Birthday Dinner in Chicagoland?

[rosiegirl]

Hi everyone,

I've lived in Chicago for a short time and haven't had an opportunity to explore it's many culinary options. So here is my dilemma: My boyfriend who lives in another state surprised me with a visit for my birthday. He will only be here until Saturday morning. I would love to take him to a nice restaurant that isn't a chain restaurant (ie pf changs, cheesecake factory) but a lot of the restaurants I've seen mentioned on this site require reservations --which I most likely can't make because this is very short notice) and to be honest I'm not looking for anything too fancy. I have access to a car and the "el" train so I'm open to going anywhere in the city or suburbs and we are open to all genres of food. I would just like a memorable culinary experience. Thank you all for your help, this is a great site.

[chicgail]

You might want to see what's available at opentable.com. While that doesn't include all the restaurants in Chicago by any means, you can seach by price, location, and -- I think -- type of food. They will let you know who has openings available at and around the times you want and you can make reservations on-line.

You can click on each individual restaurant to see how it describes itself. I often cross-check here on on Metromix or CitySearch or Yelp to see what people say about it.

[Amata]

Yes, out of curiosity I just looked at opentable for this Friday, 2 people at 7:00, and almost every place had availability. Of the many restaurants in the "$$" category, I'd suggest you start by looking at the websites for Bonsoiree, Brasserie Jo, and Opera. These are three VERY different places! And they are in different parts of the city. But looking at their menus might give you some ideas, or perhaps bring you back here with more questions.

I'll link to those three places so you can see where they are located.

(By the way, if you could go out tonight there are a number of Tuesday night deals, including 3 courses for $25 at Opera and $22(?) prix fixe at La Sardine. You can look at Metromix for a complete listing of comparable deals for different days of the week.)

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Bonsoiree
2728 W Armitage, Chicago, IL 60647

Brasserie JO
59 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60610

Opera
1301 South Wabash, Chicago, IL 60605

[jpschust]

It's not new style food, it's more classic but the food coming from their kitchen is really really quality, the service is excellent and the head chef is a really cool guy (we got to meet him on our first visit):

Gabriel's Restaurant
www.egabriels.com

PS- their wine list freaking rules.

[nsxtasy]

Since you're new to Chicago's restaurants, you might want to first get to know some appropriate places close to home, before you venture far and wide. Can you tell us where you live (city neighborhood or suburban town)? That way, we can tell you about some places close to you, instead of having to post suggestions ranging from the South Loop to Highwood (25-30 miles north).

[rosiegirl]

Thank you all for your suggestions so far. I actually live literally right next to midway airport (there are a few good places in this area but I really want to explore =)

[nsxtasy]

Thanks, that helps.

One of my favorite places not too far from Midway, and suitable for a birthday, is:

Bella Bacino's of LaGrange
36 S. La Grange Rd.
La Grange
708-352-8882

This is a very nice Italian restaurant, with wine crates on the walls (sounds funky, but it works), excellent primarily Italian food (I think their grilled calamari is the best calamari I've ever had), and a welcoming attitude. The owners also own Bacino's (pizza), but this is their pride and joy.

Here are some previous topics about food near Midway:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/344026
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/381975
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/365105

Incidentally, it's generally not hard to make reservations in Chicago, especially on other than a Saturday night. There are *very* few places where you can't get a last-minute reservation for a Friday evening.

[Amata]

It's funny how knowing the concrete detail of where you are in the city provides a different perspective.

I'll pick up on a suggestion made by Mugs in one of the threads linked by nsxtasy: Bruna's, in the small Italian neighborhood on S. Oakley around 24th St. That'd be easy to get to via the Stevenson Expressway, and I think it'd be a nice place for you two. In fact, come to think of it, I believe I went to Bruna's for the first birthday I celebrated in Chicago (many years ago) :-)

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Bruna's Ristorante
2424 S Oakley Ave, Chicago, IL 60608