Restaurant Gift Certificate for a Wedding Gift

[me71]

Greetings from a Boston Chowhound,

My cousin recently got married. She and her husband live in Chicago. I would like to get them a gift certificate to a restaurant. I would prefer to spend about $100 for two. I know that she loves steak and I believe they might like seafood. I'm not sure about now, but growing up she wasn't exactly adventurous when it came to cuisine. Any suggestions you could offer would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Jaclyn]

What about getting them a gift certificate for LettuceEntertainYou...it's a bunch of restaurants under one umbrella and you can use the gift at any of them!

[halfpint]

You could look into "Lettuce Entertain You" restaurants. They have many good ones. Wildfire is usually a nice bet for steaks. Cafe Ba-Ba Reeba is a fun tapas place.
http://www.leye.com/restaurants/restaurants_index.htm

Or look into Phil Stefani's restaurants.
http://www.stefanirestaurants.com/chi...
I had a wonderful steak dinner at Tavern on Rush and it is a fun place to sit and watch the people and busy city life.

[amoncada]

Definitely Hugo's Frog Bar at Rush and Bellview (shares the kitchen with Gibsons Steakhouse but its a few dollars less expensive). It's the perfect blend of vibrant atmosphere, excellent Steaks and seafood, people watching, service and location. It they haven't yet been there, they will surely return for years to come. It's located in the heart of the Gold Coast neighborhood in Chicago. Lots of great places around for drinks afterwards too.

[YoYoPedro]

You can buy a $100 GC at any of the KDK Restaurants (Gioco, Marche, Opera, Red Light) that is good at any of the aforementioned restaurants. Buy it before September 30th, and get a free $50 bonus certificate for yourself that is good until March 2007. They run the promotion a couple of times a year. I usually buy $500-$600 dollars worth at a time during the promotion. Increases your dining power substantially.

[amoncada]

You can find a few notable dishes at the KDK restaurants but they're more about flash than Chow worthy food.

[YoYoPedro]

I beg to differ. I would put Marche up against many of the smaller French bistros in the city, I think Opera has some very inventive dishes, Red Light superb as well. Gioco may have some stiffer competition in the Italian vein, but all 4 restaurants are very unique. Sure, the decor may be over the top for some (obviously not me, I like it!), but the service and food are excellent.

[wkaufmann]

I'm no huge fan of KDK. Carnivale is my favorite. Red Light is fun, but the food is over priced for what you get. Marche is a last resort for me - if I have no reservation on a Saturday night, I can always get a table at Marche (its a big place). Gioco I tried once and would never visit again. Same with Opera. I'd go with Lettuce for a gift. A lot of variety and in general good quality and good service.

[YoYoPedro]

To each their own. Other than Shaw's (a regular lunch place for me) and Brasserie Jo (a friendly, nice, warm French feeling), I've stayed away from Lettuce places for years because they just didn't seem notable in the least. I visit Opera and Marche at least monthly, never on a Saturday. I actually prefer not to go out on Saturdays, it's amateur night. Sort of like New Year's Eve. I prefer Tuesdays and Thursdays, you get much more personalized service. Plus, a lot of restaurants run special prix-fixe or 1/2 price wine deals on weekdays. But Lettuce would have more variety as far as choices of restaurants!