Chicago restaurant recommendations
 

We're looking to try a new restaurant on our next visit to Chicago. We love going to North Pond near Lincoln Park, but would like to try a steakhouse (prime rib for the hubby) or something Italian. We'll be staying on Michigan Avenue, and are willing to take a cab. No need to stay within walking distance of the hotel. Budget ~$100 +/- for 2.

Any recommendations?

The best prime rib I ever ate was at the Chicago Chop House.

Benny's Prime Chop House is steak and Italian food and they do both well with a fantastic wine list. I think you could stay within that budget without wine, but check out their website (the menu lists prices): http://www.bennyschophouse.com/
They are on Wabash across the street from Trump, open for lunch and dinner.

Bella Bacino's on East Wacker Drive, right near the river, is a friendly Italian restaurant, with good food and reasonable prices.

I ate there several times when I stayed at the nearby Hotel Monaco.

FOr excellent Italina our favoirte is Topo Gigio on N. Wells. For steaks ( not sure about prime rib) Gibson's is tops in Chicago.

For Italian, Volare on Grand Street just off of Michigan Ave towards Navy Pier. I am directionally challenged or I would tell you the direction. It does not look like much from the outside but the food is wonderful.

I have also eaten at Bella Bacino's. That is good for lunch.

Hi Jill_h,

Take a look at...
Sepia
http://sepiachicago.com/

Piccolo Sogno (Italian -- really nice outdoor seating)
http://piccolosognorestaurant.com/

The Boka group has wonderful restaurants:
http://bokagrp.com/

And Yelp is a great site to check out all restaurants.
http://www.yelp.com/chicago

Happy eating!

Thanks for the replies. I checked out Chicago Chop House and most all of the google reviews mention that it is extremely overpriced. I noticed on their website that they don't list the prices on the menu. Hmmm.

Everything else is looking good; just have to decide.

As far as the Chicago Chop House, it was expensive but not any more than a top steak house in the DC where I am, or NY area.

I really enjoyed Glenn's Diner in the Ravenswood, Lakeview neighborhood area, right next to the subway to, so easy to get to, yet on a quiet street.

I had a pasta dish while my friend really enjoyed a seafood dish there (I think that is what they are known for), but I quite enjoyed the pasta, and they have an extensive beer selection.

Good quality food, relaxed ambiance, I recommend it.

anyone else???

Take a look at www.lthforum.com for interesting discussion of food in Chicago.

I hope that you don't think I'm being rude by saying this but I truly believe this: It's a real shame when visitors come to a major metropolitan area where they could indulge in so many different types of cuisine - but instead settle for something such as steak or Italian which they can get practically anywhere. They are missing *opportunities*.

However, if you are interested in these options:

Italian: Riccardo Tratoria (Lincoln Park, not too far from North Pond, so you are familiar with the area) or Piccolo Sogno (River West)

Steakhouse (and - maybe I'll sneak a little ethnicity in because it's an Argentine steakhouse): Tango Sur on N. Southport. Just don't go for the busiest times (i.e., prime dinner hours) because you'll be faced with long waits. It's BYOB. With the money you save, go to the Music Box Theatre or a live theatre production somewhere in the Lakeview or Lincoln Park neighborhood for a full evening of fun. You have many choices: Apollo (The Million Dollar Quartet may be still playing), TimeLine, Victory Gardens, Steppenwolf, Royal George, etc.

American: Perennial Virant
perennialchicago.com

exiled -- we live in a major metropolitan area and have many *opportunities* to eat many different types of cuisine. we just happen to like steak and italian food and that's what we want to eat on this visit to Chicago.

That said, it looks like we'll be trying either Riccardo Trattoria or Piccolo Sogno. Both look enticing, and I do like the reviews of the patio at Piccolo Sogno.

thanks for everyone's input.

Exiled,
I don't know why you would thumb your nose at going for steaks or Italian in Chicago when it's known for those two things. There are some good recommendations here. I'd add Gene & Georgetti to the steak list, along with Wildfire if you want something a little cheaper and more casual, and Mia Francesa in Wrigleyville for Italian. If you really want to venture out away from the Loop and River North, I'd also recommend Trattoria Tullo in Lincoln Square. It's a bit of a hike on the Brown line, but it's really good and it's in a cool neighborhood.

andrews, the point was that you can get the some types of cuisine anywhere.

And, since the OP didn't indicate on their personal information from where they hail, there was no way of knowing they live in a metropolitan area. We constantly get the same requests from people who don't live in cities, because they feel uncomfortable or hesitant about experiencing different cuisines.

Yes, Chicago *used* to have stockyards years ago and so was known for the steaks. Nowadays, you only have a few vendors which provide for the various restaurants.

Italian...IMHO, Chicago is not known for its Italian - unless you are speaking of Spiaggia/Cafe Spiaggia. Mia Francesca was a local chain but is now going into the national chain mode.

If I take the heat for mentioning that I think visitors should try something new, then so be it. The reason we are here, volunteering our services for a travel forum, is to open a visitors eyes to the possibilities.

Definitely Piccolo Sogno. It has a beautiful patio -- hopefully the weather will cooperate. Topo Gigio also has a great outside and good food. Cocco Pazzo is also very good. Davanti Enoteca is a small plate Italian in the Little Italy area that's hot right now. If you want to do "Old School" definitely not fancy, but good, La Scarola is an option.

Where we ended up eating:

The Yolk (on Michigan) for b'fast each day.
Eleventh Diner (on Wabash) for lunch on Sunday.
Weber's Grill for steak
North Pond for whatever is on the menu. It changes often due to what is in season. We go here every time we visit Chicago. Absolutely LOVE IT! It's north of the zoo off of Lake View (you have to walk under a somewhat sketchy tunnel, but the view from the restaurant is beautiful.
Riccardo Tratoria - loved it. Food was excellent (ate waaayyy too much!) Will definitely return.

Thanks for all the recommendations. Could not get into Piccolo Sogno, but will try next time.

forgot to add: Ricardo Trattoria reminded me of a restaurant we dined in Rome near the Pantheon. Brought back a lot of memories.

Thanks for making the culinary portion of my next trip to Chicago much easier, jill_h!!

Out of curiousity, exiledprincess, for what IS Chicago known, other than deep-dish pizza? What "opportunities" would you recommend? BTW, I live in a small rural mountain community where getting a great steak or quality Italian food is pretty difficult........ ;)

tenthumbs, Chicago is a culinary destination and those that travel into the city for the cuisine do not do so for deep-dish pizza. In addition to our other fine restaurants, we have the one which is considered the best in the nation and in the top ten in the world.

I don't think you understand the comment. The various vendors for beefsteaks don't just service the Chicagoland area, they service the entire nation (and beyond in some cases). Same product, different locales, very different prices.

You could take a look at where the currently operating steakhouses started. Practically all started outside of Chicago - they just have additional locations here.

And you should take a look at who actually runs those "quality Italian" food restaurants you are mentioning. These aren't family run operations, on the whole. In fact, very few even have ties to those that may have created them in the past.

I grew up in a very small town (500 people, at most) surrounded by other very small towns. And every one of them had some place(s) that offered either Italian or steak. Every one.

So, if you want to come to Chicago for deep-dish pizza, I urge you to check how many of the patrons are even locals. (Bet it won't be many.)

Sorry, I asked for a preview and it posted.

jill_h, glad you enjoyed my suggestion.

exildedprincess~I think you misread my post, and you're right, I don't understand your comments. If you read this entire thread, I never gave a recommendation and therefore never mentioned "quality Italian food restaurants."

The OP specifically asked for Italian and a steakhouse (because that's what they LIKE, not because they thought it was the local specialty), and you told her she was "settling" for those two types of cuisine and missing out on *opportunities.* What opportunities? Again, if Chicago is not known for steak or Italian or deep dish pizza, exactly what IS it known for? Which restaurant is "the best in the nation and in the top ten in the world?" What do they serve?

I apologize if I misread your post. I had the impression that you were commenting instead of questioning.

And...I don't think you'll like this response because the end result will be for your need of further research. But hear me out here.

As I mentioned before, over the years, I have commented on probably thousand of threads where the OP requests one of three types of restaurants: Italian, seafood or steak. A high percentage of the time it's simply because they live in areas where that is the type of cuisine with which they are familiar. Or perhaps they don't even want to try something different.

And, as I mentioned above, the OP didn't specify their location on their personal page and there was no way to know they had even experienced different types of cuisine before. You can see by the way this thread progressed that they didn't mention that fact until *after* my response.

Now to your question: When you are traveling to a major metropolitan area, you have so many possibilities which you never have in smaller towns or rural areas. Not only do you have many different ethnic cuisines available to you but you also have cuisine prepared with unfamiliar or unlikely ingredients (for example, mac n' cheese pizza) or perhaps different ways of presenting something already known (a dish which might taste familiar but prepared in a different manner or with different ingredients - i.e., molecular gastronomy).

The best restaurant in Chicago and one of the best in the world is arguably Alinea. You would be spending $150-$250 pp there and it is a culinary event which takes all evening.

Alinea also has a sister restaurant, Next, where you purchase tickets for your evening meal, just like a concert or any other type of entertainment event. If you don't show up, you've paid your ticket price. And the cuisine changes every three months to reflect a specific time and place. For example, when they opened, it was Paris 1906.

At Moto, the menu itself is edible. And the chef uses chemistry to produce the entree items.

If you are interested in different ethnic varieties, then you also have choices. For example, Mexican. There are the upscale versions at Frontera Grill/Topolobampo and street food at their sibling, Xoco. These are the restaurants of Rick Bayless.

But if you were looking for the real ethnic choices, you could go to Pilsen for Mexican or Devon Ave. for Pakistani or Indian or Argyle Street for Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, etc.

Even hotdogs and sausages have places that offer products at different ends of the spectrum. The extremely well regarded (and rightfully so) Hot Doug's offers excellent gourmet sausages. It's quite a distance away from the touristy areas (meaning a consideration commute) and you'll stand in line up to 1.5+ hours to be served at the busiest times. I think that the longest wait I've ever read about was 2 hours 15 minutes. So, obviously, this isn't a viable choice for someone with only a couple of days here.

Another place similar to Hot Doug's, but not quite the same, is Frank 'n Dawgs up on Clybourn in the Lincoln Park neighborbood. Not as long a commute as Hot Doug's and the waits a lot less but not the same product, either, IMHO.

Without an OP doing sufficient research first into the different types of cuisines first, I could spend all day listing them (since Chicago has around 4000 restaurants). And, of course, the cost factor. Not everyone can afford the prices of Alinea and those of the higher tiers.

Fortunately, you again have options. For example, you can go to the Dining Room at Kendall College to sample some of the cuisine of future chefs. Some of the best chefs in Chicago and elsewhere got their starts there.

Perhaps you'd be interested in going to Bonsoiree or Schwa (if you can even get a reservation at the last nowadays) which aren't as expensive as the top tier but do offer a very nice alternative. But you'll still be spending quite a few pennies.

I hope that I've offered some information about your different *opportunities* available when you visit Chicago. There are some websites dedicated particularly Chicago cuisine (such as lthforum). You can check Metromix (and take a look at the Chicago Tribune's blog about dining - lots of good information there), TimeOut Chicago, the Chicago Reader, Chicago Magazine or even Yelp to help you narrow down your choices.

If you have some questions about these once you've done that research, I'll be happy to help you.

Thanks for the clarification! One thing I love about travel is trying local cuisine. I refuse to eat in chain restaurants when I travel (unless it's specific to the area)~I cannot fathom eating at an Olive Garden in Boston instead of going to the North End for Italian food, or eating at a Red Lobster while in Maine............one advantage to Fodor's is getting restaurant recommendations from people who have actually eaten at a particular establishment rather than just looking on line. I try not to make assumptions as to why an OP asks for a certain type of cuisine; you could be correct in that they are simply not adventurous eaters (I travel with someone like that!!) OR it could just be that they live in an area where that type of cuisine isn't readily available. I live in California, so I rarely ask when traveling where the good Mexican or Indian restaurants are, but I want to know about local cuisine first and choices I don't have at home, like good Thai or Chinese food......

Between what you and the rest of the posters here have suggested, my next trip to Chicago will present some very difficult choices!!! :)

You are very welcome.

As I prefaced my original response to the OP, I didn't want to come off as rude but - as I mentioned - I've responded to thousands of these types of requests over the years. After mentioning the other options available, I've also received numerous e-mails from posters who did try them, thanking me for that information because it's opened up avenues about which they didn't know.

I agree completely with you about chain restaurants*. I don't think people take enough time to even look at the history of the place, let alone who the chef may be. Although they do have their place in the scheme of things, if people keep going to chains - well, in the near future, that may be the only choices you have.

*Small local chains (with 3 or less locations) I'm kinda on the fence about them. If you have an unusually popular restaurant, you'll usually see additional locations pop up. So, I usually reserve judgment on them until the actual circumstances relay if the quality remains.

I try to do the same for entertainment options as well. Much of the very best of Chicago is not in the downtown (the Loop), River North or the Mag. Mile area.

And you won't find much of this in the "touristy" areas of Chicago.