My parents are in town this weekend...

and they like to eat, but not go too wild. They're late 50s. I need something with good service, not too crowded and loud, and not overly adventurous menu-wise. Dinner for four can be up to $4-500, all in.

Something classy.

I'd hoped to take them to Ralph Lauren Saturday night, but they're booked. I figure the answer is something hotel-ish ... wood walls, maybe steak ... but I'm blanking. Considering Capital Grille.

Help?

Have you thought about Custom House or David Burke's?

basis wrote:and they like to eat, but not go too wild. They're late 50s.

You open this thread because you can identify with the predicament of where to take your parents when they're in town. Then you read the first sentence and realize that you're in your late 50s. So then you look forward to reading the rest of the thread to find out where you should take yourself.

Well, the point of that is to say they're young. =)

It's relevant to know they're not 80, don't you think?

Re: Custom House and David Burke's: the latter is way too trendy for them ... the former is close, but a bit too crowded. I did consider it.

basis wrote:Well, the point of that is to say they're young. =)

You just made my decade.

If you're considering meat and you want a little spectacle, it might be fun to do one of the brazilian steakhouses -- i was just at Brazazz last week and I have to say that of all three downtown (Fogo de Chao, Sal y Carvao and Brazazz), it was probably my favorite. More for the idea of actually having some rarer meat more than anything else. The service is very good -- although can be a bit overwhelming with the gaucho panted latin men bringing you spit after spit of meat.

But...it's definitely a fun night out -- and while the food isn't adventurous it's tasty and a little different.

Other than that, I'd also recommend Joe's Stone Crab -- which is always very good or Osteria Via Stato might be fun too. If my parents came to town, they'd love any of those places. I think my dad might just faint at the Brazilian places.

Good luck!

Shannon

If you don't mind traveling a little, you might think about Asado (Brazilian too much meat place) or Chef's Station (contemporary American). (My mom is 84 and likes Chef's Station a lot.)

Both might a little below your price-point, though, depending on what you choose. Sorry about that.

Asado Brazilian Grill
1012 Church, Evanston
(847) 425-4175.

Chef's Station
915 Davis St., Evanston
(847) 570-9821.

Boka on Halsted is worth considering, especially if you book once the show at Steppenwolf has started as they tend to empty out a bit. I've taken my parents several times. They have a broad fresh menu with steak, fish, duck, quail, and pork choices.

I'd add West Town Tavern to your list of possibilities.

Best,
Michael

My parents fit the same category - I second Joe's Stone Crab if you were thinking RL. We always go to RL for lunch when the folks are in town, and they love it. Joe's is another place they like. I went there yesterday, too, for a business lunch and the food and service was good and efficient.

I can empathize with you though about upscale and good food without being too trendy! When I had to pick a break-the-bank spot for an evening out celebration with my mom only, she blanched when I sent her Alinea's website. We went with Avenues, and she loved it. Go for Joe's.

Can I ask where you're traveling from? You may as well choose a place that isn't too far away.

I live in Old Town ... do need to stay there, Lincoln Park, Near North, Downtown.

Won't Joe's be swamped on a Saturday night? It is the right kind of menu, though.

If Joe's sounds right, I'd also suggest The Palm. We were there last night and had a wonderful time. Food and service were just right for these fifty somethings. (My main course was a 4 pound lobster that was perfection.) The bill for four of us was right in your target range. While The Palm is a national chain, there's something a lot less chain-feeling about the Chicago location than a Lettuce Entertain You place like Joe's. Our waitress felt trained, not programmed.

I always suggest West Town Tavern for visitors. I think it's sophisticated enough to make people feel like they've been "out" in the big city, it's remote enough to make people feel like they've visited somewhere off the beaten track and the food is familiar enough to please even fussy meat and potatoes eaters.

Yes, Joe's would probably be a bit crowded on a Saturday night - I prefer the term bustling though . I think pretty much anything in the Old Town/Mag Mile/Gold Coast area would be...

greygardens wrote:Yes, Joe's would probably be a bit crowded on a Saturday night - I prefer the term bustling though . I think pretty much anything in the Old Town/Mag Mile/Gold Coast area would be...

That's the problem with steakhouses. They all have a "bustling steakhouse atmosphere" and tend to be noisy on a Saturday night. The same thing is true about certain seafood restaurants, with basically the same atmosphere as the steakhouses - notably Hugo's (not a coincidence, being owned by Gibson's next door) and Shaw's.

What about something like Custom House or Fulton's, or maybe North Pond in the park? Not too bustling, and the menus aren't really "out there".

North Pond is so civilized and such a nice grownup space. It might be pushing the menu thing, they might giggle at free range something or other, but still, I bet they'd really like it.

nsxtasy wrote:That's the problem with steakhouses. They all have a "bustling steakhouse atmosphere" and tend to be noisy on a Saturday night.

I'm not pimping for The Palm, and I haven't been there on a Saturday night, but it seems to me the room is small enough, and the tables far enough apart, that the craziness factor would be dialed down a bit from a Gibson's or a Joe's. Last night, despite the place being full or pretty full, no shouting was necessary at our table. Maybe we needed to speak a decibel or three louder than in our own living room, but no shouting.

I thought Capital Grille was quite nice. With the exception of the small-ish bar you need to stand in to wait for your table, the restaurant is not "busy" at all.

The booth were nices, service was great and they have some of the best red wine in the city, chilled to the perfect temperature.

If you ended up there, I don't think you'd be disappointed.

John

basis wrote:Re: Custom House and David Burke's: the latter is way too trendy for them ... the former is close, but a bit too crowded. I did consider it.

I've only been to Custom House once (and it was midweek), but I definitely wouldn't describe it was crowded. There are a lot of booths, so you feel a bit separated from other diners...it's definitely not one of those places where the tables are on top of each other.

Mike G wrote:North Pond is so civilized and such a nice grownup space. It might be pushing the menu thing, they might giggle at free range something or other, but still, I bet they'd really like it.

Yup, exactly what I was thinking.

Also, go early enough so that it's light out when you arrive, so you can appreciate its setting in the park.

My parents always enjoy Erwin and Kiki's Bistro. They do seem to have an atmosphere condusive to oldies.

I agree re/IRWIN and NORTH POND: both are "civilized and grown-up." BOKA has a great menu but can be loud at times. MORTON'S in the Loop has a lower noise level than the original and is a solid standby.

Oh that's true...my parents were just here and loved Erwin...

rmtraut wrote:My parents always enjoy Erwin and Kiki's Bistro. They do seem to have an atmosphere condusive to oldies.

As much as I like Kiki's (and enjoyed his cuisine for years at Le Bordeaux in the Loop long before French food was popular here, even before Le Perroquet), I wouldn't consider their French cuisine "not overly adventurous menu-wise". Same thing with Bistro 110. Nice places with excellent food, yes, but not for people who are neither accustomed to French food nor interested in expanding their culinary experience.

What about Shaw's Crab House?

Well, if they like that sort of thing, it's the sort of thing they'll like-- but the comments about noise and crowds at the steakhouses certainly apply there as well.

Re Bistro 110 et al., rightly or wrongly I didn't take the OP to suggest they were that hidebound, just that they weren't looking for Alinea. You'd have to be pretty damn staid to find Bistro 110 out there, but I'm sure such folks exist.

Mike G wrote:Re Bistro 110 et al., rightly or wrongly I didn't take the OP to suggest they were that hidebound, just that they weren't looking for Alinea. You'd have to be pretty damn staid to find Bistro 110 out there, but I'm sure such folks exist.

Then Bistro 110 might be a possibility. Their space layout (basically broken up into a lot of smaller rooms) keeps it from being too noisy or "bustling", and it meets the "classy" requirement. So does the previous suggestion of Kiki's Bistro. You can check out their menus on their websites (Bistro 110 and Kiki's) to see if their French bistro cuisine would be acceptable.

I still think North Pond is a great choice, though.

Bistro 110 it is. To tell the truth, I had forgotten about it. Haven't been there in probably ten years.

Thanks all!

I recently took my late 50-something parents to West Town Tavern and they absolutely loved it. We had no trouble getting a reservation for 4 on a Saturday night. I've never had anything but wonderful meals there.

West Town Tavern
1329 W. Chicago Ave.
312-666-6175