I NEED HELP!!

I am from western Michigan and have been searching to find the PERFECT restaurant downtown Chicago within walking distance (or short cab ride) of millenium park. I am planning on proposing to my girlfriend in that area (cloud gate, or the fountain) then taking her to a somewhat fancy resteraunt for dinner. The only criteria I have for the restaurant is that I'd like the view to be fantastic. I've looked into the signature room, but they are booked for the night I am planning on doing this. Any recomendations would be so much help. Thank you so much!!!

Sixteen at Trump: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=17687&p=246144&hilit=sixteen#p246144

For views, fine dining, and location, Everest and NoMi are the ones that immediately spring to mind.

It's a little bit of a cab ride (about 2 1/2 miles), but North Pond would also be an ideal place for an after-proposal dinner. It's not the skyscraper view of Chicago, but beautiful and serene in its own right.

David Hammond wrote:Sixteen at Trump: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f= ... en#p246144

Ooh, excellent call...great views of the river & skyline from the restaurant, and a short, leisurely stroll north on Michigan Ave. from Millennium Park. Sixteen could work out well for you.

Sixteen has an amazing view. My wife and I had breakfast there, and even though it was a slightly overcast morning, the view cannot be beat. I would recommend the Signature Room Lounge for drinks/view - maybe right after proposing, before dinner, while the sun is setting? Then you could pick the restaurant based on food alone!

Another place within short cab ride of Millenium Park would be Spiaggia.

Spiaggia
980 N. Michigan
2nd floor
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 280-2750

You should go to the new rooftop restaurant in the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute, overlooking the Park, Terzo Piano. It is open every night. Reservations recommended.

Ooops, I was wrong. Terzo Piano is only open Thursday nights right now.

Another option would be Riva on Navy Pier. The views looking back at the city are fantastic. Ask for a table near the windows. When I have out of town visitors, Riva is one of the places I take them for the view. Unlike the Signature Room, the food is very good.

Riva
700 E. Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
312.644.7482

Rock n Roll McDonalds, who doesn't love a big mac and fries?

Shaggywillis wrote:Rock n Roll McDonalds, who doesn't love a big mac and fries?

maybe if she says no.

dudefella wrote:

Shaggywillis wrote:Rock n Roll McDonalds, who doesn't love a big mac and fries?

maybe if she says no.

You're a better man than I. In case of "wrong answer", I would have recommended seating her between a bunch of screaming animatronic monkeys and a bunch of screaming kids, just below a foul-smelling-fog machine jet at Rainforest Café.

Lockwood in the Palmer House Hilton is within walking distance. The food is quite lovely and while it is pretty much in the hotel lobby, it is one of the nicest old school hotel lobbies around.

Everest, which has already been recommended, is where we did our post-engagement dinner and it was quite nice. It is a little father than walking distance but has wonderful western views.

Spiaggia, has also already been rec'd and is a very short cab ride, is great and has a bank of windows overlooking the lake (but if it's dark you might not be able to see much, at least that's been my experience, but the food is so great you prolly won't notice).

(Also the signature room isn't that great, so you're not missing out. if you must go, go the bar a floor above the restuarant, decent drinks and you get the view without having to pay for the elevator ride)

Good luck!

I proposed to my wife downtown and planned an evening of pre-dinner drinks at NoMi and dinner at Corfton on Wells about 4 years ago. I can say from experience that it doesn't matter where you go because she'll barely remember it.

Make sure to give yourself plenty of time between the proposal and the dinner so that she can call every member of her family as well as best friends to share the news. The restaurant and dinner may be great but the only thing she'll be looking at is the ring and you - food will be an afterthought. Pick a quiet place and make sure to tell the staff that you'll be proposing that night and celebrating at their restaurant. Crofton gave us the window table and had everything laid out for us. The staff was incredible and left us alone, except for the few times we actually needed something and they were right on it. They even custom made a dessert that said "congratulations" and did not include it on the bill. Great place.

That all being said - congratulations and good for you. I hope you have nice weather and a nice trip to the city.

I'll second Nomi- I can't think of a restaurant with better fine dining service in the city.

Great recommendations already. My votes would be:

1. NoMi - Spectacular views of Michigan Ave. and great food too.
2. North Pond - Beautiful location, but instead of looking down at the city, you're in the heart of Lincoln Park on the edge of a pond, surrounded by trees, flowers, ducks . . . and through it all, views of the skyline. It's a longer cab ride from where downtown though.
3 and 4. Everest/Spiaggia - great views, great food at both.

I should note that I have not dined at Sixteen, but I've heard from a friend of mine who recently dined there that the view is spectacular.

For something right by the park, one easy option is Tavern at the Park (its at Randolph & Michigan in the Pru II building). I had lunch there for the first time recently & was impressed - its not Everest or NOMI, but its run by the same folks who run Keefer's Steakhouse here in Chicago & has an upscale accessible steak/chop house menu. If you ask to be seated by the windows, particularly on the second floor balcony or one of the ground floor booths, you have a beautiful view of Millennium Park & Michigan Avenue. They even have a Cloud Gate martini ;D

http://www.tavernatthepark.com/

My vote is for Everest. The views are great and the food is fabulous. It's a very short cab ride, or a 10-15 minute walk from the park.

Phoenix in Chinatown?!? Food is regular but the views at night are fantastic!

Wow! You guys are incredible! Now I just need to pick between all of these great ideas! Thank you all so much.

John Danza wrote:My vote is for Everest. The views are great and the food is fabulous. It's a very short cab ride, or a 10-15 minute walk from the park.

I just wouldn't go to Everest if you are remotely on the younger side. We were treated pretty poorly there (I believe because they thought we were young, then we asked a few others who had been there as well and they had the exact same experience). Also Everest desperately needs an interior update. But the views are beautiful.

is the restaurant Cite (i believe it was at the top of lake point towers) still open? that place had a great view too! I haven't been there in years, so not sure if it's open, and if so, if it's still a really nice place for dinner. It has a 360 degree view, of the city and the lake.

505 N Lake Shore Dr # 221
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 595-4842

Got to be carefull here, you don't want to have her expect Shangri-la to be an everyday experiance. Gene and Judes for hot dogs. Congrat's!!!

"I just wouldn't go to Everest if you are remotely on the younger side. We were treated pretty poorly there (I believe because they thought we were young, then we asked a few others who had been there as well and they had the exact same experience). Also Everest desperately needs an interior update."

This is just plain wrong.

Service at Everest has never been less than stellar. Why would any restaurant treat paying customers poorly, especially in these trying economic times? Also, the restaurant interior was updated quite recently and is more beautiful than ever.

hoppy2468 wrote:

"I just wouldn't go to Everest if you are remotely on the younger side. We were treated pretty poorly there (I believe because they thought we were young, then we asked a few others who had been there as well and they had the exact same experience). Also Everest desperately needs an interior update."

This is just plain wrong.

Service at Everest has never been less than stellar. Why would any restaurant treat paying customers poorly, especially in these trying economic times? Also, the restaurant interior was updated quite recently and is more beautiful than ever.

I believe the words you were looking for were "I respectfully disagree, and would like to offer my differing opinion."

Yes! That is what I meant to say.

Thank You.

We had dinner with friends at Tavern on the Park last night. While our first visit there (when they first opened) was unmemorable, this meal was very good. My wife had delicious sliced leg of lamb while I had the bone-in ribeye. The steak was seriously one of the best that I have had in a long time - better than anything that I've had at Chicago Chop House, Morton's, Gibson's or Smith & Wollensky; it had a pronounced saltiness and a mineral-y character and might have been dry-aged. The creamed spinach was also superb.

If someone wanted to knock me out after a proposal, they'd see about booking the single private table on the balcony overlooking Mercat a la Planxa ... view of Grant Park, lots of great food and a private spot ... wonderful.

Anyone know how you book that?

Siun wrote:If someone wanted to knock me out after a proposal, they'd see about booking the single private table on the balcony overlooking Mercat a la Planxa ... view of Grant Park, lots of great food and a private spot ... wonderful.

Anyone know how you book that?

Call and ask?

FWIW, I'm inclined the vote for Sixteen, having been to most (not quite all) of the places recommended here. You can't go too far wrong with any of them, but the room AND the view are stunning at Sixteen. (Says the guy who proposed on a hike in the middle of a forest.)