Memorial day weekend- meeting of the parents
My fiance and I are organizing a wedding planning meeting with both our parents during the memorial day weekend in Chicago. I was looking for recommendations for a good venue downtown- maybe waterfront to kinda have a great feel of Chicago... Our Parents prefer Indian food or actually wouldnt mind some Asian either. None of us are from Chicago and just thought combining it with a weekend getaway would make the process less stressful..ha!! Any suggestions would be super helpful!
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Personally I think Memorial Day weekend is the single best time of the year to visit Devon Avenue. Apparently many people from out of town travel to Chicago to explore the shops and restaurants on Devon that weekend, and it seems like another world. (I have read that many Indian-Americans who live in surrounding states travel to Devon Ave. to buy things they can't find so readily where they live.) There probably are not very many places in the U.S. where one can see so many women in Saris in one place, and of all the languages being spoken not much of it is English. I visit Devon almost every Memorial Day weekend, because it's like taking a vacation without leaving Chicago. There can be crowds (especially as day turns into night on Saturday), but unless you are in a big hurry they should be no problem and are part of the fun.
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You might want to give Shanghai Terrace a look. It will be expensive, but this sounds like a one-time deal, and the chef is very open to special occasions:
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The places with lake or river views tend not to have the greatest food, unfortunately.
For other kinds of views that would be very Chicago: Mercat a la Planxa, a new Catalan restaurant on South Michigan, is supposed to have nice views out onto Grant Park (I haven't been). The Gage is right across from Millenium Park but might not be the atmosphere you're seeking (busy gastro pub).
Most of the great Indian places are up on Devon Avenue about 8 miles north of downtown -- Devon is a great area but perhaps might be a little downscale for this occasion. (Maybe you could say more about what you think would be ideal?) It'd be a fairly expensive cab ride to get up there, I think.
One possibility in River North (ie probably close to your hotel) is Vermilion, which has both straight Indian and Indian-Latino fusion dishes on its menu. It's an elegant setting and if you look at their website you'll see they've hosted events for visiting Indian VIPs, etc. I don't know if one or both of your families are Indian yourselves -- if so I could imagine parents being critical of the whole fusion concept or thinking its too expensive and not enjoying it. But... you might want to check out their menu and see what you think.
http://www.thevermilionrestaurant.com
And, a more normal Indian restaurant in the River North area is India House.
Congratulations on your engagement and I hope this trip works out well.
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re: Amata
Thanks so much! yes, we're both indian so i can see the parents not approving of fusion food!! we'd have a rental car so dont mind driving up to devon street! It doesnt have to be fancy or anything...just something that will help us experience the chicago city feel as well. I will look up some of these suggestions as well. Thanks again and let me know if you think of anything more!!
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re: Ishika
I would highly recommend India House for a nice, upscale Indian dinner. The ambiance is much nicer than any restaurant in Devon and the food is very high quality. It can get a bit pricey for dinner however. If you are interested in a lunch buffet, India House has (in my opinion) the best spread.
On the other hand, going to Devon is always a lot of fun, especially for Indian parents. If the weather is nice you may even be able to get fresh sugar cane juice outside of Patel Brothers :-) Sukhadiya's is a fun snack shop with yummy bhel puri, dhai batta puri, pav bhaji, etc. Uddupi Palace is my favorite South Indian restaurant, while Tiffin and India Garden are probably your best bets for North Indian on Devon.
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re: Ishika
missado's suggestions are good ones -- just to help you navigate, the Indian/Pakistani stretch of Devon Ave is centered on the intersection of Devon and Western Ave, going several blocks both east and west (and on some of the side streets as well). Going even further west on Devon you'll find a Georgian bakery, Russian markets, and Israeli places. Further east (around Devon and Clark) are some Latin American and African places. It's definitely a great street to check out -- a part of the real Chicago that most visitors don't see.
On the separate topic of places with great views, I forgot to mention North Pond, which is in the middle of Lincoln Park (the park itself, not the adjoining neighborhood). It'd be expensive and not Asian at all, but a very pretty setting.
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North Pond
2610 North Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60614
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