Fine Dining Super Late?

There is a very small chance I'll be coming to Chicago on Friday just for 1 night to see Indiana University play in the NCAA tourney at the United Center. Do any of the top rated restaurants do super late seatings? I'm talking New York 11PM or midnight seatings. I may have to get in and go straight to the game.

Not sure where I'll stay yet- more likely than not the W or Sofitel.

Many of the finest restaurants in town take reservations on opentable.com which makes it easy to see, at a glance, which ones have openings at a particular time.

The following excellent places currently show reservations available at 11 pm this Friday:

Adobo Grill - Old Town (Mexican)
Aigre Doux (contemporary American)
Bistro 110 (French bistro)
Café Ba-Ba-Reeba (tapas)
Cuatro (Latin fusion)
Gioco (Italian)
Hugo's Frog Bar (seafood)
Marche (French)
McCormick and Schmick's (seafood)
Red Light (Asian fusion)
Smith and Wollensky (steakhouse)
Vermilion (fusion)

Of these, the following also show reservations available at midnight:

Aigre Doux (contemporary American)
Cuatro (Latin fusion)
McCormick and Schmick's (seafood)
Red Light (Asian fusion)
Smith and Wollensky (steakhouse - "Wollensky's Grill" area)

If you need a REALLY late table, Cuatro's website says they are open till 2 a.m.

(These are not all the restaurants with availability, only those I am familiar with and recommend.)

I strongly recommend Aigre Doux. See separate post.

Thank you for the help- I will probably aim for Aigre Doux if all comes together. On a side note, you couldn't pay me to eat at M&S or S&W. To call each terrible in their own right would be an insult to all things terrible.

jpschust wrote:On a side note, you couldn't pay me to eat at M&S or S&W. To call each terrible in their own right would be an insult to all things terrible.

Interesting, care to elaborate?

The food at M&S is absolutely horrible. At 2 different M&S they have tried to switch fish on me, and smith and wollensky is horribly overpriced, poorly aged tasteless junk of meat. Great for both if you are on an expense account but even that junk served at Ruth's Chris and Outback is better than the meat coming out of S&W. Dollar for dollar I'll never eat at one of these expensive chains with no emphasis on serious quality.

jpschust wrote:The food at M&S is absolutely horrible. At 2 different M&S they have tried to switch fish on me, and smith and wollensky is horribly overpriced, poorly aged tasteless junk of meat. Great for both if you are on an expense account but even that junk served at Ruth's Chris and Outback is better than the meat coming out of S&W. Dollar for dollar I'll never eat at one of these expensive chains with no emphasis on serious quality.

Hmmm Interesting...especially the part about S&W's meat.

stevez wrote:

jpschust wrote:The food at M&S is absolutely horrible. At 2 different M&S they have tried to switch fish on me, and smith and wollensky is horribly overpriced, poorly aged tasteless junk of meat. Great for both if you are on an expense account but even that junk served at Ruth's Chris and Outback is better than the meat coming out of S&W. Dollar for dollar I'll never eat at one of these expensive chains with no emphasis on serious quality.

Hmmm Interesting...especially the part about S&W's meat.

You may roll your eyes at me, but come now, you're in chicago- you've got a bunch of places doing quality aging for a quality price on quality cuts. You don't have to settle for this corporate schlock that's coming out of S&W. The last ribeye I had there was so lacking in flavor and bland that it might as well have been taken from the safeway a mile or two over.

jpschust wrote:You may roll your eyes at me, but come now, you're in chicago- you've got a bunch of places doing quality aging for a quality price on quality cuts. You don't have to settle for this corporate schlock that's coming out of S&W.

S&W may not be to your taste, but I've enjoyed their steaks many times. I prefer them over Gibson's and Morton's.

I would have to take exception with the term "corporate schlock". Yes they're a chain, but there are very, very few places in Chicago that have a dry aging room full of prime meat like S&W.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:

jpschust wrote:You may roll your eyes at me, but come now, you're in chicago- you've got a bunch of places doing quality aging for a quality price on quality cuts. You don't have to settle for this corporate schlock that's coming out of S&W.

S&W may not be to your taste, but I've enjoyed their steaks many times. I prefer them over Gibson's and Morton's.

I would have to take exception with the term "corporate schlock". Yes they're a chain, but there are very, very few places in Chicago that have a dry aging room full of prime meat like S&W.

Best,
Michael

I appreciate that we have different tastes, and their dry aging area looks impressive, but the steaks I've had from S&W have been acceptable at best and terrible at worst. Morton's gets lumped in to the same group as Outback, Ruth's Chris, S&W and whatnot to me. I haven't ever eaten at Gibson's. (Reminder, I'm a D.C. guy who has spent some time in Chicago, though not a ton...until I move to Chicago in a few more months...mmmm 9 months to go...)

jpschust wrote:...but the steaks I've had from S&W have been acceptable at best and terrible at worst. Morton's gets lumped in to the same group as Outback, Ruth's Chris, S&W and whatnot to me. I haven't ever eaten at Gibson's.

So, have you enjoyed a meal at a steakhouse in Chicago?

To be fair, certain of the high-end chains are very uneven city-to-city. S&W, Ruth's Chris and the Palm jump to mind. I was at the Palm in Denver a few weeks ago, and it was remarkably poor. It's pretty good in other cities. I seek out the local places, whether Bob's in Dallas or Murray's in MN, but travelling for business, you end up at these expense account places one way or the other. Morton's appears to do the best job of doing the same, relatively very good, thing in different cities. One other thing seems clear: the chains raise their game in places with high food standards and lots of competition, eg, through nicer spaces and better staff in the kitchen. Chicago is one of those places.

PS, I've never had a good experience at M&S either, even (and especially) here.

eatchicago wrote:

jpschust wrote:...but the steaks I've had from S&W have been acceptable at best and terrible at worst. Morton's gets lumped in to the same group as Outback, Ruth's Chris, S&W and whatnot to me. I haven't ever eaten at Gibson's.

So, have you enjoyed a meal at a steakhouse in Chicago?

I have and I'm trying to rack my brain right now as to where it was- it was about 2 years ago when we were in town for a few cubs games. It's going to take me a bit to rack my brain and look through my notes. But I have, I swear That said, I can tell you the last truly wonderful piece of meat I had in Chicago was at NoMI. It was this wonderful tenderloin, aged to perfection, rich and flavorful throughout. That said, it wasn't a steakhouse. Let me rack my brain.

jpschust wrote:Morton's gets lumped in to the same group as Outback, Ruth's Chris, S&W and whatnot to me.

Jpschust,

I would not put Morton's or Smith & Wollensky in the same category as Outback, there is a world of difference.

Personally, I've had more than my fair share of very good meals at both Mortons and S& W. At S & W it's all about the meat, the bone-in rib eye being my second favorite steak, next to the bone-in rib eye at David Burke's Primehouse, at Morton's it's more about the atmosphere. Morton's, the original at 1050 N State, is my personal steakhouse archetype.

I've only been to McCormick and Schmick's a couple of times, only once to the Chicago location, and have been less than enthused.

Enjoy,
Gary

I've only been to S&W here in Chicago once. I had the bone-in ribeye which was fantastic (but not as good as Primehouse). The other members of my party each had a different steak. None of them were anywhere close to as good as mine. So, I could see how someone would be less than enamored.

G Wiv wrote:

jpschust wrote:Morton's gets lumped in to the same group as Outback, Ruth's Chris, S&W and whatnot to me.

Jpschust,

I would not put Morton's or Smith & Wollensky in the same category as Outback, there is a world of difference.

Personally, I've had more than my fair share of very good meals at both Mortons and S& W. At S & W it's all about the meat, the bone-in rib eye being my second favorite steak, next to the bone-in rib eye at David Burke's Primehouse, at Morton's it's more about the atmosphere. Morton's, the original at 1050 N State, is my personal steakhouse archetype.

I've only been to McCormick and Schmick's a couple of times, only once to the Chicago location, and have been less than enthused.

Enjoy,
Gary

To give you a comparison, my archetype of a steakhouse is Luger's.

If you're leaning toward Aigre Doux, then I would call to confirm that they will seat you that late. Last Friday, I was looking for 3:00 lunch places and Aigre Doux showed "open reservations" on opentable.com throughout the afternoon, which contradicted the lunch hours listed on Open Table page indicating that it stopped serving lunch at 2 p.m.

jpschust wrote:I have and I'm trying to rack my brain right now as to where it was- it was about 2 years ago when we were in town for a few cubs games. It's going to take me a bit to rack my brain and look through my notes. But I have, I swear

Here is a list of most of the better and/or well-known steakhouses in the city (C) and suburbs (S). Maybe perusing this list will help jog your memory.

Gibson's (C,S) - www.gibsonssteakhouse.com
Morton's (C,S) - www.mortons.com
Gene and Georgetti (C) - www.geneandgeorgetti.com
Saloon (C) - www.saloonsteakhouse.com
Carson's (C,S) - www.ribs.com
Joe's (C) - www.icon.com/joes
Pete Miller's (S) - www.petemillers.com
Wildfire (C,S) - www.wildfirerestaurant.com
Keefer's (C) - www.keefersrestaurant.com
Black Ram (S) - www.blackramsteakhouse.com
Capital Grille (C,S) - www.thecapitalgrille.com
Smith and Wollensky (C) - www.smithandwollensky.com
Chicago Chop House (C) - www.chicagochophouse.com
David Burke's Primehouse (C) - www.davidburke.com/primehouse.html
Tramonto's Steak and Seafood (S) - www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/ ... rtyID=1724
Ruth's Chris (C,S) - www.ruthschris.com
Sullivan's (C,S) - www.sullivansteakhouse.com
The Palm (C,S) - www.thepalm.com
Mike Ditka's (C) - www.mikeditkaschicago.com
Don Roth's Blackhawk (S) - www.theblackhawk.com
Erie Cafe (C) - www.eriecafe.com
Harry Caray's (C) - www.harrycarays.com
Stoney River (S) - www.stoneyriver.com

It also might have been Eli's The Place for Steak, which closed in 2005.

Wow..I must admit, I am baffled by the hate for S&W...I don't know how many times you've tried the Chicago location, but I can honestly say the Ribeye I had there New Year's Eve may well have been the finest piece of meat I've ever ingested.....ironically though, I've also eaten the same cut at the original S&W in NYC, and found it quite inferior (though certainly not terrible)..

I also had a very sub-par filet recently at Gibson's (which I usually consider to be the gold standard)...so guess anything is possible day to day at any steak house....

And finally, while I believe Chicago far outshines NYC in terms of quantity of the highest quality steakhouses in America, we DO NOT have any one place that approaches Luger's...so you may be out of luck trying to match that!

nsxtasy wrote:

jpschust wrote:I have and I'm trying to rack my brain right now as to where it was- it was about 2 years ago when we were in town for a few cubs games. It's going to take me a bit to rack my brain and look through my notes. But I have, I swear

Here is a list of most of the better and/or well-known steakhouses in the city (C) and suburbs (S). Maybe perusing this list will help jog your memory.

Gibson's (C,S) - www.gibsonssteakhouse.com
Morton's (C,S) - www.mortons.com
Gene and Georgetti (C) - www.geneandgeorgetti.com
Saloon (C) - www.saloonsteakhouse.com
Carson's (C,S) - www.ribs.com
Joe's (C) - www.icon.com/joes
Pete Miller's (S) - www.petemillers.com
Wildfire (C,S) - www.wildfirerestaurant.com
Keefer's (C) - www.keefersrestaurant.com
Black Ram (S) - www.blackramsteakhouse.com
Capital Grille (C,S) - www.thecapitalgrille.com
Smith and Wollensky (C) - www.smithandwollensky.com
Chicago Chop House (C) - www.chicagochophouse.com
David Burke's Primehouse (C) - www.davidburke.com/primehouse.html
Tramonto's Steak and Seafood (S) - www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/ ... rtyID=1724
Ruth's Chris (C,S) - www.ruthschris.com
Sullivan's (C,S) - www.sullivansteakhouse.com
The Palm (C,S) - www.thepalm.com
Mike Ditka's (C) - www.mikeditkaschicago.com
Don Roth's Blackhawk (S) - www.theblackhawk.com
Erie Cafe (C) - www.eriecafe.com
Harry Caray's (C) - www.harrycarays.com
Stoney River (S) - www.stoneyriver.com

It also might have been Eli's The Place for Steak, which closed in 2005.

After reviewing the list I am almost sure it was Gene and Georgetti. I just e-mailed who we were entertaining at the time to see if that was it, but we had amazing service and the cuts we all got were incredible. That said, I'm glancing at some reviews at the same time right now and some don't seem to mimic the experience we had.

Funny, based on your Luger reference, I was going to guess/suggest G&G.

Like Luger, but more so, G&G is polarizing. I know some folks, whose opions I respect, that hate it. But over the years, most of the G&G bashers I've encountered end up complaining about price, crowds, smoke, testosterone, "decor" and gruff waiters, while admitting they don't really pay much attention to the steak. Count me as a firm G&G fan.

I always send people from NY and Philly there, and usually get good feedback. It seems to resonate.

JeffB wrote:Funny, based on your Luger reference, I was going to guess/suggest G&G.

Like Luger, but more so, G&G is polarizing. I know some folks, whose opions I respect, that hate it. But over the years, most of the G&G bashers I've encountered end up complaining about price, crowds, smoke, testosterone, "decor" and gruff waiters, while admitting they don't really pay much attention to the steak. Count me as a firm G&G fan.

I always send people from NY and Philly there, and usually get good feedback. It seems to resonate.

It really sounds like that's what it was- unfortunately I don't work for that company anymore and I can't pull up my old expense report for that, but it was where the guest had wanted to go and we agreed on it. Can I just say that I can't wait to move to Chicago and have these discussions in person with you all?

jpschust wrote:Can I just say that I can't wait to move to Chicago and have these discussions in person with you all?

I can't wait to see if you still feel that way after you've already had these discussions in person with us all

(I keed, I keed!)

Dmnkly wrote:

jpschust wrote:Can I just say that I can't wait to move to Chicago and have these discussions in person with you all?

I can't wait to see if you still feel that way after you've already had these discussions in person with us all

(I keed, I keed!)

can't be any worse than the folks i hang out with from the dc version of this board - www.donrockwell.com

JeffB wrote:But over the years, most of the G&G bashers I've encountered end up complaining about price, crowds, smoke, testosterone, "decor" and gruff waiters, while admitting they don't really pay much attention to the steak. Count me as a firm G&G fan.

I don't remember what cut I had there last time, probably NY Strip, but it was mushy and livery tasting, without any hint of char crust. Not good.

leek wrote:

JeffB wrote:But over the years, most of the G&G bashers I've encountered end up complaining about price, crowds, smoke, testosterone, "decor" and gruff waiters, while admitting they don't really pay much attention to the steak. Count me as a firm G&G fan.

I don't remember what cut I had there last time, probably NY Strip, but it was mushy and livery tasting, without any hint of char crust. Not good.

After many visits, I am struck by the highlighted text. "Overchar" is among the main complaints from G&G haters. It's why I like the place, as I insist on black and blue. G&G is capable of serving a cool, bloody steak with a layer of crispy carbon on the outside. Pretty sure that the recent steak survey in one of the papers focused on this point.

I suspect this was a the result of male chauvinism on the waiter's part. Seriously.

PS, the photo of Michael Stern's steak in his gushing Roadfood review is very representative of a G&G steak, which will repulse some and entice others.

jpschust wrote:There is a very small chance I'll be coming to Chicago on Friday just for 1 night to see Indiana University play in the NCAA tourney at the United Center. Do any of the top rated restaurants do super late seatings? I'm talking New York 11PM or midnight seatings. I may have to get in and go straight to the game.

Getting back to the original question, another option might be Avec, which is fairly close to the United Center. Potential downside is that they don't do "seatings," as they don't take reservations. The kitchen is, I believe, open until 1:00 a.m. on weekends. Here's an LTH thread on Avec, and there are several others if you use the search function or a domain-specific search on Google.

Avec
615 W Randolph
Chicago
312.377.2002
http://www.avecrestaurant.com

[On further review, I should note that Avec doesn't fit the "fine dining" criterion, although it acquits itself quite well for a more casual dining experience.]