31 Years-For Real

My husband and I wil be celebrating our 31st anniversary the end of this month. We have always enjoyed fine dining and have been to some of Chicago's loveliest spots; ie, Tru, Trio, Everest, Trotters, Spiaga (many years ago), Carlos, Le Francis, Ambria. We would like to try some place we have not been to for our celebration. Please send me your ideas for that special "special occasion spot."

Les Nomades has fantastic, distinctive food, great wines, impeccable service and it's fairly romantic as well. Have you been there?

=R=

Well, apart from Les Nomades and maybe the Ritz-Carlton Dining Room it sounds like you've pretty much made the circuit of the classy four-stars. Now you're looking a little more at the trendier places-- MK, Spring, Nomi, etc.-- which could be very fine but are likely to elicit words other than "lovely." Or you're looking at going out of town to a place like Tallgrass in Lockport.

What about North Pond?

Been to Les Nomades; loved North Pond; Tallgrass was a "B D E" due to a terrible waiter. Liked Spring and MK. Tell me about Nomi. Also, has anyone been to Pluton's?

1st, congrats on 31 years of marriage!

As noted, you have visited pretty much all of the top tier places in town. Have you tried Le Titi de Paris out in Arlington Heights?

Zealous? It's gotten mixed reviews over the years, I had a meal a few years ago that never quite reached Trotterian heights of flavor (the chef was at Trotter's) but scored on pleasantly upscale surroundings and accomodatingness (to the dietary preferences of a couple of guests).

Wow, that sounds really damning with faint praise when I look at it. It was a very good meal, just didn't quite hit the highest heights. But skillful, enjoyable, well worth a try if you've tried all the others...

BigDar wrote:Also, has anyone been to Pluton's?

I was going to suggest Pluton, although I haven't been there yet. (I've heard wonderful things.

I have a reservation for early Aug. and you can expect a full report.

I'll put my vote in for Pluton. I have dined there once, it was Valentine's Day and they STILL managed to provide marvelous, unhurried service and excellent food. Utterly professional, not cutting edge or heavily traditional, either. I do recommend it.

...stay at the Pfister, and go to Sanford. You'll thank me later. Lock!


http://www.sanfordrestaurant.com/

I would suggest Zealous, I had a celebration dinner there which hit on every single note - everything was incrediably good, with only a single piece of the desert amuse being just "okay".

Note, we ordered off the ala carte menu vs. ordering the chef's table/tasting, however based on our meal and the conversation we had with Chef Taus at the end of the meal (which ended up being for about 20 minutes, it was a quiet night and we were there somewhat late), I would and do plan on returning and putting myself into his very capable hands.

I have since sent others to Zealous and they too have reported having extremely good and very memorable meals.

A further plus, I found at least, is that the service and restaurant have been very accomodating - my cousin went there with a somewhat unusual request, to start off a table for 4 for dinner, but then a table for over 10 later in the evening for desserts and drinks (it was her birthday), they accomodated her on a Friday night and all had an extremely enjoyable time - something I think many restaurants would not manage well.

Shannon

If you have never been to Le Titi De Paris, then you must try it. Chef Michael Maddox and his wife Susan now own it - it's so fabulous and not overpriced. Not inexpensive but not as much as the other places you mentioned. Great on all levels. You will love it! It's in Arlington Hts on Dundee

Hotel dining

I often feel that some of Chicago's best and most underrated restaurants, particularly for special occasions, are in hotels.

Whenever celebrations come to mind, the first place I always think of is The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton: Sumptuous contemporary French fare in classically opulent surroundings with attentive but unstuffy service.

I also like Seasons in the Four Seasons. The food is Asian-influenced New American and the decor is posh and elegant. Even more cutting-edge, perhaps, is the relatively new Aria at the Fairmont. Slightly less formal than these, Cafe des Architectes offers more classic French cuisine, while out in Evanston, Va Pensiero serves excellent Italian food in an elegant space.

Any of these would be a lovely spot for a celebration.

Happy anniversary!

The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton
160 E. Pearson St., Chicago
(312) 573-5223

Seasons
Four Seasons Chicago
120 E. Delaware Place, Chicago
(312) 649-2349

Aria
Fairmont Hotel
200 N. Columbus Drive, Chicago
(312) 444-9494

Cafe des Architectes
Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
20 E. Chestnut St., Chicago
(312) 324-4000

Va Pensiero
Margarita European Inn
1566 Oak Ave., Evanston
(847) 475-7779

A couple of other places that haven't been mentioned:

Pane Caldo is a tiny, often overlooked place that rather reminds me of an Italian version of Les Nomades. And, of course, if you have not been there, you really should go at least once to Arun's.

Pane Caldo
72 E. Walton St., Chicago
312/649-0055

Arun's
4156 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago
773/539-1909

You should try Les Nomades somewhere along the line. We actually had our 30th there, and it was a wonderful meal, very comparable to a 2-star Michelin restaurant. Be sure to reserve upstairs if you go for a special dinner. Far more romantic.

jbw wrote:You should try Les Nomades somewhere along the line. We actually had our 30th there, and it was a wonderful meal, very comparable to a 2-star Michelin restaurant. Be sure to reserve upstairs if you go for a special dinner. Far more romantic.

The poster (Bigdar) indicates that they have dined at Les Nomades, right around the 3rd or 4th post in the thread. Just fyi.

I second the suggestion for Seasons or the Ritz - both very good. Nomi is good, but not quite the same level for me. Since you did not list Les Deux Gros, I assume you have not sampled Lachowicz's food. If so, you might consider the new edition of Le Francais. More casual and a little lighter cuisine, IMO. The food did not seem quite as good as Deux Gros, but we went for the Easter Brunch, so it is not quite fair.

When on, Lachowicz is as good as it gets. But, I think I would go to the Ritz.