Where can you find good food, jazz, and dancing in Chicago?

My boss talks often about how much he'd like to find a place in the Chicago area with three things:

Good food
Live Jazz
and Dancing

He's pretty fantastic, and I'd love to find someplace like this for him, but I keep failing on the "dancing" requirement.

Does this exist?

Hi,

Just for fun, I used the search words 'jazz and dancing.' A report on Juliana popped up. This place includes belly dancing in addition to guests dancing. You may want to double check they still have this band doing jazz, because it was a report from long ago.

If anything, please give this report a read. It is a pretty funny account of a very long evening full of surprises.

Regards,

http://www.alhambrapalacerestaurant.com ... fault.aspx

This place looks like it might have what you're looking for on Wednesdays. I haven't been there so I have no real insight into the quality of the food or anything.

My wife and I like Andy's for jazz and food but I don't think I've seen many people dancing in there.

I've seen people dancing in front of the stage at Pete Miller's Wheeling location. I have not been to the Evanston location.

Pete Miller's
1557 Sherman Avenue, Evanston: 847-328-0399
412 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Wheeling: 847-243-3700

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Just for fun, I used the search words 'jazz and dancing.' A report on Juliana popped up. This place includes belly dancing in addition to guests dancing. You may want to double check they still have this band doing jazz, because it was a report from long ago.

If anything, please give this report a read. It is a pretty funny account of a very long evening full of surprises.

Regards,

I'm pretty sure Juliana closed some time ago.

stevez wrote:I'm pretty sure Juliana closed some time ago.

Juliana is still open. When passing by recently I was surprised to see it. I just phoned a few minutes ago and sure enough they're open. I have no idea if it's under the same management or if internationally renowned recording artist Albert Oscar Baba is still performing.

Juliana
3001 W Peterson Av
Chicago
773-334-0000

Hi,

Juliana's sign has been refinished after years of neglect. When you pass at night with all the lights glowing, it looks like a happening place.

Regards,

I stand corrected. At some point, I'm almost sure they were closed. That must have been when a new owner took over and refurbed the sign.

I can't pass by that place without fondly remembering Seven Hills, the original(?) occupant of the building. Seven Hills was an old school Italian place similar to, but a bit more upscale than Sabatino's. I remember going there as a kid and always looking forward to the big plate of fresh fruit that would be served gratis after the meal, because that meant that the tray of Italian cookies were about to be brought out (also gratis). To stay on topic, I don't believe they had dancing.

PreFlopRaise13 wrote:I've seen people dancing in front of the stage at Pete Miller's Wheeling location. I have not been to the Evanston location.

Dancing has not yet been legalized in Evanston.

I ate out at Pete Miller's in Wheeling and they had a swing band. I really wanted to dance, but the cocktail tables were pushed up close to the "stage" as if to discourage dancing. So, it's not a given if you go out there.

gorack wrote:http://www.alhambrapalacerestaurant.com/Entertainment/tabid/106006/vid/4919b5cd-9efe-4b4a-935c-c73d24897c7b/Default.aspx

This place looks like it might have what you're looking for on Wednesdays. I haven't been there so I have no real insight into the quality of the food or anything.

I can't speak to the food, but some really fantastic dancers come out to Alhambra (me, just a poser)--reason enough to go.

I believe Rumba offers all three -- although I've never eaten there so I can't really speak to the food myself.

http://www.chicagorumba.co/

Rumba
351 W. Hubbard
312.222.1226

stevez wrote:I can't pass by that place without fondly remembering Seven Hills, the original(?) occupant of the building.

Chef Alberto's, known for Continental cuisine and wild game, was the original (1955) occupant. Seven Hills East moved in sixteen years later. The original Seven Hills was in a shopping center at Lincoln & Peterson.

Rene G wrote:The original Seven Hills was in a shopping center at Lincoln & Peterson.

If I'm remembering correctly, I attended several bridal showers there in the 90's--it was quite the go-to spot for the "northshore, 10 showers minimum" crowd

One of my favorite places in the city is Katerina's on Irving Park just east of Damen. Very warm, friendly, tiny place with pictures of one of my idols, Melina Mercouri, on the walls.

They feature a very eclectic line up of live music, jazz, torch singers, Greek, Latin, funk. There's not much room to dance, but I've seen people make a small dance floor in front of the band.

The food is decent. It's a Greek/Mediterranean menu. Not destination dining, but perfectly fine. And they mix a decent cocktail. I'm partial to the Sidecars there, for some reason. My group is actually planning to spend New Year's Eve there.

boudreaulicious wrote:

Rene G wrote:The original Seven Hills was in a shopping center at Lincoln & Peterson.

If I'm remembering correctly, I attended several bridal showers there in the 90's--it was quite the go-to spot for the "northshore, 10 showers minimum" crowd

Seven Hills lasted twenty years in Chicago—from 1962 to 1982—and for a while in the '70s both the original Seven Hills (6025 N Lincoln) and Seven Hills East (3001 W Peterson) were in operation.

In the mid-1980s, a few years after Seven Hills East closed, owner Guiseppe (Joe) Spavone's son opened his own place, Tony Spavone's in Bloomingdale. I believe it's still in business, reportedly using some of the original recipes.

In the late 1980s Joe came out of retirement to open Spavone's Seven Hills in Glenview. That's probably the one you remember. Joe Spavone died in 2010 but I think the restaurant lives on.

Rene G wrote:
In the late 1980s Joe came out of retirement to open Spavone's Seven Hills in Glenview. That's probably the one you remember. Joe Spavone died in 2010 but I think the restaurant lives on.

Sadly, this place was a textbook example of "you can't go home again". Other than Joe working the room and gladhanding the customers, it was nothing like the original.

Rene G wrote:In the late 1980s Joe came out of retirement to open Spavone's Seven Hills in Glenview. That's probably the one you remember. Joe Spavone died in 2010 but I think the restaurant lives on.

That was the place--I remember thinking the name was quite odd
I remember nothing else about it!

Thanks everyone!

I cannot dance, at all (not even while drunk), and your posts were incredibly helpful.

Now my dilemma is how to replicate the fantastic Juliana's experience for my boss and to catch it on camera for posterity.

cilantro wrote:

PreFlopRaise13 wrote:I've seen people dancing in front of the stage at Pete Miller's Wheeling location. I have not been to the Evanston location.

Dancing has not yet been legalized in Evanston.

And if it had, there is no room whatsoever to dance at the Evanston location.

Speaking as a professional musician and foodie - I tend to dislike playing at restaurants. Unless the place is really designed for it - the two don't mix. A great meal requires great conversation. Great music requires people who actually listen to the band. People talking while you are playing is a huge distraction and antithecal to the "Communication" betwen Band and Audience.

There are some places that are designed for it and have the band in a room far enough away from most tables so that the noise doesn't interfere. But invariably the band is going to be told to "Turn it Down".

It CAN be done right - but it's generally the exception to the rule. Generally speaking - if you are looking for a great night out for Dinner and Dancing - you are best off planning on going to two different venues...