Post-opera bite/drinks

Does anyone have any recommendations for a post-opera nosh/drink around 9 p.m. on Sat. night? The catch is that we'll be in formal attire (tuxedo/evening gown), so a place a bit more formal would be ideal. I was thinking RM Champagne Salon, but it appears to be booked solid. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

What about Blackbird- not terribly far away.

The only time we ever "dressed" for the opera was for opening night many, many years ago. Afterwards, it was near midnight and we were more hungry than thirsty. We went to the Diner Grill, a 24-hour diner in a converted train car, on Irving Park just west of Ashland. We sat there on the counter stools in tuxedo and nice gown, eating wonderful ham-off-the-bone and eggs over easy. It was great. The taxi-drivers and other late night denizens thought we were a hoot and for one moment we felt like an ad from Vogue magazine for an expensive watch or perfume or something! ha ha

Now, you should be able to get a glass of champagne and a nice chocolate-y dessert at the Lyric at the bar at the lower level. Just down the big red staircase from the main gallery. But this Saturday is the opening night gala and besides the fact that the opera, Elektra, is the world's shortest (one hour and forty five minutes!), the opera starts at 6:30 instead of the usual 7:30 and there is no intermission! You’ll be out by 8:15 or so and have enough time for a nice late dinner afterwards. With an opera that short, it does seem like a great opportunity to jump in a cab and go somewhere.

The Lyric offers a list of restaurants in the area. But most of the restaurants nearby close up right after feeding the pre-opera early diners. Here is the Lyric list. I’ll bet some more knowledgeable posters can come up with better ideas. Best of luck and let us know how it turned out! --Joy

Downtown West Loop Restaurants:
COCO PAZZO
300 West Hubbard Street
(312) 836-0900

ONE NORTH KITCHEN & BAR
1 North Wacker Drive
(312) 750-9700

LLOYD'S CHICAGO
They say “Now open Saturday evenings” but don’t trust this. It means their last seating this coming Saturday is at 6:00 pm
1 South Wacker Drive
(312) 407-6900

PICCOLO SOGNO
464 N. Halsted Street
(312) 421-0077

SOUTH BRANCH
100 South Wacker Drive
(312) 546-6177

THE TASTING ROOM AT RANDOLPH WINE CELLARS
1415 West Randolph Street
(312) 942-1212

ITALIAN VILLAGE
71 West Monroe Street
(312) 332-7005

RIVERS
30 South Wacker Drive
(312) 559-1515

RITTERGUT WINE BAR
10 S Wacker Dr # 4000
(312) 559-1832

PROVINCE
161 North Jefferson
312.669.9900

CURRENTS
200 S Wacker, Lower Level
312.846.6692

Do not, under any circumstances, go to Lloyd's. Blackbird is a great, nearby option (especially if you'll be dressed up).

jesteinf wrote:Do not, under any circumstances, go to Lloyd's. Blackbird is a great, nearby option (especially if you'll be dressed up).

True dat. Lloyd's is passable for a business lunch but I'd never consider it if there are ANY alternatives available.

I would go to Mon Ami Gabi. It has some style for a post-opera little dinner, good wines and is open until 11:00 PM on Saturdays.

Mon Ami Gabi
2300 N Lincoln Park W, Chicago 60614
(At W Belden Ave)

Phone: (773) 348-8886

Thanks for the timing tips ... heading there myself and always hit the little bistro on the 3rd floor for a light dinner before but afterwards is always tricky. Then again, this year I'll likely be heading home to crash after the insane work week I'm having.

Probably the closest (and most likely at least for a pre-opera nosh/drink) is Rittergut wine bar.

I have no issues with the quality of the food/drinks here, but several others, particularly re portion/pricing (which might have had something to do with our Groupon deal), and another, which is that I don't have a clue from their website what their closing hours are.

Thanks for the suggestions. Was going to do Blackbird, but they're booked until 10 and with a sitter on the clock, we need to be efficient! Ha. Maude's had an 8:30 reservation and while it's more casual, looking around at OpenTable, it was the best option available if we wanted to have a reservation. As an fyi, the third floor bistro Siun mentions is a decent option, which we often partake in due to the fact that we usually don't want a full meal before a longer opera and it's too late after curtain to do much eating.

I would not, however, recommend, the more formal dining room on the first floor. They do a pre fixe menu, which is catered in, I believe. We tried it once last year and it was rushed, not that good, and not that cheap. I understand why they have to structure the seatings the way they do, but IMO, instead of trying to cram two seatings in between 5 and 7:30, they should just do one 5:45-6. I assume that's not financially viable, but it would make the experience much better.

Thanks for guidance on the first floor - I hadn't tried it yet and was considering for this year. The Bistro always seems just right - small but tasty servings, a nice selection of wines by the glass and those tasty cookies. They do a special themed to the opera for around $20 and a few a la carte options -- and sitting up at the bar if you're dining solo is a fun way to meet other opera fans.

My wife and I alway go to Avec after the opera. The longest wait we have had is 15 minutes. Usually, we are sat down right away. I prefer Avec to Blackbird and it is more affordable to boot.

Embeya. Dramatic room. Fantastic food.

We met friends at Rittergut for pre-opera (actually not: The Sound of Music has a lot of music but is not opera, regardless of where it's at).

The menu is not very long: dominated by charcuterie and cheeses and small plates. We ate a large portion of the menu: two flatbreads, a bunch of the aforementioned ch-and-ch, various nibbles... Most of the dishes were easily split between the six of us, the pork belly, on the other hand, was one chewy (but tasty) slab. Favorites included the arancini, camenbert with pistachios and duck confit flatbread. Service overall was very swift, although not always attentive (they seemed to have a tendency to get requests from one person and dart away before someone else could pipe up).

it looks like they're trying to do Purple Pig, but miss by a small margin. Nothing was bad, but everything seemed a little underseasoned and maybe lacking a bit of finesse: a bit more salt, garlic, lemon here or there would really kick up the appeal. An example: their charcuterie platter had outstanding meats, but the only accompaniment was sport peppers. No bread, no mustard, capers, whatever. There were some wafers and membrillo on the cheese platter, though. Prices were reasonable: for the six of us, it was about $140 in food and $120 in liquor (wine-by-the-glass was a little high priced, I thought).

For loop dining, especially if you're on a tight schedule at the Civic Opera House, this will do nicely.

How about the new Pearl Tavern oyster bar?

HI,

Friends are going to Porgy and Bess on Sunday. They wish to eat Southern food afterwards, though they wish to be nearby. I offered these ideas, though none are particularly near: Feed, Table 52 (more than what they want to spend, I think), Big Jones (really not near) and The Southern.

Any ideas?

Regards,

Green Street Smoked Meats might be a good option.

LaurenL wrote:Green Street Smoked Meats might be a good option.

That's a pretty good idea. These people arriving in their opera finery to sit at a picnic table will be quite a contrast in cultures.

Thanks!

Carriage House?

Wishbone is at 1001 Washington.

The GP wrote:Wishbone is at 1001 Washington.

Winner!

Wishbone website

0.8 mile west of the opera house.

Wishbone was my first thought, but it closes at 3:00 on Sundays.

momotaro? it's been pretty hoppin, so Sat may not be the best night. bar takito or tete could be good low key options as well. neither are fancy, but you'll likely get in without an rsvp and they're good spots.

peaceyall wrote:momotaro? it's been pretty hoppin, so Sat may not be the best night. bar takito or tete could be good low key options as well. neither are fancy, but you'll likely get in without an rsvp and they're good spots.

Perhaps you did not notice that Cathy revived this discussion on behalf of friends looking for Southern food after the opera.

Or perhaps you're recommending Momotaro and Bar Takito because they might offer cuisine from southern Japan and southern Mexico...

Hi,

I since got an e-mail back from the opera fans, they plan to go to Chicago-Q.

I certainly learned there is more Southern food than I had previously realized near downtown.

Thanks!

Regards,

It sounds as if the question has been settled but I felt i should also mention Porkchop, which is at 941 W Randolph on Restaurant Row. I had lunch there several months back and thought it was great fun. It's sort of western themed so dining in formal wear might be a kick.

Definitely a southern option though.