I'll be out there late sept for a bar meeting and I'm looking for recommendations (and if any disorderlies are out there and want to get together one night let me know) - one night I plan to take my brother and his girlfriend out - I'll be at the sheraton by the river. Where is the food really good without being pretentious or overmanipulated and there's a reasonably priced wine list?
where to dine in chicago
- Thread starter maureen
- Start date
Bill Lundstrom
Bill Lundstrom
reasonably priced wine list in chicago may be tough to come by. i have eaten very well at blackbird, spring, and naha. if i could only go back to one i'd pick blackbird.
schwa is creative, without being pretentious and is byo. but it is a tough reservation. i'd start calling now for late september.
if you want to drink beer try publican.(wine list is so so, but the beers are extensive and well selected) i very much enjoyed the sunday night family style dinner if you going out on sunday night.
schwa is creative, without being pretentious and is byo. but it is a tough reservation. i'd start calling now for late september.
if you want to drink beer try publican.(wine list is so so, but the beers are extensive and well selected) i very much enjoyed the sunday night family style dinner if you going out on sunday night.
Salil Benegal
Salil Benegal
Custom House is quite good, but I've found it best to just grab a bottle from HDH, Flickinger or Howard's and find a BYO-friendly place (of which there are many).
The cooking at both Blackbird and Spring is quite good, and the tariffs reasonable, but the noise level at Blackbird will keep me away. Close packed tables and no acoustic damping (hard surfaces everywhere) means that the din during a busy dining night is sufficient to render conversation difficult. Spring OTOH has a much more relaxed and quiet atmosphere. I love Avec, the wine bar next to Blackbird, but it can be very tough to get into and there is communal seating.
Mark Lipton
Mark Lipton
lars makie
lars makie
we've got at least one of. All the above recos are fine ones. I love Avec (get the dates) and Publican is one of my favorites (best fries and oysters). There really hasn't been anything too earth shattering to open lately, so I can't add too much that hasn't been said already. There's L2O, if you want to blow a few hundred bucks or Alinea or Trotters (of course). The Wit Hotel just opened not far from where you're staying and there are a couple restaurants in there that are supposed to be ok (though I can't say that from experience).
I'd recommend Frontera over Topolobampo for the Bayless Mexican experience (or Salpicon is another idea for Mexican). Naha is nice, if not a bit stuffy, good for a business lunch. Around the corner is Sunda which has gotten good reviews but is very scene-y (Lamborghinis out front). I believe Mr. Blackwood went there when he was here recently, maybe he will chime in as to the places he liked. Fancy Italian (with matching wine list) would be Spiaggia. Lower key Italian with a pretty nice and well-priced list is Piccolo Sogno (one of the best patios in town). If you can get a reservation at Schwa, awesome. Love it. Buy a nice glass and some wine and bring it with you. The Bristol is doing nice, well-done American (don't know about their wine list though). Mado is similar but BYO. I can go on and on. Hell, if you're in the mood for something specific shoot me an email and I'll throw some ideas at you.
I don't know how many people from Chicago are on here (a couple at least), but I would definitely be interested in getting a jeebus together while you are in town. Just shoot some more info and details when you know what your schedule is looking like.
I'd recommend Frontera over Topolobampo for the Bayless Mexican experience (or Salpicon is another idea for Mexican). Naha is nice, if not a bit stuffy, good for a business lunch. Around the corner is Sunda which has gotten good reviews but is very scene-y (Lamborghinis out front). I believe Mr. Blackwood went there when he was here recently, maybe he will chime in as to the places he liked. Fancy Italian (with matching wine list) would be Spiaggia. Lower key Italian with a pretty nice and well-priced list is Piccolo Sogno (one of the best patios in town). If you can get a reservation at Schwa, awesome. Love it. Buy a nice glass and some wine and bring it with you. The Bristol is doing nice, well-done American (don't know about their wine list though). Mado is similar but BYO. I can go on and on. Hell, if you're in the mood for something specific shoot me an email and I'll throw some ideas at you.
I don't know how many people from Chicago are on here (a couple at least), but I would definitely be interested in getting a jeebus together while you are in town. Just shoot some more info and details when you know what your schedule is looking like.
I wish I had made it to Publican. Next trip for sure.
Sunda is a scene and one of the noisiest places I've ever eaten; I wouldn't recommend it, unless you were looking for a scene, or lots of human scenery to watch, although the sushi is pretty decent.
After many years of eating at Topolobampo when visiting Chicago, I am taking it off the list of favorite places to eat. It is past its prime and a little tired at this point. Not that you would necessarily not enjoy dinner there, but there are fresher, better options. I would definitely eat at the bar at Frontera Grill before eating at Topolobampo.
The lunch we had at Cafe Spiaggia on an early Saturday afternoon was as enjoyable a restaurant meal as any I have had in the last couple years. Excellent food, a good rose lambrusco and a bottle of Montevertine, and very good service too.
Sunda is a scene and one of the noisiest places I've ever eaten; I wouldn't recommend it, unless you were looking for a scene, or lots of human scenery to watch, although the sushi is pretty decent.
After many years of eating at Topolobampo when visiting Chicago, I am taking it off the list of favorite places to eat. It is past its prime and a little tired at this point. Not that you would necessarily not enjoy dinner there, but there are fresher, better options. I would definitely eat at the bar at Frontera Grill before eating at Topolobampo.
The lunch we had at Cafe Spiaggia on an early Saturday afternoon was as enjoyable a restaurant meal as any I have had in the last couple years. Excellent food, a good rose lambrusco and a bottle of Montevertine, and very good service too.
Marc Stubblefield
Marc Stubblefield
As another Chicago resident, I think Lars is spot on. Whatever you want, there's something here to fit that need. Of course all the suggestions thus far in the thread are excellent; I'll throw another vote behind Schwa, just because I think it's unique, great food, and BYOB (and blocks from my house - happy to lend some stemware if that's useful).
I, too, would love to jeeb if it works out here in the Middle West.
Best,
-Marc
I, too, would love to jeeb if it works out here in the Middle West.
Best,
-Marc
That's a tall order for dining anywhere near the Loop. I'll second Bwood - Cafe Spiaggia is an underrated gem (chef used to be Missy Robbins, now at A Voce in NYC, and Steven Alexander has done great things with the winelist). Blackbird is a favorite (although its charms may be most evident at lunch), as is Avec. Sepia has a new chef, which is a welcome change after some frankly shitty meals there. The Wit is to be avoided at all costs.
As a Chicagoan, I'll chime in with a couple of other thoughts:
* If you're there on a Thursday, try dinner Terzo Piano in the new modern wing at the Art Institute. Spectacular space, very good food, and the list is... just fine. (Thursday only for dinner, otherwise it's open for lunch.)
* Chicago doesn't do tapas do very well, but Mercat in the Blackstone Hotel at the south end of the Loop is excellent, with an all-Spanish list.
* Lula Cafe in Logan Square and Nightwood in Pilsen are a little off the beaten track, but are among the best restaurants in the city - casual, inventive, farm-driven, afforable.
- Fillay