Spot to dine with parents and future in-laws?

My pancake-lover and I just became engaged and now it's time for our parents to officially meet. Where in the city can we take them? I'd like somewhere that's not too loud, has comfortable chairs, and where we can linger without being glared at.

PL and I are into all cuisines, but for our parents' sakes we need to stay away from sushi, thai, and most ethnic cuisines more adventurous than that. I think a good wine list would also be important.

The places I've thought of are more casual, but I'd be open to formal dining as well. On the short list are Lula, Nightwood, and Hot Chocolate. Does anyone have other ideas?

Sweets & Savories--you can bring your own champagne to celebrate

Congrats!

For a formal option, I'd propose Les Nomades.

Quiet, comfortable and I can't think of a restaurant in the city where I've been invited to linger longer.

Les Nomades
222 E. Ontario
Chicago, IL 60611
312.649.9010

and where we can linger without being glared at.

I like S & S a lot, but particularly if they are full and everyone's ordering a prix fixe, the courses move quickly. Moreover, they also may want to turn a table or two. We were once told (very politely of course) that it would be much appreciated if we moved our discussion and coffees to the bar if we wanted to remain there. It didn't bother me, altho one of our party was very "confused" (a polite way of putting it) by this request.

I found Hot Chocolate to be very loud. I'd throw RL out as a suggestion. I like Nightwood but have only been for brunch.

Cafe des Architectes in the Sofitel off the Mag Mile, or North Pond in Lincoln Park, for contemporary American food.

La Sardine in the West Loop for French bistro food.

Cibo Matto in the Wit in the Loop for Italian food with a contemporary flair.

Mundial Cocina Mestiza in Pilsen for creative Mexican food.

David Burke's Primehouse in River North for steaks.

A buffet is always the safest place to meet. If the conversation becomes awkward or controversial, you simply get up and visit the buffet line.

North Pond!

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm leaning toward Le Sardine and Cibo Matto; Italian is a safe bet, as is seafood with this crowd. We're headed to Europe for a bit (London, Cologne, Munich, Brussels), so the dinner will probably happen in early October. I'll report back once I return from eating pretzels, waffles, mussels, and sausage

grace21 wrote:Thanks for the suggestions! I'm leaning toward Le Sardine and Cibo Matto; Italian is a safe bet, as is seafood with this crowd. We're headed to Europe for a bit (London, Cologne, Munich, Brussels), so the dinner will probably happen in early October. I'll report back once I return from eating pretzels, waffles, mussels, and sausage

I think North Pond is lovely but I still love Prairie Fire and think it fits the bill.

grace21 wrote:Thanks for the suggestions! I'm leaning toward Le Sardine and Cibo Matto; Italian is a safe bet, as is seafood with this crowd.

Just FYI - despite the name, La Sardine isn't really a seafood restaurant; it's a French bistro. But like most restaurants, there are some seafood dishes on the menu. They do a very nice appetizer of steamed mussels in a cream sauce. For dessert lovers, their souffles are outstanding.

I really enjoyed my recent dinner at Cibo Matto. It's on the second floor in the new Wit Hotel in the Loop. The place is upscale and very contemporary, and it offers a nice sense of privacy thanks to vertical dividers between the tables. They have traditional Italian cuisine as well as contemporary style global dishes. When I went there recently, I enjoyed the braised short ribs of beef entree, and the side dish of creamy polenta was excellent. But what really wowed me was a dessert featuring cardamom panna cotta.

If you decide you want a restaurant that specializes in seafood, I would suggest Catch 35 in the Loop. I also like the seafood at Shaw's and Hugo's, but they're both rather noisy. Another option is Spring in Bucktown, which is a contemporary type of seafood restaurant. My favorite seafood restaurants are actually in the suburbs, and all four of them are reasonably quiet. Two are in the western suburbs: Parker's in Downers Grove and Reel Club in Oak Brook. The other two are in the northern suburbs: Mitchell's Fish Market in Glenview and Oceanique in Evanston. The first three are fairly conventional seafood restaurants, whereas Oceanique is more of an upscale bistro with contemporary food specializing in seafood (similar to Spring).

HTH

I was at Cibo Matto recently for a business dinner. 6 of us were seated at a round table which was quite conducive to discussion and nobody being left out of the conversation. Oh, and the food was terrific. Highly recommend this approach