"Carte Blanche" Saturday afternoon/early evening

I somehow have been given a free pass to go out this Saturday without my wife and toddler. So after an early lunch at Amanacer Tapatio in Joliet, I am dead heading into Chicago to hit some places I have been unable to go. I have 4 places that have been on my radar, and have a few questions that I didnt see answered on other threads. General questions for all is: the dress code, is the full menu available at the bar area, parking tips, & any other input/observations to assist my decision.

The places I am considering are:

Bluebird
Paramount Room
Publican
The Bristol

thanks for any help.

The Bristol is my favorite of those places. Jeans and sweatshirts are fine. The full menu is offered wherever you sit. Street parking on a Saturday shouldn't be too bad, though you may need to park a block or two away, and watch the permit-only signs carefully if you're on a side street. For what I think of the food, you can see the main thread.

thank you for the info kenny, The Bristol looked to have an interesting menu.

jimswside wrote:Bluebird
Paramount Room
Publican
The Bristol

Jim,

Paramount Room is my current favorite among the choices, though I have not been to the Bluebird. My single visit to the Bristol was pleasant and I am looking forward to another round of beer and beef tongue. My one visit to the Publican has not inspired a return visit, though I see it as eventually unavoidable.

Saturday afternoon parking in front of the Paramount Room should be available, there is also parking on the angle street a half block North on Milwaukee.

I'd offer to join you for a drink, but I am booked early afternoon and then again early evening.

Enjoy,
Gary

thanks gary,

Paramount Room being a GNR and all makes it appealing, add to that that they are open @ 11:00 vs the other spots that open anywhere from 3:30 p.m. on, that saves me from waiting at a bar for them to open(although I am not against that idea either)

jimswside wrote:thanks gary,

Paramount Room being a GNR and all makes it appealing, add to that that they are open @ 11:00 vs the other spots that open anywhere from 3:30 p.m. on, that saves me from waiting at a bar for them to open(although I am not against that idea either)

No problem. Paramount Room is a bar. You can kill 2 birds with one stone.

stevez wrote:

jimswside wrote:thanks gary,
No problem. Paramount Room is a bar. You can kill 2 birds with one stone.

excellent, that may enable me to hit 2 of these spots.

I've not been to Bluebird, but have been to the other three.

Just so you know, the Publican is by far the priciest of these options, especially if you plan to eat oysters or some nice ham. At the same time, though, the Publican is the only one of the three restaurants where everything I tasted was good, if not great. And, if you want oysters, this is the spot. Granted, I visited the Publican early in the evening during their first week of service - - and Paul Kahan was there making sure everything was going well. Two reasons we haven't been back - - subsequent negative LTH posts and the feeling that the food is too pricey for what it is.

So, if I had money to burn or someone else was paying, I'd go to the Publican. No question.

I really want to like Paramount Room, though, and have given them a few tries. If you like fried fish, they do an amazing job. And, I really like the tempura green beans. The steak tartare is better than okay (but not as good as the Publican's). But, twice the burger has been unacceptable, and the fries are consistently poor. The beer list is solid and I like the space. In fact, if I were flying solo, I'd definitely pick Paramount Room, as I'd find it most comfortable and approachable dining alone.

I've only been to the Bristol once, and expect to return before too long. I like what they're doing there, with locally-focused changing menu items. And, the chef seems like a really good guy. The servers handled the few problems appropriately and with finesse. If there hadn't been any problems, I may have visited again by now. The Bristol, IIRC, is pricier than Paramount Room.

So, to sum it up, if I were alone, I'd go to Paramount Room. If I had company and didn't mind spending some cash, I'd go to the Publican. If I were a bit cost-conscious and had company, I'd go to the Bristol.

Sounds like a fun day, in any event. You can't go wrong.

Ronna

REB wrote:
So, to sum it up, if I were alone, I'd go to Paramount Room. If I had company and didn't mind spending some cash, I'd go to the Publican. If I were a bit cost-conscious and had company, I'd go to the Bristol.
Ronna

thanks for the detailed info on each spot. I will be solo so that plays into my decision.

REB wrote: The Bristol, IIRC, is pricier than Paramount Room.

The Bristol has one of those menus where it's really hard to say how pricy it is. It depends what you order. For example, yesterday I had a humongous farm-egg sandwich with grilled pork belly, and it was served with plenty of duck-fat fries for a bargain $10 price tag. With $8 goat carpaccio to start (which also included lentils and salad), this was more than enough food for one person. I don't think you could eat more cheaply at any of the other places mentioned. There are also some dishes that top out closer to $20 so, again, it depends what you order. On the whole - having been to both many times - I'd say Paramount Room and the Bristol are very close in price. I'll also note that I've dined solo at the bar at the Bristol 3 or 4 times, and have been quite comfortable doing so (though they could install a foot rail to make it better). The bartender loves food and beer, and is thrilled to have customers who want to talk about both.

Kennyz wrote:

REB wrote: The Bristol, IIRC, is pricier than Paramount Room.

The Bristol has one of those menus where it's really hard to say how pricy it is. It depends what you order. For example, yesterday I had a humongous farm-egg sandwich with grilled pork belly, and it was served with plenty of duck-fat fries for a bargain $10 price tag. With $8 goat carpaccio to start (which also included lentils and salad), this was more than enough food for one person. I don't think you could eat more cheaply at any of the other places mentioned. There are also some dishes that top out closer to $20 so, again, it depends what you order. On the whole - having been to both many times - I'd say Paramount Room and the Bristol are very close in price. I'll also note that I've dined solo at the bar at the Bristol 3 or 4 times, and have been quite comfortable doing so (though they could install a foot rail to make it better). The bartender loves food and beer, and is thrilled to have customers who want to talk about both.

Good to know you can eat reasonably at the Bristol. On my visit, we ordered a ton of smallish plates, which upped the price tag quite a bit. I think the Bristol's menu is more geared toward sharing a bunch of plates than is the Paramount Room's, which can lead to high price tags.

I also perceive the Paramount Room as being less expensive than the Bristol because of their many deals. The Paramount Room always offers a burger and a pint for $10. And, their all-you-can-eat fish and chips on Tuesdays is a great deal. There's nothing comparable on the Bristol's menu.

At the same time, though, the food is very different. I'd expect to pay more at the Bristol than the Paramount Room.

Thanks for the replys,

after studying the menus, and posts on LTH, I have decided on The Paramount Room (the early opening time, the GNR standing, the Ale steamed mussels, and the Croque Madame sealed the deal). Perhaps a 2nd stop @ The Bristol since they open @ 5:30 p.m.(I am eyeing the duck fat fries, the raviolo/ricotta/egg yolk/ brown butter, and the scotch olives/pork sausage/lemon).

I wouldn't take the gnr standing of the paramount room too seriously.. I mean, it's a GNR, but I wouldn't call it a top tier GNR..

the GNR list has a pretty good track record with me so far, only one I didnt care for out of the 25 or so I have gone to. Thats pretty good odds for success in my world.