Help on Suggestions - December 7th to the 10th Chicago

I am sure that these topics have already been covered and hope I am not being difficult by asking the same question again. I will be in Chicago from the 4th to the 10th and my fiancé will be flying in to meet with me on the weekend. We have never been to Chicago and are from Bermuda so we are looking for something on the Friday night that is a casual steak house. I was thinking the Capital Grill but am open to suggestions; we do not want to go to far from our hotel which is the Palmer House Hilton downtown. Any suggestions?

On Saturday we want something with some energy sort of like a Tao in New York, we have quiet restaurants locally so when we travel we like somewhere that has decent food. Preferably better then Tao. I have narrowed it down to MK and Naha but am open to suggestions as after dinner we would like to walk around and feel the night not just the cool air as opposed to getting into a cab to go to another neighborhood. The ambiance of Blue Water looked quite good as well but I am skeptical of the food.

All feedback or suggestions are really appreciated, we travel frequently and when we are in a city we soak it up as things here are quite slow. I have been frommered, zagated; city searched, reviewed to death by googling these places and just figured I would put it out there for some real answers. Thanks to everyone.

I understand the comfort of wanting to stay near your hotel, however, Chicago is a city of great neighborhoods - I think the more you get out of downtown, the more likely you'll have remarkable experiences. As nearly everyone here would say, start here, with the Great Neighborhood Restaurants. I really don't think you'll get a good feel for all the city has to offer if you stick downtown - many of the restaurants, while decent, are expense-account type places.

Coming from Bermuda, can you tell me, is my favorite Bermuda restaurant, Dennis' Hideaway, still in business?

I'm not really familiar with the steak house scene, though folks here on lth have recently liked David Burke's Primehouse. All I can do is testify to the excellence of their pastry chef who recently won a cake contest here judged by chef/writer/lth-er Louisa Chu.

I don't really know the other places you refer to, so it's hard to come up with parallels. However, I agree with nr706 that you want to get out and dine in the neighborhoods if you can. The GNR's reveal some of Chicago's deep Thai and Mexican cooking choices. To me, walking up Michigan Ave. is just like any other big city. But then, what do I know? People always seem to enjoy Spiaggia and its more casual sister.

If I were to have one special-occasion meal in Chicago, I would make a reservation at Moto. Chef Cantu's got something unique that you will never forget. Alinea interested me, and Schwa made me swoon, but Moto hit both the head and the heart, and, on top of that, made me laugh out loud!

Enjoy your visit.

Bermuda -

Are you interested in primarily the food, and don't care about the restaurant's ambiance? Or do you want a mixture of both?

If you're interested in primarily the food, the ethnic places on the Great Neighborhood Restaurants list will probably appeal to you, but you should know that certain of the restaurants are located in less-gentrified neighborhoods and have the ambiance of an Arby's (Xni-Pec comes to mind for that).

I have to respectfully disagree that our "downtown" is filled with expense-account places. (And by "downtown," I mean the Loop, River North & the Gold Coast; Chicago doesn't have a specific area called "downtown"). There are plenty of places in our "downtown" area that are affordable. Also, while I'm all for the neighborhoods, a first-time visitor will probably appreciate the energy attendant to the downtown area. Bermuda, I hope you are not discouraged - Chicago's downtown is nothing to sneeze at architecturally and, IMHO, doesn't look like every other city.

Having said that, I think David Burke's Primehouse is a younger, hipper and better, IMHO, steakhouse than many of the old standards, and is located in the bottom floor of the James Hotel in Gold Coast area, a snazzy boutique hotel. Capital Grille is an Atlanta-based chain and not particularly Chicago (although Burke comes here via NY but we like the way they dry-age their steaks).

I would also suggest Avec, which is a nationally-known Mediterranean-focused small plates restaurant with an excellent wine list, trendy, communal dining and a energetic vibe.

Around the corner from Avec is Sepia, a contemporary American restaurant which has been getting good reviews and is also lively. Both restaurants are located in the West Loop neighborhood.

As others have noted, Chicago is a city of fantastic neighborhoods and cabbing around a bit or taking the El or a bus would be a great way to see the city. Moreover, the neighborhoods tend to melt into one another and there is plenty of opportunity for exploring the sights and sounds. Thus, don't be afraid of taking a cab to the West Loop, Bucktown, Lincoln Park, etc., and feeling like you're on an island.

But just to answer your specific question, for steak, I would recommend either David Burke's (a 20 or so minute walk from the Palmer House or a very short cab/el ride) or Keefer's (either a little closer). David Burke's is my absolute favorite steakhouse in Chicago and you'll see from the posts here that many agree. Keefer's is also excellent and with both, I appreciate the small departures from the standard "club-type" atmosphere, including the bar areas at both spots. But don't get me wrong -- the emphasis at both spots is great beef.

In terms of a place like Tao, it sounds like your focus is more on atmosphere, as opposed to Asian food. Naha is excellent. MK is also very good. I can't comment on Blue Water since I have not dined there, but friends of mine have been less than enthused. Of the group, I'd say go to Naha, but I'd send you just west of your hotel to the Market area to Blackbird on Randolph St. The food is outstanding . . . a little better than Naha in my opinion. And it's loud enough to keep you entertained.

You can find much information on all of these places (and some pictures) by using the site's search mechanism.

bermudaderek wrote:I have narrowed it down to MK and Naha but am open to suggestions as after dinner we would like to walk around and feel the night not just the cool air as opposed to getting into a cab to go to another neighborhood. The ambiance of Blue Water looked quite good as well but I am skeptical of the food.

I should add that both MK and Naha are fine places. You really should try our Mexican food, though, and in the "downtown" or close to downtown area, I'd suggest Frontera Grill or Salpicon (located slightly farther north in Old Town). Frontera Grill is Mexican food-guru Rick Bayless' place. The chef at Salpicon formerly worked at Frontera, and Salpicon has an excellent wine list to boot. Both places are what I'd consider to be "upscale" Mexican, as compared to taquerias which are scattered throughout the neighborhoods.

I'd skip Blue Water. First, it's a NY export. Second, the food ain't so hot. Third, neither is the service.

Salpicon
1252 N. Wells
Chicago
312-988-7811

Frontera Grill
445 N. Clark
Chicago
312-661-1434 (No Reservations)

Steaks.... my favorite topic.

I have been to most of the top steakhouses in Chicago(Mortons, Gibson, etc (Gibsons is more about the scene rather than about a a great steak imho), and the best steak I have ever had was on a recent visit to Saloon Steakhouse. I had a dry aged K.C. Strip steak, that was top notch.

www.saloonsteakhouse.com

I am going to David Burkes the second week of December, and hope it stacks up to the expectations, and glowing reviews I have heard.

My other favorite steak house is Joe's Seafood, Prime Steaks, and Stone Crab. Especially since it is stone crab season, and there is nothing better than a good steak, and some fresh stone crabs in my world.

Enjoy your visit to our great city.

bermudaderek wrote:All feedback or suggestions are really appreciated, we travel frequently and when we are in a city we soak it up as things here are quite slow.

Bermuda,

I am a fan of David Burke, but if you want steak and city of big shoulders scene Gibson's is a moving mural of Chicago power brokers and aspiring Gorden Geckos. For ultra hip, almost to the point of silliness, Nine steakhouse is your meat, a kaleidoscope of small purses, smaller dresses and surgically enhanced body parts, there is even an in-house club to burn off calories from the prime meat and caviar cones.

NaHa or MK are good choices, though for scene and top notch food Blackbird would be my choice with Timo close behind. On a more casual basis Avec, which is a sister restaurant of Blackbird, fits the bill.

If you rise early on Sunday and are feeling adventurous Maxwell Street (link, link) Market, a multi-block street scape of vendors hawking everything from tube socks to tires is the place as there are a couple dozen vendors of Mexican street food, for the most part absolutely delicious fresh made Mexican street food, there from 7am on. Best to go early.

As mentioned upthread the LTHForum Great Neighborhood Restaurant Board provides a portal to Chicago dining many visitors find invaluable.

Have fun and please let us know how you enjoyed our fair city.

Enjoy,
Gary