First time visiting Chicago

My wife and I are visiting Chicago for the first time next week. I'm trying to find out where to get some authenic Chicago food. Also, some nice dining places. Is Rick Tramontos place worth the price?

"Authentic Chicago food" & "nice dining places" - you need to be more specific. Chicago is comprised of many ethnic cuisines along with (literally) hundreds of "nice dining places."

Which "Tramonto place" are you referring to?

I agree that you need to be more specific. However, I would also be interested in where you are staying and how you will be getting around as it would change where I would send you for certain meals.

It's virtually a cliche to say so, but check out LTHForum.com's list of Great Neighborhood Restaurants.

These dishes are more or less unique to Chicago:

* Deep-dish and stuffed pizza
* Italian beef sandwiches (and beef/sausage combos)
* Chicago-style hot dogs
* Maxwell Street Polish
* Shrimp de Jonghe
* Chicken Vesuvio (a classic version can be had at Rosebud, 720 N Rush St., 312-266-6444)
* Jibaritos
* And, while they're not precisely unique to this city, we offer better steakhouses than many other parts of the country

If, by Tramonto's place, you mean Tru, a lot depends on your tastes. If you enjoy contemporary dining with a lot of intricate small plates, exquisitely wrought, yes. If you're looking for a hearty meal, no.

I think the "Tramonto's place" ref by the OP may be to the steak house featured in Top Chef this week.

If you're staying in the city, I wouldn't bother heading out to Tramonto's out here in Wheeling. There are too many other perfectly wonderful steakhouses downtown to schlep out to the hinterlands.

If you're looking for cuisine that is less widely-available in other cities, I recommend Mexican (which Chicago has a wider variety of than most other large cities), Thai, or Polish, all with a great number of places in the city to choose from. The GNR list posted upthread is a great place to start looking.

Personally, I recommend Podhalanka for a cheap and tasty Polish meal--I had a terrific breakfast there a few months back.