The information I have had so far has been great, so now I am asking about dining choices.
I would like to know about 2 or 3 places where we could dine for about $60 - $80 between two for 3 courses, including tax and tip and perhaps a glass of wine each.
The restaurants would have to be central (near to the Omni East, or at least a short cab ride away) and a bit 'special' but nothing too fancy or ostentatious. Especially keen to hear about Spanish places, Vietnamese or Modern American places.
I have already looked at some choices from digitalcity.com and fodors.com, but would like more info. from those on the ground.
Thanks.

P S Is doubling the sales tax (which I think is 8.5%) the best way of dealing with the tip?

There are two Spanish restaurants that I like in Chicago. The first is Cafe
Ba-Ba-Reeba at 2024 N. Halsted (one of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurants). The second is Cafe Iberico at 737 N. LaSalle. Both of the restaurants are very casual and you can take a cab to either one. They tend to be very busy on Friday and Saturday night, you might check to see if you can get reservations. The selection of tapas is wonderful at both, we never get around to ordering entrees. I think our bill ends up being less than $40 for two, including sangria and dessert. There are reviews of Chicago restaurants, along with the hours of operations, cost, etc. at www.metromix.com.

Typically people tip 15% for good service, 20% for excellent service. I'm not actually sure what percent the tax on food is in Chicago, it might actually be higher than 8.5% since the general sales tax rate in Chicago is 8.75%.

Another vote for Cafe Ba-ba-reeba -- haven't been there in a couple of years but it's been one of my faves for a long time! Wonderful tapas and fun atmosphere.

And you didn't ask about these, but:
For Italian I LOVE Medici.
Carson's for ribs.
The original Pizzeria Uno or Due, or Giordano's for pizza.

On Adams just west of State Street stands The Berghoff, a Chicago "institution." Excellent, hearty, interesting German fare. Reasonable prices, too. Be sure to try their beer. They make it themselves...and have done so for more than 100 years.

Hey Niguel!
Just got back from the windy city this week and by far the best restaurant is the Pump Room right in your hotel. The portions are huge, so you don't need 3 courses and the menu is generous. My husband is from Chicago and we travel the world, but his tenderloin of beef (at $37) was the best he ever had. I had the "Three Preperations of Lamb" (at $39) and it was superb! Potatoes or other accompanyment included.Seafood, fowl etc are available and side dishes are huge, recommend sharing and only $6. We also shared a caesar salad, the best we've had in a long time and it is big! ($11) We waddled out into the night completely stuffed! The decor is elegant and slick but not stuffy. Dress nice, like for business, but not fancy.

Every year when I'm in Chicago I make a point of eating at Bistro 110 just off Michigan Ave near Water Tower Place. I like the atmosphere, service and food. But they don't take reservations--be advised you might have to wait at the bar a bit. American bistro menu (meaning American with French bistro influences).
The other place I like is the Big Bowl, especially the one near Oak Street (there are a few). A Pan-Asian restaurant, very contemporary, also quite popular. They do take reservations, I believe.

I agree with the others on the two tapas restaurants. Both are very good. However, I can't imagine getting out of Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba for $40 for both of you. Another good tapas restaurant is Emilio's. There is one now on Ohio (east of Michigan)which you can walk to. Vong (on State and Hubbard) is a good French-Tai restaurant. It used to be pricey but they just scaled down the menu. It has a very nice atmosphere. Also, for Italian there is a Coco Pazzo Cafe on St. Clair (at Ohio) that is very good. It is more reasonable than the well know and highly rated Coco Pazzo and I think the food is just as good.

Go to Heaven on Seven for great Looziana/Nawlins food. Its at Rush and Ohio.

A couple of years ago some family members came to visit us from Madrid and we decided to take them to Cafe Iberico and they loved it! They found it to be 'ethnic.' They thought Cafe-Ba-ba-reba was awful (as so do I). A new restaurant just opened up recently in the Wrigleyville area called Bar Celona. I haven't tried it out yet but planning on it next weekend. It's located on Clark & Newport, near the Cubs ballpark.

I have also taken natives of Spain to Cafe Iberico, and it has gotten much praise from them. Try to go at off-peak times for better service.

A true American spot is Zinfandel, where the menu revolves around regional American specialties. It's located just north of the river near Clark Street. Prairie, a mile and a half farther south, is another excellent regional choice which is even open on Sundays. North Pond Cafe is at the top of your price range, but worth it for lovely food and an unusually beautiful setting. It's in Lincoln Park, east of Lakeview and about 2 blocks north of Fullerton.

Why was this thread from 1999 resurrected?

HOLY COW! Did somebody say "resurrected?"

Blame it on Deloris - she picked this up almost two years after Nigel's post - how come, D?

Hey, Gourmets!
Can't help it if there is no interest in Chicago from 1999 unil now! But if you want food, that city is the place................now!

Newbie Alert!!! Lets let old posts die.

Zinfandel. All American cuisine, but with a creative flair. All wines are American as well. $80 should do it. I'm not too sure where Omni East is, but public transit is easy. You check out www.yourcta.com and plug in starting point and final destination addresses. It's only $1.50. That's how I get around. You can even take the CTA all the way to Evanston, which is the home of Northwestern. I love Evanston w/ all of its charm.