Modest Business Dinner Downtown

[Joseph75]

Hi Chicago folks,

I'm coming from out of town and need to plan an early business dinner (about 6:30) for Tuesday night, with 6 to 7 people in attendance. Most of the posts I've seen are for the extremely high-end restaurants, but I need to stick more to the $20-$30 entree range to make my budget. It looks like Bice might be a possibility based on what I've read, but I'd love to get more recommendations.

I'm not sure how adventurous this group is, so I need something fairly mainstream. Close proximity to Kinzie and State would be extra-nice. Thanks very much!

[jayh]

As touristy as it is, Harry Carry's can be fun for the right crowd and it has solid Italian/American food. Also, a little further away is National 28, a Latin-themed resto with steaks for the unadventurous eaters.

[nsxtasy]

You have plenty of choices within your budget within just a few blocks of Kinzie and State, places that are nice/upscale and suitable for a business dinner (and the food is good too!). Starting with the closest, and moving outward:

Vong's Thai Kitchen - www.vongsthaikitchen.com
Shaw's Crab House (seafood) - www.shawscrabhouse.com
Brasserie Jo (French bistro) - www.brasseriejo.com
Maggiano's Little Italy (Italian) - www.maggianos.com

You can check out their address for proximity. All have menus on their websites, all but Maggiano's showing prices there (most entrees at Maggiano's are high teens to mid twenties).

I'm assuming you are looking for proximity to Kinzie and State; all are within four blocks walk. Bice, which you mentioned, is much further than any of these; from Kinzie and State, it's nine blocks walk (five blocks north and four blocks east). And if you're going to go that far, I can give you additional recommendations that are better than Bice. But these four are all very close, and perfectly suitable for your stated needs.

[mailsf]

I think one can do much better than Maggiano's for a business dinner.

What about Bin 36? http://www.bin36.com/index.php

Of the previously mentioned restaurants, I think Brasserie Jo would fit the bill very nicely.

[nsxtasy]

Actually, I've had numerous business lunches at Maggiano's and they have worked out very well. Granted, it's not the most unique place in the world, but the food, service, and atmosphere are all good, and appropriate for a business meal.

Bin 36 is a good suggestion too, nice and close to Kinzie/State and within the stated budget, as long as the emphasis on wine isn't a problem (which may depend on the business objective).