Help with birthday dinner.

I'm planning my 24th birthday dinner, and could really use some advice. I live up in Evanston and would like to get out of town, but I'm not as familiar with restaurants in the city. So here's what I'm looking for:

-Thai/Japanese/Korean cuisine (I have some very picky friends, so a broader menu would be great - a mix of safe dishes and something for the adventurous)
-I'd like to stay North of the Loop, but I'm not averse to making the trip if a restaurant is really worth it
-a broad price range would be really nice. I'm ok with spending $60 or so on my portion (entree/dessert/some drinks), but there will be some college students along (not drinking) who won't want to spend more than $25-30.
-and finally, somewhere I could dress up just a little (nice jeans and a blouse, nothing fancy) and not feel out-of-place

Thanks so much for the help! I'm hoping to make this a really fun night for everyone involved.

I'd recommend Katsu, which many on this Board consider one of the best sushi/Japonese restaurants in Chicago. It's on Peterson, so it's not too far from Evanston. There are many posts on Katsu, so you can find quite a bit of information on it.

Jonah

You might want to consider Jin Ju - it's not too far, in Andersonville, and it's Korean food on training wheels.

Jin Ju
5203 N. Clark St.
Chicago

Sloman-

Take a look at the Great Neighborhood Restaurant (GNR) winners for ideas. That would be a good place to start. TAC Quick or Spoon Thai would be two great Thai options. Search for threads on both as people have reported on group dinners that catered to a variety of tastes. Mediterranean or Middle Eastern appeals to many -- Semiramis comes to mind (or my local favorite, Big Buns and Pita in Rogers Park.) Dorado on Foster is more fine-dining Mexican if you want to stay north. They used to be BYO - call to check. For more excellent Mexican, consider Sol de Mexico and Fonda del Mar.

GNR's

TAC Quick (BYO)
3930 N. Sheridan Rd.
773-327-5253

Spoon Thai (BYO)
4608 N. Western Ave.
773-769-1173

Semiramis (BYO)
4639 N Kedzie Ave
773-279-8900

Big Buns & Pita (BYO)
6649 N Clark St
773-262-2000

Dorado (BYO - call to verify)
2301 W Foster Ave
773-561-3780

Sol de Mexico
3018 N Cicero Ave
773-282-4119

Fonda del Mar
3749 W Fullerton Ave
773-489-3748

You know, I hadn't even thought of Mexican, but that's definitely something to put on the list I'm a big fan of strong margaritas Thanks so much for the help, so many great suggestions so far!

Well, for Thai, I'm a big fan of Thai Sookdee in Evanston, which is a step up in terms of nice decor, spaciousness, etc than TAC Quick or Spoon Thai. I also like their food better, but it's worth noting that I prefer the more common Thai dishes (panang, tom kha gai, etc), which they do wonderfully (particularly the tom kha gai); if you're looking for more unusual/authentic Thai food, then the others do a better job.

For Mexican, I like Lupita's best among the Mexican restaurants in Evanston, particularly for their weekly specials more so than their conventional cuisine. My favorite Mexican restaurant in the entire Chicago area is Flamingo's Seafood in Mount Prospect, which is an easy 25-minute drive from Evanston. Make a reservation if you can (I'm not sure if they take them...?); they have been very busy since being featured on "Check Please". There's an entire discussion topic on Flamingo's.

I wonder if Butterfly would be up your alley?