Christmas Day Suburban Dinner

My North Suburban sister wanted to have Christmas Day dinner for nine at Wildfire but they had no openings around 5PM. The suburban choices I found on OpenTable aren't that appealing. Any other suggestions?

http://koievanston.com/

What price point are you working with?

$30 to $40

Note: While I am in Evanston my sister and nieces are in the Mundelein area and my mother is in Niles so no need to stay in my neck of the woods.

scottsol wrote:My North Suburban sister wanted to have Christmas Day dinner for nine at Wildfire but they had no openings around 5PM. The suburban choices I found on OpenTable aren't that appealing. Any other suggestions?

If you're looking strictly for a steakhouse, the suburban choices available on Opentable that day include Jameson's Charhouse (Skokie and Glenview), Myron & Phil's (Skokie), and Jimmy's Charhouse (Riverwoods).

If you're open to other types of food, Di Pescara is a fairly good choice; it's the Italian and seafood restaurant in Northbrook Court. It's also Lettuce Entertain You, so you can buy gift cards ahead of time, get your free LEY bonus cards, use the gift cards to pay for your dinner, and still have the bonus cards left over for another meal over the winter.

I know everybody goes out for Chinese on Dec 25, but I see there is availability on Opentable at Jade China Bistro in Highland Park. I've been there and thought it was decent, although it wasn't Dec 25. (After a horrendous service experience at a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown last Dec 25, I'm really leery of doing Chinese on the holiday again.)

You may not be willing to go into the city, given how far north your family is, but in case you are, Deleece on Southport (on the North Side) is doing a nice $40 three-course prix fixe holiday dinner (1 - Chestnut, Celery Root and Apple Bisque, or Deleece Winter Salad; 2 - Slow Roasted Amish Turkey, Prime Rib Roast, Seared Red Snapper, or Winter Vegetable Risotto; 3 - Flourless White Chocolate Cake, Eggnog Panna Cotta, or Sticky Toffee Pudding).

My Niece has made this a lot harder:


"i won't eat chinese food because there's nothing i can really eat besides egg rolls and there's no protein in that. heather, aaron, and i all prefer to eat vegetarian, marni is gluten free, and david hates italian food. good luck


should we try fresco 21? the reviews aren't that great, but also not bad."

Isn't getting together with family wonderful? The time of year when you all get together and try to bully each other.

I don't know anything about Fresco 21, or whether they're open Dec 25. Note that some places may be open but only serving a limited menu which may or may not meet your niece's demands. Deleece's holiday menu could still work for you.

Maybe you need to go all Blind Faith on them.

http://www.phoeniciacuisine.com/ - open for dinner 12/25.

nr706 wrote:Maybe you need to go all Blind Faith on them.

Only if they're open.

That's the problem with trying to be picky on the one day when most places are closed. Beggars can't be choosers...

I wonder whether Curry Hut in Highwood is open on Dec 25?

I forgot to add that my mother won't eat anything with even a little spice!
I'm thinking of calling in sick.

scottsol wrote:I forgot to add that my mother won't eat anything with even a little spice!
I'm thinking of calling in sick.

Well, that certainly knocks out Curry Hut. And even the Mediterranean places may be too... exotic, I don't know.

There are two places that still seem to meet all the constraints you've mentioned. One is Di Pescara. On Dec 25 they're serving from their entire dinner menu, which you can view by clicking here. You'll notice that they have several vegetarian pasta dishes, including one labeled as gluten-free, as well as several different salads. And plenty of non-Italian dishes for David. Seems like they have something for everyone, even Mom.

The other is Deleece. It's a very neighborhood-y bistro type place. I've eaten there numerous times and it has been consistently outstanding, even on big holidays (we loved it on New Year's Eve). Here's their Dec 25 menu with more details:

Deleece Holiday Menu wrote:Available 2:00pm - 8:00pm
Reservations are required as seating is limited.
$40 per person, tip and tax not included. $12 kids menu

First Course: Choice of:
Chestnut, Celery Root and Apple Bisque
with Grappa crema
Or
Deleece Winter Salad
baby field greens, cranberries and figs with candied pecans and sherry vinaigrette

Second course: Choice of:
Slow Roasted Amish Turkey
organic and hormone free...24 hour brined & citrus-herb rubbed with rosemary-sage infused giblet gravy

Prime Rib Roast
herb crusted and slow roasted with thyme scented red wine jus and horseradish Chantilly

Seared Red Snapper
wild Gulf Red Snapper fillet with celeriac puree, winter root vegetables, lime-garlic beurre blanc and sweet potato hay

Winter Vegetable Risotto
Carnaroli rice, butternut squash, mushrooms, cranberries, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, walnuts, sage and Grana Padana

Above main course selections are served with “family style” sides such as:
Fig and hazelnut stuffing, creamed onions, Yukon gold whipped potatoes, praline sweet potatoes, cranberry-orange relish, glazed, Jasmine rice & apricot pilaf, roasted Mediterranean vegetables, Brussels sprouts with cranberries...

Third course:
Your choice of our pastry chef's holiday inspired desserts:

Flourless White Chocolate Cake
cranberry compote and candied mint

Eggnog Panna Cotta
with crème anglais

Sticky Toffee Pudding
with warm toffee sauce & freshly whipped cream

Sounds like you're going to have to pick a place and announce it, telling everyone you tried to take everyone's preferences into account, and tell them to take it or leave it. Or call in sick.

scottsol wrote: I'm thinking of calling in sick.

Can I join you in being sick?
We have to prepare an entree and a couple of sides, pick up the idiot brother-in-law (in Wrigleyville) and then schlep it all out to Darien to meet the rest of the family.

I'm thinking about staying home and opening up a can of Ravioli-o's and saying to hell with everybody.

Hi- My first thought would be Blind Faith too, but I just checked their website, and you cannot make a reservation for the 25th, and so that leads me to suggest that they are not open. There are some places in Chicago, such as Green Zebra that might work, but you probably don't want to go into the city. How about some place like Sweet Tomato? I am not sure if they are open or not anyway. I am sure that all the middle eastern places are open, but then you get into the spicy food thing. Your biggest problem is the no gluten requirement. I know that there have been some threads about gluten free restaurants, but I think that most of the restaurants other than Blind Faith that are primarily gluten free, are in the city. Good luck, Nancy

nsxtasy wrote: The other is Deleece. It's a very neighborhood-y bistro type place. I've eaten there numerous times and it has been consistently outstanding, even on big holidays (we loved it on New Year's Eve).

Where is their suburban location? I'm not aware of it.

JLenart wrote:Where is their suburban location? I'm not aware of it.

This was a reading comprehension test. As already posted above:

nsxtasy wrote:You may not be willing to go into the city, given how far north your family is, but in case you are, Deleece on Southport (on the North Side) is doing a nice $40 three-course prix fixe holiday dinner

nsxtasy wrote:

JLenart wrote:Where is their suburban location? I'm not aware of it.

This was a reading comprehension test. As already posted above:

nsxtasy wrote:You may not be willing to go into the city, given how far north your family is, but in case you are, Deleece on Southport (on the North Side) is doing a nice $40 three-course prix fixe holiday dinner

No need to be snarky. The OP specifically requested a Suburban location and never mentioned willingness to travel into the city.

JLenart wrote:No need to be snarky.

No need for YOU to be snarky, as you were in your previous post.

JLenart wrote:The OP specifically requested a Suburban location and never mentioned willingness to travel into the city.

Given how few places are confirmed open Dec 25 and meet all the stated constraints by the OP's family members - we appear to have a grand total of two so far - and given that the North Side is not all that far, geographic convenience may be easier to give up than having an unhappy family member whose demands are unmet. Di Pescara is more geographically convenient and meets all the constraints too, so it may work also. (Also, traffic and travel times are less of an issue on Dec 25.)

The OP can decide for himself which of the above suggestions, or which other place, might best meet his needs. The suggestions were provided in order to be HELPFUL, not to entice snarky, dismissive replies. If you have any additional suggestions that might work for the OP, by all means post them.

nsxtasy wrote:
One is Di Pescara. On Dec 25 they're serving from their entire dinner menu, which you can view by clicking here. You'll notice that they have several vegetarian pasta dishes, including one labeled as gluten-free, as well as several different salads. And plenty of non-Italian dishes for David. Seems like they have something for everyone, even Mom.

We went there last year only to find that they were only serving a very limited menu. The full menu definitely fills the bill.

Open Table now says no reservations available but I called and got a 5 PM slot.


Thanks for the tip.

scottsol wrote:... and david hates italian food. good luck

Hates Italian food? And I thought I had a picky eater to put up with! Who hates Italian food?

How about Shallots Bistro? It's a Kosher place, so they'll probably be open on Christmas.

scottsol wrote:We went there last year only to find that they were only serving a very limited menu. The full menu definitely fills the bill.

Given how emphatically they trumpet the availability of their full menu this Dec 25 on their website, I'm guessing you weren't the only one to be disappointed by the limited menu last year.

scottsol wrote:Open Table now says no reservations available but I called and got a 5 PM slot.

Hooray!

scottsol wrote:Thanks for the tip.

Katie wrote:

scottsol wrote:... and david hates italian food. good luck

Hates Italian food? And I thought I had a picky eater to put up with! Who hates Italian food?

Katie,

Since you live nearby, maybe you can drop by a beat some sense into him.

William Tell restaurant in Countryside has a Christmas day Champane brunch.Check their website for a menu.williamtell.com

Katie wrote:

scottsol wrote:... and david hates italian food. good luck

Hates Italian food? And I thought I had a picky eater to put up with! Who hates Italian food?

The French.

nsxtasy wrote:The other is Deleece. It's a very neighborhood-y bistro type place. I've eaten there numerous times and it has been consistently outstanding, even on big holidays (we loved it on New Year's Eve). Here's their Dec 25 menu with more details:

Deleece Holiday Menu wrote:Available 2:00pm - 8:00pm
Reservations are required as seating is limited.
$40 per person, tip and tax not included. $12 kids menu

First Course: Choice of:
Chestnut, Celery Root and Apple Bisque
with Grappa crema
Or
Deleece Winter Salad
baby field greens, cranberries and figs with candied pecans and sherry vinaigrette

Second course: Choice of:
Slow Roasted Amish Turkey
organic and hormone free...24 hour brined & citrus-herb rubbed with rosemary-sage infused giblet gravy

Prime Rib Roast
herb crusted and slow roasted with thyme scented red wine jus and horseradish Chantilly

Seared Red Snapper
wild Gulf Red Snapper fillet with celeriac puree, winter root vegetables, lime-garlic beurre blanc and sweet potato hay

Winter Vegetable Risotto
Carnaroli rice, butternut squash, mushrooms, cranberries, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, walnuts, sage and Grana Padana

Above main course selections are served with “family style” sides such as:
Fig and hazelnut stuffing, creamed onions, Yukon gold whipped potatoes, praline sweet potatoes, cranberry-orange relish, glazed, Jasmine rice & apricot pilaf, roasted Mediterranean vegetables, Brussels sprouts with cranberries...

Third course:
Your choice of our pastry chef's holiday inspired desserts:

Flourless White Chocolate Cake
cranberry compote and candied mint

Eggnog Panna Cotta
with crème anglais

Sticky Toffee Pudding
with warm toffee sauce & freshly whipped cream

We ate at Deleece for their special menu tonight. It was outstanding!

Hope Di Pescara worked out well for you too!

It was a Christmas (post Hanukkah?) miracle. Everybody enjoyed the food, even my Mother who never likes anything.
Seven entrees, three appetizers, three deserts and three drinks for an average of $30 per person plus tax and a well deserved healthy tip.

*sigh!*

I love a happy ending!

Bumping the thread. Evanston-area places would be best. A "nice" place...not exorbitant, not cheapo. Pretty much any cuisine is cool with us.

Thanks!

Pie Lady wrote:Bumping the thread. Evanston-area places would be best. A "nice" place...not exorbitant, not cheapo. Pretty much any cuisine is cool with us.

The Evanston and Skokie places listed in Opentable and showing availability on Dec 25 are mostly the same as those mentioned above: Kansaku and Koi in Evanston, plus Jameson's Charhouse, McCormick & Schmick, and Roka Akor in Skokie. If you don't mind driving up to Northbrook, I'd once again recommend Di Pescara. I've been there several times this year and it's consistently good, and fits your description well. Plus, LEY again is running its annual bonus deal on gift cards, so if you can take advantage of that, it's an even better deal.