Special bar

I am planning a birthday celebration with a group of women friends and we would like to start with a drink at a really nice bar. Then we will be off to dinner somewhere. I know that NoMi at the Park Hyatt is pretty good for drinks with a great view. Ideas please.

Signature Room at the 95th? The nice view is pretty much a lock.

I liked the NoMi bar the one time I was there with a business crowd. Definitely a chic spot, very professional service, and the appetizers were sophisticated and delicious. Glasses of wine were very generous pours. The only drawback for me would be that it may be a bit too sedate a setting. When my women friends get together, the group can be a bit rambunctious from the outset, and the ultra-cool vibe there might dampen the group spirit a bit. Just a thought. Now if I can come up with some other ideas for you. . .

Hotel Bars can be swanky and nice but i find them to be kinda transient. How about some place like Harry's Velvet Room? It used to be a major cigar spot but not so many folks are smoking cigars any more and it's a really lush spot with great cocktails and a nice elegant atmosphere. It ain't cheap, though. And people DRESS for Harry's Velvet Room -- so you shouldn't be casual

If you want to check out a fun and cool hotel bar, the bar at the House of Blues Hotel is pretty special -- and a bit different than your normal bar at a hotel.

I"ve never been but I've heard that the bar at Japonais is pretty swanky and cool as well.

Something unique and very cool and elegant is Le Passage -- which is situated near Le Colonial on Rush Street. It's just a beautiful place -- quite the "scene" but might be just perfect for your group.

Harry's Velvet Room
56 W. Illinois, Chicago
Tel: (312) 828-0770

Le Passage
937 N. Rush St.
312-255-0022

House of Blues Hotel
333 N. Dearborn St.
Chicago

Japonais
600 W. Chicago Avenue

Narcisse?
710 N. Clark St.

earthlydesire wrote:How about some place like Harry's Velvet Room? It used to be a major cigar spot but not so many folks are smoking cigars any more and it's a really lush spot with great cocktails and a nice elegant atmosphere. It ain't cheap, though. And people DRESS for Harry's Velvet Room -- so you shouldn't be casual
...
Harry's Velvet Room
56 W. Illinois, Chicago
Tel: (312) 828-0770

I think Harry's is closed; I read this yesterday...

MetroMix wrote:Talk about a nightspot shrouded in mystery: Underground, the new venture from the Rockit Ranch Productions guys--Billy Dec, Arturo Gomez and Brad Young--is so hush-hush, Dec won't even tell us exactly where it is. (We hear it may be near, or possibly in, the old Harry's Velvet Room space at 56 W. Illinois St., but Dec won't confirm or deny rumors.)...

About a month ago, my husband and I took an out of town friend to the Signature Room for a drink after dinner at Cafe Spiaggia. I hadn't been there in years and was greatly disappointed. The drinks were terrible, it was too loud for conversation and it was packed with drunken tourists. It was also filthy. We were both shocked--our friend hadn't been there before but it was clear that he couldn't wait to get out of there. If you're looking for swank, the bar at the Peninsula is very nice and they have a nice cocktail list. It's just off the hotel lobby. While I wouldn't spend my whole evening in a hotel bar for the same reason given by earthly desire, I think a good one is a nice place for a pre-dinner cocktail. I've also heard good things about the bar at Japonais.

Bar at the Peninsula is nice and swanky.

Whiskey Sky , 33rd floor of W Chicago Lakeshore has killer views of the city. Trendy/hip clientele. No food served, just booze.

The Greenhouse at the Ritz Carlton is beautiful and very comfortable. I'm partial to it for a girls get-together. If you go near sunset you'll, I hope, be treated to a beautiful twilight Maxfield Parish purple-blue sky. Excellent service, excellent drinks and a champagne list. They also serve appitzers and gratis warm mixed nuts and fresh potato chips. And it's just so pretty. (No, I do not work there, nor do personally know anyone who does).

The Greenhouse
Ritz Carlton
at Water Tower Place
160. E. Pearson
(312) 266-2124

germuska wrote:

earthlydesire wrote:How about some place like Harry's Velvet Room? It used to be a major cigar spot but not so many folks are smoking cigars any more and it's a really lush spot with great cocktails and a nice elegant atmosphere. It ain't cheap, though. And people DRESS for Harry's Velvet Room -- so you shouldn't be casual
...
Harry's Velvet Room
56 W. Illinois, Chicago
Tel: (312) 828-0770

I think Harry's is closed; I read this yesterday...

MetroMix wrote:Talk about a nightspot shrouded in mystery: Underground, the new venture from the Rockit Ranch Productions guys--Billy Dec, Arturo Gomez and Brad Young--is so hush-hush, Dec won't even tell us exactly where it is. (We hear it may be near, or possibly in, the old Harry's Velvet Room space at 56 W. Illinois St., but Dec won't confirm or deny rumors.)...

Harry's has been closed for a couple of years, as far as I know. That new place sounds like somewhere that'd be great to skip, given the people involved. (Unless you were a big fan of places like Circus and Dragon Room, or really dig Le Passage.)

Personally, I'm a big fan of the wine bar at The Randolph Tasting Room, right by Randolph and Ogden. Classy, unpretentious and a wonderful view of the city from the west. (While being conveniently located near a slew of great restaurants.) Most places that use the term "hip" to describe themselves (or advertise in CS) make me nauseous, so ymmv.

Pete wrote:That new place sounds like somewhere that'd be great to skip, given the people involved.

Yeah. Well, it's apparently going to be so Underground that you (or at least I) probably will never actually find out where it is located. So skipping should be even easier.

Honestly, I have no business in this thread. I'm not a "really nice bar" kind of guy.