Holiday Work Lunch Downtown

[shar]

I am planning a holiday lunch for our four person team and would like to choose a place that is: 1) upscale but not too pretentious, 2)has a decent lunch menu (a fabulous dinner menu doesn't help if they only serve salads and sandwiches for lunch), 3)would like to pick somewhere no one has been to yet, so trying to steer clear of Chicago staples, and 4)located anywhere in the downtown area--South/West Loop, Loop, River North.

Some ideas I'm tossing around are: Blackbird, NoMi, and Fultons on the River.

Thanks in advance!

[SuzMiCo]

Kevin (Hubbard b/w State and Dearborn) is a good option. The food is excellent, the place is upscale, but it doesn't feel too pretentious at lunch. I've also had two of the best desserts of my life there.

If you want something a little more adventurous, Vermillion is on the same block. It's Indian-Latin fusion cuisine. The food is very good and definitely unique. The service is often slow, but you might not mind that for a holiday lunch.

I've also had mediocre experiences at Fulton's. The food I've had there was fine, but not as good as Catch 35 or McCormick & Schmick. Also, we were there on a Wednesday at noon and they were out of the first two appetizers we tried to order. I haven't had oysters there though.

[Pugman]

I adore raw oysters and eat them very often. Had some perfect ones ones at Rick Tramonto's new restaurant on Saturday and Sunday. One of my bad Fulton's experiences was with oysters; I always smell them before eating them and I was served 2 that were clearly dead. The liquor was gone and they smelled like fermenting barnyard waste. I pointed it out to the server, who took them back and then came back later with the audacity to say that the chef examined them and said that this particular variety is supposed to smell that way. To add insult to potential injury, they replaced the offending bivalves with 2 kumamoto oysters because "they have a mild taste that most people like" which felt to me like total condescension. The server actually said something like, "even though the other oysters were fine, we're 'giving' you these kumamotos."

Even if I was off-base with my assessment of the freshness--which was not the case (as an experienced marine aquarist I'm certainly familar with the olfactory characteristics of dead mollusks!)--the server and chef should have never put me in the position of feeling like I was being a "difficult diner."

[Erik M.]

I had quite possibly the worst meal of my restaurant dining year at your beloved Custom House (in addition to a couple of really nice meals at your beloved Custom House), so what is your point, exactly? You tried the oysters once, were disappointed, and now feel entitled to cast aspersions on the entire raw bar program?

Here, simply, is my point: I have heard from friends that there is a gentleman by the name of Mark Mavrantontis who oversees the raw bar program at Fulton's, and he's very particular about his oysters. If you are looking for a proper good time, I've been told that you would do well to call the restaurant and make arrangements to sit with him for raw bar service. By the sounds of it, his expertise and care is unrivaled in this town.

An aside: on the occasion of my friends' most recent visit, last week, not only were they served some of the best oysters they'd ever had in this town (9 different types, IIRC), they were served a couple pounds of Alaskan King Crab which Mssr. Mavrantontis hand-carried back from Alaska the previous day.

I share this info as an enthusiast, not as someone who has a vested interest in the establishment in question.

Regards,
E.M.

[Pugman]

The oyster incident was my only raw-bar-related problem at Fulton's but it was the first of three serious food- and service-related problems in three consecutive visits. I had been there many times prior and had generally good experiences. The final two strikes were because of food that should have never left the kitchen: lettuce with brown rotting patches and chicken that was literally gray and inedible (that took 45 minutes to arrive) and then one of the worst hamburgers imaginable (for reasons that I don't think I'm allowed to post). The oysters and crab you describe sound fabulous.

[Erik M.]

Cheers, Pugman. When I go for oysters, I'll let you know how it goes. As for the regular food program, well, I'm adding your gripes to the growing pile. I have a friend's wedding to celebrate there in Arpil, and I'm fretting about it already. ;)

EDIT: Speak of the devil... ;)

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?...

E.M.

[Pugman]

Another vote for Custom House! Definitely one of the very best places open for lunch in the entire region. I've been there many times and have never been disappointed. A couple of my other favorite high-end lunch spots are Naha and Topolobampo.

I had three horrible food experiences in a row at Fulton's. I used to eat there at least once a week because it is so close to my office, but I will never step foot in there again. This is one case where the numerous one-star reviews on Metromix are actually accurate.

[Erik M.]

"I had three horrible food experiences in a row at Fulton's. I used to eat there at least once a week because it is so close to my office, but I will never step foot in there again."

Are you a fan of raw oysters? Trusted friends and oyster enthusiasts have indicated to me that Fulton's has the most pristine selection in town. [And, these same folks have indicated that there is NO other reason to go at all.]

http://www.usmenuguide.com/fultonsont...

E.M.

[Roger Spark]

Custom House
500 S. Dearborn Street
Chicago
Phone [phone]
http://www.customhouse.cc

Lunch Menu:
http://www.customhouse.cc/menus/lunch...