Lettuce Entertain You -- Which One?

I've had a $50 gift certificate for Lettuce Entertain You restaurants lying around for about six months, and I have yet to use it. I don't think I've ever eaten at one of their establishments and have no clue where to start.

So, simple question, if you were me, where would you go?

I would go to Shaw's and eat $50 worth of oysters, all by myself.

I like Wildfire, but for $50 you can barely eat for 1 there!

The cheapest LEYE place is Magic Pan Crepe Stand. Its a fastood stand @ Northbrook Court serving Crepes for around $6.

Magic Pan Crepe Stand
http://www.leye.com/restaurants/menus/magic_pan_1.htm

Wildfire
http://www.wildfirerestaurant.com/secon ... dinner.htm

Oh, it need not be the cheapest. It will be dinner for 2, and I'm looking at this as a $50 off coupon, not a comp.

kl5 wrote:I would go to Shaw's and eat $50 worth of oysters, all by myself.

Pearls of wisdom here. Tack on a martini with that and you have bliss and heaven...at the Blue Point Oyster Bar, of course.

PIGMON wrote:

kl5 wrote:I would go to Shaw's and eat $50 worth of oysters, all by myself.

Pearls of wisdom here. Tack on a martini with that and you have bliss and heaven.

Funny. (Was the pun intended?) I only had oysters on the half-shell for the first time in my life two weeks ago in New Orleans. (I haven't been avoiding them, I just never had the opportunity to eat oysters). I absolutely LOVED them and would like to further explore oysters, so maybe Shaw's is a good idea. I'm not sure the lady friend likes raw oysters as much, though...

I would go to Mon Ami Gabi for the mussels and the skate.

Mon Ami Gabi does a nice job of simple Bistro items: Steak Frites, Escargot, Creme Brulee. (You will go over $50 here though)

You could go CRAZY at big bowl with appetizers, cocktails, noodles and dessert, and have a good meal. I like the thai calamaris and the blazing flat noodles. Since LEYE has repurchased the chain, the quality has returned.

Yowza. If N.O. was the first place you tried oysters, you're in for a treat. Don't get me wrong...they're GREAT for frying up, but Gulf oysters tend to be a bit flabby, nevermind dicey. First and only time I've ever gotten the heaves from oysters was after a 2-day oyster bender in the city. (Yet, it hasn't stopped me from inhaling a dozen or so at Acme and Pearl every time I'm home...)

That said, I would highly recommend Shaw's for oysters. It's our favorite LEY spot. Sit at the bar in the oyster bar (not the restaurant), get chummy with the bartender--if it's Arturo, you're in luck—and ask for recommendations. I'm not a huge fan of most of the LEY empire, but Shaw's never fails to please.

I second Wildfire.

$50 won't get you TOO far, but the steak is so worth it.

Binko wrote: I'm not sure the lady friend likes raw oysters as much, though...

The oyster bar at Shaw's also has shrimp, crabcakes, mussels, sandwiches and a bunch of other stuff. here is a link to their current lunch menu:
http://www.shawscrabhouse.com/text/obar_lunch.pdf

Right now, they seem to have a wonderful selection of Oysters from the Pacific Northwest including my favorites from the Malaspina inlet at Desolation Sound BC. Might even be worth a trip to Shaw's without a gift certificate.

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.

Binko wrote:I'm not sure the lady friend likes raw oysters as much, though...

What d4v3 said. I really like their chowder as well.

if you're looking for the best food and experience you can get from LEYE, without concern to price, go to Tru.

if you want something average priced with good food, Wildfire is good and so are a number of their other restaurants (Osteria Via Stato, Everest, etc.)... I'd go for Osteria Via Stato.

if you're looking for the best food and experience you can get from LEYE, without concern to price, go to Tru.

You may want to check to see if there are any restrictions listed on the gift certificate. I know I have been given LEYE gift certificates in the past that could not, per their terms, be used at Tru or Everest (and perhaps others).

Matt wrote:

if you're looking for the best food and experience you can get from LEYE, without concern to price, go to Tru.

You may want to check to see if there are any restrictions listed on the gift certificate. I know I have been given LEYE gift certificates in the past that could not, per their terms, be used at Tru or Everest (and perhaps others).

No restrictions I could find. It's just a credit-card sized gift certificate card.
Says "Please present this card for food, liquor, tax and gratuity at any participating Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. restaurant."

edit: I guess "participating" would be the wiggle word here.

Binko wrote:

Matt wrote:

if you're looking for the best food and experience you can get from LEYE, without concern to price, go to Tru.

You may want to check to see if there are any restrictions listed on the gift certificate. I know I have been given LEYE gift certificates in the past that could not, per their terms, be used at Tru or Everest (and perhaps others).

No restrictions I could find. It's just a credit-card sized gift certificate card.
Says "Please present this card for food, liquor, tax and gratuity at any participating Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. restaurant."

edit: I guess "participating" would be the wiggle word here.

I recently used one of those cards as partial payment for my dinner at Tru. No probelm at all using it, but it didn't even cover the amount of the tip

i'd recommend nacional 27. been there 4-5 times and never had a bad, or even just mediocre, dish.

i was at mon ami gabi just this last sunday, for the first time. i generally don't like french food at all, and we went only because we, too, had $50 in gift certificates to use. i have to admit that i was impressed. nothing too of the beaten path when it comes to offerings, but the dishes we had (scallops gratinee (this was probably the best dish of the night), leek soup, roasted chicken & frites, whipped cauliflower, halibut with a cream and mushroom sauce, and chocolate mousse) were done very well. i'd definitely recommend it.

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.

Pearls of wisdom here. Tack on a martini with that and you have bliss and heaven...at the Blue Point Oyster Bar, of course.

Also closed, if we are talking about the place on Randolph and Halsted. I still have some of the matches from a previous visit. It has been closed for quite some time; it's now called "Extra Virgin," I think.

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

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

And, Blue Point was never a LEY restaurant.

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

Oops , I was just going by the list on the LEYE website, I had no idea the downtown location changed. I guess I wasn't the only person who couldn't bring themselves to go to a Greek restaurant owned by LEYE, especially when you have the genuine article about a mile away. I was always intrigued as to why the Tribune labeled it "the best Greek restaurant in Chicago". I found that very hard to believe.

Another vote for Wildfire.... if you can get a 4 more friends to join you and your lady friend, you can all have the supper club menu (applicable to parties of 6 or more). With the supper club menu, your party can enjoy appetizers (2), salads (2), entrees (2), sides (2), desserts (2). All items are served family style. If your table finishes one of a particular item, they will bring out another platter. Anything unfinished will be packed and you can take them home for leftovers. I find that this is a great deal, considering the cost of 1 entree alone.

The cost per person for the supper club menu is $27.95.

There is a similar club menu for lunch and I believe it's about $17 per person. The only difference between a lunch and dinner club menu is that the lunch menu does not include 2 salads.

One word. REGIFT

saragrace wrote:One word. REGIFT

you're joking, right? you can't find 1 good restaurant? i'm curious what "bad" you have to say about their top 2 or 3 restaurants...

Brasserie Jo would do, too, and $50 would actually make a meaningful dent there, unlike some of their places.

*Droolz* Love Brasserie Jo. I always enjoy their veggie/fish bags and their fresh-baked bread is to die for! I second the Brasserie Jo rec!

saragrace wrote:One word. REGIFT

Now, now. Fifty bucks in free food is fifty bucks in free food. I may be a foodie, but I'll eat absolutely anything put in front of me. All the LEYE restaurants look at least decent to me. Some (like Tru and Everest) look positively great.

Anyhow, the lady friend seems to be leaning toward Nacional 27...

Binko, if you go to Nacional 27, be sure to try a mojito -- theirs are terrific. The ceviche's good too.

I concur with kafein that you could have a very good meal for two at with $50 at Big Bowl.

Honestly, while some are better than others, all of the LEYE restaurants have something to recommend them, from Wow Bao on up. Choose a style of food you like and pick one.

d4v3 wrote:I had no idea the downtown location changed. I guess I wasn't the only person who couldn't bring themselves to go to a Greek restaurant owned by LEYE, especially when you have the genuine article about a mile away. I was always intrigued as to why the Tribune labeled it "the best Greek restaurant in Chicago". I found that very hard to believe.

At the time it opened, that statement was true. For more discussion, see here. FWIW, the restaurant closed, not for lack of business, but because the hotel where it's located asked LEYE to put in a restaurant with a cuisine less scary to conventioneers and tourists.

Try R.J. Grunts. I love the salad bar. The burgers are great, too. Ask for the regular fries, not the ones they give you automatically.

marias23 wrote:*Droolz* Love Brasserie Jo. I always enjoy their veggie/fish bags and their fresh-baked bread is to die for! I second the Brasserie Jo rec!

It's still open? Wow - that's cool. For some reason I was under the impression it closed last summer. Am I just nuts?