Dinner for 8 at Spoon / How to order?

[Edit: Copied from last post below...

I have a question as far as ordering. I know of the different menus and their subtleties, but I'm unsure of how to order things that may only be on the Thai menu. For example, can I just order the banana blossom salad, or the fried chicken with tamarind dipping sauce, or do I need to know/bring with the Thai names for these dishes?

Also, I'm looking for something that is delicious but quite spicy, as one of my friends isn't fond of Thai food but really enjoys something with a bit of fire to it.]

Hello everyone. I've asked a few questions on here in the past and you've all be more than helpful, so I figured this would be an excellent place to turn considering my current predicament.

I'm having dinner with seven of my fellow DePaul student friends this Thursday evening as part of a new weekly ritual, and this week is my choice for the restaurant. I live in Lincoln Square and the rest live in Lincoln Park, so anywhere between the two or nearby works well for me. I'd prefer to stay close to the Square because I feel I'm always going to LP to please them. Also, none of us drive, so public transportation accessibility is a must.

I'd prefer a restaurant that can take reservations, as it'll be late(ish) and might be busy by the time we get there.

My main concern is that most of the diners aren't terribly adventurous in what they try. I'll give anything a taste that sounds good, but... not so much for the rest of them. So, ideally somewhere that has a relatively safe menu but with some delectable dishes as well.

The final consideration is price. We're all college students, so most of us (or at least me) don't have a whole lot of cash to spend on nights out to eat.

Keeping these caveats in mind, I've thought of three places:
Spoon Thai - However, I'm not sure that my companions would really benefit from eating Pad Thai and such here, because they certainly wouldn't think of ordering anything off the delicious Thai menu.
Chicago Brauhaus - I love German food and they could easily find something to eat here, but it is a bit pricey.
Hopleaf - Though I'd love to browse through the beer list, it is slightly out of the way and also I'm not sure how well it'd accommodate a group.

Any other suggestions would be enormously appreciated. Thanks in advance for the replies.

Would Los Nopales be too adventurous for your group? It's very good Mexican, and it's BYOB. Prices are student friendly, too.

Los Nopales
4544 N. Western, Chicago
(773) 334-3149.

If you don't think you could convince your friends to order off of the Thai language menu at Spoon Thai, I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it and would agree with your conclusion. But I've brought non-adventurous eaters to Spoon and convinced them to try new dishes (such as the fried chicken with tamarind dipping sauce and the crispy pork with Chinese broccoli) and that's worked pretty well.

I'm not a big fan of Chicago Brauhaus. Instead, I'd suggest Laschet's Inn on Irving Park, just west of Damen. It won't really solve the price issue because it's as pricey as Chicago Brauhaus, but the food is always outstanding and it's relatively close to Lincoln Square.

I've gone to Hopleaf with larger groups and you certainly can expect to wait a while. Also, while Hopleaf has some reasonably priced sandwiches and the like, they do have a number of pricey options on the menu.

If you like Mexican food, Los Nopales is very good and is both reasonably priced and byo. Even better is Dorado on Foster, a little east of Western, and it is also byo, but it is pricier (comparable in price to Laschet's or Brauhaus).

The Grafton on Lincoln just north of Sunnyside is pretty decent as far as Irish pubs go, but nothing spectacular.

Finally, you're probably only about a mile from Kedzie and there are all of the Middle Eastern spots there. Why not try Semiramis. The prices are very reasonable, the food is excellent and I'm pretty sure it's byo.

You can search the site for comments on most of the above.

nshef wrote:I'd prefer a restaurant that can take reservations, as it'll be late(ish) and might be busy by the time we get there.

Hopleaf - Though I'd love to browse through the beer list, it is slightly out of the way and also I'm not sure how well it'd accommodate a group.

Hopleaf may let you make a reservation. In the past, I've been able to make a reservation for a group of 10, although we were dining earlier in the evening (6pm-ish). Anyway, it's worth making a call.

Laschet's is a fun place for a group. Check out the menu on their website to see if it's in your price range.

Semiramis is right near the Kedzie Brown Line stop. Not too far from Lincoln Square. It features excellent Lebanese food, but I have found the menu quite accessible to non-adventurous eaters and the prices are quite reasonable. I'm pretty sure it is also BYOB.

For German food that's more affordable than the Brauhaus (and better, imo), I'd suggest Resi's Bierstube on Irving Park Road just west of Damen.

Semiramis is an excellent suggestion. It's inexpensive, and they can certainly accomodate large groups.

Korean BBQ with large groups is also fun. There's San Soo Gab San on Western just north of Foster. Solga is another good one (that I've found accessible to non-Korean food experts) on Lincoln. Cho Sun Ok is also in the hood, but might be harder to get a large group into.

Pizza D.O.C. might also be a good bet for that size group/price range (and easier to get into than Spacca Napoli)

I'd also recommend Glenn's on Montrose near the Brown Line, and while I haven't been, many LTH'ers have been posting about the Atlantic Bar and Grill. Looks like it might suit your group.
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=14086

Another place to consider that doesn't get a lot of talk here is Latitudes. Right by the library, across from the park, they have a good middle-of-the-road menu that has sandwiches and salads but branches out into some slightly more adventurous stuff.

They also have a respectable beer list. If I can't figure out what I really want while wandering through the square, I usually end up at Latitudes for an app and whatever their beer of the month is. It's been Unibroue, Rogue, and Great Lakes over the past few months, which are all made even better by being $3 a bottle.

whiskeybent wrote:Another place to consider that doesn't get a lot of talk here is Latitudes. Right by the library, across from the park, they have a good middle-of-the-road menu that has sandwiches and salads but branches out into some slightly more adventurous stuff.

They also have a respectable beer list. If I can't figure out what I really want while wandering through the square, I usually end up at Latitudes for an app and whatever their beer of the month is. It's been Unibroue, Rogue, and Great Lakes over the past few months, which are all made even better by being $3 a bottle.

I was surprised at how good their beer list was last weekend. I had a Lagunitas Farmhouse Ale and a Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA. I didn't eat.

Another feature that I particularly enjoyed was that they have big screen TVs that roll down in the dining area for big games (we were looking for a spot to watch Pats-Jags). But after the game, the TVs rolled up and it was a nice no-TV zone. I've rarely seen this approach, but I like it very much.

No problem getting a table either, no overwhelming sports bar vibe.

I had a Lagunitas Farmhouse Ale

I had their Farmhouse there as well - it might well be my favorite Lagunitas and everyone else sells Brown Shugga and the Censored and the like. They really like their hops and managed to restrain theirselves just enough with the Farmhouse.

Latitudes is an excellent spot for football as well, I agree. Ricochet's is too overly sports-bar-y, if that makes sense. Latitudes is much more laid back.

whiskeybent wrote:

I had a Lagunitas Farmhouse Ale

I had their Farmhouse there as well - it might well be my favorite Lagunitas and everyone else sells Brown Shugga and the Censored and the like. They really like their hops and managed to restrain theirselves just enough with the Farmhouse.

You know, it's funny, I ordered the Farmhouse first (which I'd never had), and they delivered the Dogfish Head. I was rather taken aback by the hops, and was pretty darn sure they had poured wrong. It took several sips for palate expectation adjustment, but I was enjoying it just fine by the time the waitress returned.

When my friend later received a Farmhouse, I brought it up, which the waitress sheepishly confirmed.

rlguffman wrote:I'd also recommend Glenn's on Montrose near the Brown Line, and while I haven't been, many LTH'ers have been posting about the Atlantic Bar and Grill. Looks like it might suit your group.
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=14086

Since you mentioned cash is a consideration, I'd point you towards the Atlantic Bar and Grill. While their specials change occasionally, they had 1/2 price appetizers and $5 domestic pitchers the last Thursday that I was there. All things considered, Atlantic's Thursday specials equal a new best friend for a college student's budget!!!

rlguffman wrote:Semiramis is an excellent suggestion. It's inexpensive, and they can certainly accomodate large groups.

Korean BBQ with large groups is also fun. There's San Soo Gab San on Western just north of Foster. Solga is another good one (that I've found accessible to non-Korean food experts) on Lincoln. Cho Sun Ok is also in the hood, but might be harder to get a large group into.

Pizza D.O.C. might also be a good bet for that size group/price range (and easier to get into than Spacca Napoli)

I'd also recommend Glenn's on Montrose near the Brown Line, and while I haven't been, many LTH'ers have been posting about the Atlantic Bar and Grill. Looks like it might suit your group.
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=14086

I am very fond of San Soo Gab San. Very good BBQ and a variety of options. However, the food that complements the BBQ may seem adventerustic if they want to retain common tastes.

Thank you, all, for the suggestions.

I finally decided on Spoon, anyway. I feel like maybe I can convince them to try some things that aren't extremely adventurous but are still incredibly tasty.

However, I have a question as far as ordering. I know of the different menus and their subtleties, but I'm unsure of how to order things that may only be on the Thai menu. For example, can I just order the banana blossom salad, or the fried chicken with tamarind dipping sauce, or do I need to know/bring with the Thai names for these dishes?

Also, I'm looking for something that is delicious but quite spicy, as one of my friends isn't fond of Thai food but really enjoys something with a bit of fire to it.

HI,

The English shorthand used on this board is well known to the staff at Spoon. I have always eaten family style with food arriving and passed around. This allows everyone to learn what works for them.

There are three menus at Spoon: American, Erik M's translated menu and the Chicago Tribune's recommended choices. Ditch the American and use the other two to choose your food selections.

If you are having noodles, then you may use chopsticks. Otherwise Thais eat with fork and spoon.

Regards,