Pre-Wicked meal in Loop

My wife is taking our 12-year-old daughter, her 12-year-old gluten-free friend and her 10-year-old sister to Wicked tomorrow evening at the Oriental (Randolph between Clark and State). They'll be taking the train down and are looking for a fun and casual pre-theater meal. All suggestions welcome. Thanks!

Search is your friend.

good family eating very close to Cadillac Theater

restaurants near oriental theatre?

The GP wrote:Search is your friend.

good family eating very close to Cadillac Theater

restaurants near oriental theatre?

Thanks, GP, and for the record I did do a search and came up with nothing very relevant, unique or timely. Considering the lengths that we can go to discussing the merits of why every restaurant in Highland Park closes or whether deboning a chicken thigh robs it of flavor, I was hoping someone had a suggestion that didn't date back to the Bush administration.

In the case of "restaurants near oriental theatre?" it leads to a 2006 post which leads back to a 2005 string offering suggestions for "teen friendly" restaurants like Cheesecake Factory and Hard Rock Cafe and "good family eating very close to Cadillac Theater" gets me just Atwood and Petterino's.

So anyone? Something, fun, casual, not too expensive and relatively fast?

I'll take a shot Alex--only thing I can't help with is degree of GF friendliness since that's outside my area of expertise

A bit of info might help-- "take the train down"-- does that mean Metra or CTA--kinda makes a difference. Also--are u looking for walking distance or is short cab ok? Finally--what kinds of places do your kids like? My stepsons, for example, are really picky eaters so if the place doesn't have chicken fingers or pizza, it's wasted on them. Obviously, a lot of other folks here have kids that enjoy more sophisticated food. Give us a few more clues and I'm sure you'll get some help if it's not too late.

AlexG wrote:Thanks, GP, and for the record I did do a search and came up with nothing very relevant, unique or timely. Considering the lengths that we can go to discussing the merits of why every restaurant in Highland Park closes or whether deboning a chicken thigh robs it of flavor, I was hoping someone had a suggestion that didn't date back to the Bush administration.

In the case of "restaurants near oriental theatre?" it leads to a 2006 post which leads back to a 2005 string offering suggestions for "teen friendly" restaurants like Cheesecake Factory and Hard Rock Cafe and "good family eating very close to Cadillac Theater" gets me just Atwood and Petterino's.

So anyone? Something, fun, casual, not too expensive and relatively fast?

I'm a little confused, because Atwood and Petterino's are still around (they didn't close when Obama was first inaugurated) and are excellent choices for your situation. If you can explain what you're looking for that these two places don't deliver, it might help in producing more useful suggestions for you.

I know it's not so trendy but my family loves Italian village for theatre area dining-
atmosphere is so retro and we find the food to be good.
They might have steak or sauteed fish for your GF person.
(Obviously no pasta)
also if you are driving they will Valet your car for dinner and theatre- such a deal!
If it was lunch - I always like 7th floor Marshall Fields (aka Macys LOL)

I recently had a pre-theater meal at Atwood and it was very good. Don't know about gluten free options, however.
Pizano's seem like the ultimate kid friendly place, but gluten free would seem to be a real challenge there. Another place that doesn't get much mention is the Park Grill in Millenium Park. It's a location kids would enjoy as you get to see the Bean while walking to and from. I'm not sure if the skating rink in front is open yet. I've found the food there to be just fine, and it has a fairly broad menu, so I suspect there are gluten free options. It's a bit further from the theater than some of other places, but still a relatively short walk.

Jonah

They may be driving now, so I like the idea of Italian Village. Are there any other places that offer that same valet deal?

@Riddlemay Those are both fine options, but given the depth of knowledge here at LTH (I've found dozens of great places I would never have know about) I was hoping for some suggestions that you wouldn't get from just entering "pre-theater dining Chicago" into Google. (I just tried it and the first link was this http://www.stylechicago.com/Category.asp?ID=12091 with Petterino' and Atwood listed at top, natch)

@boudreaulicious Sorry about the vague "train" reference. They were taking Metra down from Highland Park, but she wants to drive now, so ideally it's something like Italian Village reference above that has a valet deal. I think they'd like to just get down there and stay in the area since it's Friday night and traffic might be a nightmare on the Edens/Kennedy.

@Jonah Thanks, Park Grill might be a fun choice if they can get down there with enough of a cushion.

If they're driving, Greek town (Santorini or Greek Islands are my favorites) is really fun for kids (Opa!!!) and eclectic enough menus to please everyone I think. And free valet!

Petterinos will also let you valet for theatre and dinner I think

irisarbor wrote:Petterinos will also let you valet for theatre and dinner I think

They do & I'm confident they have some gluten-free items. That's what makes this particularly difficult for the OP. That said, gluten sensitivities are not what the bulk of the posters here are discussing in general, let alone at restaurants in the theatre district. This just isn't the site for those with food allergies,sensitivities or restrictions. This site is a celebration of food without restrictions.

I hope the OP is able to share what was discovered in terms of gluten-free theatre dining offerings.

Still working on it...Petterino's and Traitorria No. 10 are both GF friendly...and fully booked. Pazzo's supposedly has GF pasta, but they are a little more of a walk to the theater and convenience is a factor.

OpenTable's list of Chicago restaurants with Gluten Free options
http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?pid=630&m=3

Review of Petterino's by GF people
http://www.findmeglutenfree.com/biz/petterinos/3251003
Petterino's main web site with link to their Gluten Free menu
http://www.petterinos.com/menu/
"Enjoy the many delicious options featured on our gluten-free menu."

Review of Atwood by GF people
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserRevi ... inois.html
Atwood's main web site with links to their menus
http://www.atwoodcafe.com/
"Menu Offerings for Every Appetite and Special Requests
Atwood Café recognizes that every guest has different tastes, dining preferences and dietary restrictions when pursuing creative cuisine. We will be more than willing to help you choose a creative yet classic American meal to suit your individual preferences."

Review of Italian Village by GF people
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserRevi ... inois.html

AlexG wrote:Still working on it...Petterino's and Traitorria No. 10 are both GF friendly...and fully booked. Pazzo's supposedly has GF pasta, but they are a little more of a walk to the theater and convenience is a factor.

Petterino's has high-top tables and the bar are open seating. Lots of folks eat there pre-show. If you can reach your wife let her know the valet is on Dearborn just north of Randolph for Petterino's at their primary entrance. They do have a theatre special that is under $20 for parking with a meal.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. Lots of good intel here. They're going with the Theater District Rosebud, which has GF pasta and should be just fine. Fine, not great, but it was hard to find a reservation and they got a late start down. In fact, looking at their progress on Find My Iphone, it may be moot.

Seriously, though, thank you to all who took the time to weigh in with thoughts and options.