Visiting Chicago in September-- need recommendations

So, Everest? or Signature room? Which is better? I'm looking for a romantic, yet trendy fun spot - not too stuffy, for an anniversary dinner.

Welcome to LTHForum. Have you read this page on our website? http://www.lthforum.com/2013/03/visitors/ It might be a good place to start.

Neither is trendy. If you use the search engine you'll see everything people have posted about them. Not a lot of recent visits. Everest is generally considered an excellent restaurant. But if you want trendy and fun, I'd look elsewhere. But read the link Steve gave you plus this one: http://www.lthforum.com/2013/07/faq/#q6.

traveler2013 wrote:So, Everest? or Signature room? Which is better? I'm looking for a romantic, yet trendy fun spot - not too stuffy, for an anniversary dinner.

Maybe a little "out of the box," but if you are a cocktail fan, the new food menu at the Aviary is intriguing from what I have tried. You could have a full dinner at the Office or the Aviary. Or try for the chef's table at the Aviary and do the tasting menu there.

traveler2013 wrote:So, Everest? or Signature room? Which is better? I'm looking for a romantic, yet trendy fun spot - not too stuffy, for an anniversary dinner.

neither of these places would be considered a "trendy fun spot" unless you're well on your way through your social security collection.

if it's a debate between the two, very few would argue against Everest over Signature Room. Grab a drink at the Signature Room for the view then get out.

if you want romantic but trendy, I'd vote for Sepia or Blackbird.

Or North Pond for romantic, not especially trendy but really good. Really cool location (sort of the inverse of the Signature Room).

I really liked our dinner at Sixteen and felt they did a nice job of making us feel special. There was a nice card on the table acknowledging my birthday. They view is beautiful and much nicer than Everest. I haven't been to Everest in years, but recall the service as being very stuffy. The food was also excellent at Sixteen. There was a macaron cart at the end...what is more romantic than French macarons?

The ONLY reason to go to the Signature Room is for the view. The service is polished and professional, the food is fine, but really only ordinary. If you go for dinner, make sure to go before sunset. At night the majority of the dining room is facing the lake, so you don't even see the city lights.

leek wrote: At night the majority of the dining room is facing the lake, so you don't even see the city lights.

I had no idea they rotated the space at night!

So, where else do you recommend? Sounds like I need to cancel my reservations at the signature room and fine something more fun... Alinea? Bavettes? Tru? French place?

What's your budget and when is the anniversary?

Alinea is $210 to $265pp (before 20% service charge and 10.5% sales tax) dependent upon when you wish to dine (prime time tables on weekend nights are the most expensive). It is very fun. I would not necessarily call Alinea trendy.

Alinea only sells prepaid tickets on their web site through their custom system (i.e. not OpenTable). Alinea has tickets on sale through the end of November on their site already. A lot of the 2-tops for weekend nights are gone already for the next few weeks.

I just clicked on a table for two at $265pp and this is what my breakdown looks like:

2 Tasting Menus @ $265.00
Subtotal $530.00
Service Charge 20% $106.00
Chicago and IL Tax 10.5% $66.78
Total $702.78

traveler2013 wrote:So, Everest? or Signature room? Which is better? I'm looking for a romantic, yet trendy fun spot - not too stuffy, for an anniversary dinner.

Even though Nightwood's chef Jason Vincent was recently named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs, I don't know if I'd describe it as trendy but I do highly recommend it. I really love the place and it does have a romantic feel (small, somewhat intimate, soft zone lighting). It's definitely not stuffy, and the food is distinctive and delicious. For more about Nightwood, you can check out this thread.

=R=

Nightwood (website)
2119 S Halsted St
Chicago, IL 60608
(312) 526-3385

Sable maybe.

Tell me, LTH'ers. What is about Nightwood that I don't get? We went as a threesome. My husband ordered a pasta dish that was a big as a quarter for $20. Pasta is cheap. At least fill the man up. The cocktails were good, as was the romaine salad. Very fresh. We don't have the funds to order everything on the menu, but what we do order, we expect to be rather sublime. Not here. Educate me, please.

Sounds like your last couple of posts resulted from failed expectations--could be you're trying to fit a square peg in a round hole hazel12.

First, I'm pretty sure that the pasta at Nightwood is made on site--so not like it's coming in a box from Cisco--not that you have to like it or feel it was worth the money but just sayin'...

Perhaps you just like a different kind of restaurant where you can get a bit more bang for the buck--absolutely nothing wrong with that at all!! Anteprima's Sunday-Thursday $29 for three courses and Ricardo Trattoria's similar deal might be good places to check out if you haven't. Great food, great value, generous portions, excellent service.

hazel12 wrote:Tell me, LTH'ers. What is about Nightwood that I don't get? We went as a threesome. My husband ordered a pasta dish that was a big as a quarter for $20. Pasta is cheap. At least fill the man up. The cocktails were good, as was the romaine salad. Very fresh. We don't have the funds to order everything on the menu, but what we do order, we expect to be rather sublime. Not here. Educate me, please.

I think Nightwood's house-made pastas are consistently sensational and I'd even describe them as sublime but no, they're not huge portions. Clearly, you didn't dig them. Not everyone loves every place. Such is life.

Do you have any suggestions for the OP? Where would you recommend?

=R=

I like the idea of Alinea and could fit the bill. What else? Trendy, we're foodies' and will probably propose.

traveler2013 wrote:I like the idea of Alinea and could fit the bill. What else? Trendy, we're foodies' and will probably propose.

If you're into exploring some of the excellent food Chicago has to offer, we have lots of places to send you, but inserting "Trendy" into the picture might limit your options. For example, the recently discovered Rainbow Thai has exquisite food, but I'd hardly call the bare bones storefront trendy. Nonetheless, it's well worth a visit if you are Thai food fans. There are many other places that fall into that category as well. Just how "Trendy" does it have to be?

Rainbow Cuisine
4825 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 754-7660

Maybe I am trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. I'm a dedicated home cook and when I go out and plan on spending $50-$100+ pp, I like and expect to be wowed or, at the very least, pleased. I also don't give many second chances at those price points. That said, at lower price points I enjoy Amelia's in Canaryville, Longman & Eagle, Purple Pig, Publican, Atwood Café, and have spent many New Year's Eves consuming garlic beef at Double Li, which sadly closed. I'm looking forward to trying its replacement. When dining in my hood, I am partial to the ethnic places--Korean, Indian, Thai. I very much like Longitude 315 in Highwood and Avli in Winnetka. For a more upscale Italian dinner in my hood, I never go wrong with Café Lucci and often enjoy Giacomo, though Lucci is higher caliber cooking. They do fish remarkably well, have a wonderful wine list and I never feel ripped off. After just returning from NYC, had a wonderful meal at Rusty Mackerel, which is doing a lot of things right in terms of farm to table. So, I'm not entirely pedestrian.

Wasn't meaning to sound like I was questioning your taste or judgment hazel12. Sorry 'bout that. In any case, like anything else, so much of this stuff is entirely personal--trying to recommend places that people will like, find a good value, or worthwhile for their time spent is often very difficult to do. What I find useful about this site is that I can read what people write and get a sense of whether they like things/places that I do--then seek out their other suggestions. So, perhaps, looking at the threads for Purple Pig, L&E, Amelia's, etc. will enable you to see who you have things in common with that might serve as a good guide.

I've never been to Inovasi and I've only been to Nightwood twice, with mixed results myself (though I did love my pasta dish ) but I love the places that you mention in the city. So we might have "taste" in common and if you haven't tried Anteprima or Riccardo Trattoria, you might want to give 'em a go! They're two of my favorites. Good luck and happy posting!!

Alinea may be my best bet -- I've looked at Bavettes, Grace, nomi and others --- but I just don't know.

traveler2013 wrote:Alinea may be my best bet -- I've looked at Bavettes, Grace, nomi and others --- but I just don't know.

Sounds like your looking for something a bit modernist, and Alinea certainly fits that bill. Somewhat similar options probably include Moto, Schwa, and perhaps even El Ideas and Elizabeth, although Alinea will certainly be the most upscale of the bunch, Moto second, and the others pretty casual. Moto would be the most avant garde in my opinion. And if you would prefer very upscale but less modernist, you might also consider L20 or Tru.

After that, I don't really know what to say - your other possibilities are all across the board from tourist central to modern steakhouse, to average hotel dining to very upscale and serene, so I'll leave it at that.

It's cheesy and touristy I know, but if you're staying downtown, on a clear night, I always recommend going to the Signature Room bar for an overpriced martini or shitty beer, just to look at the city. It's like the Willis Tower observation deck but with drinks! Good fun IMHO, but I agree that the restaurant is not a must. Some established spots I'd rec. are Lula (In Logan Square - the sister restaurant of Nightwood.), Blackbird & Frontera. Not really trendy, but very solid, restaurants.

If you're looking for September, you may have problems getting into Alinea. If I were looking for a romantic spot and a proposal was a possibility, Maude's might be my top choice (preferably upstairs). The challenge with a lot of other spots that have been recommended is that they trend to be crowded, with tables on top of one another.

I haven't been to Grace yet, but it might fit the bill for you. The other thing to consider is whether there might be a romantic rooftop bar where you could reserve an isolated table before or after dinner at a more bustling kind of place.

Sixteen? I haven't been but the descriptions seem to indicate it would be perfect. Gorgeous views, extravagant meal, tables set apart from one another...and I'd bet they have handled a proposal or 10.

Although I haven't been since they remodelled, I'd throw in a vote for MK. The room is lively but not overbearingly noisy, and the food & wine list are consistently excellent. Not modernist or mind-bending, but I've always had excellent service there and they are happy to give special treatment on occasions like yours.

A proposal at Schwa has the potential to be the most epic thing ever.

ReddiWhipSmart wrote:A proposal at Schwa has the potential to be the most epic thing ever.

Or go wrong in epic proportions...

Thanks so much for all your help -- so, I've narrowed down to Moto, Everest, L20, Tru... LOL.. not very narrow selection is it? What do you think? Romantic, but fun, great tasting menu, great service, and possibly a great place to propose?

Of those 4, I'd do Tru--but you might want to check availability before you get too attached to any of them...