Dining in and around Chicago

special dinner

Fri, 16 May 2008 05:48:02 GMT

i'm looking to take my boyfriend somewhere for his birthday on a Tuesday evening for dinner.
last year I took him to Japonais, which we both loved.

Any suggestions?
i'm open to sushi (was thinking sushi wabi)
but i'm definitely open for some great places.

Thanks!

Oysters in the City

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:20:15 GMT

Inspired by a recent trip to New Orleans, the boyfriend is craving a dinner filled with delicious oysters. I don't want him to be disappointed, and I want dinner to be delicious. So I ask you, what spot do you recommend for delicious oysters in Chicago?

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:19:36 GMT

I had asked a while ago about Charlie Trotter's for dinner. Instead we ended up going with Alinea and were very happy with the experience. We wrote the review up on our food blog if you'd like to read it. It is a very LONG entry!

Places that welcome big parties

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:51:02 GMT

Help. I know that this is a hard request and that I am pretty much out of luck, but any suggestions for restaurants in the River North area that might be able to take a party of at least 30 for this Saturday? Yeah, procrastination is bad.

Thanks.

bars

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:57:31 GMT

can anyone suggest some bars to go to before all the hustle and bustle on new years eve.
just to have a few drinks downtown without paying some package fee?
perferably a few within walking distance.

just want to have some drinks before hand, but it seems like everything has packages.

Bar guide

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:23:04 GMT

Does anyone know of any good guides either online or in print to the bars in Chicago. Is the Time Out Chicago guide to eating and drinking any good?
Thanks in advance!

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:16:49 GMT

hey if anyone needs a job at my pie pizza let me know. it starts at 8.50 an hour with a chance at and to climb the ladder. im a manager just talk to me.

A buffalo girl needs some help

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:21:31 GMT

Where oh where can a buffalo girl get GOOD chicken wings?? Most of the wings I have had here are b.a.d.

I would rather not go to Buffalo Wild Wings or Hooters.

Thanks!!

x-posted to chicagochat

Weekly Challenge

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:04:31 GMT

Last week's Bridgeport challenge resulted in suggestions for Ed's Potsticker House, Carbón, The Depot, Taqueria San Jose, Polo, Bridgeport Restaurant, Bridgeport Coffee Club, Phil's Pizza, Poncho, and "some place on 39th at Morgan" with good sandwiches and hot dogs.

For our third weekly challenge, let's head somewhere about halfway between Bridgeport and Edgewater and give out recommendations for:

WICKER PARK

The place I liked best in Wicker Park is no longer there - R.I.P. Soul Kitchen - but I know there are plenty of new places to take its place. So post your favorite place(s)!

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:37:26 GMT

Has anyone been to Charlie Trotters? My husband wants to go as his christmas present, but I've been hearing from some people that it's just not worth the price tag (It's good, but not $$$$ good). Any personal experiences?

new member

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:10:48 GMT

Hello, I just joined. I moved to Chicago in late August and it is so weird not having the "old standbys" for all types of dining.
Tonight I have a friend coming in to town and we would like to get a late dinner around 8:30. We are looking for somewhere that will be open a bit later and is cheap, but we don't really want to go to a 24 hour diner place. Does anyone have any ideas? We like sushi, chinese, greek, italian, mexican, and so on.....

Feeding the homeless on Thanksgiving?

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:28:16 GMT

A friend of mine was discussing going to help out at a soup kitchen for Thanksgiving, but she wasn't sure where to begin looking for info on doing this kind of thing. I seem to recall there's at least one or two places well-known for doing this on Thanksgiving... does anybody know? Thanks for any help!

(x-posted to chicagochat

Weekly Challenge

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:37:47 GMT

Last week I asked about Andersonville and we got an okay response, with recs for Kafe Icosium, Ole Ole, Sweet Occasions, and Tokyo Marina. And mentions, too, for the Swedish Bakery, Patiscerria Natalina, Middle Eastern Bakery and Taste of Heaven.

THIS WEEK, I'ma gonna bring the challenge to the home of Chicago's political Dynasty, the Daley's, and ask you all to name your favorite (or, lacking a favorite, just a short review of any place you've been there) for:

BRIDGEPORT

This week I'll lead off (it was silly of me not to last week):

The place I pick is a sure sign of the expansion of Chinatown and the steady de-Irishification of Bridgeport and is Ed's Potsticker House at 3139 S Halsted. It's authentic Chinese, with a good Chinese customer base to prove it. It has a variety of Chinese regional dishes, and is one of the few places in Chicago you can get the Shanghainese xiao long bao "soup dumplings." I'll admit they're better in Shanghai (or even Toronto), but as a fix for a jonesing, these will definitely do. The owner is (of course) Chinese, but lesser known is that in her previous career she was a French model (really). Check it out!

Okay, now it's your turn: what's your favorite place in Bridgeport?

This community

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:53:09 GMT

I joined a couple of days ago because this community has a great concept behind it and has an even greater potential that what i've seen. I live in the western suburbs of chicago and I love to eat out. I'm very surprised I don't see more action in this community. Maybe most people on LJ don't live local here but I bet a lot do. Whoever is keeping this community going should keep up the good work. I give them props.

Suburbs

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 16:44:48 GMT

High everyone, My name is Jon and I just joined this community a couple of days ago. I live in the suburbs of Chicago and I'm always looking for good unique places to eat. My current favorite Place to eat/drink is Chef Paul's Bavarian Lodge. They have a great selection of German foods and great beer, lager and ale's from around the world. It's located On Rt. 34 in Lisle. Does anyone know of any other good places to eat around here. My surrounding cities are Naperville, Woodridge, Downers Grove, and Wheaton.

Crust delivers

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:35:30 GMT

Everybody's favorite* certified organic restaurant, Crust Eat Real, is delivering across about a 2 mile radius. There's a temporary website at myspace.com/crusteatreal , with information and menus.

*and only-- Crust is the only certified organic restaurant in the midwest.

Reviews!?

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 20:20:23 GMT

Hey Folks,

It's been awhile since I saw much action on this board, despite the tons of accolades Chicago's dining scene has received in the past year.

So, to try and enliven things, I'm going to try to pick a neighborhood each week and ask that anyone and everyone who has recently (loosly defined, but the restaurant should still be open) had a meal at a restaurant in that neighborhood post a review of their favorite meal there.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:

Andersonville

Chefs' Database

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 20:11:52 GMT

For those of you (like me) who've never seen this, in the spirit of IMDB, there is now:

ChefDB

Also, if you missed it, here's a lineup of buzz-worthy, "coming soon" restaurants for Chicago:

Tribune story

Baja fish tacos

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 13:46:16 GMT

Today's Trib has an article about Baja-style fish tacos, and their scarcity here in Chicago.

I first had them in San Diego in 1998, and since then I've yet to find anything close to as good. I hope the Tribune-led rally to make them common in Chicago succeeds, but until then does anyone have any good suggestions on places to find them in Chicago (the article lists a few, but there have to be a few others somewhere in Chicagoland). Bonus points for places in the city proper, and even more bonus points if you've actually had real ones in San Diego or Baja, Mexico, so you can make an educated comparison. :-)

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 00:46:35 GMT

Ha! I'm so glad I found this community, I've been trying to find more info on Chicago restaurants for a while now, but I'm really not having much luck.

Anyways, my mom and I are going to be in Chicago from the 7th until the 10th(we're staying near O'Hare) because I'm looking at Columbia. I was told a good place to check out was the Grand Lux Cafe, but it's a little pricey. So, I'm asking for your help because I'm looking for places to eat lunch & dinner (we have breakfast covered). I'm really open to anything (except anything that is TOO pricey).

Thanks!!

ISO caterer

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 03:27:08 GMT

I am looking for a caterer to prep and serve lunch for about 20 adults and a handful of kids at my house in September. This would be a post-baptism lunch. Any suggestions?

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 22:58:33 GMT

My in laws are coming into town this weekend. We want to go out to dinner, there will be 6 adults total, but aren't sure where.

We really wanted to go to Tango Sur, but they are full for reservations for the night and we don't want to stand on the street waiting for 2 hours. We've already taken them to Deleece.

We're in the Uptown neighborhood, and my husband's brother is near Belmont/Clark. We're willing to travel, but don't want to head downtown at all because of the air show traffic.

They are pretty open to trying new things, as long as it's not sushi. We're looking for more of a restaurant than a bar, nice but not fancy. Any ideas?

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:37:12 GMT

Can anybody recommend a good gelato place? Preferably in downtown, but I imagine Taylor St. would have something. Thanks.

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 21:20:18 GMT

Does anybody know of a good bar close (not too close, not necessarily) to Dearborn/Ohio? By "good" I mean quiet and nice, where people can actually talk, and have drinks that are not too overpriced.

dining late night.

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:40:19 GMT

best sushi place after 10:30pm on a sunday?

if none, a nice romantic place to take my boyfriend.
with a 'loungy' vibe.. such as Coast.