Chicago Kosher Rehearsal Dinner

[Thissteaks4you]

So, I'm looking for a venue for a kosher rehearsal dinner in the Chicago area -- with a strong preference for downtown.

I know there are virtually no kosher restaurants in the immediate area and am aware of the Spertus Museum. Any other venue/catering suggestions, though, would be most welcome, from the quirky (is there a vegetarian Indian restaurant certified as kosher?) to the more standard (a good hall with good kosher options).

The key would be to keep costs relatively reasonable for 150-200 people, and to make it have as few moving parts as possible (i.e. it would be best if the venue has a relationship with a caterer, rather than having to assemble the whole party from scratch, but we're open to that if it would make the difference). Again, strong preference for downtown. No strong preference as to who certifies.

I've also posted this on the Chicago board.

[jk7295]

Taboun in Rogers Park is a great Middle Eastern Restaurant, that happens also to be Glatt Kosher, and does great takeout and I believe can deliver.

Hy Life Bistro (Fleishig) and Slice of Life (Dairy) have a nice pretty room for parties at their Skokie restaurant. I recommend Hy Life Bistro!

Danzigers Kosher Catering can also delive and are the best Kosher Caterer in town.

[mailsf]

As I mentioned on the Chicago board, Hyatt Regency (on the Chicago River) and the Hilton on S. Michigan Ave. frequently cater kosher meals for the Jewish org. I work for. Nice affairs. They're already setup in-house to deal with things in their meeting/ballrooms.

[Thissteaks4you]

Thanks for the wonderful helpful advice. Now, we have a bunch of leads to chase down! (though since nothing is set, if more come to mind, please post, if for nothing else, then for posterity)

[KosherKing]

Isn't a rehearsal dinner kind of a goyishe concept?

[craigcep]

While I'm sure the poster cares very much for your concern, s/he asked about a kosher restaurant, not whether Jews have rehearsal dinners. For all you know, s/he could be a Seventh Day Adventist who keeps kosher. Nonetheless, that really isn't relevant to a food board focused on kosher food, rather than a board focused on Jewish wedding practices.

[weinstein5]

The only other restaurant option downtown is the new MetroKlub - they might be able to do a dinner since they are only open for lunch. The only other options for downtown is a hotel that provides kosher venues - some have their own kitchens others have pre-existing relationships with kosher caterers - here is the list off of the CRC web site - http://www.crcweb.org/community/chicagoGuide.html#Caterers. I do not know if you saw this but this a previous thread on this board - http://www.chowhound.com/topics/438710

[Thissteaks4you]

Thanks! That's super helpful. At this point, we're entertaining all manner of ideas, so if any others come to mind, don't be shy.

[weinstein5]

You can also check out JUF;s site for additional caterers and venues -

http://www.juf.org/guide/category.asp...