NYer Coming to Town - Need Excellent Recs Fast

[j.walker]

Will be dropping down Monday and need some excellent options for food and libations near Loop. Something typical and not too creative or 'weird'. Am not a huge foodie expert just seeking surefire local secrets guaranteed to impress. So show me what you got people! Thx.

[deesher]

Blackbird, sister restaurant to Avec would be my one go to spot. I'm pretty sure that executive chef Paul Kahan is a James Beard award winner, and the chef de cuisine is Mike Sheerin, formerly of WD 50. Blackbird is just west of the loop at 619 W. Randolph. Here is a link to their website: http://www.blackbirdrestaurant.com/di... . You can also find information about Avec on this site. Good luck.

[j.walker]

Blackbird or Avec look like the ticket. Many thanks for those suggestions.
(As for the pizza comments,uh, maybe some other time.)

[achoo]

I'd vote for avec
The negative is that you can't make a reservation, but everything is delicious.
I'd eat there every night if I could

[nsxtasy]

This topic has recommendations of restaurants open on Mondays:
www.chowhound.com/topics/455953

This topic has recommendations of restaurants for visitors from out of town:
www.chowhound.com/topics/457215

Personally, I think the most impressive and unique specialty in Chicago is our Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. There are a lot of places serving great pizza here, and the chains (with the exception of non-downtown locations of Uno's) do quite a good job of maintaining consistent quality across many locations. Take your pick - double-crust "stuffed" pizza from Giordano's, Edwardo's, or Bacino's, or single-crust "pan" pizza from Lou Malnati's, Pizano's, Gino's East, or the original location of Uno's - you can't go wrong with any of these. You can phone your order ahead of time if you want to avoid waiting 30-45 minutes while seated for your pizza to bake; you can find their menus and locations on their websites. All the above chains have locations within a mile of the Loop; locations within the Loop itself include several locations of Giordano's, and Pizano's on Madison.

[j.walker]

Thx - but already know about pizza and the place for that is Burts. Also, am not looking for corner slices. I need something in or near Loop that is excellent. Sorry if I was not clear. Meanwhile, time is running out...!

[nsxtasy]

Did you look at either of the topics in the links above? Almost all of the recommendations are in or near the Loop.

If you want ONE RECOMMENDATION, of a place that's outstanding and open Mondays, go to one sixtyblue. Contemporary American cuisine, spectacular food, contemporary decor. Fantastic in every way. About two miles west of the Loop, a short cab ride. www.onesixtyblue.com Reservations accepted on opentable.com (earn 1000 points if its for 7 pm or earlier).

[leek]

I'm not sure where you got "corner slices" from (it's certainly not in nsxtasy's post) but we have very few places in Chicago that do single slices. Certainly there are some, but it's not something we are known for. Now, a corner dog, that you can get a lot of places ;)