Ladies Who Lunch

Can it be that we lack a thread for this? I'm looking for places to meet girlfriends for lunch that have delicious food and a hint of something special about them. In previous cities where I've lived, I had such places nailed down, but it's been harder in Chicago. My mainstay right now is Floriole, where the food is wonderful, but someplace with table service (and bubbly by the glass) would be nice. City rather than suburbs, please. Thanks!

On the fancier end, Ikram is a really lovely restaurant upstairs at an upscale designer clothing store of the same name.

The Winchester might also be a good choice.

Also, Birchwood Kitchen (BYO) and Terzo Piano at the Art Institute.

I know some ladies that lunch straight out of central casting that hang @ RL.

Laughing, Jazzfood!

+1 on Terzo Piano. Good food, competent service, bubbly by the glass and then some.

Fig & Olive in Gold Coast

Three of our best restaurants offer lunch service (including full bar) with three-course prix fixe menus in the $25-26 range: Naha, Blackbird, and Topolobampo.

You could also go to one of our best places specializing in craft cocktails and small plates, such as Sable and GT Fish & Oyster.

If you're looking for a quieter, more laid back atmosphere, Naha is probably the best of these.

I believe Le Bouchon offers lunch service, as well.

nsxtasy wrote:You could also go to one of our best places specializing in craft cocktails and small plates, such as Sable and GT Fish & Oyster.

This thread forces me to re-examine my stereotypes, because I've been to GT Oyster for lunch a couple times, and I agree it's a great place for lunch--but there's nothing noticeably "lady" about it.

The OP must have been looking for places that feel "lady" because why else would she make the title of the thread "Ladies Who Lunch"? (Love the Sondheim shoutout, by the way.) If simply looking for a place for friends to meet for lunch, she might have titled it "Lunch with Friends," or something like that.

So--how would we define a place that matches up with "places to meet girlfriends for lunch" (quoting the OP) as distinct from "places to meet friends for lunch"? What is it about a place that makes it right for Ladies Who Lunch? We may know the answer intuitively, but have a hard time articulating it. Anyone want to try?

riddlemay wrote:So--how would we define a place that matches up with "places to meet girlfriends for lunch" (quoting the OP) as distinct from "places to meet friends for lunch"? What is it about a place that makes it right for Ladies Who Lunch? We may know the answer intuitively, but have a hard time articulating it. Anyone want to try?

Good question.

It seems like a trendy, bustling, alcohol-oriented place (like Sable or GT Fish) is suitable for "girls" rather than "ladies", even though both terms can refer to female adults and aren't necessarily restricted to any particular age group. When I think of places for "ladies who lunch", I think of places that are somewhat quiet (not dead, but not loud and bustling), and perhaps with a customer base with an older demographic. But that's not what I think of when I think of places with "a hint of something special about them", as the OP put it; to me that connotes a place with special food and/or atmosphere (a place like North Pond, although that's a bad example because it's not open for lunch).

bfolds wrote:I believe Le Bouchon offers lunch service, as well.

Yes, it does. So does La Sardine, its sister restaurant in the West Loop.

Mariposa, at the Neiman-Marcus on Boul Mich is a true ladies-who-lunch place. Note that the menu begins with the selections of bubbly by glass or bottle.


Mariposa
737 N. Michigan Ave. , 4th floor
Chicago IL 60611
(312) 694-4050

I highly recommend Blackbird as a Ladies Who Lunch option--partially because some friends and I go there occasionally for what we call "Fancy Ladies Lunch." We called it that originally because my friends who I went with the first time happened to also be women, and because it made us feel very fancy to go there. The name just stuck, even though nowadays our crew may include gentlemen.

Anyhoo, it's a lovely lunch at a good price, in a refined (for me, anyway) atmosphere.

Thanks for the great ideas! To answer riddlemay, I guess I would say the difference between going to lunch with friends and being a lady who lunches in a special place is the sense of luxuriating - meeting in the middle of the work day, drinking in the middle of the work day, eating dessert at lunch, sanctifying togetherness (that might be too rare with busy lives in a big city), and feeling as if the atmosphere and food are worthy of the cherished company.

I'd vote for Fred's.

Fred's, easily. View, fireplace, bubbly, service, people watching, lovely food....not ground breaking food, but solid.

annak wrote:Thanks for the great ideas! To answer riddlemay, I guess I would say the difference between going to lunch with friends and being a lady who lunches in a special place is the sense of luxuriating - meeting in the middle of the work day, drinking in the middle of the work day, eating dessert at lunch, sanctifying togetherness (that might be too rare with busy lives in a big city), and feeling as if the atmosphere and food are worthy of the cherished company.

annak, I appreciate the attempt to define "Lady Lunch" places as distinct from "Guy Lunch" or "Anybody Lunch" places, and I think you're getting at it, but there's got to be more to it. I meet two different groups of guys for lunch on a weekly and monthly basis respectively, and I could tick off most of the things on your checklist. Meeting in middle of work day, check. (We're retired.) Drinking in middle of work day, check. (Sometimes.) Eating dessert at lunch, check. (Some of us.) Sanctifying togetherness--well, we wouldn't call it that, but yes, that's what we're doing, so check.

This is not to say that there aren't Lady Lunch places that really are Lady Lunch. From what I know about Fred's, I think it probably is one of those places. Just that we haven't actually defined it yet--it remains more of a "I know it when I see it" thing. I'm curious whether anyone can, and would welcome further attempts.

The - to me - original Ladies who Lunch would all be in New York and only go to places such as Le Cirque which I'm not sure we have an equivalent for?


There was a marvelous article about them in Vanity Fair a few years ago with pictures:

Here's to the ladies who lunched

original Ladies who Lunch would all be in New York

No, no, no. This has been a thing here for decades, too. Think Sugar Rautbord. Think Candace Jordan. Think Shelly MacArthur Farley. Remember Crickets, at the Tremont? That was a hotspot back in the day, way before RL was on the scene. Heck, Bertha Palmer was a Lady who Lunched!

Agree with SDP--pretty much anywhere there are ladies of leisure, there will be that special spot for lunch. And I miss Crickets! Hadn't thought of that place in years!!

In the south and outside the major cities, lunch at "the club", as in "yacht" or "country" is often a favored option.

Riddlemay: how cute is your outfit for your weekly lunch date? this may be a factor! something slightly elevated in the atmosphere, food, and occasion that calls for elevated duds.

annak wrote:Riddlemay: how cute is your outfit for your weekly lunch date? this may be a factor! something slightly elevated in the atmosphere, food, and occasion that calls for elevated duds.

Ahh...There's a difference.