Help me satisfy conflicting parental priorities/preferences

My folks are coming in for a visit. Want to do a special birthday dinner for dad, without leaving mom in the cold.

What they have in common is: mid-seventies, intellectually lively, but quiet living and genteel folks (a little ruckus goes a long way, and dad is hard of hearing and needs a place he can carry on a conversation)

Conflicts: Dad really likes a bit of well-cooked meat. Mom is practically vegetarian with a skittish system on top of that. Home diet consists largely of lightly buttered english muffins and tea.

My thoughts so far:
* French bistro (steak frites for Dad), fish for mom, old-fashioned Euro-charm, etc.
* Churrascaria (point-and-slice smorgasbord of meat for dad, highly regarded salad bar for mater), exotic (if you come from Yorktown Hghts., NY), festive/glam. a bit kitsch, but still good.
* One of the more civilized of the steak houses (Burke or Keefers vs. Gibsons or G&G), elegant and civilized, befitting quiet-living semi-retired U of C types.

Is there any other obvious category that I haven't already thought of suggest itself?

I haven't been to any of the Brazilian places yet, and posts sort of/kind of seemed to indicate that the meat wasn't all that special. I was thinking that the novelty of being able to taste everything and tailor the meal as you go, might make up for the lack over overall meat-perfection.

Any advice?

Depending on just how cow-addicted your father is, I'd lean toward a seafood place. I've got a suburban skewed perspective, but perhaps I'll spark an idea or two.

Bob Chinn's might exceed the ruckus threshold, although its novelty at high-end factory food might make it entertaining enough.
One of our standard fallbacks for years was Dover Straits -- I don't know if they're still up to the same quality, I just haven't had an opportunity to go there myself lately.

I think the French bistro category sounds the most promising of the three you've listed in terms of making both parents happy. And what about "new American/seasonal ingredients" kind of places? perhaps North Pond Cafe?

I just had my father-in-laws 80th, and we went to Custom House. It satisfied both the foodies and the traditionalists in our mixed group. Folks were raving about the tuna tartare appetizer and the salads. I had a very nice corn and truffle soup to start. No one ordered the fish/seafood entrees, so, while they sounded good, I can't report on them.

Jonah

Amata wrote:I think the French bistro category sounds the most promising of the three you've listed in terms of making both parents happy. And what about "new American/seasonal ingredients" kind of places? perhaps North Pond Cafe?

Hard to be more genteel than North Pond. From my one visit there I seem to recall a steak on the menu. But it is pricey.

I think Custom House sounds like a good choice. When I was there on a Sunday night, the conversation level was at a very low din. It also has a pretty diverse menu and the a la carte means your Mom can get as little or as much as she Ior her system) wants. I find that all of the steakhouses you mentioned (especially Burke's) tend to be louder and probably have more ruckus than your Dad can handle. At least that's how it was when I was there.

You know..I had lunch at Joe's Stone Crab today and i find that to be a great place for both steak and fish and all the waiters really look like waiters which sort of appeals to a more traditional "dining out" attitude. It's all very lovely too -- not sure about the noise level.

In terms of a great genteel steak house -- how about Capital Grille? Very easy on the ears and the food is really very tasty. Awesome lobster bisque.

There's also the old standard of Shaw's -- you can get both steak and fish and again there's an old world vibe that might appeal to both of your parents and allow them to converse in a normal manner. I hate loud resturants some times.

I tell you what...If my parents came to town, i know they'd be pleased with anyone of the three of those places..as long as they weren't paying the bill! <grin>

Enjoy!

shannon

How do they feel about Italian?

IMO, you'd be hard pressed to find a more charming, quiet and pleasing experience than Merlo on Maple. The pastas are the star but they also have steak and fish. Impeccable service. I've taken many an out of towner there: from 25 year olds to 65 year olds, and everyone has been wowed. The wine list, also, is exceptional. All around class and sophistication.

The paglia y fieno: a veal ragu with quail egg served over a handmade thin pasta, is the meal I'd request before execution. Seriously.

Merlo on Maple

16 W. Maple Street. Chicago, Illinois
312.335.8200

David Burke's is too loud. The food is great, even the fish, but the place is noisy.

You might try Fulton's. Gorgeous river views show off the city. Prime meat. Lots of fish. It is pricey, however. There are different noise levels depending on where you sit; request a quiet spot when you reserve.

Then there's Lawry's. Quiet, classy location, terrific prime rib and good fish options, too.

For festiveness and fun at a lower price point, but still satisfying your varied requirements, there is also Sabatino's.

Fulton's on the River
312/822-0100
www.fultonsontheriver.com
315 N. LaSalle St.
Chicago

Lawry's the Prime Rib
312/787-5000
www.lawrysonline.com
100 E. Ontario St.
Chicago

Sabatino's Restaurant
773/283-8331
www.sabatinoschicago.com
4441 W. Irving Park Road
Chicago

Wow. That's a whole encyclopedia of great ideas. I think I'll do a little winnowing and then just put it directly to them. Somehow as I get older I get less rather than more able to judge these things correctly.

Many thanks for all the creative thought.

aschie30 wrote:I think Custom House sounds like a good choice.

While I love Green Zebra, I've had issues with the service at both GZ and at the Custom House (both restaurants of Chef McClain). I went for dinner with friends to GZ on Friday night and had the same personality-less, seemingly bothered-by-the-customer waiter that I had the last time (it appeared to be a chore for him to bring the soup spoons that didn't arrive with the soup, among other requests). Tho at this reataurant the food so shines that I can overlook a mediocre server. On Sunday friends and I went to brunch at the Custom House. The room is indeed nice - modern and modestly decorated (think crate and barrel modern). The service however was terrible. the food was good, flavorful, but when combined with portion size, price and service - this is not necessarily a standout restaurant imo. The server had such a thick accent that we had to ask someone else to repeat the specials, he forgot to bring out a few items that had been ordered as sides (there were only 3 other tables in the entire restaurant - so not a busy day by any means), and when he spilled an entire pot of coffee- a portion of which landed on one of our dining companions - he immediately tended to what spilled on him (the coffee was a nice warm temp - not a scalding hot temp) without assisting her, and when another of our guests directed the question "are you okay" to our friend, the waiter responded - "yes, i'm okay - I'll be back in a moment". we fetched napkins to clean up our friend. no apology from anyone. it wasn't a major upset to our brunch, but we all thought it should have been handled better than our server did.

the only reason i would ever justify going there again would be for drinks with an old friend who's a bartender there.

LAZ wrote:For festiveness and fun at a lower price point, but still satisfying your varied requirements, there is also Sabatino's.

Scratch Sabatino's unless you can get one of the private alcoves. We were there last night and, boy, it was loud! (Even when the musicians weren't playing.)

LAZ wrote:

LAZ wrote:For festiveness and fun at a lower price point, but still satisfying your varied requirements, there is also Sabatino's.

Scratch Sabatino's unless you can get one of the private alcoves. We were there last night and, boy, it was loud! (Even when the musicians weren't playing.)

I will say it definitely depends on when you go. On the weekends and prime time on weekdays, it'll definitely be very noisy. But we've had it be nearly empty arriving for a late dinner at 9:30 or so. Now, I'm not entirely sure the OP's parents are late diners, but if they are, I wouldn't take it off the table.

gleam wrote:I will say it definitely depends on when you go. On the weekends and prime time on weekdays, it'll definitely be very noisy. But we've had it be nearly empty arriving for a late dinner at 9:30 or so. Now, I'm not entirely sure the OP's parents are late diners, but if they are, I wouldn't take it off the table.

The same is true if you go early. The Chow Poodle and I often go around 6:30 right after work and the place is usually empty until at least 7:30 - 8:00.