PHML

iTrader: (33)

Chicago members....

I'll be there the first week on May for a conference...and going to the afternoon Whitesox game on 5/4 vs. Minnesota.

Any suggestions on places to eat?

Also, any CL meets during the weeknights?

Pete

VikH

iTrader: (5)

Hey Phil,
What kind of food do you like? We have a lot to offer. Here are some quick ideas off the top of my head.

Mexican: Frontera.
Steak: Gibsons, Gene and Gorgettis.
Contemporary American: Publican, Purple Pig, Avec, Girl and the Goat.

Not sure what my schedule is like on May 4th, but let me know closer to the date and maybe we can meet up. Haven't had a Chicago CL meet in a while.

Vik

mrcrx28

Plus if you are a pizza guy, you HAVE to try our Chicago style pizza. Chicago has to lot to offer if you never been here, just need the right crowd to bring you around. We have everything from lounging by the beach to drinking til 5AM. Hope you enjoy your stay here.
On side note: I'm actually heading to Maui and Oahu mid May for vacation. Any places I should know about and visit?

Gaugster

Gotta do some Chicago Pizza...

mlee21

Let me give you a brief list of some hot spots.

Tacos: Big Star, Tio Luis, Del Seoul (korean style)
Italian Beef: Al's Beef ONLY the one on Taylor st., Mr. Beef
Pizza: Piece(not deep dish, but considered one of the best), Giordanos, Ginos, Lou Malnatis, Peaquods
Prime Rib: Lawrys, Gibsons
Contemporary American: Blackbird, one sixtyblue, Aigre Doux
Steak: David Burke, Gibson's, Morton's
Burger: Kuma Corner, Edzo's, Rosebud Steakhouse(considered the best in chicago even though its kinda weird ordering a burger at a steakhouse)
Hotdogs: Hot Doug's(specialty-type hotdogs), Gene and Judes, Wiener Circle
Polish: Maxwell's or Jim's (Jim's has the better fries, but Maxwell's has the better polish)

If money is not a problem and you want go to one of the top restaurants in the world, you have to try Alinea. You might have to call now and get a reservation. There's always a huge waiting list.

PHML

iTrader: (33)

Thanks guys...lots of great suggestions!!!

PHML

iTrader: (33)

You should chime in to the CLH section...there's been several threads on this.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

If you love meat and love a good steakhouse...go to Texas De Brazil in either Schaumburg or the one in Chicago. Gotta try some Portillos. Good stuff.

PHML

iTrader: (33)

Thanks for the suggestions...Im going to YELP them all...LOL!!

cowsgomoo

iTrader: (2)

Lou Malnotis is my favorite pizza, hands down. Best steakhouses are as follows. Ruth Chris, Gibsons, Lawry's prime rib, Morton's. Texas de brazil is nice if you want buffet style servings. How late will you be in town for? On Saturday the 7th is Super Car Saturday. I plan on going to see all the exotics and show off the GS.

PurduePete

Did someone say a CL Chicago meet...?

For Asian noodle it has to be Tank Noodle.

mlee21

Depending on where you stay, if your in the city, go to Fogo de Chao over Texas De Brazil. But if you're not, definitely try Texas de Brazil. Brazilian steakhouses are the best if you can chow down a lot of meat.

As for Portillos, it's an so-so place if your in a rush, but there are better options depending on what you want to eat and where you are.

But if there's two grease spots you HAVE to try, its Al's Beef on Taylor st. (do not go to any of the other Al's, they're terrible) and Jim's/Maxwell's. Jims and Maxwells are right next to each other but they each have their goods and bads.. Maxwells for the polish only.. and Jims for the fries, pork chop and fish sandwich.

gengar

I will add on to pretty much everyone else and say you should definitely should get some deep dish pizza during your visit.

Be aware that O'Hare is a pretty good trek from the city center so I hope you'll have some sort of transportation if you want to visit a lot of stuff in the city. If you want to stick to stuff around O'Hare (schaumburg, etc.) I can relay recommendations for any specific cuisine types as I know a couple people who live in the area. If you like Morton's, there is one that should be pretty close to the Intercontinental (it's a short walk from the Hyatt Regency O'Hare where I've had to spend the night a few times due to cancellations/misconnects.)

No one has really mentioned Japanese or sushi. Chicago actually has two of my favorite spots in the entire US for those cuisine types. Katsu on Peterson is really good authentic Japanese fare and also offers very high quality sushi, and is at least a little closer to O'Hare than city center. Macku on Clybourn is a really good sushi spot - I especially like it because it has a wide variety of hot foods, sushi, and progressive/evolved sushi so can satisfy a big range of tastes in a dining party.


Visited Blackbird about a month ago, didn't like it much. It's not a bad price point for entry into the gastro world, but several of the dishes were just complete misses. I did like one sixtyblue, but I haven't been in about a year.

I'll second this, Alinea is probably the best restaurant right now in the US. As far as reservations, it's possible to get lucky - last time I went to Alinea, managed to get a reservation just 2 weeks in advance.

Random question, are there any independent churrascarias in Chicago that might be more "authentic" so to speak? Fogo de Chao and Texas De Brazil are goth great chain options that get the job done, but I tend to have better experiences in the independent ones.

ChiCityGS3

iTrader: (2)

you guys interested in getting together for a Chicago CL meet? We gotta show Mr. Pete how we do it in the Chi!! worse comes to worst, we could just meet in the parking lot of Pete's hotel! lol

bad co

+1 on Kuma's corner
+1 On Gibsons
Add Mortons to your lost
Add Johnies to your list (best italian beer(a Chicago Specialty))
Hit up Goose Island microbrewery
For Pizza hit up Bert's Pizza in Morton Grove