Yeah that's what I was afraid of. It sucks to be on a Leona's budget and have a GEB or Blackbird palate....

jennydran wrote:Yeah that's what I was afraid of. It sucks to be on a Leona's budget and have a GEB or Blackbird palate....

There's always AVEC. I find their food is as good as some of the best in town, but priced more reasonably. I think its the best value for your money of any restaurant in the city.

160Blue has a $49 three course menu from 5:30-6:30 before events at the United Center. Another good option.

Those are the best deals I can think of to indulge your tastes.

You could also try stopping by GEB and ordering apps at the bar before burgers at Leonas. Or even better, Pizza at Coal Fire. Not sure what their set up will be, but its worth a shot.

I have heard a lot of good things about Avec. I have been wanting to try it. But I heard they don't take reservations. Ugh....Man and I really don't complain that much but today I've done it quite a bit, I apologize.

jennydran wrote:I have heard a lot of good things about Avec. I have been wanting to try it. But I heard they don't take reservations. Ugh....Man and I really don't complain that much but today I've done it quite a bit, I apologize.

Just go during the week. If you need a weekend, the wait is pretty reasonable on Friday's before 6pm.

Better yet, go on a Sunday at 3:30.

Thanks for the tip, we made our reservations! Ours are for 6/4, and I'm sure there will be other reports about the cost of the meal by then. You could make yours for mid/late june and cancel if it looks out of line with what you expect.

As for avec, we walked in yesterday at 5:30 and had no trouble getting a seat. Plenty at the bar, plenty at the communal tables. I still saw seats open at 6:30, but it was full up by 7.

This opening and that of Town and Country have to be two of the most anticipated openings in this town in years. Chicago has truly become a culinary beacon in the United States.

I decided to push my reservation at GE back to mid July (July 12 to be exact) so that they have the opportunity to work all of the kinks out of both the menu and the service before my visit.

I'm excited--got my reservation today for 6/15. I never got to Avenues, so this will be my first taste of GEB.

Is it possible for someone to keep a calendar of the LTH reservations so that we know who to expect when we go there?

happy_stomach wrote:I never got to Avenues, so this will be my first taste of GEB.

HS,

Best read this post of Hammond's before you go.

Enjoy,
Gary

I'll be there 6/6. Very excited.

I'm on for 6/13. (Friday the 13th...)

Eagerly awaiting the early reports.

G Wiv wrote:

happy_stomach wrote:I never got to Avenues, so this will be my first taste of GEB.

HS,

Best read this post of Hammond's before you go.

Enjoy,
Gary

How did I know that was coming???

Mike G wrote:...mine is set for the 13th now.

wak wrote:I'm on for 6/13. (Friday the 13th...)

Me too. Nice of you both to pick my birthday. Feel free to send over a drink

6/5. I'll be steering clear of the anthropophagous options, though.

Scott

8PM, Saturday, June 28 here. Heh. I feel like such a swell.

my apologies for the issues regarding the phone/reservation system, but i am psyched to say that our lines are up and running (312-624-9975) and we're going to be opening june 3rd.

cheers!

I just got off the phone with a young man. I am set for Tuesday, June 3rd. I did not read all of the posts so I didn't know it was the opening until after I made the reservation.

I do not post often, but I am very excited about this. I also just read an interesting piece in TOC.



Cheers,

I'll be there with my wife on June 7th for our 20th anniversary. I know it's not uber-romantic, but we like to have good food and a good time. Chuck Taylor Converse? Looks like it will fit our tastes perfectly.

Romance, my dear Abe, is where you find it. Customary Dining Companion and I had couple of romantic dinners at Burt's Place...and another at Coalfire just a few weeks ago...and another at John's Pizza in the Village, last year on my birthday....hmmm, I sense a pervasive theme here.

Hey, ChefGEB! Make these lovebirds a pizza!

Just got a reservation for Saturday, june 7 at 7:30. I'm very excited!

Walked by GE today and for the first time saw the paper off the glass. Inside GEB himself was talking to about 15 waitstaff. From what I could see, the restaurant appears to be coming together quite well. No signs of frantic screaming. No decorators desparately running around with paint swatches. I was hoping for more Food-network worthy drama. Maybe a pan being thrown or something. Alas, just window washers and speeches to the staff.

According to Phil Vettel on the Stew, they are opening tonight... I can't wait to hear what people have to say! Kinda a soft opening, with no liquor license...

I don't know how to post links or else I would!! But it was posted on the Tribs blog today, The Stew....

Maximus1232 wrote:According to Phil Vettel on the Stew, they are opening tonight...

Indeed I walked by this evening and they were serving. Maybe half full? It was hard to see. Maybe some LTH insiders in the room?

Thank you Maximus for the heads up. After reading your post I immediately called GE and was able to get in at 8:30. It was fantastic to be there for the soft opening, half full at best, quiet but full of excitement, Chef walking the room, and BYOB. I expect the room will be some what noisy when full, but that wouldn't bother me.
The food is spot on fantastic. The menu has been tweaked from the first leak. We had 3 starters and 2 apps between the 2 of us. The Ahi tuna is a marvel, full of flavor with out making the fish. My partner had the risotto w/ Cheezitz which I found to salty and I love salt, but he loved....but then again he loves Cheezitz. I had the Truffled gnocchi w/ Farm egg and I would order it again. We shared the Short Rib stroganoff and the Scallops. The beef was great, flavorful and tender, however the scallops were the stand out of the evening for me. Like the tuna, there was so much flavor in a dish that you'd expect to be subtle yet it just elevated the scallop.
Sorry that's the best I can do after 2 martinis at Tizi Melloul before hand, two bottles of wine with dinner, and a scotch at home.
If you can make it for the soft opening, I highly recommend it. It's full of energy, invigorating, and it's GEB with a BYOB policy!

Maximus1232 wrote:I don't know how to post links or else I would!!

You may want to read the How-To Crib Sheet for LTHForum.com

rhinopias wrote:Thank you Maximus for the heads up. After reading your post I immediately called GE and was able to get in at 8:30. It was fantastic to be there for the soft opening, half full at best, quiet but full of excitement, Chef walking the room, and BYOB. I expect the room will be some what noisy when full, but that wouldn't bother me.
The food is spot on fantastic. The menu has been tweaked from the first leak. We had 3 starters and 2 apps between the 2 of us. The Ahi tuna is a marvel, full of flavor with out making the fish. My partner had the risotto w/ Cheezitz which I found to salty and I love salt, but he loved....but then again he loves Cheezitz. I had the Truffled gnocchi w/ Farm egg and I would order it again. We shared the Short Rib stroganoff and the Scallops. The beef was great, flavorful and tender, however the scallops were the stand out of the evening for me. Like the tuna, there was so much flavor in a dish that you'd expect to be subtle yet it just elevated the scallop.
Sorry that's the best I can do after 2 martinis at Tizi Melloul before hand, two bottles of wine with dinner, and a scotch at home.
If you can make it for the soft opening, I highly recommend it. It's full of energy, invigorating, and it's GEB with a BYOB policy!

I have a Thurs. Res. How much did you wind up spending?

I was there tonight. We did the 5 course tasting, and it was 75 a person. Unfortunately, I can't give you a great idea past that on price, since it's still BYOB. The food, however, was phenomenal. The short rib stroganoff is a dish I'll think about for a long time. Service was surprisingly polished after 3 days.

Overall, a very good experience.

Our three apps, two entrees, and one dessert totaled $160 with tax and tip. The menu seemed a little pricier than originally hyped with many entrees in the high $30, and portion wise you definitely need an app. However the quality and skill is spot on.

I'll be there 6/7 at 7. Anyone know if it will still be BYOB? If so, anyone who's been have wine pairing ideas for Cheezit risotto (or their scallops or short-rib dishes). Thanks!