Another Torontonian visiting Chicago - looking for foodie tourism recommendations

[chefhound]

Looking at the recent posts, it seems like a lot of Torontonians are decending on Chicago.

I will be visit in May and I'm looking for cookbook stores, Williams-Sonoma type kitchen gadget stores and gourmet/specialty grocers (like Dean&Deluca in NY). Any ideas?

Dining-wise, I have reservations at Alinea and Topolobampo. We're also considering choosing from Blackbird, Green Zebra, Cafe des Architectes, North Pond, Naha, Mercat a la Planxa and maybe something Thai for the rest of our dinners. I know, long list but how to choose. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[mountsac]

For kitchen gadgets, in addition to Williams Sonoma, you might also want to check out Crate & Barrel and Sur la Table (all of which can be found on or near Michigan Ave.)

For gourmet groceries, go to Fox & Obel. Whole Foods offers a bit more organic stuffs.

Alinea and Topo are two excellent choices. I'd go to Blackbird for their weekday lunch prix fixe - it is the best deal in town. Of the rest on your list, I like Cafe des Architectes. I would avoid Mercat a la Planxa (because of its bad value).

To recommend a few things not on your list: (1) I'm a big fan of Yoshi's Cafe's Japanese brunch on Sunday; (2) Go to one of the it-lounges in Chitown, ex. Signature Lounge or The Violet Hours; (3) Avec Avec Avec; (4) Try the foie gras dog in Hog Doug's.

[lbs]

Well if you have the time and inclination to go out to a neighborhood, you can tie in going to the Chopping Block (and also check out Provenance and Gene's Sausage shop) with an excellent meal at one of our top Thai places. Spoon Thai. It is BYOB but you can pick up some nice bottles of wine and/or beer at Gene's. Lincoln Square is easy to get to via the Brown Line (all above ground so you can get a real neat view of the city) and get off at Western. Should run you 35-45 minutes door to door.

http://spoonthai.com/ (warning stupid music on the website

)

http://genessausageshop.com/

http://www.provenancefoodandwine.com/

http://www.thechoppingblock.net/

http://www.lincolnsquare.org/

[chefhound]

Thanks for the great ideas. What are your thoughts about the French Market?

[nsxtasy]

We used to have some really good cookbook stores, but I think the internet booksellers led to their demise.

Fox & Obel is our premier gourmet food store (by far), with the finest meats, cheeses, and other basics, as well as the finest baked goods and other prepared foods. Don't miss the yummy cinnamon swirl rolls at the bakery counter! There's a cafe in the rear if you want to eat anything on the premises, from a cup of coffee to an entire meal prepared to order. www.fox-obel.com

For kitchen gadgets, note that the Chopping Block has a store in the Merchandise Mart across the street from the Loop, so there's no need to trek all the way up to Lincoln Square (unless you happen to be up there anyway). Just as in Toronto, we have interesting dining/shopping neighborhoods all over the city and suburbs, but when you're staying downtown, you can find plenty of excellent places nearby without taking the time to traipse all over the city. I say this while not forgetting just how much I loved the pastries at Patisserie La Cigogne on Bayview south of Eglinton in my recent trip to your fine city, as I posted in the discussion at http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/522805

Alinea and Topolobampo are excellent choices, the very best in their respective categories. Of the other ones you have mentioned, you have a couple of specific food types represented; I recommend taking a look at the menus on their websites to see whether those sound good to you, whether it's tapas (Mercat a la Planxa - www.mercatchicago.com ) or vegetarian ( Green Zebra - www.greenzebrachicago.com ). The other places you mention all offer contemporary American cuisine; of those, I recommend Cafe des Architectes ( www.cafedesarchitectes.com ) for the best food, and North Pond ( www.northpondrestaurant.com ) for the best setting. North Pond is really unique in that regard, with its location in the middle of Lincoln Park (the park itself, not the adjacent neighborhood of the same name) facing its namesake pond with the city skyline looming over the opposite shore. So you get an exquisite location AND a James Beard Award finalist chef, and what results is an experience that is just so CHICAGO in every way. However, I think Martial Noguier is turning out wonderful food at Cafe des Architectes too, and it's a lovely room in the curving glass facade of the Sofitel. Either one makes an excellent choice.

Our French Market, located just west of the Loop in one of the train stations, is worth a visit. Keep in mind that it just opened a couple of months ago, and it's not fancy. However, it has several dozen food booths and these include some of the very best that Chicago has to offer. Highlights include the croissants, entremets, and French macaroons at Vanille Patisserie; the artisan chocolates at Canady Le Chocolatier (whose main shop is in the South Loop, also not far away); the cheeses at Pastoral; and the rainbow cookies at Delightful Pastries. www.frenchmarketchicago.com

We have a LOT of places offering interesting and excellent Sunday brunches. You might want to take a look at the extensive brunch discussion at http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/364403 for lots of detailed reports.

I am really not fond of Avec and I don't recommend it, for all kinds of reasons - the no-reservations policy with waits to be seated as long as 90 minutes on weekends; the most uncomfortable seats of any restaurant in Chicago (you're sitting on wooden benches, boxes, or stools); and the LOUD NOISE LEVEL. I might be willing to excuse all of that if the food were really great, but I have found it disappointing, nothing special at all. All of the places in your original post have been far better in my experience.

While you're here, go to Garrett's Popcorn. There are several locations in the Loop and one on Michigan Avenue. They have caramel popcorn (with or without cashews or pecans), cheese popcorn, or a mix of caramel/cheese. Yum! www.garrettpopcorn.com

If you go to Hot Doug's, you should be aware of the time commitment necessary; allow 35 minutes to get there by car or taxi, or twice that by public transit, and then waits in line are typically another half hour.

Feel free to ask more questions, and enjoy your visit!

[chefhound]

I'm glad you enjoyed Toronto and found some great pastry. My friend and I really love cake, so we'll be looking for some good cake while we're visiting.

I'm curious about your thoughts on Blackbird. While I've been considering both Blackbird and Avec, I'm leaning towards Blackbird. I also thought Avec would be difficult with the lack of reservations and it seemed like it would be loud too. When you hear about Chicago restaurants, the ones most often mentioned are Alinea, the Bayless restaurants and the Blackbird/Avec/Publican group. As I mentioned in my original post, I've already got the first two covered so I wanted to try one of these and eliminated Publican because it seems more like an upscale beer place.

We might still try Hot Doug's (foie gras dog? yum!) but it might not be the best use of time. Brunch sounds great but we'll be leaving on Saturday. I think we're leaning towards Green Zebra for a hopefully light break in between the pretty serious meals we're going to have, and either Blackbird or Cafe des Architectes for our final dinner.

I'm looking forward to the French Market - it sounds like it mightbe similar to the Chelsea Market in New York. I've been to Sur la Table in other cities but the Chopping Block sounds like a new experience. And Fox and Obel - I love grocery stores - I can't wait!

I hope I can fit all this stuff in! Thanks for your help.

[nsxtasy]

For pastry, there's an extensive discussion at http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/542316 Briefly, my two favorite places in the city for pastry and baked goods are Fox & Obel, and Vanille Patisserie. Vanille is somewhat inconveniently located on Clybourn on the north side, but has an excellent representation in their booth at the new French Market. So if you visit the French Market and Fox & Obel, you'll be covering some of the very best pastry and baked goods in town.

Regarding the Kahan restaurants, I haven't been to the Publican yet, but it has received a lot of praise and it's on my "need to try it" list. From what I've heard, it doesn't sound to me like just an upscale beer place, but I'll leave it to those who have been there to fill you in. Blackbird is a bit different from Avec. They accept reservations, so you don't have the waiting madhouse aspect to it. Unlike Avec, I like the food at Blackbird A LOT. (I suspect Kahan has more of a role in the menu etc at Blackbird than at Avec.) However, Blackbird has its own downsides. It's noisy (although not as bad as at Avec). The seating is very cramped; much of it consists of banquette seating where you'll feel like you're sharing your conversation with the tables on either side of you. What I REALLY hate about Blackbird is that the portion sizes are very skimpy; last time I ate there, I was still hungry when I left. It's too bad, because I love contemporary American cuisine when it's done well, but I've found other places (especially Cafe des Architectes, under Chef Martial Noguier) with food that's just as delicious without all the downsides of Blackbird.

I know how there's a feeling you can't fit in everything you want to try. We are fortunate to have so many great places that you can never try all the places you'd like to. That's true even for those of us who have lived here a long time. Gotta just enjoy the places while you're there!

[chefhound]

nsxtasy, while you were in Toronto, did you make it to the St. Lawrence Market? Is the French Market similar? I'm definitely going to check it out - Vanille Patisserie sounds great - but I was just wondering if it was like Chelsea Market in NY or more like our St. Lawrence Market.

By the way, we've almost finalized our dinner selections. It will most likely be: Topolobampo, Green Zebra, Alinea and North Pond.

[nsxtasy]

>> while you were in Toronto, did you make it to the St. Lawrence Market?

No, I didn't - sorry!

Just FYI - when you see the Vanille booth at the French Market, it's surprisingly small. But they have their best items there - the French macaroons, croissants, and entremets. Whereas, if you actually went to Vanille's store on Clybourn, you would find a bit more selection of their products - but the storefront is surprisingly small as well!

>> By the way, we've almost finalized our dinner selections. It will most likely be: Topolobampo, Green Zebra, Alinea and North Pond.

Sounds great! If you get a chance afterwards, let us know how you liked everything.

[jbw]

As mentioned above, be aware that the French Market is still very new and very much a work in progress, so enjoy but keep expectations in check.

But no need to keep your expectations in check for Publican if you wish to reconsider, It's a terrific gastropub in every way, with wonderful selections of beers (local and Belgian in particular), and some good mussels (try the ones with chorizo if available) and particularly the pork selections. Wonderful flavors, not so much innovative. Blackbird is more innivativve and upscale, and I have a tendency to go at lunch, where it's a bit more reasonable and less of a scene, but will still provide a good sampling of what Paul Kahan can do.

[chicgail]

Publican is WAY more than an upscale beer place. The food is extraordinary and while it does have a huge and excellent selection of beers, the beers are designed to compliment the food. If you can get a reservation, I say put it at the top of your list.

Blackbird is good (very good, even), but as others have said, the tables are very close together and it can be a little cramped. You might want to consider it for lunch. Avec, also good, can be a long wait because it doesn't take reservations.

I happen to also be very fond of both North Pond for the location and the first-rate food and Mercat, both for the good food and the fun of it.

[twodales]

Well done as usual nsxtasy!

[twodales]

This may not be what you are looking for but may I also suggest you could try Bed Bath and Beyond for kitchen-y things? Esthetically, don't expect much. I hate the fluorescent lights and I feel like a mouse in a maze there but they do carry many kitchen items. We just went there the other day because the higher end shops did not have what we needed (a one or two cup fat separator) but BBB did. They have a few stores downtown. You can check their location here: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store...& Enjoy your stay!

[nsxtasy]

Bed Bath and Beyond is a nationwide chain that also has stores in Canada, including the Toronto area.

[twodales]

I knew they were a chain as is Williams-Sonoma and Sur la Table, but different locations carry different items in different cities and countries. BBB is not a lovely little kitchen shop or something to compare to E.Dehillerin but I have found things there that S la T or W-S don't carry. I use to trek to Northbrook when Chef's Catalog was around or to that restaurant supply place on Elston (Edward Don?). It seems that we have fewer and more homogenized choices these days so I work with what I have available to me.

When we were at BBB with my Swedish visitor this week, we also picked up a few mini angled measuring cups (measures tablespoons). A very handy little item. http://www.oxo.com/OA_HTML/xxoxo_ibeC...

[rachelschreider]

I can highly recommend The Publican. The pig ear salad is unexpectedly delicious and worth a try. I was not a fan of The French Market. I understand it's new but if you're limited on time, skip it and go to Fox & Obel instead. The Chopping Block in the Merchandise Market is worth a trip for the kitchen gadgets selection. Lincoln square has some great German food as well as market type stores.

[nsxtasy]

I ate at the Publican this past week and posted my report in the discussion at http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/694755 In short, the savory foods (meats, seafood) were excellent, the desserts were dreadful, and it's VERY NOISY. About half of the dining room is communal seating; if you have a preference for that or for your own table, indicate it when making your reservation and they will try to accommodate it.

[uhockey]

Having visited Toronto earlier this year I can say that your city has some gems itself - amazing places, actually.

Alinea and Topolobampo are great choices, but the rest are places you have similar in Toronto - especially Naha, North Pond, CDA, and Blackbird (though it is excellent.) Canoe is better than all of them, imo.

Most definitely check out Hot Doug's, get some deep dish (Art of Pizza - yum!,) and if you're interested in Breakfast don't miss on Bongo Room (though Bonjour Brioche is on par with the other great Chicago Breakfast place, m.henry)

I'd strongly recommend L20 as another option - nothing like that in Toronto that I saw.

Trotter is a landmark, as well - I'd strongly consider adding it if your expenses allow.

[nsxtasy]

I think your choices are great, chefhound! You've selected a nice variety, with one high-end place, one ethnic place, one specialty place, and one contemporary place with a uniquely Chicago-esque setting.

There is nothing in Toronto anything like North Pond's setting in the middle of Lincoln Park. I also think the contemporary American menu there, with its emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients, is a fine complement to the other places you have decided on.

And in my visits to Toronto, I have not had any food that was as dreadfully overpriced and overhyped as L2O. Furthermore, you already have an expensive high-end place on your itinerary, Alinea and it is our best such place; no need to add another like Trotter's, at least not on this visit. Maybe next time!

[uhockey]

See links for my extensive (perhaps sometimes overly wordy) experiences at all the places I’d recommend.

Trotter's is formal and unique fine dining, there really is nothing like his flavor combinations that I've seen in Toronto - the service, the bread, and the experience is well worth it. While it is a "set tasting" like Alinea, the food is very distinct. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/584531#4290490

North Pond, while the setting is beautiful, seems rustic and somewhat conformist in its flavor palate. I'd compare the cooking to Canoe in Toronto, but instead of the awesome skyline view you get the park (if you sit in the bar, otherwise you get a very dark room with heavy woods) http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/642915#4935560

Blackbird, while loud, is much more “foodie” focused than North Pond and while the setting isn’t as pretty I found the service, experience, and especially the food to be very progressive and delicious. Chef Kahan himself was in the kitchen and went out of his way to greet patrons, serve me my roasted (wow) foie Gras – it was sublime. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/652890#5035499

I’d grab a slice of pizza, for sure, while in town – and a dog from Hot Doug’s. The croissants at Fritz are amazing as well. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/642915#4927447

Finally – L2O is not at all overpriced for the quality of the fish sourced, the preparation, or the overall dining experience. What Gras is doing there is rivaled only by Providence in LA and the venerable Le Bernardin in New York for beautiful seafood-focused preparation. The bread service is to die for (to the point, in the opinion of some, that Alinea quit serving bread as a reaction to L2Os program) and each dish was sublime. It is in my top 5 meals ever and a must visit, in my opinion. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6528...

Other places I'd avoid: Spiaggia (overpriced, rude, small portions,) Moto (Like Alinea but more science and less soul/flavor,) Frontera Grill (loud, very much inferior to Topolobampo in my opinion) and Vie (long drive for "meh" food and experience

)

Other places I'd recommend: Bongo Room, m.Henry (Breakfasts to die for,) Cafe Spiaggia (more affordable, more friendly than the main house,) David Burke's Primehouse (their lunch is a STEAL,) TRU (dessert tasting - unreal)