How About Dinner Suggestions in Music Box Theater Tomorrow

Hi folks,

We'll be attending the Noir festival at the Music Box tomorrow for the 4:40pm showing of "The Prowler" and should break free for dinner around 6:30pm. What would this esteemed group of discerning eaters recommend? We're open to anything, so let 'er rip folks!

Music Box Theatre
3733 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL 60613-3718

The first choice would be Tango Sur for fabulous Agrintinian and some fine BYOB.

See these threads
tango sur
tango sur comments

In my opinion, while a couple of the other nearby places are decent, Tango Sur is the best option in close proximity as well as the nearest destination restaurant.

Please consider that the wait times at 6:30 could be considerable, up to an hour, but as long as the weather is nice and the patio is open you should be in good shape.

Hope this helps

For as many restaurants as it has, Southport is not a great dining street. The new Italian place Fianco is an improvement.

I agree that this stretch of Southport does not offer as many viable options as one would expect.

I am also interested in hearing what good suggestions are in walking distance to the theater.

I'm going to see Bela Fleck on the 15th with my mom and we will need a place to have dinner.

I'm a fan of Tango Sur, but she is a vegetarian and, while I realize there vegetarian options, I don't think she will appreciate being surrounded by a meat parade.

A better option must be out there...

Toons has great burgers and BBQ and a short walk from the theater

Toons Bar and Grill
3857 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL 60613-2823
(773) 935-1919
http://www.chicagotoons.com/

enjoy the Noir Fest..great stuff

Head's Red BBQ wrote:Toons has great burgers and BBQ and a short walk from the theater

Toons Bar and Grill
3857 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL 60613-2823
(773) 935-1919
http://www.chicagotoons.com/

enjoy the Noir Fest..great stuff

agree. And get the smoked turkey gumbo if it's still on the menu.

Around the corner, on Clark and Grace, sits the excellent Uncommon Ground.
Definitely more of an actual "dining" experience than most of what Southport has to offer,
and really just as close as anything, with the exception of Tango Sur.
Great organic and local food, with good beer and wine as well.

Uncommon Ground
3800 N. Clark St.
Chicago IL 60613
773.929.3680

grahamhh wrote:Around the corner, on Clark and Grace, sits the excellent Uncommon Ground.
...Great organic and local food,....

just this morning at the Green City Market, I shopped next to the chef from UCG as he picked up several boxes of produce from Genesis Growers

grahamhh wrote:Around the corner, on Clark and Grace, sits the excellent Uncommon Ground.

Good call. I made the same suggestion on this Music Box thread from last year. I've been visiting their Devon location recently and they really do place a priority on using high quality ingredients.

Well, we ended up hopping back in the car and going over to Urban Belly. Wow, a bit pricey, but outstanding in every way. The four of us - my wife, two daughters and I - ran up a bill of $95, which would really be my only complaint. Still, three orders of dumplings, the port rib rice, ramen, two orders of asian udon, one soba, eggplant and drinks for all gave us a terrific sampling of Urban's menu. We'll definitely be heading back.

Oh, and if you ever get a chance to see the 1950 noir flick "The Prowler", by all means go for it. Terrifically bleak tale of a cop who becomes obsessed with a dame and figures the best thing to do in such a situation is........you got it.....kill her husband and marry her! What could make more sense? Of course it all ends badly.

That is, unless one heads to Urban Belly afterwards! Then it ends with a sweet, spicy hot, ginger candy and the wonderous afterglow of a fine dining experience.

It seems like Uncommon Ground is the only viable option given so far, but it is a little on the pricey side...I had to lay out some cash for those tickets...


Anything someone can think of that is just some simple, reliable food, at a sit-down restaurant, within walking distance?

Its not like Uncommon Ground is breaking the bank or anything, but I am hoping from something with entrees between $10-$15.

Thoughts?

Just saw the link to the Music Box thread...Julius Meinl looks like a good option.

I have been to that location a few times with decent results for lunch.

Still...not sure if I really want to eat a sandwich for dinner...

Definitely try Fianco next time. My husband and I had a late post-Music Box dinner there Saturday night and were very impressed with chef Matthew Troost's deft hand with his halibut and my scallops. The menu relies heavily on local produce...in fact we bumped into chef Troost at the Green City market just a couple of weeks ago picking up loads of beautiful vegetables. This place is a welcome gem on Southport...our server (who was very attentive and knowledgeable of the menu and wines) mentioned that they're doing well at dinner but that brunch is a little slow, so we intend to do our part to remedy that at our first opportunity.

Fianco looks great, but is too pricey for my purposes.

I will definitely keep in it mind, though, when I take a women who is NOT my mom to Music Box!

What about pizza at Dagostino's?

That might be the easiest way to go. My mom is a suburbanite, so I usually try to take her some place she can't get around the north 'burbs.

But...I do really like Dagostino's, it is close to the theater, cheap, and super easy for a vegetarian.

Good thinking!

Tango Sur, no contest.

The Spanish/Tapas place with the tiresome theme and bad name (Bull-eh-dias) was much better than I'd expected -- based ONE recent after-movie dinner and drinks event (affiliated with the Music Box, so maybe they stepped it up). A key point was the "paella" was prepared as paella, not something fabricated from pre-cooked rice topped with fixin's to order. I found that pretty shocking, which maybe says more about other Spanish places in Chicago than it does about Bull-eh-dias. I guess my point is, on at least one night a place that looks like it could be devoted to serving kids sangria and cosmos put out some solid Spanish standards. Also, there's a new higher end Mexican hard by Tango Sur called Frida's, I think. Menu looks more like a traditional Mexican mom & pop, but prices and decor were more in line with Topolo or whatnot. Not a criticism at all, if it's good, which I cannot say, having not been.

TS, Toon's, Uncommon Ground, all fine options. TS has a great tortilla de papas which vegetarians can eat, but if the sight and presence of meat is a problem, then, short of Peoria Packing, this might be the worst choice possible.


Bull-eh-dia's
3651 N Southport Ave
Chicago, IL 60613
773-404-2855

I found a Groupon-style deal for both Toon's and Dagostino's...makes me think I will definitely head to Dagostino's for me dinner.

$50 Gift Certificate for $25.

https://store.mywrigleyville.com/Results.cfm?category=5


Now I just have to check to make sure the gift certificate includes alcohol...

You could go over to Tac Quick for some Thai food. It is not right be the theater but not too far. It is a 15 min walk or a very short drive and BYOB with a liquor store very close by.

I didn't realize it was that close...I have been in Maine for 2 months and they do not have Thai food here, let alone anything resembling TAC Quick...it would definitely hit the spot.

Good suggestion!

I've been to the Fridas in Andersonville, it's decent

So last night was the night when I say Bela Fleck at The Music Box. His documentary, "Throw Down Your Heart", is a fascinating film and the chance to hear the man perform and talk after the screening made it a great evening. I even got his autograph!

Before the show my mother and I hit up Machu Picchu, a Peruvian restaurant at Ashland and Byron; an easy walk to the theater.

This place had some good things going for it:

1. One of the better looking restaurants near MB (nice, but not too pricey)
2. Vegetarian friendly (my mom)
3. BYOB with NO corkage fee


Overall the meal was really great. The space is nice, with giant murals of Peru on the walls and soft Peruvian music being pumped through the speakers. Service throughout the even was impeccable, attentive water service, and always with an enthusiastic recommendation. Everything we had, with the exception of the bread, was delicious and very affordable.

1. We started with bread and this horseradish dipping sauce. The sauce had a great kick and I cut mine with a little butter. The bread itself was really disappointing; undoubtedly a Jewel baguette.

2. We shared the Choclo con Queso "Peruvian corn with fresh cheese. Served with Huancaina sauce." A very mild and tasty way to start the meal. For many of the items here, they lend themselves to the addition of vinegar and oil supplied at every table.

3. For my entree, I had the Picante de Camarones "Shrimp in a walnut cream. Served with white rice". This dish was phenomenal. Probably around 15 tail-on shrimp sauteed in this buttery, herbaceous red sauce and hit with a drizzle of the walnut sauce. The rice a just fine, properly cooked and presented beautifully. There was also an unadvertised crispy little potato croquette...yum.

4. My mom made her meal out of appetizers. She had the Papa a la Huancaina "A traditional Peruvian highland dish. Potatoes topped with a sauce of Aji Amarillo (mild yellow peppers) and cheese. Served on a bed of lettuce with eggs and olives." Pretty mild and an interesting combination...definitely an authentic glimpse of tradition Peruvian. She paired this with sides of Fried Yucca (cooked perfectly with a creamy starchy center...could have used a dipping suce, but the vinegar and oil worked fine) and Fried Plantains (sweet and chewy, great dragged through some of the sauces we had lying around).

5. We ended the meal with an off-menu dessert (waiter recommendation) of half rice pudding and half Mazamorra Morada (A purple maize porridge flavored with fresh plum). The rice pudding was good, not great (a little too thick) and the porridge was great. A taste I've never experienced...basically a goo (culinary goo, that is) bursting with fresh plum flavor.


At the end of the meal one of the owners came by and talked to us about our meal and wanted to know how we heard about them. They seem to be doing alright business, but they are on a somewhat bare corner of Ashland. I mentioned LTH and the owner seemed genuinely interested.

With the quality of the food and service, the friendly BYOB policy, and a price of about $25/person, I will definitely be back. Expect a dedicated thread with pics in the near future!