Labor Day weekend dining dilemma

My siblings and I are planning a surprise 50th anniversary weekend for my parents. We are going to meet up at the Westin O'Hare and use that as home base. We've got lots of fun activites planned including The Chicago Botanic Garden and Ravinia on Saturday (Tony Bennett's 80th Birthday concert).

I could use your expertise for Friday. The majority of our clan will be driving here from Minnesota. My folks would love a casual Greek dinner.

I don't know if we should all load into the 17-passenger van and drive to Greektown, then drive back to the Westin to drop off the early birds, then return to the city for some nightlife
...or...
because of the driving they've already done, find some place closer to our hotel (perhaps Yanni's or Costas), drop off the love birds and then drive the siblings back into the city. (I'm not even sure if these are that much closer than driving downtown.??)


Because I don't really know the area around the Westin O'Hare (6100 River Road, Rosemont, 60018), I don't know if there is anything fitting the bill nearby. Thanks for taking the time to make my parents' weekend extra special.

I would consider hiring a limo for the night. Especially if drinking is involved. Might as well make things comfortable.

That does sound like an absurd amount of driving, if you figure an average of 40 minutes each time, that's two hours out of your evening right there, and that could be optimistic. I don't know how far it is from O'Hare to Yanni's, but even if it's several miles, it's bound to be a much faster trip than O'Hare to Greektown.

Didn't somebody post about Yanni's recently? I only know it as where to turn for Mitsuwa.

Public transportation would work very well from where you are/where you are going. The Westin is very near, the River Rd stop on the Blue Line, and then Greektown is very near the Halsted stop on the Blue Line.

Just a suggestion...

Have fun, regardless!

Public transporation is a great idea. Greektown is a 10-15 min walk from Ogilvie if you want to hop onto the Metra at Jefferson Park.

Yanni's is definitely very doable from the O'hare area. It's only 10-15 min away on 90, and you'll avoid most of the congestion that occurs east of the toll booths. 90 is such a nightmare these days!

If you want to avoid the drive into the city, consider visiting Periyali in Glenview. We had an LTH dinner there a while back that was quite good. I go there quite a bit and can highly recommend any of the items that they cook on their charcoal grill; lamb chops, octopus, whole fish, zucchini, etc.

Periyali Greek Taverna
9860 Milwaukee
Glenview, IL
847-296-2232

stevez wrote:consider visiting Periyali in Glenview. We had an LTH dinner there a while back that was quite good. I go there quite a bit and can highly recommend any of the items that they cook on their charcoal grill; lamb chops, octopus, whole fish, zucchini, etc.

Yes, I agree. I have only eaten at Periyali twice, but both times I was pleasantly surprised. I think the food there is as good as many of the Greektown standbys. It certainly does not have the authentic atomsphere of Greektown, but the food is as good or better than you will get at many of the popular Greektown establishments.

Another vote for Periyali. You can sit outside; I recommend calling ahead. It is an unprepossessing place that used to be Red Lobster but they have made it quite pleasant.

bibi rose wrote:Another vote for Periyali.

Count me as another vote for Periyali.

Yet another vote for Periyali.

Even though I had a fine meal at Santorini a few days ago, I would opt for Periyali in your case. It's an excellent restaurant and the logistics work better than going to Greek town.

Belated thanks to all for your help. Your quick and helpful responses mean so much to me as I plan this anniversary weekend for my parents.
I appreciate that you thought about the food, of course, but also the logistics, even my safety (Bruce, several non-drinkers in our group in charge of driving, I will not be one of them ).

I have a reservation at Periyali. You are the best!

I have another suggestion that's a little farther north -- which could work out well for meeting the folks driving down from Minnesota. Opa! (http://www.oparestaurant.com/, take a look at the photo gallery) is a nice Greek restaurant in Vernon Hills. Roy Boy and I ate there last night and thought the food was great. I had skirt steak, he had lamb kabobs, and we split the zucchini appetizer.

It's a pretty place with three main eating areas. The large main dining room with very high ceilings, whitewashed walls, white-painted wood columns and white cloth skylight shades, and touches of blue, all of which contribute to the nautical theme. We started outside on the outdoor patio that looks out on a small lake and we enjoyed the look of the strings of lights on posts all around the patio area. After a while, though, we decided to seek shelter from the mosquitos, and went to the smaller dining room where the bar is. Both dining rooms have fireplaces that we were told are used in the fall and winter, so I know where my favorite table is going to be on future trips.

But back to the food -- the skirt steak was tender and juicy from one tip to the other, the lamb was tasty, the lemon potatoes were delicious, the zucchini was a treat, even the green beans (in a tomato-based sauce) were memorable. We took a little of everything home and I had a fantastic lunch of leftovers today. All in all, Opa! was a real pleasure and exceeded my expectations, particularly because, at least until last night, I've always been pretty neutral on Greek cuisine.

Apparently the same family owns the Portofino (Italian) restaurant that is next door, and which also has a patio overlooking the lake. I haven't been there yet, but once I have I'll post a report.