Brainstorming: Need upscale, newish restaurant for Monday

Hi,

For various reasons, I haven't been eating out much in Chicago for the past year or so. Which means that I haven't made it to a lot of the newer restaurants in town. I just learned that a business friend from LA will be in town on Monday night, so we're going out to dinner. I'd like to go someplace I haven't previously been...someplace moderate to upscale. I'm flexible on neighborhoods (we'll be coming from downtown, so Lakeview on the north and Bucktown on the west are probably reasonable boundaries).

The twist seems to be that most places I've been wanting to go to are closed on Monday nights! So I'd love some suggestions, because my brain is slow tonight. The only dining limitation is that I'm not a red meat eater, so Custom House, which is open, doesn't hold much appeal. Nor does Il Mulino just because I haven't been impressed with what I've heard.

Here's what's out because they're closed:
Moto
Alinea
Schwa
Green Zebra
Hot Chocolate
Avenues

Possibilities that are open (and I realize that I'm stretching here...placed like NoMi and Naha don't really qualify as recently opened):
Sweets & Savories
Naha
Extra Virgin
NoMi
Saltaus
Quartino
Carnivale

Recently opened places that I've already been there, so I'd prefer to go elsewhere:
Scylla
Blue Water Grill
Butter
Socca
Kaze
Del Toro

Am I missing any obvious places that are not-to-be-missed and open on Mondays? Thanks!

There are the obvious recommendations of Avec and Blackbird - both open on Monday and near to downtown.

SoylentKatie wrote:There are the obvious recommendations of Avec and Blackbird - both open on Monday and near to downtown.

Thanks Katie...I should have mentioned that I used to work in the West Loop so I've eaten at most places in that neighborhood. The exceptions are the ones I mentioned (most of which are closed on Mondays, except for Carnivale and Extra Virgin).

Haha OK that makes sense I was surprised not to see them on your list. I should have known!

West Town Tavern? Never been, but it's on my list to get to.

Of the ones that you mentioned, it really depends on what your biggest criteria is. I think Sweets and Savories is a good choice as long as you're not looking for a "scene" along with the meal. NoMi was disappointing to me based on a recent brunch experience. Service was good and atmosphere was good, but the food was not up to what I expected. I think Carnivale might be a good choice for the combo of food and scene based on what I've heard about it.

kithat wrote:West Town Tavern? Never been, but it's on my list to get to.

Of the ones that you mentioned, it really depends on what your biggest criteria is. I think Sweets and Savories is a good choice as long as you're not looking for a "scene" along with the meal. NoMi was disappointing to me based on a recent brunch experience. Service was good and atmosphere was good, but the food was not up to what I expected. I think Carnivale might be a good choice for the combo of food and scene based on what I've heard about it.

I've actually been to West Town Tavern once, and it's on my list of placed to go back to.

I wouldn't say that I'm looking for a "scene" in the sense that I feel the need to be where the trendy people are eating. By virtue of the fact that I'm posting on this board, I'm obviously looking for great food, first and foremost. We're looking for professional, unobtrusive service, and an atmosphere where you can actually carry on a conversation without having to shout.

Two suggestions (I have not been to either - yet - though I have reservations at Burke's for the 22nd - but I've avidly followed the write-ups on this board).

David Burke's Primehouse

Custom House

Both are open on Mondays.

One word:

Volo

Monday is 1/2 price bottles of wine.

Ms.Paris wrote:David Burke's Primehouse

I was going to recommend this, as I was in this exact situation this past Monday, and went to Burke's and had a fantastic time, but

chgoeditor wrote:The only dining limitation is that I'm not a red meat eater

I'm not sure how the non-steak portions of the menu stack up.

Although you might want to reconsider Custom House, as they offer plenty of non-red meat selections which are quite good as I understand it.

mersmann wrote:

Ms.Paris wrote:David Burke's Primehouse

I was going to recommend this, as I was in this exact situation this past Monday, and went to Burke's and had a fantastic time, but

chgoeditor wrote:The only dining limitation is that I'm not a red meat eater

I'm not sure how the non-steak portions of the menu stack up.

Although you might want to reconsider Custom House, as they offer plenty of non-red meat selections which are quite good as I understand it.

I generally find that the best steak houses do have some great dishes for non-meat eaters, and certain with Shawn McClain certainly has the chops, if you'll pardon the pun, for those of us who don't eat much beef. Maybe I should put this back on my list.

Sorry for not having closely read your original post!

I still think that David Burke's and Custom House are good choices though - the pork, lobster, and crabcake at Burke's have received accolades on this board as have many non-red-meat items @ Custom House.

To take this on a different track, I would recommend Naha. It makes the whole no red meat thing a non-issue. I've found the food there to be consistently excellent and, IMHO, it is one of the city's more underrated restaurants at the price point it occupies.

jesteinf wrote:To take this on a different track, I would recommend Naha. It makes the whole no red meat thing a non-issue. I've found the food there to be consistently excellent and, IMHO, it is one of the city's more underrated restaurants at the price point it occupies.

I'm with Josh.

NAHA is, in my opinion, the best one on your list, notwithstanding the establishments which are closed on Mondays.*

NAHA
500 N. Clark St.
312.321.6242


E.M.

* Truth be told, I'd pick NAHA over the majority of the establishments listed which are closed on Mondays.

I just read all of the menus, and I think Naha's the winner unless someone else has a great last-minute suggestion. I'm glad to hear multiple people single it out as the best of the bunch, I know it has the atmosphere I'm looking for, and there are multiple things on the menu that make my mouth water! Plus, I'm going to hit Opera on Tuesday for its 3-course for $25 deal, so it should provide a nice contrast.

Thanks for your ideas, everyone.

that 3 course for $35 deal at opera was just mentioned on chicagoist.com this week, so expect for it to be a little more busy than usual.

It's actually $25. Le Lan's three course prix fixe is $36, so maybe that's where the confusion is coming from..

gleam wrote:It's actually $25. Le Lan's three course prix fixe is $36, so maybe that's where the confusion is coming from..

I knew that, but had a temporary brain freeze, or a slip of the fingers. I've corrected it in case someone doesn't read the entire thread. Good catch, though. Thanks!

Thanks for your suggestions and feedback, all! We ended up having a terrific meal at Naha. Fresh, seasonal ingredients, great flavor combinations, a lot of different poultries (squab, quail, poussin)...it was absolutely delicious! I'd highly recommend it to others who are looking for a great place for a business meal or slightly intimate dinner. My only complaint was that the average price point on their wine list was a bit high...I saw very few bottles of reds for less than $70, and most are much more. Considering that entrees are in the $30 range, it seemed a little high. At 8 p.m. on a Monday, there couldn't have been more than 5-8 tables occupied, so I hope they're doing better business on other nights. We spent $200 before tip for 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 1 dessert, 1 bottle of wine and 1 cocktail.

Since I also mentioned it in this thread, the next night I went to Opera for its 3-course, $25 Tuesday night special. It was packed at 7 p.m. Service was a little scattered, but food was fun (some dishes were even great) and I'd definitely go back with a group. Wine and coffee ends up pushing up the tab...two of us spent $100 before tip for two dinners, 4 glasses of wine, a coffee and a tea.