Graduation dinner + out of town parents, no tasting menus

Hi folks,

Graduate school graduation dinner in June brings the parents to town for just the second time in my 3 years here so we're looking for a nice spot to celebrate. While Goosefoot, Next, and Schwa are right up my alley (and are among my favorite meals in Chicago), they won't enjoy tasting menus quite as much (no patience for a 3+ hour meal, itty bitty portions, etc), but they do enjoy good food prepared well. A la carte menus are the way to go for us. Budget is high, but not unlimited (let's say $100-$120pp incl tax/tip excluding alcohol). The restaurant must take reservations (probably just going to be a party of 5).

We'll likely hit less fancy options like Sun Wah, Le Colonial and New England Seafood Company while they are also here.

On my radar screen for possible celebratory dinner options are:

Mastro's
North Pond
Blackbird (I had a not so great experience there a few years ago, but might be willing to give them another try).
Sixteen (their website mentions an a la carte menu available upon request)

What other options am I missing? Any votes to help me pick one of these four?

Thanks!

I say you should go to North Pond. The location is exceptional and the food is also. The views are so picture perfect and I am sure this far out you should be able to get a reservation. Let them know it's your graduation and they will print up menus with a congratulatory note and probably decorate your dessert plate also. Congratulations!

My top three picks would be North Pond, Naha, and Acadia. All offer a la carte menus, and truly outstanding food. North Pond combines that with its exquisite setting in the park (request the front room with its view of the pond and skyline). Naha's food is superb, and is the closest you'll come to an upscale high-end fine dining experience while fitting within your stated budget. I enjoyed Acadia a lot when I ordered a la carte, wasn't so impressed when I had their tasting menu.

Where are your parents staying? It might be more comfortable for them to choose a place near there. (If they're in the 'burbs, there are some excellent places there as well.)

I love Naha.

Sable also gives you the option of shared plates if you like.

I'll add Boka.

I would add The Lobby at the Peninsula Hotel to the list of options (for Dinner only). Had a fantastic meal there last weekend and would highly recommend the food. The atmosphere was very subdued, but service was phenomenal and thought the price point was decent for the caliber of meal of we received.

North Pond or Boka would be my recommendations. North Pond has the advantage of having such a wonderful view of the park, pond and skyline but I find Boka to have superior service, better cocktails and slightly better food than North Pond. Both would be within your price range and meet the criteria you stated. I see someone else mentioned the Lobby; I am heading there for my first time in a few weeks - but have heard wonderful things from several friends. As for Sixteen, while I love Sixteen I would not recommend opting for that unless you did the tasting menu. I would fear that it may be a disappointing experience (or at least not nearly the same experience as normal) if one requested something other than their tasting menus there.

North Pond sounds perfect. I haven't been in a while, but I think Jane's is a comfy space with solid, very approachable food; and it has a good neighborhood vibe. Nightwood, Lula, or Carriage House might be good too.

I do not often frequent high-end restaurants, so my advice is of limited value. I have however, been to North Pond for similar special events, and found it to be excellent. Even without the good food, the design and view are worth it. It is also very representative of Chicago and the Midwest. The authentic prairie style architecture and embellishments make a wonderful accompaniment for the cuisine which features more hearty, "mid-western" type ingredients. I think anybody from out of town will be impressed. It is a good introduction to Chicago. If you can somehow work in a trip to the nearby Historical society and the Lincoln Park Conservatory, it would add to the experience, but that might not be possible. Remember, I think they still do Sunday brunch, which provides a daytime view of the park, and makes a great stop-over while exploring Lincoln Park.

BTW Blackbird is one of my faves, but is way too confined for a celebratory dinner.

For me, I like a mix of high end and comfortable -- and for me, that's Joe's Stone Crab. I love Joe's. I know it's a chain, but I have never been disappointed dining at Joe's and they treat you like royalty. And the food is really delicious. I would pick it over a steakhouse like Mastro's, which I've heard requires a second mortgage in order to settle your bill.

North Pond is very lovely too. And special to Chicago, which makes it a double win.

I'm going to try to steer you away from North Pond. You mentioned that your party had no patience with tiny portions. My wife "treated" me to North Pond for an anniversary dinner a few years back and I came away incensed! The portions, though delicious, were, indeed, tiny (for my dinner appetite). I agree that the view and the building itself are magnificent, the food is exquisite, the service better than average, but don't expect to be full when you leave.
My wife and I have been back annually since then, but we go for Sunday brunch, when the price is more reasonable and I am more satisfied with their small serving sizes (we have a reservation for about a month from now).
I cannot really comment on your other three options as I've not been there. I do, though, have a certain fondness for Avec, so maybe The Publican. Otherwise, I'd be most tempted to try Boka.

bean wrote:I'm going to try to steer you away from North Pond. You mentioned that your party had no patience with tiny portions. My wife "treated" me to North Pond for an anniversary dinner a few years back and I came away incensed! The portions, though delicious, were, indeed, tiny (for my dinner appetite). I agree that the view and the building itself are magnificent, the food is exquisite, the service better than average, but don't expect to be full when you leave.
My wife and I have been back annually since then, but we go for Sunday brunch, when the price is more reasonable and I am more satisfied with their small serving sizes (we have a reservation for about a month from now).
I cannot really comment on your other three options as I've not been there. I do, though, have a certain fondness for Avec, so maybe The Publican. Otherwise, I'd be most tempted to try Boka.

Interesting. I've been to North Pond for dinner several times and never had that experience. We've always ordered a selection of appetizers and/or salads to share (not averaging more than 1/pp) along with entrees and I've never left feeling anything other than full and content. Especially if your parents are coming from further afield, I think it's a great space that highlights both arts & crafts decor and local, seasonal eats.

And side note, as others have mentioned - the views and surrounding scenery can be spectacular.

I agree with PitaChip. I've had the conventional three course app-main-dessert at North Pond and left pleasantly full. And I like to eat; I notice when portions are unsatisfyingly small. I've been quite content with portion sizes at North Pond, as well as Naha and Boka, the other leading contenders based on the discussion thus far. I've been tremendously impressed with the savory food and service at all three; I was a wee bit disappointed with the desserts at Boka, happily satisfied with those at North Pond and Naha.

Thanks, all!

My parents are staying at my place in Wicker Park; we have my car so can get around fairly easily. Graduation is down at McCormick Place in the afternoon so we can head back up towards wherever afterwards as long as we have a reservation.

I think I'm going to lean towards North Pond but might hold a Lobby at the Peninsula reservation as a backup until spring/summer menus are updated online. My parents took a look at the menu/price points for Mastro's and vetoed super-expensive steak in favor of more interesting cuisine, and I tend to agree with them. I like the menu and pricing of the Lobby, but North Pond's view and setting sounds like they should be experienced!

I also considered Joe's Stone Crab, earthlydesire, but their Open Table reservations are already booked for the evening in question (I think a significant portion of Chicago is graduating on June 15, plus it's Fathers Day weekend). Will give them a call if parents decide to lean in that direction.

bluepig wrote:Thanks, all!

My parents are staying at my place in Wicker Park; we have my car so can get around fairly easily. Graduation is down at McCormick Place in the afternoon so we can head back up towards wherever afterwards as long as we have a reservation.

I think I'm going to lean towards North Pond but might hold a Lobby at the Peninsula reservation as a backup until spring/summer menus are updated online. My parents took a look at the menu/price points for Mastro's and vetoed super-expensive steak in favor of more interesting cuisine, and I tend to agree with them. I like the menu and pricing of the Lobby, but North Pond's view and setting sounds like they should be experienced!

I also considered Joe's Stone Crab, earthlydesire, but their Open Table reservations are already booked for the evening in question (I think a significant portion of Chicago is graduating on June 15, plus it's Fathers Day weekend). Will give them a call if parents decide to lean in that direction.

I dined at the Lobby this past weekend, but haven't gotten around to posting about it. My biggest complaint is that it was the epitome hotel dining. There's nothing special about the space, you're in the lobby after all, and the attire of the guests was very typical of hotel dining - some in cheap t-shirts and jeans (thankfully it wasn't hot out or I'll be there would have been shorts), some in suits and dresses. It was very odd. The food was quite good though, and I'll post more about that soon.

As for North Pond, I agree the setting is beautiful. Personally, I wasn't wowed by either the food or the service on my last visit, but I'll leave it at that.

BR wrote:I dined at the Lobby this past weekend, but haven't gotten around to posting about it. My biggest complaint is that it was the epitome hotel dining. There's nothing special about the space, you're in the lobby after all, and the attire of the guests was very typical of hotel dining - some in cheap t-shirts and jeans (thankfully it wasn't hot out or I'll be there would have been shorts), some in suits and dresses. It was very odd. The food was quite good though, and I'll post more about that soon.

As for North Pond, I agree the setting is beautiful. Personally, I wasn't wowed by either the food or the service on my last visit, but I'll leave it at that.

I agree the atmosphere at the Lobby was odd, that is a good way to put it. The room is beautiful and never felt that the hotel guest intruded on the meal at all, but concur the range of causualness in the patrons left the restaurant with a bit of an identity crisis. Once the food came however, I never gave it a second thought.

Just as an fyi to the OP, the current menu is posted on their website, I believe it just switched in the last few weeks:

http://www.peninsula.com/Chicago/en/~/m ... sc_lang=en

Either way you go, I think you will be in for a pleasant time.

The food at the Lobby is excellent, and the level of service is extraordinary.

One thing not yet mentioned is that the Lobby hosts the ultimate experience for chocoholics - the Chocolate Bar! On Friday and Saturday evenings (I think it now starts at 9 pm), they offer an all-you-can-eat buffet of dozens of different chocolate-based desserts, all in small portions so you can try a lot of them. It's around $35 - a small price to pay for those who love chocolate!

nsxtasy wrote:One thing not yet mentioned is that the Lobby hosts the ultimate experience for chocoholics - the Chocolate Bar! On Friday and Saturday evenings (I think it now starts at 9 pm), they offer an all-you-can-eat buffet of dozens of different chocolate-based desserts, all in small portions so you can try a lot of them. It's around $35 - a small price to pay for those who love chocolate!

The OP is talking about having dinner there, in which case it's $20, not $35.

BR wrote:The OP is talking about having dinner there, in which case it's $20, not $35.

It is? That must be a new policy. Last time I went a couple of years ago, they charged the same amount ($32 at the time) even though I ate dinner there. Thanks for the update!

Also, their website says that the Chocolate Bar now starts at 9 pm, so if that's what you're shooting for, time your dinner reservations accordingly.