Suggestions for assistant's lunch?

I need to take my two assistants out to lunch, preferably in the S. loop, or a short cab from there (we're right by the Sears Tower). I'd rather not break the bank, but they definitely seem more impressed by sizzle than steak. They rave about others taking them to Whiskey Blue and Opera. They were duly unimpressed when I brought them to Frontera and Heaven on Seven, though they loved La Scarola (can't go back again - must find something new). One of the assistants proclaims Ron of Japan and the Weber Grill restaurant to be her favorites, but I know she doesn't like Japanese food, and requires all beef to be well done (thus I can't bear to bring her to Smith and Wollensky, et.al.). Please help! All the good will I've built up over the years is about to fly out the window due to several missed birthdays, etc., and frankly, this lunch is starting to feel like extortion. But I'll pay - if only I can figure out where take them!

You can get a perfectly acceptable burger and/or a mid-grade steak at Weber Grill. Stay away from the ribs.

How about Cheesecake Factory by Water Tower Place... I think there food is pretty good for the price.

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, Cheesecake Factory - which I'm sure is what they'd truly enjoy - does not have the glitzy image that is require. Think: 'if you really loved me you'd take me somewhere that charges $17 for a burger or at least looks like it does'. Also, though Weber Grill is the favorite of one, I cannot show favorites by going to Assistant A's fave place. Oh, the politics lunch! Its truly a shame they are both absolutely top notch assistants, and really nice people - except when it comes to payoffs

Not the South Loop but, honestly, those kids sound like they would be impressed by Roy's. I hasten to add that I haven't been recently, so you might want to check recent reviews to see if it has turned truly terrible. Or is Japonais open for lunch? It kind of sounds like you want the sort of restaurant that appears in the upscale slot on Check Please.

What about Blackbird? Not the hot new thing anymore, but perhaps still trendy in a way that appeals to your assistants and good food. It is a bit more expensive for lunch than I remembered it, but what isn't. Or what about Nine? In any event, it's a lot cheaper to pay people with food than money.

How about RL- the Ralph Lauren place? It's swanky enough but the food is pretty good too (for all safety levels).

Custom House.

As an assistant, I can tell you the places I LOVE to be taken:

Joe's Stone Crab -- i love this place -- it's always convivial and fun as well as tasty.

Capital Grille -- again very lux and they do have non beef options.

Gioco -- love this place -- especially if you go see their speakeasy room for fun with the bookshelf door.

Might also try

RL
NoMi
Grand Lux Cafe (which has a more classy vibe than Cheesecake Factory but similiar concept)
Shaw's -- love Shaw's. It's a classic.

And one of the finest lunches I've ever been treated to was at Spiaggia. Very celebratory and elegant and a gorgeous view during the daytime.

Have fun!

Shannon

ChrisH wrote:Custom House.

Even though I had bad service on my one visit (it was for their Sunday brunch), I would second this recommendation - the food is really nice and creative, the space is hip/modern, it's a current hot spot and it's right in your location.

http://www.customhouse.cc/

or maybe Zapatista - a popular new mexican place with what looks to be a more fun/funky atmoshpere than Frontera:

http://www.mainstayhospitality.com/index.php?section=30

leesh wrote:Even though I had bad service on my one visit (it was for their Sunday brunch), I would second this recommendation - the food is really nice and creative, the space is hip/modern, it's a current hot spot and it's right in your location.

not to detract from your point: the last Sunday brunch i had at Custom house was just NICE. they brought out chocolates and dessert from the lunch/dinner menu. let us chill for almsot 2 hrs, tailored to our every needs; overall, the best brunch service ever, hotel buffet or not.

Check out cuatro here, rapidly turning into one of my favorite spots in the South (deep south) Loop:

http://www.cuatro-chicago.com/about.htm

I understood they are about to be featured on Check Please, but the CP effect shouldn't affect a lunch reservation too drastically.

RL would be perfect.

I would also concur with the above recommendations of RL for your purposes -- the food is quite good and "American" enough for your guests, the setting is manor house elegant and designed to impress (that is, if one is taken by a restaurant disguised as a photo shoot for a Lauren ad) and the service is always pleasant. You could have drinks in the bar by the fireplace and then take them into the dining room, if it's going to be that sort of lunch. I believe their very good steak sandwich will top $17, though I generally choose the lobster club sandwich when I've been there.

ChrisH wrote:Custom House.

I'll third/fourth/whatevernumberwe'reon this recommendation. Last time I was there, I was duly impressed by the space and the food. Even moreso since the Da Mare was sitting in the table right behind us. It's definitely got the image you require, however, it is a bit on the pricy side.

Schatz MacArthur wrote:I'd rather not break the bank, but they definitely seem more impressed by sizzle than steak.

Here are some places that definitely have sizzle:

Sushisamba rio
312/595-2300
www.sushisamba.com
504 N. Wells St.
Chicago

Red Light
312/733-8880
www.redlight-chicago.com
820 W. Randolph St.
Chicago

Or for something more understated, but elegant:

Cafe Spiaggia
312/280-2755
www.cafespiaggia.com
980 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago
(Spiaggia itself isn't open for lunch, so this lets you get away somewhat cheaper.)

Thanks for all the great suggestions - I'll let you know where I end up taking them. I'm leaning toward Blackbird and RL, but am still considering Custom House and others.

What kind of food do they like?
Within an easy walk you have both Rivers and One North. Both are great lunch places and both have menus that will appeal to different tastes.

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents. Our firm has had several holiday lunches at Nine. The support staff, in particular, have always seemed very impressed by the atmosphere and surroundings. Although Nine technically holds itself out as a steakhouse, the menu has a lot of options and the food actually is pretty good.

Thanks for all the suggestions a while back re: where to take my two assistants for lunch. We went to RL and it was a big hit. That's probably mostly because one of them had just heard that it is Oprah's favorite restaurant in Chicago. In any case, I found it to be a very good place for such an engagement, though I doubt I'll return for my own pleasure.

We started with shrimp by the piece ($4.50 each!) and a baked cheese. The shrimp were very large, but I found them to be on the mealy side. One of my guests proclaimed the sauce to be the best (I thought it was a very ketchup-y cocktail sauce). The baked cheese was good. It had an earthy bleu-type cheese melting out of the pastry, and came with a poached pear that complemented it all quite well. Nothing earth-shattering, but satisfying.

Entrees were organic Irish salmon, scallops and a lobster club. I didn't get to try my companion's dishes, but they were quite pleased with them. However, the salmon came with a 'baba ganoush' that was actually quite gross, and looked even grosser. It was quite thick and had a pureed texture, and its presentation was reminiscent of someone defecating on the plate. It tasted too salty and too acidic (too much lemon?, but how was it so thick if they put that much lemon in it?), yet at the same time, it had a dirty taste. I'm not describing it very well, but it was a really poor side, no matter how you sliced it up.

My lobster club was ok. Well-constructed, enough lobster that I didn't think it was a total rip-off, but I have to quit ordering lobster dishes, as I'm always disappointed. It was a little rubbery. The truffled mayo was a good, light dressing. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for my sandwich after I saw the scallops, but I just wasn't into it, and didn't even finish half of it. The fries that came with were good and crisp. The table shared an order of scalloped potatoes that my guests adored, but I found gloppy, overly cheezy (yes, with a z), and had no discernable potato taste. We had 3 desserts, the only notable one being a very refreshing, tart key lime pie. The others were fine (banana split and creme brulee, that had a hint of rosemary flavor).

Service was excellent, attentive but not obtrusvie, friendly but not cloying. We were even comp'd the three desserts after we had ordered them.

We had a bottle of champagne (veuve cliquot, yellow label), for which RL charged $100/bottle. We also had 3 after-lunch drinks (getting silly with a calvados, frangelico and a glass of port) and one espresso. Drinks are obviously where the astronomic tab got really out of hand, but really, it was crazy expensive. Tab: $265 pre-tip, and that's not counting the 3 desserts that were comp'd.

So, it fit the bill perfectly: it was fancy schmancy, food was decent, it was expensive, and we were seated near people who all looked like they were accustomed to spending a lot on lunch. Total sucess, and I am redeemed for another year!