Chicago restaurants - your top 5?

[nsxtasy]

We'll be in Chicago in July for a few days for my nephew's wedding.  One night we'd like to take him and his bride-to-be to dinner.  Something really nice - but ok for younger people who don't have much fine dining experience.  IOW - yummy food - excellent service - not weird.  I was looking at Tru as a possible.  What do you think?  Robyn

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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.

Edited January 25, 2008 by nsxtasy (log)

[jesteinf]

How about Spiaggia? Great setting, I've always had good service, and it's upscale Italian (so it will be nice, but also very accessible).

[ulterior epicure]

Here's another take on Top 5 in Chicago:

I have only one night to play with.  Which of the following 5 should I visit (all restaurants that have opened since I've been up to the Windy City last)?

Sepia

Aigre Doux

Table 52

The Gage

Otom

The jury's still out on whether Chef Carlson will be opening anytime soon.

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Okay, back to my question:

1. I forgot about Takashi, so add that to the list of contenders.

2. I like simple websites, but Table 52 needs to throw its online visitors a bone. Can anyone tell me if it's open for dinner on Sunday night? Even Takashi's one-pager has that information (albeit, disappointingly, no menus).

[jesteinf]

UE,

I'm going to Takashi tonight so I'll let you know what I think. Also, for menus and hours I've been using menupages a lot recently. They have a "sample" menu up for Takashi, but I have a feeling it's pretty close to the actual menu based on early reports.

[nsxtasy]

How about Spiaggia?  Great setting, I've always had good service, and it's upscale Italian (so it will be nice, but also very accessible).

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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.

2. I like simple websites, but Table 52 needs to throw its online visitors a bone.  Can anyone tell me if it's open for dinner on Sunday night?  Even Takashi's one-pager has that information (albeit, disappointingly, no menus).

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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.

Edited January 25, 2008 by nsxtasy (log)

[jesteinf]

My suggestion of Spiaggia was meant for robyn. I was assuming that robyn was familiar with the level of formality at Tru and was just trying to recommend something comparable. I just assumed they didn't want to go someplace "stuffy" as opposed to someplace "dressy".

[ulterior epicure]

How about Spiaggia?  Great setting, I've always had good service, and it's upscale Italian (so it will be nice, but also very accessible).

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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.

Unless, of course, Robyn intends to introduce the young couple to fine dining. Then, I would say that TRU wouldn't necessarily be inappropriate - as opposed to Trotters, Les Nomades, or Everest, which I find to be unnervingly formal.

2. I like simple websites, but Table 52 needs to throw its online visitors a bone.  Can anyone tell me if it's open for dinner on Sunday night?  Even Takashi's one-pager has that information (albeit, disappointingly, no menus).

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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.

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That's sort of my point - I shouldn't have to rely on ancillary sites to get information on a particular restauarant - especially when that restaurant has an otherwise informative, functioning, and well-designed site. Thanks, for your leg-work. I'm not lazy, rather just making a point: un-updated restaurant websites are a personal pet peeve.

Edited January 25, 2008 by ulterior epicure (log)

[robyn]

You know - Spiaggia was the first restaurant that came to mind. We had lunch at the cafe there last time we were in Chicago (2002) - and thought it was quite nice. But I've read a lot of recent on-line reviews of the main dining room - and quite a few were very negative (of course - you never know who the people are who are writing the reviews).

The reason I liked Tru is that it has one of those 3 courses for X dollars menus - with quite a few choices in each category. I really like that kind of menu. Everyone can pick foods that he or she likes (my husband and I are worlds apart in terms of what we most prefer to eat - he will always go for pork and I will always go for little birds if offered). In fact - it is my first choice for my husband and myself one evening if we take my nephew out elsewhere (I am not a fan of tasting menu only restaurants). BTW - the dress code (jacket required) isn't a big deal. That's how my husband likes to dress when we're in a big city - and I assume my nephew owns a jacket (even though his wedding reception will be in a bowling alley).

Also - I have never found a place to be "unnervingly formal". Formal yes - unnervingly so - no. Perhaps that's because if I'm eating a great meal - I am always relaxed and having fun. And I don't mind a little dignity with my meals - none of this "hello my name is Bruce and I'll be your server tonight" .

And I guess you're right UE - my husband and I were first introduced to fine dining by some older people when we were in our 20's. I am sure my nephew knows nothing of this world - so it is time for him to start learning.

Just to make sure I have my facts straight. It seems to me that both Alinea and Avenues are tasting menus only (judging from the web sites). Is that correct? Robyn

[ulterior epicure]

You know - Spiaggia was the first restaurant that came to mind.  We had lunch at the cafe there last time we were in Chicago (2002) - and thought it was quite nice.  But I've read a lot of recent on-line reviews of the main dining room - and quite a few were very negative (of course - you never know who the people are who are writing the reviews).

... and though I've not been, I did not suggest Spiaggia for these reasons.

Also - I have never found a place to be "unnervingly formal".  Formal yes - unnervingly so - no.  Perhaps that's because if I'm eating a great meal - I am always relaxed and having fun.  And I don't mind a little dignity with my meals - none of this "hello my name is Bruce and I'll be your server tonight"  .

I don't mind dignity, but kowtowing sometimes gets a bit old. I felt that Trotters (which I think is still the best service I've received in the U.S.) was very good - a little too (unnervingly) good. It was like watching a graceful ballet.

Just to make sure I have my facts straight.  It seems to me that both Alinea and Avenues are tasting menus only (judging from the web sites).  Is that correct?  Robyn

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Correct.

[jesteinf]

Re: Spiaggia...There was definitely some negative word of mouth for awhile, but everything I've heard recently seems to indicate that things have changed for the better. I think Tru would be a really good choice for you as well.

[ulterior epicure]

Actually, The Avenues is a great middle ground. Chef Bowles is playful. The service is refined - you'll get the dignity you enjoy - yet relaxed enough to put first-time fine diners at ease. The food is somewhat avante garde: not as outrageously theatrical as moto or pyrotechnically molecular as Alinea. I think Chef Bowle's approach to food appeals to the adventurous (and perhaps younger) crowd (Chef Bowles has yet to hit 30) while maintaining enough basis in classic cuisine to resonate with more traditionally- (notice, I didn't say, and I don't mean to implicate, "older") minded diners.

[nsxtasy]

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.)

Edited January 26, 2008 by nsxtasy (log)

[VPF]

Actually, The Avenues is a great middle ground.  Chef Bowles is playful.  The service is refined - you'll get the dignity you enjoy - yet relaxed enough to put first-time fine diners at ease.  The food is somewhat avante garde: not as outrageously theatrical as moto or pyrotechnically molecular as Alinea. I think Chef Bowle's approach to food appeals to the adventurous (and perhaps younger) crowd (Chef Bowles has yet to hit 30) while maintaining enough basis in classic cuisine to resonate with more traditionally- (notice, I didn't say, and I don't mean to implicate, "older") minded diners.

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http://grahamelliot.com/

[ulterior epicure]

Here's another take on Top 5 in Chicago:

I have only one night to play with.  Which of the following 5 should I visit (all restaurants that have opened since I've been up to the Windy City last)?

Sepia

Aigre Doux

Table 52

The Gage

Otom

The jury's still out on whether Chef Carlson will be opening anytime soon.

←

With the addition of Takashi's, what about Terra Gusto or BoKa? I need to go into their respective threads and poke around.

Anyone willing to give me their lithmus reads on Terra Gusto or BoKa?

[robyn]

Thought I would give this thread a bump - since I will be making my reservations soon. Any new thinking on Tru? Does anyone know when it became part of Lettuce Entertain You? Has anyone dined there since Chef Graham took over the kitchen? I would hate to dine at an expensive restaurant 3 years too late.

Also - has anyone ever dined at Seasons? We'll be staying at the Four Seasons - and I know we will get excellent service. As for the food - I don't have a clue.

I understand that Schwa has reopened - but if we try to go there - my husband and I will go ourselves. Doesn't seem like the right kind of place to have a quiet leisurely dinner with people we want to spend time talking with. Robyn

[StanSherman]

Thought I would give this thread a bump - since I will be making my reservations soon.  Any new thinking on Tru?  Does anyone know when it became part of Lettuce Entertain You? 

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As far as I know it started that way.

[jesteinf]

Thought I would give this thread a bump - since I will be making my reservations soon.  Any new thinking on Tru?  Does anyone know when it became part of Lettuce Entertain You?  Has anyone dined there since Chef Graham took over the kitchen?  I would hate to dine at an expensive restaurant 3 years too late.

Also - has anyone ever dined at Seasons?  We'll be staying at the Four Seasons - and I know we will get excellent service.  As for the food - I don't have a clue.

I understand that Schwa has reopened - but if we try to go there - my husband and I will go ourselves.  Doesn't seem like the right kind of place to have a quiet leisurely dinner with people we want to spend time talking with.  Robyn

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I've been to Seasons once, but it was a few years ago. For the life of me I can't remember what I ate, but I do remember the food being really good. You're right about the service. When we ate there, one of the waiters spilled the cream served with coffee all over one of the guests at our table. The took his jacket and tie and had them dry cleaned while we ate dessert. The clothes were returned by the time we paid the check.

[nyokie6]

We also ate at Seasons with a different chef, but the service was excellent and when we wanted glasses of white to start with they offered us choices from that nights wine pairing when nothing on the menu interested us. We ordered off the menu and I would think it would be a very comfortable place to take your nephew.

Tru has always been part of Lettuce, but it has changed so much that "I" won't go back(at this time)

-I would recomend that you look at the more recent reviews when deciding if it is currently a place that meets your needs.

I like Spiaggia(esp. on Sun>) but our meals have been mixed, sometimes I think its the veiw I like the best .

Schwa was great, but I look at it as a food destination, not a dining out sort of place- am I clear? or have I just confused you.

The PROBLEM with Chicago is that there are just too many choices.

Tobi

[robyn]

nyokie6 - Part of the reason I'm asking questions here is I keep running across formal reviews of places like Tru that are 5-10 years old (the review in one Chicago paper of Tru was from 1999). *Way* out of date. I can find dozens of diners' comments on line - but whether they're favorable or unfavorable - I'm never sure whether they're on target since I don't know the people (at least on formal food chat boards like eGullet - I can look up what people have said about places I know - and get some frame of reference when it comes to evaluating what they say about a place).

BTW - you did confuse me when you said that Schwa was a "destination" - not a "dining out" place. Since I am in Florida - all of these restaurants are destination restaurants for me . Just as a point of information - right now the restaurant seems to be BYOB - which is kind of inconvenient when you're from out of town.

FWIW - I decided to go to Seasons with my nephew and his fiancee. I think it's a safe choice. At worst - the food and service will be good - and - at best - it will be a lot better than that. It's kind of hard being a hostess when you're not familiar with the city where you're playing hostess - and I am more interested in avoiding a bad experience (which I have had in Chicago before at restaurants that were supposed to be pretty good) than having an exceptional one.

Of course - my husband and I will have several days on our own - and we can be more adventurous for those meals. Have been doing a little reading - and I thought the new Graham Elliot sounded like it would be fun. My husband is really adverse to any restaurant which bills itself as "molecular" (we had a spectacularly bad meal in the only "molecular" restaurant I've ever been able to drag him to) - and this new restaurant may be a way to get him to warm up to this kind of cooking (it doesn't seem like it will be "hard core" - there are no mandatory 20 course tasting menus - and it won't cost a fortune). Of course - it's hard to tell exactly what kind of food Chef Bowles will serve just based on the written descriptions. Robyn

[ulterior epicure]

nyokie6, it seems, from the initial list of considerations you provided, you're looking for a more formal setting.

However, in my experience, my best meals in Chicago have been anything but formal, they've been somewhere in-between:

North Pond

blackbird

NoMi (under Sandro Gamba, it may be equally as good under Andrew

Zimmerman; I can't say)

Avenues (under G. Elliot Bowles, I will be anxious to see how/what Curtis Duffy does as successor)

spring (albeit, I ate there four years ago)

avec (volume 15, crowded, but good)

Of the formal fine dining set, I would rank my experiences thusly:

Avenues

Les Francais (now defunct)

Les Nomades

Everest

Vie

TRU

Charlie Trotters (service was amazing)

moto

alinea

I've never been to Spiaggia.

[robyn]

UE - Like I mentioned a ways up in this thread - I've had lunch at Cafe Spiaggia. It was relatively inexpensive and the pasta was really excellent. I am not sure I would have enjoyed a much more expensive dinner in the main dining room anywhere near as much.

When was the last time you went to Blackbird? I have an article from Town & Country Travel dated summer 2006 (I save articles for trips) which describes it - and it sounds good. OTOH - although I think restaurants in Chicago have longer staying power than those in some other cities - at some point - they are over the hill. I rarely get to a particular city - and - if I err - I would rather err on the side of being a little too early in going to a place than too late. At least with a new place - you haven't read about how 300 people loved it in years past - only to find that you are disappointed with the current reality. FWIW - this is our first trip to Chicago since early 2002 - before Chef Bowles was at the Peninsula - and he will be gone by the time we arrive this summer. Frequently - timing is everything. Robyn

[nyokie6]

UE-I was trying to reply to Robyn's comment that this would be a new experience for her nephew, also I have read many other of her posts over the years and I may have been influenced somewhat by those.

Our last trip to Chicago was JUNE '07, We ate at Schwa, Sweets & Savories, avec, Avenues, Spiaggia, and Alinea for dinner. Naha, Blackbird, Hot Dougs, Greek Town and a few other places for lunch.

Blackbird is a favorite lunch stop for us when in Chicago and we have been multiple times.

Other than Vie, north pond and moto we have eaten at the others on your list, though our order of "best experience" would be very different. Also during the three years I lived in Chicago I ate at many "local" places, in fact I got so lost looking for a former favorite south side place that I won'tdo it again!

By the way-I enjoy reading your extensive reviews and will continue to look forward to them.

Robyn- you go to Schwa for the food, and Michaels incredible unexpected matches. Service was friendly, informative and casual. We brought our wine with us in our checked baggage as we were going our 1st night and didn't want to worry about it. There are many suggestions on what to bring and we chose to bring a sparkling and a red-worked fine. It was our overall favorite meal of the trip!

Tobi

[ulterior epicure]

UE - Like I mentioned a ways up in this thread - I've had lunch at Cafe Spiaggia.  It was relatively inexpensive and the pasta was really excellent.  I am not sure I would have enjoyed a much more expensive dinner in the main dining room anywhere near as much.

And, so have I (enjoyed lunch immensely at Cafe Spiaggia). But, like you, I've never felt compelled to commit a meal to the dining room, despite the view.

When was the last time you went to Blackbird?

I've not been to blackbird since the summer of '05. (My gosh, time flies!) So, my opinion on blackbird may not be the most up-to-date. That being said, both times I've eaten at blackbird, I've truly enjoyed it.

OTOH - although I think restaurants in Chicago have longer staying power than those in some other cities - at some point - they are over the hill.

I would tend to agree with that. I have no hard evidence, but that seems to be my observation.

Edited April 15, 2008 by ulterior epicure (log)

[ulterior epicure]

UE-I was trying to reply to Robyn's comment that this would be a new experience for her nephew,  also I have read many other of her posts over the years and I may have been influenced somewhat by those.... By the way-I enjoy reading your extensive reviews and will continue to look forward to them.

Thanks.

Robyn- you go to Schwa for the food, and Michaels incredible unexpected matches.  Service was friendly, informative and casual.  We brought our wine with us in our checked baggage as we were going our 1st night and didn't want to worry about it.  There are many suggestions on what to bring and we chose to bring a sparkling and a red-worked fine. It was our overall favorite meal of the trip!

I know I'm in the minority, here, but schwa really underwhelmed me. That being said, I do hope to return now that Michael Carlson has renewed steam. His version of the quail egg ravioli is one of the most memorable dishes of my life.

[jesteinf]

I've been to Blackbird a couple of times in the last few months for dinner. It's outstanding.