Multigenerational Family Dinner

My aunt and uncle, natives of Boston, will be celebrating their fortieth anniversary with our multigenerational Chicago-based family this spring. I have been asked to help find a venue.

From my aunt:

"We would like to have an informal family party for all generations. Our model is the place we used for my dad's 90th and 95th birthdays. The best barbecue place in Kansas City has a private function room. It wasn't elegant but the spirit was festive and the food was great! In Boston we would rent the private room at Woodman's, the clam shack that invented the fried clam, for lobster rolls and fried clams. The point is that the ambiance be casual and the food first-rate."

This will be a Friday or Saturday night dinner for 23 people, ranging in age from 3 to 89. All are gourmands.

Any suggestions? I haven't really given this much thought yet, but one of the private dining rooms at the Frontera Grill might fit the bill...

Are you looking only in the city or outside? I've got a short list of places that would totally work.

Forgive me for the lack of specificity. We're probably looking for something in the City, north of Roosevelt Road and east of Kedzie. North Shore from Evanston to Glencoe would probably work, too, but we're all snobs and consider the North Shore to be more often than not a culinary wasteland.

It may be cliche, but Greektown is always a good choice for an event like this.

I would consider P.S. Bangkok (the one on Clark, north of Belmont) I had a lot of extended family this past fall and had a dinner for 16 at P.S. We had a great meal there and my family was thrilled with the personal service (although, I've been going there since I was a kid). The owner, Su, is very accomodating. If you called in advance, I'm sure she would help you arrange something. The only downside is that parking stinks around there (although it's better when it's not during baseball season).

Club Lucky has a nice private room, I had a rehersal dinner there and the food was fantastic. I think all generations would like it, plus its a cool neighborhood to walk around in for out of towners.

Club Lucky
www.clubluckychicago.com

1824 W Wabansia Ave
Chicago, IL 60622, United States
(773) 227-2300

If you have any flexibility on your western boundaries, I think Sabatino's is a good choice for an event like this. They do have a private party room.

Sabatino's
4441 W Irving Park Rd
Chicago
773/283-8331

I can only speak for my family. But, they would really be pleased with Chuck's Southern Comfort Cafe. The only down side is that there isn't a private room.

Chuck did set up a semi private dining area for a big bunch of LTHers a few years back when he served us a 15 course mardi gras feast.

The food is terrific. The feel of the place is laid back and relaxing. The menu is everything from gumbo to barbeque to "mexican pot roast" to bananas foster.

Chuck's Southern Comfort Cafe
5557 W. 79th
Burbank, IL
www.chuckscafe.com

Maybe some additional ethnic options?

Korean barbecue? (I think Hai Woon Dae has a private room)

Turkish Cuisine, in Andersonville?

If you are willing to go south of Roosevelt: Lao Sze Chuan

Or, if you want to stay north, maybe you could buy out all of Sun Wah for the night. (I think we had about 20 people for the GNR dinner there and we pretty much filled the place up.)

With a group that size, I strongly recommend a place with a private room.

Amata wrote:If you are willing to go south of Roosevelt: Lao Sze Chuan

They have one...

I second Will's suggestion of Chuck's -- I would call and speak to them about what you are looking for. I am sure they would be able to accommodate your request, although you would not get a private room. The food there is not only terrific, it's quite reasonably priced. The other reason to go there is I always see families dining there -- they are really good and handling requests for kid's food. Chuck's truly has something for everyone.

Suzy

Unfortunately, Chuck's seems to be a bit geographically off from her request of 'North of Roosevelt', otherwise it would be a great choice.

Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe
5557 W 79th St
Burbank, IL 60459

It's right on your western boundary, but I would recommend Semiramis which is at Kedzie and Wilson. They hosted two parties for me in December/January each with about 25 people. They reserved the back section of the restaurant and draped the curtains so that it was semi-private. The meal was served family style and a big hit with both groups. It's BYOB and so the cost of the meal is very, very reasonable. They were a joy to work with.

Thank you everybody for your excellent suggestions. I'll connect with the anniversary couple to see what they think of these options. Looking forward to a delicious dinner this June!