Spiaggia Main Dining Room

Anyone been to the main dining room at Spiaggia lately? I've not found much recent on it.

We went in December on one of the many very snowy days and were two of very few diners in the place. It was consistently very good through out the meal. I specifically enjoyed the testa (which they allowed me to order despite it being on the fixed menu only) and the veal agnolotti. The wine list was great and the servers were very good about recommending pairings with less common varietals.

We did see a couple that appeared to be on a blind date where the guy was obviously looking for more of a meatball slinging joint. Great entertainment overhearing him sigh with every complicated explanation of each dish. I can see for someone expecting "That's Amore" to be exasperated with Spiaggia, but I loved it.

Awesome. I'm not expecting meatballs, nor is my wife. First super nice dinner out after having the baby, so it will be a nice escape.

I have not been to the main room in about a year but the last meal I had there was excellent. We did not do the tasting menu but, rather, the 4 course. Many of the details of the meal are lost in the wine parings but I recall the white truffle gnocchi as one of the best dishes I ate in 2008. I have made several trips to Spiaggia Cafe in the last few months and have been nothing but perfectly content with the food and service there. The only difference I see is that the main dining room simply takes everything up a level. I don't think you will be disappointed in any way.

jpschust wrote:Awesome. I'm not expecting meatballs, nor is my wife. First super nice dinner out after having the baby, so it will be a nice escape.

Congratulations to you and your wife!

Thanks- almost 8 weeks old now

Hey all. Any more recent opinions or experiences at Spiaggia? Particularly the full tasting menu? A close friend is planning an engagement dinner (just him and his fiancee-to-be), and is asking my opinion on whether he should go with Spiaggia or Grace. He currently has a 7PM for Spiaggia & a 9PM for Grace.

I'm the friend who is supposed to know these things, but I've actually never been to to either. As a background, both he and his lady are on a limited budget & have never done a full-on, formal fine-dining tasting menu. This is the vibe he's after, and is hoping for it to be a very special night. Neither is a hugely adventurous eater, but they're generally open to new flavors. They're planning to do a full tasting menu with wine pairings.

Any thoughts? Mine is that Spiaggia may be a "safer" bet, but recent reviews suggest Grace may currently be a better overall experience.

Any thoughts are very much appreciated.

I much preferred Grace to Spiaggia - better all around package. While I enjoyed the cuisine at Spiaggia, the dining room itself was a tad old fashioned and service stuffy (and a surprising number of miscues occurred as well) and I felt that the meal was overpriced for what I received. Grace on the other hand was the total package; stunning dining room that manages to be elegant, modern and comfortable all at once. Attentive, polished yet down to earth service. Phenomenal cuisine from the presentation to the creativity to the taste.

You mention your friends are on a limited budget; they may want to consider some less expensive venues as well. Chicago has several wonderful restaurants that do tasting menus and have an upscale ambiance where you can spend half the money of Grace of Spiaggia. Since you mention they are not adventurous eaters the Lobby and Boka both come to mind as good fits - both have a template for the tasting menu but then cater the actual experience based on the diner's likes and dislikes. They both have an ambiance worthy of a special occasion, but are more laid back then Grace (and especially Spiaggia) so may be more comfortable environments for people having their first taste of fine dining/tasting menus.

I wouldn't normally recommend Spiaggia's tasting menu for anyone on a limited budget, just because I don't think it's as much of a departure from a "regular" meal as other places you could go---I don't think it's going to blow your mind in the way a meal at Alinea would (best service I've ever had, btw). But since you say that the vibe is as important as the food, maybe he's on the right track. It's a lovely room and everything about the experience says "special occasion."

Thanks Gonzo & ndgbucktown. Gonzo I had a similar though regarding price point. I recommended North Pond as a romantic, high-end spot at a price point significantly below Spiaggia & Grace, so I think that's still on the table as well. Boka would be a good option as well, but my suspicion is that neither would offer the truly formal, 3-4 hour blowout feel that he's going for. I believe he's viewing this as a once-in-a-lifetime type dinner and wants his fiance to know that's he's truly stretched to make it happen.

Of course the danger with "once-in-a-lifetime" expectations is that they're very hard to meet. My fear is that Spiaggia will be very good, but not a standard deviation better/different than they've had elsewhere. Grace seems safer in this regard--in that the food will at least FEEL ornate & high-end compared to anything they've likely experienced.

Possumlad wrote:He currently has a 7PM for Spiaggia & a 9PM for Grace.

I really dislike the practice of making multiple reservations knowing you'll cancel all but one.

I agree but in this case the dinner is over a month out. He is going to cancel one within the next day or two. He's really nervous about the whole thing, seeing as he's never spent more than probably $50 on a dinner. A little grace is in order I believe!

Possumlad wrote:Thanks Gonzo & ndgbucktown. Gonzo I had a similar though regarding price point. I recommended North Pond as a romantic, high-end spot at a price point significantly below Spiaggia & Grace, so I think that's still on the table as well. Boka would be a good option as well, but my suspicion is that neither would offer the truly formal, 3-4 hour blowout feel that he's going for. I believe he's viewing this as a once-in-a-lifetime type dinner and wants his fiance to know that's he's truly stretched to make it happen.

Of course the danger with "once-in-a-lifetime" expectations is that they're very hard to meet. My fear is that Spiaggia will be very good, but not a standard deviation better/different than they've had elsewhere. Grace seems safer in this regard--in that the food will at least FEEL ornate & high-end compared to anything they've likely experienced.

Based on what you are saying Grace sounds like the best bet. I had considered mentioning North Pond in my previous post, but omitted it because of your comment about your friends not being too adventurous; North Pond occupies a beautiful space and I love their food but they seem really reluctant to make accommodations based on dietary preferences/aversions (not sure if they have loosened up at all with this). But that aside, if they truly want the 3-4 hour dining event Grace would be perfect.

Other spots that would fall into this category would be Alinea (even more expensive and they may already be sold out on the day your friends want), Moto, Sixteen, Tru or L20. All of these venues offer wonderful, lengthy tasting menus with service that makes you feel pampered, ambiance worthy of any special occasion and memorable cuisine. Elizabeth also has a wonderful, unique, whimsical lengthy tasting menu (about 18 courses) but is far more casual than these other venues and some of the courses may be challenging to someone who is not adventurous.

I think Grace fits the bill perfectly. While the food and presentations are much more sophisticated and complex than they have previously eaten, it still "seems like food" and should be comfortable for them on such a special night. What tips the scales way in Grace's favor to me is the service. Everyone there is extremely professional, attentive, respectful, and gracious (in that regard, and if you have read Curtis Duffy's story, that description is intentional). Choosing wines by the glass or bottle instead of the pairings, or asking to share one pairing between the two of them, would be a way to lessen the cost, and he could work this out with the sommelier in advance of the meal if he did not want to discuss budget, preferences, and other details once the meal begins and "his lady" is present.

In my experience, tasting menus, even at venues I love, sometimes feel more like theater, where I am the audience rather than the star. I enjoy this type of show, with a lengthy cast of food and details of every dish. I bring this up, however, because I think for a special occasion, some places do a better job than others at pacing and adjusting service based on the perceived needs of the guests, especially on a first visit, and helping to facilitate the celebration beyond just presenting the stellar food. The two tasting-menu-only places in town I have been where I feel the staff does the best job of this are Grace and Goosefoot.

Edited to note: I just realized my response is on the Spiaggia board, so if mods think my post or this thread needs to be moved to a separate thread about proposal venues, or Grace, I understand. I purposefully did not mention Spiaggia in my post because I thought the OP had already decided against it, and I was not going to discourage this decision. Suffice it to say, in my two visits to Spiaggia, one on my birthday, I was not treated by staff in the manner in which I would want for someone's proposal.

Thanks very much everyone. Based on the recommendations here, I've passed along the advice and he's decided officially on Grace. Now let's all hope she says yes

Gonzo70 wrote:North Pond occupies a beautiful space and I love their food but they seem really reluctant to make accommodations based on dietary preferences/aversions (not sure if they have loosened up at all with this).

As an aside, that lines up with my somewhat recent experience there. Everything about the place (from the greeting, to where you're seated, to the service, to food flexibility) seems to communicate "this is how we do things here," rather than "how can we make your experience what you hope it to be?"

riddlemay wrote:

Gonzo70 wrote:North Pond occupies a beautiful space and I love their food but they seem really reluctant to make accommodations based on dietary preferences/aversions (not sure if they have loosened up at all with this).

As an aside, that lines up with my somewhat recent experience there. Everything about the place (from the greeting, to where you're seated, to the service, to food flexibility) seems to communicate "this is how we do things here," rather than "how can we make your experience what you hope it to be?"

Too bad; it has been over a year since I have gone. Love the food and the setting, but the overall attitude has kept me from coming back. Would likely become one of my favorite restaurants if it was a more warm, welcoming environment.