NorthWest Suburban Dinners - a list of choices - where next?

So at the NW Suburban dinner #2 came the question, where and when would be the next dinner. With the holidays coming up everyone most agreed that the next NW Suburban meal should be in January 2008.

That answers the when. Now for the where, the following is a running list of NW Suburban Dining Event Potentials:

FYI, by no means is this meant to be an end all list, almost all these are restaurants that I've plucked from searches on LTH. If you have a suggestion, by all means, post the name of the restaurant and the town it is in, and I'll put it down.

American/other:

Don Roth's - Wheeling http://www.theblackhawk.com
Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar - Glenview http://www.flightwinebar.com
Entourage - Schaumburg http://www.entourageventures.com

"Snacks"

Johnnies Italian Beef - Arlington Heights
Paradise Pup - Des Plaines

Tapas:

La Tasca – Arlington Heights http://www.latascatapas.com/

Thai:

Siam’s House - Niles
Pad Thai – Des Plaines
Alt Thai – Arlington Heights http://www.altthai.com
Lai Thai - Morton Grove

Mexican/Latin/South American

Julio's Cochina Latino - Lake Zurich - http://www.julioslatincafe.com
La Granja (Peruvian chicken joint) - Palatine

Japanese

Sakura – Rolling Meadows or Mt Prospect
Takkatsu – Arlington Heights
Misuwa Food Court – Arlington Heights
Tensuke Food Court – Arlington Heights

French

D&J Bistro - Lake Zurich
David’s Bistro – Des Plaines
Retro Bistro – Mount Prospect

Greek

Greek Village Taverna – Schaumburg
Yanni's, Greek - Arlington Heights http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=4869#4869

Chinese

Tasty Cuisine – Des Plaines
Jockey Club – Schaumburg
Yu’s Mandarin – Schaumburg
Big Bowl - Schaumburg or Lincolnshire http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=61041#61041

Korean

BBQ New Seoul – Mount Prospect (charcoal)
BBQ Woo Lae Oak – Rolling Meadows
Chodang Tofu Restaurant – Mount Prospect

Pizza:

Armand’s – Arlington Heights
Barnaby’s – Des Plaines (& elsewhere)

Hungarian:

Paprikash – Arlington Heights

Himalayan:

Himalayan Restaurant - Niles

Filipino:

Cid's Ma Mon Luk - Niles
Filipiniana Restaurant - Niles

Cajun:

Pappadeaux

Indian/Pakastani

Chowpatti – Arlington Heights
Sizzle India – Schaumburg
Gaylord's - Schaumburg
Cuisine of India - Mt Prospect
India House - Schaumburg & Buffalo Grove
Paradise – Hoffman Estates

Uzbek:

Chaihanna – Buffalo Grove

Italian:

Giacomo's – Des Plaines
Nonna Silvia’s – Park Ridge
Zia’s – Edison Park

Malaysian:

Penang - Rolling Meadows

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I thought LSC in Palatine was no more. I'd have to go googling for the note, but I'm pretty sure.

A few more suggestions and comments:
Thai: Lai Thai in Morton Grove may not be west enough, but it's worth a browse
Japanese: Sakkura has a namesake in downton Mt Prospect

If Bistro is in the near future, I'd suggest D&J, although recent comments were less positive than my last visit several years ago.

Indian: Gaylord's in Schaumburg, Cuisine of India in Mt Prospect, India House Buffalo Grove

But out of sheer curiousity, I have to put the Uzbek place at the top of my list.

JoelF wrote:I thought LSC in Palatine was no more. I'd have to go googling for the note, but I'm pretty sure.

You are correct about this:



Uzbek does sound interesting.

My recent trip to Paprikash didn't make me want to hurry back there anytime soon.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Uzbek does sound interesting.

I'll join in if it's Uzbek. I'm a fan of Chaihanna, as evidenced by this thread:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=11808

Alt Thai and Sizzle India would be my top two choices.

There are some really interesting choices on that listing. My only concern with Mitsuwa and Zia's is whether they could accommodate a fairly large group.

nr706 wrote:I'll join in if it's Uzbek. I'm a fan of Chaihanna

It's a trek for me, but depending on the particular date, I would be more than willing to make the trip to Chaihanna for an LTH dinner.

JoelF wrote:A few more suggestions and comments:

they've been added to the list, thanks,

ronnie_suburban wrote:

JoelF wrote:I thought LSC in Palatine was no more. I'd have to go googling for the note, but I'm pretty sure.

You are correct about this:

I've taken it off the list, thanks,

The above is some pretty good consensus and an Uzbek meal @ Chaihanna seemed to have good resonance with the group @ the Asian Bistro dinner,

I was going to choose a "regular" date of a Wed or Thurs but I can't commit to anything that far out. I can commit to the following though if others are interested.

How does either Sat Jan 19 or Sun Jan 20 work for folks ?

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Has anyone tried the Uzbeki restaurant?

Cookie Monster wrote:Has anyone tried the Uzbeki restaurant?

Yes, 3x - see the link in my post upthread.

Sweet Willie wrote:I was going to choose a "regular" date of a Wed or Thurs but I can't commit to anything that far out. I can commit to the following though if others are interested.

The problem with choosing a regular day of the week is that if it doesn't work (for a particular person), it never works and thus reduces the likelihood of that person ever being able to attend.

Sweet Willie wrote:How does either Sat Jan 19 or Sun Jan 20 work for folks ?

I generally prefer a weeknight but could make this work if it works well for others.

=R=

For what it's worth, these in particular caught my interest.

Siam's House.
the Korean choices,
Himalayan,
the Filipino options,
Chaihanna

Most weeknights (except Thursdays) would work for me.
The Uzbeki restaurant sounds interesting and would get my vote for the next dinner.

I'd like to add Julio's Cochina Latino in Lake Zurich to our list. I have had a couple of excellent meals at this restaurant.
http://www.julioslatincafe.com

As always Willie, thanks for taking the lead on the NW dinners.

Jyoti

Sweet Willie wrote:La Tasca – Arlington Heights http://www.latascatapas.com

Every time I go to this place, I think, "If only I'd gone into the city, I could have had a better meal."

Sweet Willie wrote:Thai:

Siam’s House - Niles
Pad Thai – Des Plaines
Alt Thai – Arlington Heights http://www.altthai.com
Lai Thai - Morton Grove

Siam's House is by far the best of these.

I think we also talked about Penang, Malaysian in Rolling Meadows. (Daily Herald review)

A few more suggestions:

Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar, contemporary American in Glenview http://www.flightwinebar.com

La Granja, Peruvian chicken joint in Palatine Daily Herald review (pdf)

Johnnie's, Italian beef in Arlington Heights

Entourage, eclectic in Schaumburg http://www.entourageventures.com

Yanni's, Greek in Arlington Heights http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=4869#4869

Don Roth's Blackhawk, old-fashioned steaks and seafood in Wheeling http://www.theblackhawk.com

And -- dare I say it? -- Big Bowl, Asian in Schaumburg or Lincolnshire http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=61041#61041

Great list, LAZ. I propose that we have a snack at Johnnie's to start out, regardless of where we end up for dinner . . . j/k

I do really like Siam's House but having already been there a few times, I'd be very agreeable to another destination, as well.

=R=

Not that you should plan around me, but I'm out of town Jan 12-17 (an annual conference). Other than that trip, any other weeknight of January is fine with me. Of the two weekend dates you mentioned, SW, the 19th or 20th, Sunday the 20th would work better for me. Saturdays I generally need to set aside for plans with Sweet Baboo and the stepkids.

I'm less excited about Uzbeki food than some other things, but I like the list and I'm perfectly happy to work through the group's favorites on it as time goes by, so consider me up for anyplace.

Two hundredth post. Hmm. Starting to feel settled in here.

Choices have been updated,

Based upon feedback, I'll wait to post the Jan NW Suburban dinner later in December.

--

Hi Sweet Willie,

Do we have a January date? I want to make sure it gets on my calendar - just hope it is not Thursday, January 17!

Happy holidays to you and all the other NW Suburban diners.

Jyoti

A few random thoughts:

Fridays and Saturdays fill up fast, so weeknights are usually easier -- but not always. This far in advance, I still have Jan. 19 open, if we decide on that.

I've heard Paprikash is great, and I'd love to try it.

Chaihanna is excellent -- I've been a few times, last time with a friend who lived in Uzbekistan for four years -- so I can say with some confidence it's not just good, it's authentic (though she said the beef pilaf was a little disappointing). We had manti, which were very good (and I thought it was interesting that they have the same name as dumplings in Turkey, but then the Turks originally came from Central Asia), and the sour spinach soup was so fabulous that I've spent the last couple of weeks looking for a recipe for it.

Cid's Ma Mon Luk is great but has maybe four tables, and I don't think it would be a particularly good choice for our group, if we have even a reasonable turnout. Nearby Filipiniana, however, is spacious and quite good.

Chowpatti is overpriced and isn't really an Indian restaurant -- it's a vegetarian restaurant that has a lot of Indian dishes, but also has vegetarian food from a lot of other places. Food is excellent, and if you're a vegetarian, it's probably paradise, but it's surprisingly expensive.

I've never been to Pappadeux and would enjoy trying it, if others deem it to be worth the trying.

I've heard that Yu's makes noodles while you watch, which would be fun. Jockey Club is an adventure if you want stuff like duck tongue and chicken feet (though they do have more mainstream food). I'm not sure I think it's great food, but there is a large selection of weird stuff.

I think Gusto Ristorante in Glenview is great for Italian. Their chicken with artichokes and gorgonzola (lunch only) is sensational, and their fried calamari is so popular that the menu actually states, "no, you can't have the recipe."

Everything else sounds fine. I'm open to all possibilities.

Sweet Willie wrote:Based upon feedback, I'll wait to post the Jan NW Suburban dinner later in December.

Now that the holidays are over, it looks like the Events Calendar is jumpin'!

Before everything gets filled in, was a decision made about a date and place for NW Suburban dinner #3 in January?

Hi,

I had the impression Sweet Willie wanted someone else to take the initiative. All that is really needed is a firm decision, date and time.

Regards,

How does the 19th of January sound at Pappadeaux?

Personally I prefer a Monday – Thursday dinner.

D.

dodger wrote:Personally I prefer a Monday – Thursday dinner.

D.

Generally speaking, I do too.

In either case, I'm not available on 1/19. But if that ends up being the best date for this, I completely understand and will try to join in the next time around.

=R=

Sorry I goofed with the dates.
I was looking at December's Calendar.
How would the 17th of January sound at Pappadeaux?
That would be a Thursday night.

I'd be more interested in a Wednesday night, when Pappadeaux does a lobster special, $29.95 for three 1-pound lobsters. Their other food can be hit or miss.

Menus online here: http://www.pappadeaux.com

Also, the place can be hideously noisy; it might be worth booking one of their private rooms.

For planning purposes, I'll note that the Arlington Heights Pappadeaux is very near Meijer in Rolling Meadows, for those who want to combine dining and shopping. The Meijer store is open 24 hours, so you can shop before or after dinner.

LAZ wrote:I'd be more interested in a Wednesday night, when Pappadeaux does a lobster special, $29.95 for three 1-pound lobsters. Their other food can be hit or miss.

hit or miss is so correct, I've had stellar and below mediocre at Pappadeaux.

I too prefer a weeknight, the Wed 16 and Thurs 17 both work for me in Jan.

--

The 17th works for me, but I'm busy on the 16th. So if the 17th is possible, that would be my preference -- especially since I missed the last NW outing.

Thursday the 17th could work for me too but it'll be my second LTH meal that day.

=R=

Sadly, all Wednesdays are out for me for a while. Thursday 1/17 does not work either.

As we are debating days, I will put in a plug for Mondays and Tuesdays.

Jyoti

jygach wrote:As we are debating days, I will put in a plug for Mondays and Tuesdays.

Jyoti

Tuesdays are cool.