Lola. BM is now offering prime rib. We have not tried it yet, but I expect it will be quite good. Also, the chateaubriand for two carved at the table is excellent. As I understand, it is going off the menu - too bad. Order of magnitude better than Ruth's Chris or even Metropolitan Grill.

This is going to be hard, with only two dinners and a brunch! Schwa seems to be very high on many lists. They are closed Sunday's so we would have to hope that our flight is on time and book a rather late reservation. Judith, thanks for the kind welcome. Is Brittany also the owner (I think I read this in another post)? What restaurants do you enjoy in Seattle and Vancouver?

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I will do a bit of reading and perhaps come back when I have narrowed the choices. Strange, I posted a reply upthread but it seems to have disappeared.

We will be spending three nights in Chicago in mid April. Arriving on Saturday, departing Tuesday. We will be hosted on Monday night so will have Saturday and Sunday evening, and Sunday brunch to sample your gastronomic offerings. We will be staying at the Hilton on Michigan Ave so the first night (Saturday) probably should be relatively close to the hotel. Our flight arrives at 6pm. Possibilities I have gleaned from perusing the threads here include Blackbird, Schwa, Prairie Grass, Butter, Alinea. Since we live in Seattle, seafood would probably not be high on our list to try. Are Chicago restaurants non-smoking? That is important for us, so we would pass on any establishment in which smoke drift (from the bar, for example) would be a problem. Recommendations for two dinners and a Sunday brunch would be most appreciated. S.

Any additional information? We have been looking for a wine bar with weekly tastings, since the Fremont Wine Bar closed.