Restaurant Recomendations

My friend, boyfriend, and I are headed up to Chicago on Memorial Day weekend.

We%26#39;re looking for restaurant recomendations for either Friday or Sunday night.

We don%26#39;t have any preference and we haven%26#39;t booked a room yet. (We%26#39;ve checked availability at a few places.) The only thing we%26#39;d really like is to keep it to something that he doesn%26#39;t have to wear a jacket to and that%26#39;s a locally owned place (i.e. no chains.)

Thanks!

Restaurant Recomendations

Welllll...what kind of cuisine interests you!? Sushi, seafood, vegetarian, Italian, Greek? It also matters where you book and if you%26#39;re hopping on the ';L'; or open to taking cabs, etc. There are a LOT of great places where you don%26#39;t need a jacket...what%26#39;s your price range, you want trendier or just good ol%26#39; comfort food...Chicago pizza?

Restaurant Recomendations

Something good :) We%26#39;re really not too picky, well, I despise Chinese and I%26#39;m not a huge fan of Mexican, but we%26#39;ll at least try any cuisine. I grew up on the east coast, so I%26#39;m much more of a fan of NY Style pizza, but if there%26#39;s a great Chicago pizza place, I wouldn%26#39;t rule it out (don%26#39;t think my bf%26#39;s ever tried it.)

Basically, if you could tell someone THE not to miss restaurant in Chicago, where would you tell them to go? My friend and I travel a lot for work, so we have a lot of Hilton %26amp; Marriott points, we%26#39;ll probably stay at a Hilton or Marriott property, but they%26#39;re scattered throughout the city. Or to look at it another way, if you currently live in Chicago and moved away...if you came back for just one night, where would you make sure you ate?

We%26#39;d like to not spend a fortune, but I have a hard time saying ';expensive'; because here in Rochester $25/head is considered expensive. We%26#39;re okay splurging. ...Even if it%26#39;s REALLY expensive ;) But if THE not to miss restaurant is only $15/head, that%26#39;s awesome.

My friend and I went to school near Chicago, so we%26#39;re familiar with the city, but only the museums and such. We used to eat at the Cheesecake factory on Michigan Ave a lot...we don%26#39;t really want to do that this time (it was convienent and not overly expensive depending on what you ordered...)

Oh, and a relatively safe area would be nice. No getting knifed on our getaway. That%26#39;d be great :)

Allllrighty... um I personally would tell people to go to Spring. http://www.springrestaurant.net/menu.html I personally am a huge fan of their other restaurant Green Zebra (vegetarian fare) Spring claims to be ';New American'; as well as ';Asian Fusion'; not sure how that will go over with you as someone who isn%26#39;t into Chinese food, but I suggest you check out the menu.

Another place is Sepia, a bit more than 25pp though...http://www.sepiachicago.com/

Sepia and Spring, it%26#39;s more upscale casual, looking nice w/o a jacket would be fine.

and finally, West Town Tavern...one of my husbands absolute favorite places, he heads here with friends and business associates often... http://www.westtowntavern.com/

Some other fun places we head to often are over near our home are on Randolph Street, so these are several times tried and True:

De Cero (A Modern Day Taqueria...so yes Mexican, but not typical Mexican) www.decerotaqueria.com

Izumi (Sushi) www.izumisushi.com

Veerasway (Indian/Pakistani, but w/ a more American, modern twist) http://www.veerasway.com/

Great place for lunch, I%26#39;d send people to Artopolis Cafe, Bakery and Agora in Greektown! Their Mediterranean Salad is incredible and their sandwiches, bakery items...alll sooo gooood www.artopolischicago.com

So that%26#39;s my own personal must list for out of towners...perhaps something will strike your fancy!

Blackbird, Avec (less formal version of Blackbird), Fronterra Grill (I know you said you dont prefer Mexican, but this is way beyond ';typical Mexican), and Japonais. ALL FANTASTIC cant miss Chicago spots.

There are 100s of restaurants here. You can read reviews and do dining searches by location, cuisine budget etc at www.chicagoreader.com

Japonais is a chain... a small chain, but a chain..they have them in NYC and Vegas, maybe somewhere else...maybe not. Also, you may have to wear a jacket there...

Also, I have to say...I trust the reviews at yelp.com more than chicagoreader.com as a Chicago resident...

kat228, because of the very limited budget range you have mentioned above, I strongly urge you to review the menus online for any restaurants you are considering to get an idea of their prices. Please keep in mind that you%26#39;ll have to include 12.5% for tax (that is, at present - although it will be more if the 50% state income increase proposal passes), tip and whichever beverage you choose. That can easily add up to 25% or more, especially if you get wine or another alcoholic beverage, of the total bill.

Very expensive restaurants in Chicago charge $150+ per person for dinner, not including tax, tip and beverage. Very inexpensive generally means $20 or less per person, not including tax, tip and beverage.

Also, when you look at different publications online, they have different criteria when they post prices. For example, Metromix shows the entree price ranges, whereas the Reader still shows estimated final total for an average meal per diner. Not to say that these might be inaccurate, as things are changing rapidly in this economy, but it will give you at least an idea of ranges.

Do you have any entertainment plans made for your trip on Friday or Saturday? If so, it%26#39;s best to try and get a restaurant in the general vicinity of what you are planning, rather than to be running across town from dinner to that entertainment.

Suggest you consider these spots:

Tarantino%26#39;s on Armitage

http://www.tarantinos.com/

Tocco at 1266 North Milwaukee Avenue (@ Paulina)

Chicago Pizza %26amp; Oven Grinder on North Clark

http://www.chicagopizzaandovengrinder.com/

Mia Francesca%26#39;s on North Clark

http://www.miafrancesca.com/

Rockit Bar %26amp; Grill on West Hubbard

http://www.rockitbarandgrill.com/

Thanks for the advice! I%26#39;ll look into all the restaurants.

And not to worry, I know I%26#39;m young, but I%26#39;ve been to a lot of places with great restaurants. I was joking with the $25/head considered ';expensive'; in Rochester because now that I%26#39;ve lived here for 2 years my perception of ';expensive'; is totally skewed. That%26#39;s why I mentioned it%26#39;s okay if it%26#39;s REALLY expensive ;) (We just don%26#39;t have those places here...no one would pay it.) Thank you for pointing it out, but we%26#39;ll be okay. I%26#39;ll be reviewing any recommendation of course to make sure my little group will like it.

As for entertainment, Saturday night is covered as we%26#39;re traveling out of town and Friday if we have dinner, that will be about it as we%26#39;re just getting into town. That%26#39;s why I%26#39;m focusing more on meals. Sunday is the only night that we%26#39;ll need something to do, but I%26#39;m not overly concerned.