Tuesday Night Budget Dining

LTH,

Tuesday was budget dining night at the G Wiv household. I went for 2 for the price of 1 pizza at Candlelite and MsWiv for the $22 prix fixe at La Sardine. MsWiv quite enjoyed her meal of mussels, cassoulet and chocolate souffle and the total bill, for 4 people, including a few glasses of wine, was $138 before tip.

Candlelite totaled $40, including tip, for 2 large pizzas with toppings, 1 basket of garlic fries, crisp, extra garlic, and a beer, we brought our drinks over from the bar. Split between 4 people this is a whopping $10 per person for damn good thin crust pizza.

Next thing you know Rachel Ray is going to be asking me for $40 a day tips.

Enjoy,
Gary

La Sardine
111 N Carpenter St
Chicago, IL 60607
312-421-2800

Candlelite Chicago
7452 North Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60645
773-465-0087

It looks like you are able to maintain some decorum with respect to wine. I usually can't carry that off, so I go to La Sardine on Mondays for the half priced bottles of wine. Let's see, if I drink twice as much..., oh, and I think I eat something, too.

FYI - I had a typically very good meal at Think Cafe - 2235 N. Western - last nite, two huge appetizers, split the seafood pasta (surprisingly, far more seafood than pasta), and the bill before tip was $45 for two. It's BYOB, so we brought a Seaview 2000 Brut (87 from Wine Spectator; under $7 at Binny's). Prices seem very reasonable for the quality, and we both left full (but not uncomfortably so).

nr706 wrote:FYI - I had a typically very good meal at Think Cafe - 2235 N. Western - last nite, two huge appetizers, split the seafood pasta (surprisingly, far more seafood than pasta), and the bill before tip was $45 for two. It's BYOB, so we brought a Seaview 2000 Brut (87 from Wine Spectator; under $7 at Binny's). Prices seem very reasonable for the quality, and we both left full (but not uncomfortably so).

At think, the last time I had the spinach salad it was by far the best I'd ever had. Highly recommended if it's still on the menu.

My mom and girlfriend had a mediocre special that night -- a very bland piece of white fish topped with a mango salsa. The only thing with any flavor was the salsa. Kind of a waste.

My food has consistently been very good there, though. I don't know why i don't go more often -- probably because lula is more convenient.

-ed

Having tried Candlelite recently, I have to agree the pizza at those prices is well worth the trip.

What kind of tips was Rachel asking you for before?

O'fame in Lincoln Park has 1/2 price pizzas (any kind) on Tuesdays (dine-in only).

I love their pan pizza. The crust isn't too greasy, the sauce is perfect with chunks of tomatoes, and there's just the right amount of cheese.

O'fame
750 W Webster

My new favorite Tuesday night deal:

Mod has Tuesday night BYOB.
I was there a few weeks ago and had the most delicious short ribs, plus I got to bring my own wine that night. Can't beat that.

Mod
1520 N Damen
Chicago
773-252-1500

nr706 wrote:FYI - I had a typically very good meal at Think Cafe - 2235 N. Western - last nite, two huge appetizers, split the seafood pasta (surprisingly, far more seafood than pasta), and the bill before tip was $45 for two. It's BYOB

How egotistical is it to quote yourself?

Anyway, I understand Think will be on Check Please this weekend ... I know they were struggling there for a while, so it's great to see the recognition they're finally getting.

nr706 wrote:
How egotistical is it to quote yourself?

Anyway, I understand Think will be on Check Please this weekend ... I know they were struggling there for a while, so it's great to see the recognition they're finally getting.

Even without check please they seem to be doing well. We went on Monday for a 7pm dinner and the place was nearly packed. Granted, it only seats ~30 or so, but still, I'd never seen it that busy. Especially on a monday.

The meal was very good. Entrees at the table were a rack of lamb, chicken marsala, 'zuppa di mare', and stuffed gnocchi. one person had the think salad, which they found to be one of the finest salads they'd ever had. i shared the dessert, an "untraditional cannoli", with my girlfriend, which was fine, but nothing astounding. reasonably fresh berries given the season.

-ed

I was the one who had the zuppa de mare, (probably the same seafood pasta mentioned above). Not only was it a huge portion--enough for gluttony plus two more spilling-off-the-plate meals at home--but it was delicious. Broth quite spicy. Giant, but tender, shrimp in shell complete with heads, good squid and scallops, excellent fish that I suspect may have been the halibut they were also featuring on Monday, all served over a nice linquine. The bread was also among the best in the city, especially the sour-dough based french. We asked and were told only that a local person bakes it for them. I wasn't the person who had the salad, but I ate a lot of it off his plate, and I would absolutely find room for one of their salads next time, skipping dessert if necessary.

The wonderful personal service is also always a pleasure, as is the perfectly lit and pleasantly decorated room. They deserve any good things that may come their way as the result of Check Please and I have a fair amount of confidence that they'll rise above the immediate crowds and chaos.

G Wiv wrote:LTH,

Tuesday was budget dining night at the G Wiv household. I went for 2 for the price of 1 pizza at Candlelite...
Candlelite totaled $40, including tip, for 2 large pizzas with toppings, 1 basket of garlic fries, crisp, extra garlic, and a beer, we brought our drinks over from the bar. Split between 4 people this is a whopping $10 per person for damn good thin crust pizza.

I'm confused....you got "2 for the price of 1" pizzas and still paid $40? I don't know if I'd consider that a steal....at least not on my budget. Must've been some pricey fries and bottle of beer...

A large pizza with toppings is going to be close to $20 at Candlelite. Add the basket of fries and beer and you're over $30. Add tax, and tip, and you're at $40. Viola.

I went there last tuesday as part of a group of 4. We had two mediums with 2 toppings, a basket of garlic fries, and about 6 beers. Totaled right around $40.

How large are their large pizzas?

Janet C. wrote:How large are their large pizzas?

Candlelite's large pizza is a 14 inch. Marie's pizza is also a 14 inch and is $10.95 and 0.75 for garlic. What's nice about Marie's is that they have a liquor store and if your drinking wine you can pick out what you want at liquor store prices and pay, I think $2.50 for a corkage fee, it saves alot of money on your bar tab. What a great idea , everyone wins.

Candlelite's pizza is nice and big in terms of area, but because it's a very thin cracker-y crust, it's not a lot of volume, compared to the way pizzas today are mostly designed to fill you up with a lot of bread. So if you're going to feel like you didn't get filled up, you should go on Tuesday for the 2 for 1.