Downtown dinner for business travelers

A vendor from San Antonio has offered to take me out to dinner next week. So their treat, but I would like to do my part as a good host by giving them an experience they might miss on the typical business trip. They are staying at State and Grand.

My first thought was to suggest a couple downtownish places (Farmhouse,Girl and the Goat), plus the "I'll drive that day and take you for a Chinatown adventure" option of Lau Sze Chuan.

But I don't eat dinner downtown a lot, so I'm going to beg for suggestions from the experts here. Cost isn't a major consideration, but I don't want to soak their expense account either.

Thanks!

I think of Girl & the Goat as very representative of the style I've come to associate with creative Chicago good, so that could be nice for out-of-towners, but it's quite hard to get a reservation. Sable and Purple Pig are both spitting distance from your guests' hotel. Do you have any other parameters to help us help you, like their previous Chicago experience or their culinary preferences? What about yours?

If Japanese is an option, Ginza would be a great choice (Ohio & Wabash, so walking distance again).

If you're looking for a steakhouse experience, then the State & Grand area is pretty surrounded by good options...Gene & Georgetti isn't far from there, David Burke Primehouse is pretty much right there, as are Keefer's, Smith & Wollensky, Chicago Cut, Shaw's (great surf & turf), and a bunch of others I'm surely forgetting.

I've been to Girl & the Goat a few times, and honestly, I just don't get the hype. The food is good, but I think G&tG is more scene than substance...a slightly-watered-down "nose-to-tail" dining experience for those who would normally shun such a thing, but are okay with it here because Stephanie Izard's been on TV, and her restaurant has been declared trendy by the dining masses. I'm sure this is quite an unpopular view, curmudgeonly even, but I would much rather take guests to The Publican (if you're willing to drive to West Loop) or The Purple Pig (if you'd rather stay within walking distance of State & Grand) than deal with trying to get a reservation at G&tG ("You'd like a table for 4 on a Wednesday night 2 months from now? Would you like 4:35pm or 11:15pm?").

Without knowing a little bit more about your guests' likes/dislikes it's quite difficult to offer suggestions as there are a TON of restaurants within walking/short-cab distance of their hotel.

Without knowing what you/they are into, here's a couple of top-of-my-head suggestions. I avoided places at which you can't make reservations (like avec & Purple Pig), since reservations for a business dinner are usually a must. I like Girl & the Goat a lot, but agree that you may have trouble getting in with only a week's notice.

For Foodies:
The Publican (but be warned, this place is REALLY loud for a business dinner)
Blackbird
Sepia
Vera

For Scenesters:
Mercat a la Planxa
Nellcôte
The Pump Room

For "Quintessential" Chicago (if there is such a thing):
Your Chinatown idea is great if they're up for it
Topolobampo (especially if they're impressed with celebrity chefs)
North Pond (maybe better for a date than business, but a truly unique Chicago dining experience)

If they don't want to venture out, there are tons of places close by that are good. Naha (my favorite of the nearby places), Sable, GT Fish & Oyster, Graham Elliott, and all those steakhouses that Khaopaat mentioned...

Balsan is often overlooked (hotel location?), but it's my favorite restaurant in town. Upscale, but casual enough for jeans, warm service, pristine seafood, a creative and varied menu, fantastic wine list, and it's great for sharing and carrying on a conversation. I've never had anything less than a perfect experience there. Bonus - Bernard's, the bar just downstairs from it, is a gem.

http://www.balsanrestaurant.com/menus/dinner.pdf