Brasserie Jo is definitely still open. My husband and I had an excellent meal there Friday night.

Wildfire is easily my fav.

My fav entree is the bacon-wrapped horseradish crusted filet. And you have to get the twice-baked stuffed potato. Too too good.

Mon Ami Gabi - pretty good
Papagus in Oak Brook - ok
Everest - awesome, but $$$$$$

Have fun!

Well since there is alot of LEYE info in this thread, lets see if we can add some more....

My wife and I are going to see Spamalot on Tuesday and she was in charge of nailing down dinner. Thankfully early Tuesday isn't exactly a hot dining time, because dinner is still up in the air. Now we have a verbal recommendation for Petterino's which is a LEYE at Dearborn and Randolph, does anyone have any experience?

TIA

headcase wrote:Well since there is alot of LEYE info in this thread, lets see if we can add some more....

My wife and I are going to see Spamalot on Tuesday and she was in charge of nailing down dinner. Thankfully early Tuesday isn't exactly a hot dining time, because dinner is still up in the air. Now we have a verbal recommendation for Petterino's which is a LEYE at Dearborn and Randolph, does anyone have any experience?

OK, as far as I'm concerned, in many situations there is more to choosing a restaurant than just the food. Like, sometimes, convenience. And when you factor in the proximity of Petterino's to the Cadillac Palace, and the fact that Petterino's has a nice high-energy pre-theater vibe going on, and the fact that the food at Petterino's is certainly good enough, and the fact that there aren't a whole lot of other comparably good dining options right there, I don't see the point of agonizing over the decision. Go.

But you'll be surprised if you think Tuesday "isn't exactly a hot dining time." It is at Petterino's, in the pre-theater dining hours, precisely because of the factors I just mentioned. I'd be pleasantly surprised, if I were you, if I could get a reservation at this point. Good luck to you.

riddlemay wrote:

headcase wrote:Well since there is alot of LEYE info in this thread, lets see if we can add some more....

My wife and I are going to see Spamalot on Tuesday and she was in charge of nailing down dinner. Thankfully early Tuesday isn't exactly a hot dining time, because dinner is still up in the air. Now we have a verbal recommendation for Petterino's which is a LEYE at Dearborn and Randolph, does anyone have any experience?

OK, as far as I'm concerned, in many situations there is more to choosing a restaurant than just the food. Like, sometimes, convenience. And when you factor in the proximity of Petterino's to the Cadillac Palace, and the fact that Petterino's has a nice high-energy pre-theater vibe going on, and the fact that the food at Petterino's is certainly good enough, and the fact that there aren't a whole lot of other comparably good dining options right there, I don't see the point of agonizing over the decision. Go.

But you'll be surprised if you think Tuesday "isn't exactly a hot dining time." It is at Petterino's, in the pre-theater dining hours, precisely because of the factors I just mentioned. I'd be pleasantly surprised, if I were you, if I could get a reservation at this point. Good luck to you.

I definitely understand what you are saying as far as some factors can be more important (or at least as important) than the food. The first part location, convenience, menu, are all easily researchable. How the food actually is, is alot harder. Of course, there is only one real way to answer that question, and that is to eat there.

Thanks

What I'm trying to tell you, headcase (which I thought I was getting at when I said the food was good enough) is that the food is, well, good enough--which is certainly not to be taken for granted. The other side of the coin is that no dish there is complex enough to warrant more analytical discussion. (Meat, fish, a number of dinner-sized salads, comfort foods, the usual.) If you want more specifics as to the offerings, a menu is probably available online; suffice it to say that I've never chosen anything there that I found to be unsatisfactory. Go, be happy, if you can still get in. The point of your evening is your show, and all you want from a restaurant is that it not spoil the evening, which I can promise you Petterino's won't do.

riddlemay wrote:What I'm trying to tell you, headcase (which I thought I was getting at when I said the food was good enough) is that the food is, well, good enough--which is certainly not to be taken for granted. The other side of the coin is that no dish there is complex enough to warrant more analytical discussion. (Meat, fish, a number of dinner-sized salads, comfort foods, the usual.) If you want more specifics as to the offerings, a menu is probably available online; suffice it to say that I've never chosen anything there that I found to be unsatisfactory. Go, be happy, if you can still get in. The point of your evening is your show, and all you want from a restaurant is that it not spoil the evening, which I can promise you Petterino's won't do.

I'm sorry, I completely understood that from your original post, in fact that was all that I really wanted to hear, that the food was good enough, which I guess really is the MO for the entire LEYE family.

Again thank you for your time, and sorry about the misunderstanding.

headcase wrote:I'm sorry, I completely understood that from your original post, in fact that was all that I really wanted to hear, that the food was good enough, which I guess really is the MO for the entire LEYE family.

Again thank you for your time, and sorry about the misunderstanding.

Sorry I misunderstood you in turn.

There are those who object to the "faux" nature of Petterino's (it tries to look and feel like a pre-and-post-theater restaurant that's been around since the thirties, like a Sardi's, when it hasn't been), but I respond to it based on what it is rather than what it isn't: a competent-in-all-regards, enjoyably spirited place that does a creditable job of bringing off the faux!

Every time Petterino's comes up, I've go to mention the made from scratch chocolate pudding. Don't miss it.

Petterino's also has an excellent red snapper soup. They do a nice job of what they do, and while there are certainly better steakhouses in the city, I've always enjoyed my meals there. We took a group of Japanese visitors there and they adored it.

Headcase, if you can't get reservations there, try Catch 35 or Fulton's.

Catch 35, an undersung but excellent spot for Asian-influenced seafood, is my favorite place for pre-Goodman* and Cadillac Palace dining, although when time is tight, I often turn to Eat & Drink, the proverbial Chinese hole-in-the-wall.

Petterino's
312/422-0150
www.lettuceentertainyou.com
Goodman Theatre Building
150 N. Dearborn St., Chicago

Catch 35
312/346-3500
www.catch35.com
Leo Burnett Building
35 W. Wacker Drive, Chicago

Fulton's on the River
312/822-0100
www.fultonsontheriver.com
Reid Murdoch Building
315 N. LaSalle St., Chicago,

Eat & Drink C-Food Express
312/368-8233
212 W. Randolph St., Chicago

*For Goodman goers, Catch 35 has a deal on the valet parking.

eatchicago wrote:

sundevilpeg wrote:

Another place I would be tempted to try would be Papagus. That is only because I wanted to check it out, but coudn't quite bring myself to go to a Greek restaurant owned by LEYE.

Papagus has been closed for quite some time, IIRC.

Papagus - Chicago is no more, (replaced by Osteria via Stato) but it is still open in Oakbrook Center
630.472.9800
http://www.papagusgreektaverna.com/

You are correct about Extra Virgin occupying the old Blue Point space.

Best,
Michael

Papagus Oakbrook

It’s probably been a long time that this has closed but I didn’t know.

I had the best lamb shank on a bed of orzo there. I still dream about it to this day.

Reconcepted (still LEYE)
Beatrix
272 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook

“I know nothing“

Antico Posto-Oakbrook Mall

Very tasty italian food and excellent wine

So many closings and openings in the 14 years (!) since this topic was active. And still, LEY flourishes, with over 100 locations and plenty of new concepts since then, with some of them even opening multiple locations (Beatrix, RPM Steak), and some in other cities (DC, Minneapolis, Vegas, L.A.). The full list is here.

I recently had dinner at Everest, which has been around for 34 years, and it was superb, as good as ever. And Jean Joho was still in the house!

I can recommend Everest as well. We went with two friends who had never been just two weeks ago. It's as magical as ever, starting with riding multiple elevators, the long walk down the hall and then walking into the dining room.
Our reservation was at 7:15 and we walked out a bit after eleven. Obviously we weren't rushed and the food was magical too.