3 dinners, 2 lunches, walking distance of Westin Michigan Ave

[sgj]

Hi there, I have a conference November 8-10, and want to make the most of my free meal time while there-looking for recommendations. Thanks for your help! Nothing super high end/fancy-just tasty eclectic/ethnic good stuff...

[gordeaux]

http://sayatnovachicago.com/

[Dingding]

lunch, I would recommend L'Appetito, a small italian deli featuring imported gourmet food and fresh lunch items. Grilled paninis, sandwiches, salad are all good! Coffee is nice and reasonably priced. Dessert and Gelato are good too. Just go down the stairs in front of John Hancock and u will find it next to Jumba Juice(which is also a lunch option). Potbelly is in bloomingdale. There is also a Thai buffet under $10. I also like the food court in Water Tower. That is the only food court I've visited where u pay service charge. But so many options!

Dinner: Cheesecake factory is nice, typical American restaurant, big portion requires big appetite.I always just have a salad if I have dinner plan in Cheesecake Factory. The restaurant on the first floor of Westin is decent. My mom loves the scallops there! Lamb chop is also good. BIstro 110 on Chestnut(?)--next to Ghirardelli has pretty good french food. My favorite is their fresh artichokes with whole grain mustard sauce.

[sgj]

Thanks for the help. Any other suggestions, how about a sushi joint, any tapas style places, small atmospheric, not really looking for Cheesecake Factory kind of places...

[Pete Oldtown]

It's been hinted that I work for the place, but you are easy walking distance from Cafe Iberico for tapas. It's cheap and fun. If you're going there on Fri. or Sat., get there early. There can be two-hour waits at 8.

David Burke's Prime House and Quartino are nearby. The first is pretty cool take on a steakhouse. If you want a huge steak, fine. If you want a small one for a lot less money, fine. If you just want a great burger for $10, fine. Their Sunday brunch has about 20 small courses for 40 bucks.

I've been to Cafe Iberico about 100 times. I've had a wedding reception there and taken a large group of clients there. It's just a great place. Just ignore the fish. They don't do it well. If the specials include oysters or ink squid pasta, go for it hard.

Since you are not a fan of big portions, I think Iberico is perfect. Order a couple of dishes, then order a couple more. The average price is about $8.

[sgj]

Thanks, I appreciate the suggestion of Cafe Iberico, I think that and Sayat Nova will be 2 of my choices, and I will check out L'appetito for lunch.

[Pete Oldtown]

Let us know what you thought!