jlm_mi

My mother-in-law is planning her 60th birthday celebration to be in Chicago in May. She thought maybe Scoozi would be fun for dinner, but I'm not sure if they can accommodate such a large group. We'll call to see.

Other than that, any other suggestions for a pretty large group? I think she's prefer Italian, but other suggestions are welcome. Price range, entrees in the $15-25 range would be ideal. This will be for a Saturday night, and we'll all be staying at hotels in the Loop or Michigan Ave area, so not too far from there would be great.

Thanks!

alex

We had a surprise 30th birthday party for a friend at Scoozi and they easily accomodated our group of about 25-30 people. We did a cooking lesson first which was really fun and then ate the dishes we had learned to make (not the ones made by us though!). I thought they did a nice job.

jlm_mi

That sounds like fun! How long did the cooking lesson take? Was it very hands on?

Kristi

Most of the LEYE restaurants, including Scoozi, can handle large groups, check their website at www.leye.com, you can probably call their events coordinator and they can find the perfect spot for you. We've had company holiday parties at both Wildfire (steaks/chicken) and Maggiano's.

Another idea is Cafe Iberico on LaSalle for Spanish tapas, they do take reservations for large groups. Or Greek Islands in Greektown, they have a lot of space and would be able to handle a large group.

We just did a large dinner at A la Turka on a Saturday night, the belly dancers were fun to watch and everyone loved the food. That's a little further out though, it's up in Lakeview, several miles from downtown.

Another Italian option-you might look into Rosebud on Rush which is in the tourist area.

Cerlaurie

Scoozi and Cafe Iberico both sound like great ideas. However, both seem to have a young crowd. Not sure if my 60-year old parents would like either of them. Especially my father but he pretty conservative. My mom loves Maggiano's but it wouldn't be my first choice.

alex

It lasted about an hour. It was pretty hands on - we were set up at three stations - my station was a butternut squash ravioli station. Some of the stuff was premade (the pasta dough) but we rolled it out, filled it with the squash and then the "teacher" sauteed it for us and let us try it. I think one of the other stations was to make buffalo mozzarella. I am having difficulty remember what the other station was. I do not know whether you have any input into what stations you want. During this time, we were also being served wine and appetizers. It was really fun and gave people something to do. Everyone, including my friend's Italian parents and grandparents, enjoyed it.

jlm_mi

My mother-in-law has eaten at Scoozi's a few times and loves it. That was her first choice. Others have been trying to get her to have it at the Drake - maybe in a banquet hall? But she really doesn't like that idea and wants something fun.

Thanks for all the ideas - I'll definitely pass them along to her!