Oakbrook (outside Chicago) - any favorite restaurants?
 

Doing a w/e getaway; got a $41 P'line room in Oakbrook (O Terrace, actually)- now wondering about a good restaurant for Saturday nite, somewhere in the area. Would prefer not doing a chain - like Maggiano's, etc.

Steak sounds good, as does Italian, Mexican, Cajun, Chinese, seafood....Anyone have any ideas?

A couple of our favorites are The Clubhouse (American - in the mall), Tuscany (Italian -it is a chain but restaurants only in Chicago, I believe), Cafe Salsa (Mexican) and PF Chang's (upscale Chinese but it is another chain). Another restaurant we like is Emilio's (for Tapas) - it is in Hillside which is nearby.

You should try to make a reservation a few days before you plan to go. Most restaurants are pretty busy in that area on a Saturday night.

If you like Thai, Amarind's is excellent and just a little East of where you'll be (6822 North Ave, Oak Park, IL).

If you've read the raves about downtown's Arun's on this board, Amarind's is run by a former Arun's chef. Excellent and inexpensive!

There are three other Clubhouses around the country, but it is very good. (One of the initial investors in it was Kevin Costner.)

I also LOVE Emilio's, which is easy to get to from your location as well. If you go, be sure to have some sangria. (4100 W. Roosevelt Rd. Hillside, IL)

One of my coworkers has recommended Clubhouse in Oakbrook, haven't personally dined there.

My favorites in Oakbrook are "chains" if that's what you call any restaurant with more than one location-Wildfire for steak and Mon Ami Gabi for French bistro food. I think LEYE has some of the most reliably good, reasonably priced places to eat in Chicago, it's a shame they get lumped into chain status.

Emilio's, BTW, is also a "chain", there are at least two other locations in Chicago, one in Lincoln Park and one on Ohio St. I think. Hillside may be the original location.

A friend of mine raved about Pappadeaux Seafood for cajun in nearby Westmont but-you guessed it-it's a chain :-)

I have a couple of coworkers who live out that direction, if you are heading to Oakbrook next week I can ask them if they have any unique recs for you.

'Fraid we had to leave before any of these recommendations came through, but I have to say - despite my "no chains" caveat - that we ended up at Mon Ami Gabi, and were very pleased! As for reservations, we've also decided that becoming early diners is going to be a regular policy for us from now on. We stopped in about 440p, having decided we were too hungry to go check in, change and come back for dinner. Good thing! We enjoyed a drink at the bar - and took in the authentic decor - and were among the first to be seated right at 5 p.m. That meant: a comfortable corner table (how nice that the policy wasn't what it so often is, to try to pass off the crummy tbles first!), along with attentive service and a peaceful atmosphere. By the time we left, after a very good meal, the place was filling up, the noise level was rising...and we were very pleased at the serendipity of our early dining choice. MAG is now on our 'favorites' list...and it's true that the Lettuce folks put out a very good product, all the way back to the original Claim Co. days!

Glad you enjoyed MAG, I just ate there for the first time earlier this year and really enjoyed it (Lincoln Park location).

I had forgotten all about Claim Company, they had one in Northbrook Court that we went to on occasion. But I didn't realize that it was a LEYE, I thought their first one was RJ Grunts down in Lincoln Park which is still there incidentally.