Suggestions, Comments, Help in Chicago

My wife and I will be in Chicago for 4 days with a 2 year old. We wanted somewhat casual, great food but 2 year old friendly. Then we move on to Madison with a short lunch stop in Evanston.

Below are the restaurants we chose for Chicago:

Bistrot Margot
Greek Islands Restaurant in Greektown
West Town Tavern
Trattoria #10 - Bar Buffet

Any suggestions, comments and/or help would be great!

We have nothing scheduled for Evanston. Any suggestions? A casual lunch place with wonderful food at a decent price for my wife, myself and our 2 year old.

For quicker results, try the search engine. There must be hundreds of posts about Evanston restaurants.

You're not very far north of Devon Ave., so it'd be a shame to miss Khan BBQ or other places along there.

Although Sparky is 6, there are a number of restaurants he likes in Evanston; just depends on how adventurous your 2-year-old is!

Wiener and Still Champion, a hot dog stand, has hand-dipped corn dogs and some darn good fries It's 6 blocks to Lake Front Park, an excellent place to picnic (FYI beach access in Evanston is not free, though the park is open to anyone)
802 Dempster St
Evanston, IL 60202
(847) 869-0100

I have always liked Lulu's Dim Sum a sit-down place that has Asian fusion stuff, but is extremely casual.
804 Davis St., Evanston
Tel: (847) 869-4343

Another couple of family-friendly places:

Cross-Rhodes of Evanston
913 Chicago Ave. • Evanston, IL 60202
Telephone (847) 475 4475
Children are greeted there with a slice of american cheese and crackers, so as to make the not-long wait easier. Good greek food, burgers, etc.

Lucky Platter
514 Main St.
Evanston, IL 60202
847 869-4064
A kind of hippy joint that has trash-to-treasure decor kids like, I've had mixed feelings about the food - stay away from the stroganoff, some of the salads are pretty good, portions are staggering.

Another hippy joint with slightly better food IIRC (haven't eaten there in a while) is more northward (and conveniently close to the Spice House):
Prairie Joe's
1921 Central street
(847) 491-0391

I feel I should mention that Evanston isn't really on the way to Madison (or anywhere else, for that matter) - the closest highway access in Skokie takes you the long way through Milwaukee - you're going to have to go back south through Chicago to get on I-90.

I have no experience with the Bar Buffet @ Trattoria No. 10, but out of all the restaurants you chose, I'd be least comfortable taking a kid there. It tends to attract a pre-theater crowd and tends to be more formal than your other selections.

Greek Islands would be the most kid friendly, but in my opinion, the most pedestrian for food (not that's bad, it's not, but a little boring) and the most Disney-fied in its Greek islands motif. Although if you've never had Greek food, then you may be happy. If you want slightly more serious dining, then you may be disappointed.

If you're most focused on a meal, then I would choose West Town Tavern. (Keep in mind that the "tavern" does not denote bar; it is actually a well-appointed, yet casual, place that is above all food-focused.) But with a kid, I'd go early - between 5 & 6. The same goes with Bistro Margot, which is a passable, if good, bistro.

Try chicago.menupages.com to review the menus.

Thanks for all of these great replies. I'll look into the Evanston suggestions.

We thought that the Trattoria 10 bar Buffet might be good for us because we'll go right when they open, the food seems good, it is cheap ($12 a piece free for the 2 year old), it seems casual and we should be out of there by 6.

Bistrot Margot is not getting favorable comments from the board, however we were going to hit the prix fixe $24 menu. What do you think?

Sounds like the Greek place isn't that great. Any other suggestions?

Yeah, the buffet at Trattoria No. 10 is a Happy Hour one. 2 year old might not even be admitted, would certainly be out of place. Bistro Margot tends to be noisy and happening, as I recall, might be sort of out of place for the 2-year-old too although they'd probably try to be accommodating.

Admittedly we went to Quartino on an odd night but for a place that undoubtedly draws a happy hour crowd it seemed to handle kids pretty well.

Looking at the Evanston suggestions, well... like I said, Devon is not far away at all!

Welcome to Chicagoland!

I would have big reservations bringing a 2-year-old to Trattoria #10 even if it's just to the bar. You get a rather serious, formally dressed business crowd in there. Not the place IMHO for a child.

I would also advise against bringing a child to Bistro Margot as well which doesn't impress me at all as kid-friendly.

Bster

Re Evanston: Aside from WaSC and Cross-Rhodes, La Petite Amelia, Tapas Barcelona, Addis Abeba, Mt. Everest, and That Little Mexican Cafe are all quite solid and reasonably priced; the last two have a lunch buffet. Dixie Kitchen is not bad at all and might be fun for a kid.

In Madison, I like Bandung.

cilantro wrote:In Madison, I like Bandung.

Next time I'm in Madison,
I'm going to fill my trunk up
with scones from Lazy Jane's.
I keep getting suckered into
trying all the other scone-poseurs
out there, only to be disappointed.

dcguy9 wrote:
Sounds like the Greek place isn't that great. Any other suggestions?

While going to school in Madison, i recall a greek place on State Street near the Capitol that served housemade gyro and had a rooftop. The name escapes me. it was good from what i can remember but back then I also liked Gumby's Pizza.

I have to disagree with Aschie30 on this one. I have taken several folks from out of town to Greek Islands and all have had a very enjoyable time. Most recently was a close friend who is Greek and owns a very successful resturant in Addison Texas. He and his wife both loved the food atmosphere etc:

If I read correctly you will be in Chicago for 4 days.
Keep Greek Islands on your list as I truly believe you will enjoy it.

I think Chicagoans are a bit blase about Greektown but if you don't have these kinds of places in your town, whatever it is, you'll find them big and fun, certainly kid-friendly, and the food is novel if not nouvelle.

Depending on the weather when you come, sitting outside at West Town Tavern might be a good idea. They have four tops along the side of the building. The tables are metal, so you won't have to worry about your child banging on it and scratching it up and they have highchairs as well. There's also probably enough room to just have the child stay in a stroller, if you have an atypical 2 year-old who is willing to sit still in a stroller for a while without being pushed and not go nuts. The outside seating is on the street, so it's not the idyllic urban oasis of some al fresco settings, but on the plus side it means a loud child gets drowned out in the street noise.

Also, there's a park more or less directly across the street, which means you can tire out the child before dinner or have a quick outlet for the child if things turn south and one of the adults is willing to take one for the team. (Do I sound like I'm speaking from experience?)

I love Greek Islands. It is the busiest place in Greektown and attracts a lot of tourists, so some locals are prone to dismiss it. However, they are so big that they import many of their ingredients directly from Greece themselves, including fish, wine, honey, oregano, olive oil. They also have a mix-and-match menu that lets you choose your own combination plate.

That said, there are loads of good places in Greektown. I'm also especially fond of the bakery-cafe Artopolis, which should be kid-friendly if it's not too late in the day, and Venus, which serves Cypriot cuisine.

I would agree with those who don't think Bistrot Margot is a good choice for a young child. It is very, very noisy.

Bistro 110 not only offers better food and atmosphere, it has a kids' menu.

Greek Islands
312/782-9855
www.greekislands.net
200 S. Halsted St. (entrance on Adams)

Artopolis Bakery Cafe & Agora
312/559-9000
www.artopolischicago.com
306 S. Halsted St.

Venus
312/714-1001
www.venuschicago.com
820 W. Jackson Blvd.

Bistro 110
312/266-3110
www.bistro110restaurant.com
110 E. Pearson St.

I recommend that you think about a picnic (or a series of picnics). You could go to a gourmet store - like Fox and Obel's (Illinois and McClurg, near Navy Pier - which is a nice place for a picnic) or Trotter's to Go (1337 West Fullerton) and buy what you like and then find a park. Another possibility in that same vein is to stop in a few Indian/Pakistani restaurants along Devon Avenue (like Khan's) and find a nearby park. That way your two year old can do his thing and you can enjoy some good and casual food.

Hey, there's a great idea. Get some picnic food from Devon and then go to Albion Beach, which is a small, very gentle beach very popular with toddlers and grade school kids (he said from experience with his own).

(This map calls it Hartigan Park and Beach, but I've only ever heard it called Albion Beach.)

Greek Islands is an ok restaurant in Greektown, however, I prefer dining @ Pegasus myself, I also like that Pegasus has the outdoor area upstairs.