May Street Market, Scylla, or Schwa...now Sweet & Savori

Well there have been a change of plans. My choices of restaurants for our annual holiday dinner couldn’t accomdate the 20 of us. So, I had to find something else. Somebody mentioned Sweet and Savories and I thought to myself that is a pretty small place. But, I should give them to chance and see what they can do. Well, they came to the rescue. They were able to make a great menu at a reasonable price for the 20 of us. I will report back my experience with pictures.

Choosae one of these and you won't go wrong. Most of them (with the possible exception of Moto) should fit your budget requirements.

You know, Mario, I have not been to Scylla, but I have been to both May Street Market and Lovitt's, the former incarnation of Schwa.

Since you are going in a group, May Street Market may be your best bet. It's roomy (but make reservations) and parking will be easier than by Scylla. I loved the drinks, the service and the atmosphere. We had the Mini Burger Trio of venison, seared tuna and beef with pomme frites (16.00) and Grilled Flatiron Steak and Buffalo Sausage with maytag blue cheese polenta and forest mushrooms (26.00). If you don't mind sharing off of other people's plates, this is a great place to do so.

Strictly speaking of just the food, we enjoyed Lovitt's (Schwa) more, but it is extremely cramped and crowded.

~GS

Schwa no longer offers a la carte ordering. They now offer only two tasting menus to choose from.

I think you can eliminate Schwa unless you're planning your dinner for February. They are also "tasting menu only". (Also, Schwa in no way resembles Lovitt, the previous restaurant in the space).

I'm always a bit puzzled by the either-this-or-that question for a couple reasons: Why narrow it down to just those? Also, these are three different restaurants with three different approaches. I'd like to go to all three of them for different reasons. (Note: I've only eaten at 2 of 3, Schwa dinner is coming up soon).

Frankly, if you want slightly upscale, good food, reasonably priced, I'd give West Town Tavern a call and see if they can accommodate your party.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:I'm always a bit puzzled by the either-this-or-that question for a couple reasons: Why narrow it down to just those? Also, these are three different restaurants with three different approaches. I'd like to go to all three of them for different reasons.

What's wrong with narrowing it down? These are three restaurants that are on Mario's list of places to try. He can't go to all of them, at least not on the same night. So he consulted the experts on LTH to describe them and their approaches in order to make an educated choice between them.

eatchicago wrote:I've only eaten at 2 of 3, Schwa dinner is coming up soon

eatchicago wrote: Schwa in no way resembles Lovitt

I am a bit perplexed myself as to how you came to this conclusion, since you have not yet been there. Was it by reading the posts in this forum? Perhaps some links for Mario to this insider information?

I must have mistakenly assumed that since the chef is the same, the quality of the food would at least be similar. And I can't imagine how it would be any less cramped than before, without major renovations.

Thanks, eatchicago. I don't care what they say about you; you do good work here. Nice job.

Greasy Spoon wrote:

eatchicago wrote:I'm always a bit puzzled by the either-this-or-that question for a couple reasons: Why narrow it down to just those? Also, these are three different restaurants with three different approaches. I'd like to go to all three of them for different reasons.

What's wrong with narrowing it down? These are three restaurants that are on Mario's list of places to try. He can't go to all of them, at least not on the same night. So he consulted the experts on LTH to describe them and their approaches in order to make an educated choice between them.

GS-

Not sure that I said there was anything wrong with this. I'm just saying that it often leaves me puzzled and I'd like to know a little more about the narrowing process. It's a common style of request and I'm curious about it. No one is being attacked here.

Often times, people come in and say, "Which restaurant is best: A, B, or C?" when the answer is that they're all very good. The people asking obviously did their research and chose interesting restaurants. I find that 9 times out of 10 that someone asks this style of question, they could go with any of them and have a very good experience. We are fortunate to have such choices.

Greasy Spoon wrote:

eatchicago wrote:I've only eaten at 2 of 3, Schwa dinner is coming up soon

eatchicago wrote: Schwa in no way resembles Lovitt

I am a bit perplexed myself as to how you came to this conclusion, since you have not yet been there. Was it by reading the posts in this forum? Perhaps some links for Mario to this insider information?

Sure thing. I ate at Lovitt many times and enjoyed it very much. I am drawing my comparison between my experience and the variety of reviews and recounts that I have read, including this one:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=79066

The restaurant was completely remodeled, the menu is very different, and judging by the what I've read, it's a completely different experience. Both very good, just very different.

eatchicago wrote:I must have mistakenly assumed that since the chef is the same, the quality of the food would at least be similar. And I can't imagine how it would be any less cramped than before, without major renovations.

Thanks, eatchicago. I don't care what they say about you; you do good work here. Nice job.

Thank you. But, who are "they" and what are they saying about me?

Best,
Michael

i looked at some preivous post and read up on them. i then went to look up the menus and those are the 3 that really interested me in them. so, i wanted to see what everybody would choose if those were their choices. i guess schwa is out of the question since they don't offer a la carte service. i think i will go with may street cafe since it is a pretty varied menu and this place is bigger than the others.

May St. is a nice choice for wine-drinkers because of their interesting wine list which is among the most affordable in town (supposedly priced at cost).

Enjoy your holiday dinner.

Best,
Michael

May Street Market
1132 W. Grand Ave., Chicago
Tel: (312) 421-554
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=7653

thanks for the replies and will report back my experience.

Well there have been a change of plans. My choices of restaurants for our annual holiday dinner couldn’t accomdate the 20 of us. So, I had to find something else. Somebody mentioned Sweet and Savories and I thought to myself that is a pretty small place. But, I should give them to chance and see what they can do. Well, they came to the rescue. They were able to make a great menu at a reasonable price for the 20 of us. I will report back my experience with pictures.

Scylla's upstairs room is more than large enough to accomodate a party of 20. while i love S&S, I find Scylla's seafood focus much more fitting for my stomach. With a party of 20, you're basically shutting down S&S' for a nite which might end up being darn fun. g'luck.