Seeking Suggestions - Conrad Hotel

My Dad swung into town tonight from Wisconsin and I fed him a nice home-cooked meal.

He departs early tomorrow morning for a conference at the Conrad that lasts through Saturday morning. Due to both work and toddler schedules we will not be able to join him for Thursday or Friday dinners. He's asked for guidance and I'm turning to you all as I am no longer in that part of town with any kind of frequency.

Dad is looking for walking distance or very quick cab ride from the hotel. Casual dining preferred and a spot he won't be too conspicuous going solo. I have come up with Frontera Fresca and Purple Pig at the bar. He is fairly adventurous with the caveats that he is not interested in sushi and does not consume alcohol.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Lynn

Try Sable - comfortable but really good food and as a hotel restaurant, used to serving single diners with grace.

Two others I'd suggest - Xoco (Isn't Frontera Fresca the one in Macys?) is fun and very relaxed. The counter at the back of La Madia is fun since you can watch the pizza oven and the short ribs with Risotto are delicious.

Yes, Xoco is what I meant to suggest. Thanks for the other ideas - I will pass them along.

He could dine at the bar at all of the following:

GT Fish & Oyster
Purple Pig
Sable
Frontera Grill / Topolobampo's shared bar area (much nicer than Xoco, which is a quick service restaurant)

Quartino, too, perhaps?

I was going to suggest GT also. Much easier to get in there than PP.

What about Bar Toma, Tony Mantuano's place in the old Bistro 110 space?

Bar Toma
110 E Pearson St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 266-3110

stevez wrote:What about Bar Toma, Tony Mantuano's place in the old Bistro 110 space?

Bar Toma
110 E Pearson St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 266-3110

When Bar Toma is on, they do a fantastic job! I think their pizzas are some of the best in the city. That said, I find the meatballs a bit spongy/made with too finely ground beef. When their kale salad is done right, I crave it with a passion. When it's done wrong (not garlicky enough, not massaged enough) it's "eh."

Thanks, everyone. He now has a lot of options to choose from and will hopefully have a great couple of meals.

LynnB wrote:Thanks, everyone. He now has a lot of options to choose from and will hopefully have a great couple of meals.

One of the cool things about Sable is they will make half orders of almost anything so a solo diner can try more than just a few dishes.