Need recs for chicago dinners near Chicago Embassy Suites Downtown Lakefront

[Ina]

Hi All,

My husband is oging to be in chicago for business the 6-9 of January. We are starying at the Chicago Embassy Suites Downtown Lakefront. We are looking for recs for 2 different places to eat. One is for just the 2 of us. Someplace yummy. The second place is for my husband and a bunch of people in his office and WE HAVE TO PAY for all of them. They are happy with chain type places. We want to be able to walk to this location. Sorry if confusing. will apprexciate any help though.

thenks

[nsxtasy]

Let's start with the recommendation for the two of you.

North Pond is one of our best contemporary American restaurants, owned/run by James Beard nominated Chef Bruce Sherman. What makes it unique is its location in the middle of Lincoln Park (the park itself, not just the surrounding neighborhood of the same name). It is located in the renovated former warming house for skaters on its namesake pond (skating no longer allowed). The city skyline looms over the opposite shore of the pond. The full-length windows give the outer dining room a great view, but even the inner dining room with the open kitchen along one wall is fun and romantic. And yes, the food is yummy! It's a three-mile cab ride (or bus ride on the #151 bus) north of your hotel. www.northpondrestaurant.com

As you can see from the description, North Pond is really unique for its setting, but it's not particularly close to your hotel. Other than North Pond, there are lots of places that might be suitable, but we need a bit more guidance on your preferences; if you're looking for contemporary American, or some particular type of ethnic food, or Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, or anything else, let us know and we can provide appropriate recommendations. Just to toss out a few suggestions for you that are within walking distance of your hotel... If you like high-end fine dining, consider Avenues in the Peninsula Hotel ( www.peninsula.com ), NoMI in the Park Hyatt ( www.nomirestaurant.com), TRU ( www.trurestaurant.com ), and Les Nomades ( www.lesnomadesrestaurant.com ). For mid-priced casual fine dining, places that are close by include Aria in the Fairmont ( www.ariachicago.com ) for pan-Asian, DeLaCosta ( www.delacostachicago.com ) for Latin fusion, and David Burke's Primehouse in the James Hotel ( www.brguestrestaurants.com ) for great steaks and other items in a contemporary setting.

For the restaurant for the business group, I assume from your comments that you are looking for places that are not particularly expensive, but nice enough that they're comparable (in "niceness") to chains like, say, TGI Friday's or Cheesecake Factory, but you don't really want a chain restaurant, and you're especially interested in proximity to your hotel. Sol y Nieve ( www.emiliostapas.com ) is a tapas restaurant close by, and the tapas (small plates) format means you order a bunch of dishes and usually everyone can find something they like. Maybe a bit more exotic than you're looking for, for people happy with chain places, but heck, you can expand their horizons. ;) Also in the "more exotic than you're looking for" category is Sayat Nova ( www.sayatnovachicago.com ) for Armenian food. For something more mainstream, Boston Blackie's ( www.bostonblackies.com ) is a moderately-upscale sports bar type place specializing in burgers and such fare (their Grand Avenue location is the closest to your hotel). Another mainstream type place is Coco Pazzo Cafe ( www.cocopazzocafe.com ) for moderately-priced Italian food. And if you really want to go the national chain route, there are locations of Cheesecake Factory ( www.cheesecakefactory.com ) and Grand Lux Cafe ( www.grandluxcafe.com ).

I'll also make a suggestion for something you didn't mention. If you'd like to go out for breakfast or even lunch, and you don't want anything fancy or taking too long, just east of your hotel is Fox & Obel, our premier upscale gourmet grocery store, with the finest in fresh meat, seafood, baked goods, prepared foods, etc. In the rear of the store is a cafe where they serve anything from coffee to a full meal, all day long. Not fancy, just your basic coffeeshop setting, but the food is excellent and it's convenient. www.fox-obel.com

[Ina]

Thank you Thank you Thank you! I am going to look into these places and I am very excited about the north pond restaurant. Thanks also for the other recs, yes we will be footing the bill for about 15-20 people and I would rather not have it be over the top for them (it is fine to spend money on me though!) the boston blackies sounds good to me, will look into it further. again thanks!

[weinstein5]

I would also recommend Maggiano's as a chain restaurant to consider - you can order ala carte or family style - and the food is good -

[nsxtasy]

Maggiano's isn't a bad choice, but it's further from the hotel - over half a mile, about twice as far as Coco Pazzo Cafe.

Obviously, what constitutes "walking distance" varies depending on weather and time of year.

[nsxtasy]

For a group that size, you might want to talk with the restaurant to see what kind of setup they provide, if they just seat you in the middle of the dining room or if they can give you a private room or semi-private area. For example, at Coco Pazzo Cafe, you can reserve the platform area of the restaurant for that size group, as noted on their website.

Many places may suggest a special banquet menu, or they may suggest some choices that they can serve family style (as Maggiano's offers on its menu). When you have 15-20+ people, you generally want to avoid taking individual orders, just from the standpoint of time and complexity and the restaurant's ability to bring everything out at the same time.

[ferret]

I'd recommend Quartino's for a group (just ask for upstairs seating) -- it's also Italian and the food is great. Corner of State and Ontario (right by the OTHER Embassy Suites).

[nsxtasy]

Some of these recommendations are stretching the concept of easy walking distance from the hotel, in January at least. Here is where each of these various places is located, relative to the hotel (which is on Columbus Drive at Illinois Street):

Sol y Nieve - 2 blocks north
Boston Blackie's - 1 block north, 1 block west
Sayat Nova - 2 blocks north, 1 block west
Coco Pazzo Cafe - 3 blocks north, 1 block west
Grand Lux Cafe - 3 blocks north, 2 blocks west
Quartino - 3 blocks north, 5 blocks west
Maggiano's - 1 block north, 7 blocks west

[amaliax]

i don't know how you and your guests feel about thai,but DOA thai is around the corner and a great place to inexpensively feed a group. most entrees are between $7.25-$8.00. try the rama chicken-steamed broccoli,chicken and thick creamy peanut sauce with a thai beer!!! http://www.daothai.com/ there is also a p.j. clarks(for burgers etc) in your hotel if it is too cold to walk.

[nsxtasy]

>> there is also a p.j. clarks(for burgers etc) in your hotel if it is too cold to walk.

A lot of times, when there is a restaurant in a hotel, they work with the hotel so that they can serve a group in one of the hotel's conference rooms. It's even possible the hotel might not charge you for the use of the conference room, if most of your group is staying there. It's worth asking the people at P. J. Clarke's and at the hotel about whether they have such arrangements. Note too that P. J. Clarke's website says that they have "luxurious and affordable party rooms for all occasions", which might work well for your group, and you can view their catering menu on their website. It also says "For information on private dining at Gold Coast or Streeterville, please call Ann at 312-203-6463." (Your hotel is the location in Streeterville.) www.pjclarkeschicago.com

Whether you eat in a hotel conference room or in the restaurant itself, the convenience factor removes any logistical issues about your guests traveling to a restaurant, especially if the weather turns out to be snowing or bitter cold.

[nsxtasy]

Incidentally, when a restaurant serves large groups, it's quite common for them to have a designated contact to help in planning (as Clarke's shows on their website - so do some of the others, like Coco Pazzo Cafe). They can ask you all the right questions to help you plan your event. The very first thing they are probably going to ask you, after the number of people and the date, is your budget, or how much you're looking to spend, so they can advise you on a menu etc. So you may want to give some thought to that, so you can give them a target.