Chicago fine dining/casual fine dining bucket list?

Hi everyone,

My special fella is moving back East at the beginning of October. We both love food, but for various reasons we tend to be fatigued during weekends and 90% of the time we order in. He lives in Bucktown/Wicker Park so our GrubHub radius is full of gems and we have had lots of great meals at home.... but of course it's just not the same. Half the time we pick up Honey1

I am trying to compile a list of places we should hit up in the next month that neither of us has tried before. Here are the 'superfine dining' joints where one or the other of us has been: Grace, EL Ideas (will be posting photos of that meal soon), L2O. Sadly, very sadly, we didn't have the foresight to plan for Alinea or Next.

We'll probably only have the chance/resources for one or two really fabulous meals before we part. Should we look at Schwa? Avec? Blackbird? Longman & Eagle, maybe for brunch? Girl and the Goat? The Publican? I suppose the most limiting parameters are that it must be possible to get a reservation only 1-4 weeks in advance, and ideally it won't feel cramped/loud.

Thank you for helping out a minimally active member of the board!

For fine dining, I'd hit TRU. I consider it one of the three true standouts (no pun intended) of our fine-dining scene, along with Grace and Alinea. Anthony Martin is doing wonderful things there. Absolutely delicious food with the utmost creativity, along with luxurious, spacious décor and the utmost service.

If I had to pick a second, it would be either North Pond or Naha. Both of these are "near fine dining", distinguished from the triumvirate above in the sense that you don't have to dress super fancy, and they will only cost an arm, not an arm and a leg (typical totals including moderate alcohol and tax/tip are around $110-150/person, whereas the previous group runs twice that or more). Both have incredibly delicious food from James Beard Award winning chef-owners, Bruce Sherman and Carrie Nahabedian, and both have one star from the French tiremakers. Both have a la carte menus and can do tasting menus on request. And of course North Pond has that exquisite setting in the park; when reserving, request seating in the front room with the full-length windows facing the pond and the skyline.

You can usually reserve any of these (TRU, North Pond, Naha) four weeks out for whatever time you want. If it's one week out, though, North Pond is often fully booked on weekends, and you may have to settle for a very early or very late seating at any of them, at least on Saturdays. None of these is cramped or loud, unlike ALL of those you ironically mention in the same paragraph where you say you'd prefer a place that doesn't feel cramped or loud.

North Pond is also a lovely place for Sunday brunch; daylight is an excellent time to enjoy the view there. Similarly, Naha is also a great choice for a weekday lunch, when they have a bargain $25 three-course prix fixe menu.

I'd also point out that a lot of places may be easy to check off the bucket list by not getting a reservation, but by arriving at their opening time - Avec and Girl & the Goat are both places that fill up very quickly, but if you're open to lunch, an early dinner or are OK experiencing the restaurant in a non-traditional way, it's a pretty easy thing to accomplish.

If you enjoyed El Ideas (one of my favorite places) good chance you will like Schwa. Similar vibe, but Schwa is less refined and the other difference is an emphasis on marrying sweet & savory on most courses. Only concern with Schwa is their propensity to sometimes cancel on very short notice - a bit of a gamble to dine there for a special occasion, but can truly be a fantastic, memorable top notch dining experience.

One place you did not mention if Elizabeth; this is another of my favorite venues in Chicago. Lengthy tasting menu, open kitchen, beautifully - artistically plated food that is mostly delicious. The cuisine is hyperseasonal and Chef Regan plays a prominent role in procuring much of the food herself via foraging, gardening and occasionally hunting and fishing. Very creative, unique, interesting cuisine and a very enjoyable, relaxed dining experience.

Moto is another venue that is firing on all cylinders. They have improved immensely over the past couple years and are really a different restaurant since Chef Farina became the executive chef. Still some whimsy and beautifully plated food, but the emphasis is now more on making amazing tasting food than on having a "wow" factor with the presentation. Chef Crenshaw really elevated the desserts at Moto since she took over as the pastry chef.

Goosefoot would be another great option for a casual fine dining tasting menu, but reservations can be tough. Chef Nugent makes perhaps the best tasting food IMHO. Senza would be another fantastic restaurant for fine dining in a relaxed, casual setting; very warm service and consistently outstanding food.

Another favorite of mine would be Boka. Unlike Elizabeth, Schwa, Moto, Senza and Goosefoot it is a la carte and definitely a more traditional restaurant, but a beautiful space, extremely friendly staff and some of the best tasting food around. Chef Wolen is really doing remarkable things at Boka.

If you enjoy Japanese cuisine, Juno is supposed to be opening again in early September (they have been closed for several months because of a fire); they were really doing some special things there before the fire and should immediately return to being amazing. Embeya would be my other choice for Asian cuisine.

Girl & the Goat serves the full menu in the bar/lounge area (which IMHO is just as nice as the dining room), so even if you do not score a reservation you can arrive early and likely not have too much of wait to score seats in the bar/lounge area. Definitely worth a meal here; one of the better values in upscale cuisine in Chicago.

While I am a bit down on Next, if you really want to dine there I would not rule it out. Prices have skyrocketed to the extent that supply now far exceeds demand. The tickets for Trio should be released soon. If you do not mind the splurge (it will be Alinea like pricing) with a little vigilance you should be able to easily score tickets for September. As there are fewer seatings with Trio than the past two menus tickets will not be as easy as with Steakhouse and Modern Chinese (where most nights all tables did not sell out), but certainly will be feasible to score tickets.

Alinea
Grace
Elizabeth
Boka
Balena
Hot Doug's
Superdawg