Need advice

I am taking a special person out for a dinner. He likes good wine, bistro food and Thai . Any ideas on restaurants around Arlington Heights- I don't want to come across as trying too hard, but would appreciate advice on creative, stylish places.
Thanks

I've never been there, so I can't vouch for it, but a lot of people here seem to be fans of altThai in Arlington Heights.

Retro Bistro in Mt. Prospect and D&J Country Bistro in Lake Zurich are both great choices. (They are owned by the same people 0 I prefer D&J, but it's a hike up Rand)

If you gave a price range and pointed to which end of Arlington Heights (a pretty big town) you're at, I might be able to be more specific, but here are links to some posts about notable restaurants in and around Arlington Heights:

altThai, Bangkok Cafe and Thai D-Lite. AltThai and Bangkok Cafe are the dressiest. If your friend is serious about Thai food, though, I'd avoid northwest suburban Thai and take him into the city. More on altThai here.

Bob Chinn's, a huge, noisy seafood house in Wheeling. Go early or late -- they don't take reservations -- and avoid anything "Bob's version." Do try the gumbo.

Kitakata, a fun but very casual -- maybe too casual for your purposes -- Japanese noodle house.

Lao Sze Chuan, Palatine outpost of a very special Chinatown eatery, arguably the best Chinese in the NW 'burbs, but definitely no-frills.

Pappadeaux, a big, noisy, New Orleans-influenced seafood house, with many good fish options and a Thursday lobster special. There is, however, mixed opinion.

Sabor, a surprisingly elegant and delicious spot for nuevo Latino in Schaumburg.

Takkatsu, a unique Japanese tonkatsu specialist with a stylish interior, and great food, but a limited menu.

Yanni's, elegant Greek.

Yummy Gourmet, Hong Kong-style Cantonese in a pleasant room.

A few other options:

Francesca's Tavola, 208 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, (847) 394-3950. Northwest-suburban branch of the popular chain of Northern Italian-style eateries. This one is quieter than most, with a nice atmosphere. The carpaccio is a winner and pastas are consistently good.

Joe & Giuseppe, 925 Arthur, Arlington Heights, (847) 259-6448. A homey, old-fashioned, Sicilian hole-in-the-wall tucked away in an industrial strip. Try the escarole soup. (I could have sworn somebody posted about this, but I can't find it.)

Le Titi de Paris, an upscale French restaurant, has received little recent discussion here, but it used to be very good indeed.

Wildfish, 60 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, (847) 870-8260. A very trendy sushi and saketini spot with good-quality fish, from the same owners as Starfish on Randolph Street in West Loop Gate.

May be it's already too late for this. But if we are talking about good wine and Thai, there are only two places that can be considered in that caliber. Obviously, altThai is one on my list and it's right in downtown Arlington Heights.

As mentioned in another forum before, this restaurant was so cool and it didn't look anything like other Thai restaurants in the whole Chicago area. I disagree with LAZ's comment that "The restaurant bills itself as 'An Alternative Dining Experience,' but little about the menu seems out of the ordinary." I have tried enough Thai here and in Bangkok but there were many items that I didn't see anywhere else (e.g. crispy salmon rolls with mango sauce, apple and shirmp Salad or asparagus and garlic salad)

To me, everything here is very "out of ordinary" for a Thai restaurant. With modern decoration+instrumental jazz background, extensive wine selection (not BYOB or just a few on the list) and most importantly the food itself (with unique and beautiful presentation,) I assume that altThai should qualify to bill itself as "An Alternative Dining Experience."

I also second Wild Fish but it's very expensive.

Another good choice is Arun's. The wine list here is one of the best. But seems like a lot of people here have bad experiences with Arun's lately.

Michael_O wrote:I disagree with LAZ's comment that "The restaurant bills itself as 'An Alternative Dining Experience,' but little about the menu seems out of the ordinary." I have tried enough Thai here and in Bangkok but there were many items that I didn't see anywhere else (e.g. crispy salmon rolls with mango sauce, apple and shirmp Salad or asparagus and garlic salad)

To me, everything here is very "out of ordinary" for a Thai restaurant.

I don't necessarily disagree with your last statement. However, contemporary American food isn't what I look for at Thai restaurants, and the Thai dishes are nothing special compared to food you can get at places like Sticky Rice or Siam's House.

But altThai is certainly worth visiting if you're in the vicinity and don't feel like shlepping into the city.


altThai
847/797-8442
www.altThai.com
Evergreen Plaza
40 S. Arlington Heights Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Sticky Rice
773/588-0133
4018 N. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL 60618

Siam's House
847/967-2390
Rayyan Plaza
7742 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Niles, IL 60714