you've got to take them to burt's or the lou's on lincoln for deep dish. you also need to take them to gene and judes or wolfy's for a hot dog. come on now! how about johnny's for a beef. this is the city of big shoulders!!!

nicinchic wrote:Lockwood (new restaurant in the Palmer House)
17 E Monroe St
Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: (312) 726-7500

nsxtasy wrote:Anybody been there yet? I wonder what it's like.

Apparently it's not open yet, despite its recent opening. According to Metromix:

Metromix wrote:You’ve been waiting 136 years for it, but you’re just going to have to wait a bit longer. After opening for a sold-out Thanksgiving sneak peek, this fancy addition to the historic Palmer House Hilton closed up to complete a last few details. It’s now aiming for a mid-December debut.

nsxtasy wrote:Salbute in Hinsdale

Salbute closed.

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/ ... ys-ad.html

Darren72 wrote:At the most basic level, to me, impressing my guests means that they are pleased with the experience. It doesn't mean that the meal is an audition, so to speak, or that the guest is supposed to say "Wow, this Chicago food really measures up well against what I can get in NY!". The guests aren't judges in a competition...

But isn't that (unfortunately) the point? That we do, as Chicagoans, have an inferiority complex when it comes to New York? (Or its opposite, an aggressive "eff you, New York, we don't need to impress you," which is really just a defense mechanism against the inferiority complex, and so amounts to the same thing.) I think it is impossible for a Chicagoan to take a New Yorker to a restaurant without thinking, "He's too gracious to say so, but I know he's secretly comparing this restaurant to New York and entertaining condescending little thoughts about us." And so we have anxiety.

Of course there will be those who claim they don't know what I'm talking about, and I'll take them at their word. I'm only extrapolating from my own thoughts, and assuming they are not unique.

riddlemay wrote:But isn't that (unfortunately) the point? That we do, as Chicagoans, have an inferiority complex when it comes to New York? (Or its opposite, an aggressive "eff you, New York, we don't need to impress you," which is really just a defense mechanism against the inferiority complex, and so amounts to the same thing.) I think it is impossible for a Chicagoan to take a New Yorker to a restaurant without thinking, "He's too gracious to say so, but I know he's secretly comparing this restaurant to New York and entertaining condescending little thoughts about us." And so we have anxiety.

I don't think that way, and I don't think my guests from New York (and other cities with reputations for good food) feel that way. When they visit here (and when I visit there), we just go to good places and enjoy them. <shrug>

riddlemay wrote:But isn't that (unfortunately) the point? That we do, as Chicagoans, have an inferiority complex when it comes to New York?

Or is it that many NY'ers have a misguided superiority complex when it comes to their own restaurants? (I'm sure many Chicagoans do too, but I've certainly experienced this with many of my NY relatives and friends) In any event, I think Chicagoans should be (and probably are) extremely proud of the amazingly excellent and diverse group of restaurants in this city. Is NY better? Is New Orleans better? Is SF better? Who cares and how could this possibly be judged. Certainly, Chicago has received so much attention for its food of late -- Alan Richman's article, Saveur, etc. -- and that probably benefits the Chicago restaurant community as a whole. And yet, I think you can always find certain cuisines that are better represented in one city as opposed to another (Spanish, Indonesian to mention a couple). That's what makes traveling so fun -- the search for the best bagel, soup dumpling, pho, mole, etc. But if there's anyone here who has an inferiority complex when it comes to Chicago restaurants, that person needs to start dining out here more often.

My feeling is that if I could get the same food in another city that I get in Chicago, why leave home at all, presuming food is the only goal?

Of course, some still seek out places like Red Lobster and Olive Garden while on vacation because that's what makes them happy when they go out to eat. So I say more power to them.

BR wrote:

riddlemay wrote:But isn't that (unfortunately) the point? That we do, as Chicagoans, have an inferiority complex when it comes to New York?

Or is it that many NY'ers have a misguided superiority complex when it comes to their own restaurants?

The two aren't mutually exclusive

For the record, you can put me in the camp that feels both mindsets are silly. All of these places have their strengths and weaknesses and trying to rank them as food towns is an exercise in futility. And why would you want to, anyway?

Dmnkly wrote:All of these places have their strengths and weaknesses and trying to rank them as food towns is an exercise in futility. And why would you want to, anyway?

While I agree in the NY vs Chi instance, I do think towns can be roughly ranked on their "foodiness." Would anyone dispute the opinion that Chicago has a more diverse and higher quality food scene than, say, Topeka?

Italian Village is not far away, and is about as classic a Chicago place as you can get.

nr706 wrote:

Dmnkly wrote:All of these places have their strengths and weaknesses and trying to rank them as food towns is an exercise in futility. And why would you want to, anyway?

While I agree in the NY vs Chi instance, I do think towns can be roughly ranked on their "foodiness." Would anyone dispute the opinion that Chicago has a more diverse and higher quality food scene than, say, Topeka?

In the same way you could argue that Lawrence of Arabia is a better film than B.A.P.S.*, sure, but what's the point? Either two towns are close enough that they both have their charms, or they're so far apart that everybody knows it... in either case, it's a useless distinction. And even in the case of Topeka, I bet there are some things they do better in Topeka than anywhere else. If you're into arguing, the process may be fun, but the end result doesn't provide you with any real information. Judging which town is subjectively better seems like a waste of mental energy when you could, instead, simply be appreciating each for what it does well.

* - My apologies to the good people of Topeka, Kansas for comparing their city to B.A.P.S.

They do make pretty good dog food in Topeka.

And Ian Richardson rocked in B.A.P.S.!

Interesting debate. It turns out that my friends really like the idea of trying a good Chicago hot dog and Italian beef. Blackbird is definitely on the list and probably North Pond for brunch. This could change because they want to try so many places that it's always hard to make the "perfect" choice. It seems that they've been reading about our restaurants and know a lot more about us than I thought. Thanks for the interesting ideas. I think I'll make my way into the city and try a few more of the restaurants on this list before they come.

Jean

Hi Jean,

Having just hosted some out of town guests, I'd be very curious to hear (or read about) your guests' impressions of wherever you end up taking them.

Have fun!

=R=

Jean Blanchard wrote:Blackbird is definitely on the list and probably North Pond for brunch.

North Pond for brunch is a great idea, because you get to see the park (and the skyline over the opposite end of the pond) in daylight. Good choice.

Make a reservation for both, as both book up well in advance. You'll have to call Blackbird; North Pond accepts reservations on opentable.com