Anniversary dinner near River North area

[jenpanreno]

Hello--My husband and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary this weekend and are staying downtown for the weekend. We don't get out much anymore (2 young kids) and would love to try something new.

We've been to: Tru, Topolbampo, Frontera, Ruth's Chris, Chophouse, Joe's crab, Shaw's, Gene and Georgetti's, Bin 36, Al Primo Canto, Brasserie Jo, Wildfire

Any thoughts about a nice, not too decadently priced, place to celebrate our anniversary would be much appreciated!

[nsxtasy]

How do you feel about the places you've been? The reason I ask is, that will help provide some guidance as to appropriate suggestions. For example...

Most of the places you mention are steakhouses; if you want to stick with those, I would suggest trying David Burke's Primehouse. Tru is more of a "high end fine dining" place; there are other such places (Avenues and NoMI are both around River North) but they might violate your "not too decadently priced" rule. Brasserie Jo is a French bistro; in the same vein, you could try Kiki's Bistro.

There are other kinds of food that are not represented in your list, with places that would be suitable for your anniversary; so it's not clear whether you are avoiding those kinds of food, or would be open to considering them as well. You don't mention any places that serve contemporary American food; in the River North vicinity I recommend Cafe des Architectes, MK, Naha, and Graham Elliot. You also don't mention any Italian restaurants; I recommend Cafe Spiaggia, Coco Pazzo, and Pane Caldo.

Also keep in mind that many places book up in advance at desirable times, especially on weekends, so you're working at a disadvantage looking for availability for this weekend. Fortunately, you can use Opentable.com to find, at a glance, which places have availability for any given time. Here's how the places I've mentioned look for dinner openings for 2 this weekend:

David Burke's Primehouse - Friday wide open, Saturday booked between 6:30 and 8:45 (i.e. 6:30 or earlier is okay, so is 8:45 or later, nothing in between)
Avenues - Friday booked between 6:30 and 9:00, Saturday booked between 6:00 and 8:30
NoMI - Friday booked between 6:30 and 8:00, Saturday booked between 6:00 and 8:00
Kiki's Bistro - mostly open both nights
Cafe des Architectes - wide open both nights
MK - Friday only open at 6:00, Saturday only open at 5:30
Naha - Friday booked between 6:30 and 8:00, Saturday only open at 9:00
Graham Elliot - Friday mostly open, Saturday booked between 6:15 and 8:45
Cafe Spiaggia - Friday wide open, Saturday booked between 5:30 and 8:15
Coco Pazzo - wide open both nights
Pane Caldo - wide open both nights

If I could throw out another suggestion to consider, what about Sunday brunch? I see on Opentable that North Pond has availability for their brunch this Sunday, and - in addition to great food - it's such an exquisite and romantic setting, in the middle of the park, just perfect for your anniversary. It's about three miles north of River North, in Lincoln Park.

For more information about these places and to view their menus, go to their websites:
David Burke's Primehouse - www.jameshotels.com/Chicago-Hotel.aspx?name=The-James-Chicago&page=Primehouse
Avenues - www.peninsula.com
Kiki's Bistro - www.kikisbistro.com
Cafe des Architectes - www.cafedesarchitectes.com
MK - www.mkchicago.com
Naha - www.naha-chicago.com
Graham Elliot - www.grahamelliot.com
Cafe Spiaggia - www.cafespiaggia.com
Coco Pazzo - www.cocopazzochicago.com
Pane Caldo - www.pane-caldo.com
North Pond - www.northpondrestaurant.com

Congratulations, and enjoy your special night! And feel free to ask more questions!

[jenpanreno]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. I've made reservations at MK and we are really looking forward to it. We are still thinking about brunch options, as I mentioned, we have 2 young children who wake up with the roosters so the first priority is definitely sleeping in! Thanks again and I'll let you know how MK goes.