Help with restaurant recs...

Hey guys. I need help with some dinner recommendations for part of our trip. We will be in town August 8th - 11th and would like some input as to some of out unplanned food destinations.

Arrive Friday: Lunch at Lou Malnati's before heading up to wrigley field.
Dinner at Frontera Grill

Saturday: lunch picnic where I will propose!
dinner, have reservations at Graham Elliot, but this is subject to change. Also considering Kiki's Bistrot, Blackbird, Spring, Avec, Sepia, or anywhere else with entrees below $40. This will be a semi-splurge. Any suggestions are welcome.

Sunday: Maybe brunch at Sepia or other. This one is not set in stone.
Dinner maybe at Avec? or could do Ai sushi.

Monday: Lunch at Blackbird or n9ne?
Fly out monday night.

Let me know what you think. Thanks.

pickles wrote:Saturday: lunch picnic where I will propose!

Best picnic I've had this summer was lunch from Uncle John's at Jackson Park.

Uncle John's BBQ
337 E. 69th St., Chicago
773-892-1233

Jackson Park
6401 S. Stony Island Ave.

Hi! An early congratulations!

I haven't been to Graham Elliot, so cannot comment, but have been to all of the others. Kiki's, while romantic, just doesn't have great food, in my opinion. I don't think it's in the class of your other options. Avec, with it's wonderful food, is casual, noisy, and doesn't take reservations. I think your suggestion of a Sunday dinner at Avec is good - you won't have quite the crowds on a Sunday. It's just not the place I'd want to go after getting engaged (waiting for an hour plus to bump elbows with your neighbors might not be the right choice). I think Spring, Blackbird, and Sepia are all good choices. Blackbird probably has the edge on food of the three, in my opinion, but Sepia might be more romantic and memorable.

If you want delicious, French, romantic, and only a semi-splurge, I suggest considering Bistrot Campagne in Lincoln Square, especially if you can get an outside table. It's my favorite relatively reasonable French spot in the city. Amazing pork chops.

Feel free to ask for more advice. The folks here are really friendly and know their restaurants.

Thanks so much for your suggestions. It looks like I will only have the opportunity to eat at either Blackbird or Avec.

Avec would be an early Sunday dinner (~5)
Blackbird would be for lunch Monday

Which would you choose if you could only do one?

Thanks again...

Sounds like you've got a lot of higher end places -- don't forget the GNR list -- there's a lot of great food in this town that can be fun and really really delicious. That said, might I suggest that a really wonderful option for this time of year would be a romantic and lovely dinner at North Pond? It's deep in the heart of the Park and serves excellent food that really relies on organic and sustainable produce. Plus..the view is really delightful. It's very "Frank Lloyd Wright" in atmosphere --which is in turn quite Chicago. Might be a great place to go for your semi-splurge meal.

As for your picnic -- not knowing where you're staying or going can make logistics difficult but i would think about picking up stuff at Fox and Obel. They have a great deli/charcurterie department coupled with some of the best cheese in town. And my personal favorite thing is their great bakery -- both on the bread side and the wonderful sweet side. Getting two cupcakes for dessert might be great way to end your picnic. Shopping for the picnic together might be a great deal of the fun!

Hope all goes smoothly and you have a great time. Mazel Tov!

Shannon


North Pond
2610 North Cannon Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60614
773.477.5845
http://www.northpondrestaurant.com

Fox & Obel Food Market
401 E. Illinois Street
Chicago, IL 60611
312.410.7301
http://www.fox-obel.com

GNR List, at your service!

If you're picking up a picnic to eat right away, might I suggest takeout sushi? It's sexy, romantic, easy to eat, and you can get it packaged and get out of there and eat immediately, thus freeing up time for the important stuff; if you let us know the general area of the picnic, I'm sure you can get other suggestions; there are good bakeries and delis that offer sandwiches and stuff that can be made into a quick picnic as well, but it really depends on where you are.

I can definitely vouch for North Pond as a nice, relaxing and elegant, while casual, setting for a delicious meal.

The fact that it's right on the edge of a pond with commanding views of the skyline while situated in a park is a huge bonus, especially for your occassion.

The food is solid as well. I believe the chef was up for a james beard award this year or perhaps won one last year (or years past).

They offer ala carte or tasting menus I believe. Also, they serve a Sunday brunch if you have the time. Check out their website to get a taste of what their foodstuffs are all about.

earthlydesire wrote:Sounds like you've got a lot of higher end places -- don't forget the GNR list -- there's a lot of great food in this town that can be fun and really really delicious. That said, might I suggest that a really wonderful option for this time of year would be a romantic and lovely dinner at North Pond? It's deep in the heart of the Park and serves excellent food that really relies on organic and sustainable produce. Plus..the view is really delightful. It's very "Frank Lloyd Wright" in atmosphere --which is in turn quite Chicago. Might be a great place to go for your semi-splurge meal.

As for your picnic -- not knowing where you're staying or going can make logistics difficult but i would think about picking up stuff at Fox and Obel. They have a great deli/charcurterie department coupled with some of the best cheese in town. And my personal favorite thing is their great bakery -- both on the bread side and the wonderful sweet side. Getting two cupcakes for dessert might be great way to end your picnic. Shopping for the picnic together might be a great deal of the fun!

Hope all goes smoothly and you have a great time. Mazel Tov!

Shannon


North Pond
2610 North Cannon Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60614
773.477.5845
http://www.northpondrestaurant.com

Fox & Obel Food Market
401 E. Illinois Street
Chicago, IL 60611
312.410.7301
http://www.fox-obel.com

Yeah I looked into North Pond and was considering it, but I think decided to go in a different direction (?). Not sure why, but the menu didn't really pop or seem as interesting to me as some of the other places I listed. Are the prices in-line with a place like Graham Elliot?

As for the picnic, these are great suggestions. The consierge at the Hotel Monaco has been extremely great and even picked up a wicker picnic basket from Fox and Obel for me on his off day! As for the food, its funny that you mentioned sushi as we both LOVE sushi. I'm also part Japanese, so would be fitting . I had thought about this but was kinda leaning toward Pastoral for the picnic food. They have some really nice looking picnic packages for about $40. And I think trying all the different meats and cheeses would be fun.
Place: Somewhere in Millenium or Grant Park. Was thinking about maybe the formal gardens to the north or south of the Art Institute if there is shade, or maybe under one of the Elm trees (happens to be my last name!). If someone could tell me exactly where these are in Grant, that would be very helpful...

Any sushi places nearby?
Also, Lincoln Park would be better in anyones opinion?

There are great gardens in both - if you go to Lincoln park, there's the Conservatory (right next to the zoo) which has lovely gardens right outside, and inside as well, if the weather doesn't agree. However, Grant Park has Buckingham Fountain and some interesting gardens as well, and it's a good bit closer and easier. If you click the word "sushi" in my earlier post, I linked to a thread on sushi downtown, but for Lincoln Park, I'd be at a loss...

By the way, congratulations! This event keeps coming up on the forum, and each time I am reminded of the best decision I ever made !