HELP! 2 teenagers for a week

My husband's niece(15) and nephew(14) will be staying with us for a week sans parents. We will be doing the Taste/Millenium/Navy Pier/Mag Mile/Museums but I'm looking for a restaurant tonight that will offer entertainment as well as good food. My thoughts were maybe bellydancing, but the only place I know of is Marrakech on Ashland. Any other restaurant suggestions? My other thought was Haro on Oakley for Flamenco. I don't know. We don't have kids so we're not up to snuff on these kind of things. Any and all suggestions appreciated. Thanks.
Cheryl

This may be out of your price range but something fun to do with built-in "entertainment" might a place like Fogo de Chao. You get the entertainment of men with spears carrying meat to you all the time and most kids will eat steak and chicken and if either one of them won't, there's a great salad bar.

Plus it's lively and loud and fun to sit and watch.

Also..Ed Debevic's is a riot and most kids dig it because it's easy food (burgers, fries, etc.) and the waitstaff is rude. On purpose!

If you don't know the kids well, I'd steer clear of anything overtly ethnic until you get a feel for what they will or won't eat. Kids are an unknown quantity and going to see belly dancing might be interesting but only if they're into the food.

My 2 cents!



Fogo de Chao
661 N. LaSalle St.


Ed Debevic's
640 N. Wells St.

It just really depends on the kids. I would say Ed Debevics may be for slightly younger children, and I would be concerned how much teenage girls would be into Fago. I would say that Ben Pao, Roy's, or Sushi Samba would be a lot of fun. If you are loooking for somehthing in the lower price range, consider Grand Luxe Cafe, Francescas Taylor, or you could go to Tizzu Emmuil (they have belly dancers some nights). Just ask them what they like would also make the choice a little easier....

Hope this helps!

J

What about ESPN Zone? Food is decent (well, OK last time I was there) and they have all those games including the one where you can shoot hockey (my personal favorite)....might be a bit pricey but not boring.

Thanks for the suggestions. Last night we took the kids to Haro for tapas and flamenco guitar. These two are adventurous eaters so it was a hit. It was our first time there and I loved the vibe. It felt like a little place in Sevilla. The food was hit and miss. Hits: Serrano ham with melon, lamb stew with potatoes and peas, the cheese platter, Catalan sausage with beans, pork loin with calamari and the cocktails (for us, not the kids). Misses: calamari in ink topped with two fried eggs (it was bland and unattractive), smoked salmon (not flavorful), white asparagus (so disappointed because I love this dish but the asparagus must have been canned-it had a distinctive metallic taste). Today we're off to the Taste and Millenium Park.

Haro
2439 S. Oakley
Chicago

I took my two teenage nieces to ESPN Zone two years ago. I thought that the food was terrible ... and so did the nieces. And to add insult to injury, it was very pricey for what you got.

My recommendations:

Chinatown
Frango Cafe or the Walnut Room in Marchall Field's
FoodLife in the Watertower plaza
Greektown
Little Village is also good for a walk.

Generally, teenagers are pretty happy to follow along and welcome different experiences - as long as there is plenty of food available.

Just took my "never eats spicy food" 13yo nephew to New Mexico three weeks ago. My sister in law called me last night asking that the phrase "red vs. green" meant.

Have you considered Improv Kitchen? Food's okay, and, while it's a gimmick, it's an experience they're unlikely to get anywhere else.

Improv Kitchen
3419 N. Clark St., Chicago
(773) 868-6423