Maybe the people running the Wheeling Westin thought they were on the North Shore.

nr706 wrote:Maybe the people running the Wheeling Westin thought they were on the North Shore.

LOL . . . considering it's actually called The Westin Chicago North Shore, I think you might be on to something

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I'll be sad to see it go. It really worked for us because my husband and I could get a nice dinner and still bring the kids and not feel bad about it. They're always happy with pizza or pasta. I looked forward to the farmers market specials and the nice wine service. We always went really early b/c of the children and it was never crowded even when we were leaving, around 7 or so. Not a good sign. And we were never too crazy about the steak house. We only dined there once. It will be interesting to see what happens with the space. There has to be some restaurant there to accomodate the hotel, I would assume.

tonirogerspark wrote:There has to be some restaurant there to accomodate the hotel, I would assume.

My bet is that one of the spaces will turn into an all purpose 3 meal/day hotel restaurant and the other space will be conveted into meeting/banquet space.

As Dish reported, wouldn't it only make sense that Melman takes over one or both of the spaces? LEYE may be one of the only entities who could come in and open something with staying power. Or what about a Capital Grille? With locations downtown and now in Lombard, I wonder if they'd be interested in another (I've never been but heard only great things).

Will be very sorry to see them go. The burgers at Osteria plus exceptional desserts and excellent, inexpensive wines were evidently too good to be true. Also wonderful brunches.

Louisa Chu wrote:Will be very sorry to see them go. The burgers at Osteria plus exceptional desserts and excellent, inexpensive wines were evidently too good to be true. Also wonderful brunches.

Oh Louisa, if all their customers were as food-forward as you, this place would have likely thrived in its original form.

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You don't need to be food-forward - whatever that is! I've recommended the restos highly to nearby neighbors who otherwise would have gone to some chain atrocity and all have loved them. The problem is that they are an island of good food in a sea of such nearby horrors - which are bigger, cheaper, and faster.

I would just like to make one point about osteria's post: she did not actually claim that the restaurant was on the North Shore, but that people from the North Shore might not be as adventurous. As Osteria di Tramonto is basically on the border of Wheeling and Northbrook, it gets lots of customers from the North Shore, as do many other restaurants on the Milwaukee corridor, like Hackney's and Bob Chinn's. I don't see this repetitive "calling-out" as very productive in this discussion, and it seems a bit too close to snobbishness and condescension for my tastes.

AndrewR wrote:I would just like to make one point about osteria's post: she did not actually claim that the restaurant was on the North Shore, but that people from the North Shore might not be as adventurous. As Osteria di Tramonto is basically on the border of Wheeling and Northbrook, it gets lots of customers from the North Shore, as do many other restaurants on the Milwaukee corridor, like Hackney's and Bob Chinn's. I don't see this repetitive "calling-out" as very productive in this discussion, and it seems a bit too close to snobbishness and condescension for my tastes.

Any comments I made in this regard were in response to the hotel's actual name, which includes the words north shore. I just find that sort of misrepresentation very annoying, especially in the case of a hotel where out of town guests stay and are instantly misled about the location of their lodging.

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Maybe they could get even more $ per room if they called it Westin Chicago Streeterville.

I don't know, I don't think being located a quarter of a mile outside of the actual North Shore is that much misrepresentation. It probably is called "Westin North Shore" due to its proximity to major North Shore business locations, like Nielsen and Allstate.

I don't see the point in being picky. I mean, come on, Cafe Lucci is in Glenview, that's North Shore, why quibble about it. I would guess that a majority of both Osteria's and Cafe Lucci's customers come from the North Shore, that was the point being made.

My comment was general in nature in any case.

AndrewR wrote:I don't see the point in being picky. I mean, come on, Cafe Lucci is in Glenview, that's North Shore, why quibble about it. I would guess that a majority of both Osteria's and Cafe Lucci's customers come from the North Shore, that was the point being made.

Do you really think so? Not trying to be contentious, just curious. I've spent a lot of time at Cafe Lucci, including at events where you mix and talk to people. I can think of maybe one or two families from places like Winnetka that we see there sometimes. Lucci seems to get its regulars from all over the place, and a lot of other customers from the nearby hotels. It doesn't feel like a North Shore establishment to me at all. (I know they use, or have used, the words North Shore on their website, but to me the place is definitely in the Northwest suburbs.)

AndrewR wrote:I don't know, I don't think being located a quarter of a mile outside of the actual North Shore is that much misrepresentation. It probably is called "Westin North Shore" due to its proximity to major North Shore business locations, like Nielsen and Allstate.

I don't see the point in being picky. I mean, come on, Cafe Lucci is in Glenview, that's North Shore, why quibble about it. I would guess that a majority of both Osteria's and Cafe Lucci's customers come from the North Shore, that was the point being made.

My comment was general in nature in any case.

I think it's called the north shore because whoever decided to name it that thought that using the term north shore had more cache. It wasn't an accident. It was intentional. That's why it irks me so much. I mean this it's not like this place is even as far east as Waukegan Road. It's on Milwaukee Avenue! By what meaningful measure is that north shore?

I also disagree with the assertion that Glenview is on the north shore. It isn't. It's a fine community and it includes some oustanding school districts, New Trier being among them. But it is decidedly landlocked.

And lest you think this perspective reflects any snobbishness on my part, I don't live on the north shore. I live in Deerfield, which isn't on the shore, either.

The irony of all this is that the north shore is hardly known as cultural or culinary mecca. I could understand a hack realtor trying to pass Wheeling off as the north shore, but a hotel? Really, what's the point?

In any event, I don't think the name of the hotel had anything to do with the demise of the restaurants that were located there. However, the names of the chefs involved, however big they are, don't seem to have been enough to have carried them, either.

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ronnie_suburban wrote:I also disagree with the assertion that Glenview is on the north shore. It isn't. It's a fine community and it includes some oustanding school districts, New Trier being among them. But it is decidedly landlocked.

Well, it does have the West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River running through the middle of it ...

nr706 wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:I also disagree with the assertion that Glenview is on the north shore. It isn't. It's a fine community and it includes some oustanding school districts, New Trier being among them. But it is decidedly landlocked.

Well, it does have the West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River running through the middle of it ...

LOL! Ok, I stand corrected.

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[quote="ronnie_suburban"]The irony of all this is that the north shore is hardly known as cultural or culinary mecca. I could understand a hack realtor trying to pass Wheeling off as the north shore, but a hotel? Really, what's the point?
[quote]

If I were an out-of-town visitor, I would expect a "north shore" hotel to be near the lake and would be quite disappointed with a Wheeling location. Although the hotels in that area are probably where a good number of visitors to the North Shore end up, because what else is there?

I also meant no snobbery in a culinary way. To me, the actual North Shore is very limited in terms of dining. My father and some aunts and uncles live there and we often have family meals at places near their houses. I'm not saying we haven't been anywhere good; you've got Highland Park and Evanston is nearby, but it's never like I can't wait to get back to that place in Glencoe or Winnetka.

bibi rose wrote: but it's never like I can't wait to get back to that place in Glencoe or Winnetka.

Michael in Winnetka is pretty good and I can't wait to get back there....

Now that we've got the geographical-cum-lexicographical issues settled, anyone eaten here lately?

Gypsy Boy wrote:Now that we've got the geographical-cum-lexicographical issues settled, anyone eaten here lately?

GB,

As you've probably heard, as of the end of the year, the folks running both Osteria di Tramonto and the Tramonto's Steak & Seafood will be parting ways with the hotel. I think what this means is that you've got about 1 week left before both these places likely shut down for reconcepting. Even relatively current reports are going to have a very short shelf life.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Even relatively current reports are going to have a very short shelf life.

I did know about the "parting of the ways," thanks. But I posted just after learning that we're going for lunch today! So even a very short shelf life would have been fine. That's okay. How bad can it be?

I understand that Lettuce Entertain You is taking over the space.

Gypsy Boy wrote:How bad can it be?

They might be serving six-month-old dairy products!

It's all because of those frozen scallops.

Has anyone heard anything more recently about Osteria and/or Tramonto's? We're taking Grandma out to a nice steak dinner Friday night, and she lives in the area. The Tribune article seemed to suggest the name was not going to be around after the first of the year, but it's still listed on Open Table. Just wondering if anyone has eaten there or even been by there & has seen what is going on.

If this is a no go, we default to Wildfire.

Not that I'm a huge fan of Lettuce restaurants as a whole, but if they filled the Osteria space with R.J. Grunt's or brought back Fritz That's It, I guarantee you, every nostalgic North Shore-ite that grew up in the 70's would be there like white on rice.

Quite frankly, LEYE could open a Wildfire next to a Wildfire and both would still be packed. The concept is both beyond criticism and recession--it's really quite remarkable and scary.

So it's not too far-fetched to say they may open another WF there...

It's not remarkable. People that have a lot dispensable income eat @ Wildfire, and the people that don't, don't.

Agreed it's a gold mine tho, with decent if overpriced food for the 'out-to-be-seen' crowd.

It's not remarkable. People that have a lot dispensable income eat @ Wildfire, and the people that don't, don't.

Agreed it's a gold mine tho, with decent if overpriced food for the 'out-to-be-seen' crowd.

Don't count me in the "out-to-be-seen" crowd. Our 85 year old Grandma... well maybe she is, but I doubt it.

I think it's where some people with a lot of dough and not a lot of imagination go often but it's where a lot of other people go for an easy,-everyone's-going-to-like-this-if-not-love-it-dinner-out-that-may-not-be-cheap,-but-hey-it's-a-special-occasion.

We had dinner at Tramonto's Steak last Saturday night for my hubby's bday. Our 8:30 reservation wasn't honored but they did buy us each a drink and an appetizer. The appetizers were very good, we each had something different and everyone tasted around.

We're boring, all ate filets, and found the steaks to be acceptable, definitely not great, a little dry to be honest.

Having not been all that thrilled with sweets there (I know, it's a sacrilege but there you have it), I had made stuff at home so we didn't even have dessert. They did bring a nice vanilla bean creme brulee for my husband.

In all, I honestly don't think we'd go back, nor would I recommend it. Say what you want about Wildfire but it's pretty consistent. Take Grandma to Wildfire.