Dinner for 15 in Chicago?
 

Where can an extended family of 15 have a nice (but not too expensive) celebration dinner in Chicago, in late June? One 50th anniversary, two 25th anniversaries, a 10th, a 1st, and the baby (not the newlyweds') is turning two.

A private room would be nice but not strictly necessary. We are staying near Ohio and Michigan, so somewhere in that area would be preferred.

What's "not too expensive"? Bucca di Beppo and Maggiano's are only a few blocks away. Not sure about Bucca, but Maggiano's has private rooms.

You could also try Park Grill in Millennium Park or Heaven on Seven on Michigan Avenue.

Well, maybe less than $50 - $70 per person ...

I wouldn't normally recommend a chain. But, as Citylights mentioned, Bucca probably wouldn't be a bad idea for you. It's a good place for a group. It sounds like the 2 year old may be the only child in your group. So this might not apply, but Bucca is good if you have kids 'cause it's noisy. You don't have to worry about the kids making noise!

Personally, I think their food is good. It's served in portions meant to be shared. Which is another reason it's good for a group. And while it's not cheap, neither is it terribly expensive.

Buca would definitely be less than $50 to $70 per person! Our kids have often chosen the one in Lombard for birthdays, graduations, etc. It's been a year or more since we've been. But I think for our family of four, the bill for appetizer and or salad, entrees, dessert and wine (for the adults, of course!) usually ran somewhere between $100 and $150.

Yes, we are all adults and older teens, except for the baby, so something fancier would be ok. Several foodies in the group -- chain restaurants the only choices in the area?

I am not a foodie, but I have eaten at Bucca several times with a family group of 7 or 8 and it is a lot of fun. They definitely have private rooms, and it does not seem like a chain.

There's Brazzaz, a churrascaria at Dearborn/Grand. It's a Brazilian steak house that features about 15 different types of meat carved at your table plus a large salad bar. It's around $40 per person for dinner.

Other possibilities would be Rosebud on Rush at Rush/Superior for Italian or Catch 35 on Wacker/Dearborn for seafood.

There are several restaurants in Greektown-on Halsted between Madison and Jackson, but I don't know an easy way to get 15 people there as it's about 2 miles from the Mag Mile. You can also check www.metromix.com and search by neighborhood, price or cuisine.

What about The Italian Village?

Thanks, all -- we'll look into these ideas.

Tavern at the Park has private rooms. It is near Millenium Park, pretty much at the intersection of Randolph and Michigan. Pretty reasonably priced and has a great menu. Every time I have been there the food and service has been great!

Look at www.lth.com for excellent Chicago area recommendations.

That's www.lthforum.com. Sorry!