Chicago Restaurant Week 2013, February 1-10

Chicago Restaurant Week 2013

I plan to hit up Naha and maybe Sable and try and get to Blackbird for lunch (if they'll do it on Saturday). Any other suggestions?

At least earlier, I was unable to make reservations for Naha on the RW link to OpenTable but they happily arranged a reservation for me for one of those dates when I called them.

Amongst the spots where the menus look like a good deal is Perennial Virant which is using the $33 price for dinner and has a nice menu lined up - and Mercat a la Planxa always goes all out with the same extensive menu available for either lunch ($22) or dinner ($44) making lunch a crazy bargain.

La Madia also has a nice $33 dinner offer of entree or pizza, salad or appetizer and dessert though they upcharge for the wonderful shortribs with risotto or steak florentine.

Last year, we had a particularly fine lunch at Sable. This year, they are only offering dinner, and we have made a reservation. We also dined at Ceres' Table, Green Zebra, and Cafe des Architectes, all of which we would recommend. We have started reserving early, and, aside from Sable, have dinner reservations for Naha and Sepia, lunch for Cafe des Architectes and GT Fish and Oyster. Naha is only accepting phone reservations for Restaurant week; there is nothing on Open Table from January 31 to February 2. Over the phone, they mentioned that this was deliberate policy. Cafe des Architectes has virtually the same menu at lunch for $22 and dinner at $44, except for dessert. They indicate that portions are larger at dinner, but lunch definitely seems a better deal by far.

So where is everyone going? Headed to Embeya tonight and have a reservation for RPM on Sunday. Totally forgot at the time it was Super Bowl Sunday. Not sure if we are canceling or not. My eighteen year old daughter was really looking forward to it.

Going to Naha tonight and maybe Nightwood next week. Nightwood has a baseball themed one that looks interesting.

Went to Vie last night. Pretty disappointing. The whitefish appetizer was fine, as were the salads, the soup, the desserts, and the trout entree. But at least one of the chicken thigh appetizers at the table was overcooked, and the three of us who had ordered the Pork Milanese entree were seriously disappointed. So overcooked as to be almost inedible. It's served in two good-sized pieces, and in some cases the larger piece was better, but unfortunately not in my case.

The best bites were the house-pickled bits--olives with the chicken, asparagus with the pork, and cherries with one of the desserts. And no one could have any cause to complain about the chocolate pave with hazelnut praline. But definitely not a meal that would bring me back to Vie. Fortunately I've had several spectacular meals there, so I'm chalking this up to mass production for Restaurant Week.

How was Naha? I made rezos for Monday! Menu looks good, but super indecisive as to what I'll choose. Any advice would be much appreciated!!

chicagofoodie007 wrote:How was Naha? I made rezos for Monday! Menu looks good, but super indecisive as to what I'll choose. Any advice would be much appreciated!!

Naha was good, I really enjoyed it. Between the 4 of us we tried just about everything on the restaurant week menu and there really wasn't a dud. You can't go wrong with whatever you choose. Personally, I think my favorites might have been the butternut squash soup for the appetizer and the duck for the entree. I'll post more a more in depth account on the Naha thread when I have time.

I kicked off RW with Baume & Brix Friday night and loved it. I pretty much disagreed with everything Julia Kramer had to say in her Time Out review. The food was innovative and delicious. Had the naked lobster, shrimp and grits bisque, and red curry beef. All spectacular and service was spectacular as well. The La Vida Rose Mezcal was smoky and tangy and I highly recommend it if you like the smoky tequila. The only part I regretted was ordering the grilled cheese as my final course. Both my dinner partners had ordered the frostee and fries and that was the star dessert. The grilled cheese just fell flat. I'm really glad I gave this restaurant a try.

I went to Naha tonight for dinner (and FYI made these reservations on opentable.com about a month ago). I enjoyed it but it lacked the humor and personality of Baume & Brix (I know I should not compare these two at all and I will try not to). My first course was the grits, which was so good I could've eaten it in a bigger portion as my meal. The veal was great but the portions were so small I felt like I could've eaten it in four bites. For dessert the server had recommended the cocoa nibs and I asked him if he was a big fan of chocolate to which he said no (I am not a huge fan) so I assumed it wasn't going to be overly chocolatey. I should've trusted my instincts because it was much too chocolatey for me. I would've preferred the financier (which one of my dining partners had gotten). Another dining partner ordered the duck, which I tried, and that was fantastic. Overall, I think Naha is a restaurant I should probably try when it's not RW.

Next up are Sepia, Vie, and Cafe Spiaggia for lunch. I'm beginning to question my decision on Vie because of what an above poster says, but hopefully (fingers crossed) that is just a fluke. I'd love for suggestions on the Sepia menu. I've never dined there.

Anyone done Nightwood's menu? Their RW menu last year was the highlight of the week for me but this year's menu is so vague I'm worried it won't live up to my expectations!

It would be great if you could also post your comments about particular restaurants in each restaurant's dedicated thread (create a thread if one doesn't already exist), even if your experience is specific to the Restaurant Week menu. That will make it easier for people in the future to see your post. It's fine to also post here, or leave a note here with a link to your post in the restaurant's main thread.

Thanks,
Darren72
For the Moderators

We'll be trying Courtright's in Willow Springs. With limited Restaurant Week options this way and an intriguing menu, I'm looking forward to our visit.

I'll be trying this entree:

Pan Seared Scallop, Paprika Grouper & Shrimp Quenelle
Banana Puree, Sweet Potato, Daikon, Shiitake, Smoked Almonds, Scallions
Lemongrass-Vanilla-Coconut Sauce

AND

Dessert: pictured here

Warm Whiskey & Chocolate Tart, with Caramelized Bananas and Pistachio Ice Cream

Courtright's
8989 Archer Avenue, Willow Springs, IL, 60480
Reservations: (708) 839-8000