Condensed Chicago Food Must Haves

[Gorp512]

I will be headed to Chicago from Philly in March and will only have about 4 days of real food exploration on my trip. I wanted to fill my days and nights with real winners and uniquely Chicago food experiences. Here is what I have so far;

Day 1

Lunch- Probably will be getting in around this time, any recs of a quick bite? I am looking for a real Chicago dog place. Somewhere locals would go. I don't think I can make it out to Hot Dougs.

Dinner-Girl and the Goat, Purple Pig, or Publican?

Day 2

Lunch- I may be flying this one solo, so another street food/hole in the wall spot would be nice. Italian Beef?

Dinner- Celebrating a birthday and am looking for a quiet, comfortable, and memorable place. I am thinking North Pond. Any great places for drinks afterwards that would be nice to go to dressed up? Maybe Tru's dessert tasting? Or the Siganture Lounge? Not looking for something too crazy, just something memorable and special.

Day 3- (Alinea Day)

I already have my reservation for dinner at Alinea, so this day will obviously be centered around that. I am unsure about how much to eat before Alinea, I don't want to rush through because I was starving, also don't want to be full half way through.

Brunch/Lunch- Want to get to Hot Chocolate or Jam (or both) on my visit. Maybe this day

Dinner-Alinea-

Day 4

Lunch-I am going to need to get Chicago pizza on this trip. Wanted to head out to Burt's Place, but probably won't be able to make it. I have something later this night so a big lunch/early dinner would be ideal. Uno?

Misc.- Also would love recs for great cocktail bars/bars around the city. Will certainly be going to Violet Hour and Big Star one night. Anywhere else not to be missed?

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Sorry for the lengthy post, but I am trying to do my homework and really make this trip delicious. This is over my spring break, so if I am going to be in the cold of a Chicago March instead of a beach, it is going to taste good!!

Thanks in advance

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Alinea
1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614

Hot Doug's
3324 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

North Pond
2610 North Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60614

Hot Chocolate
1747 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Burt's Place
8541 N Ferris Ave, Morton Grove, IL

Violet Hour
1247 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

[ms. mika]

One more place for great and creative cocktails is The Drawing Room, which is located in the Gold Coast.

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The Drawing Room
937 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611

[jbontario]

Yes, to all and in the same vein as Drawing Room and Sable, you may want to try Gilt Bar in River North on Kinzie. A little bit of a scene yet laid back with great food and drink. Have had two very nice meals with superb cocktails.

Gilt Bar 230 W Kinzie (directly behind the merchandise mart) www.giltbarchicago.com

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The Drawing Room
937 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611

Sable Kitchen & Bar
505 North State Street, Chicago, IL 60654

[Siun]

I've only been to Gilt Bar for drinks and snacks but those snacks were amazing. It was a sendoff for a colleague so prime afterwork time on a Friday and the place was packed but still quite enjoyable and I definitely plan a return for food.

[Siun]

I haven't been to an Xmarx event but they do look interesting - and a great way to explore unexpected food available in Chicago. And I would definitely second Sable - they have booths where you can view the kitchen - not sure if they will seat just 2 folks there when busy but you can ask.

On the Jazz front, consider Jazz Showcase - really lovely club.

[Gorp512]

I also was wondering if anyone could tell me anything they may be hearing about Next/Aviary. Any chance they are opened by March? I probably won't make it to Next, but would love to try Aviary.

[masha]

There was a post on the LTH forum the other day indicating that they are well behind the targetted opening date of 2/1 but I don't know what that means for March.

[GraceW]

With respect to the quest for Chicago Pizza, you will get different opinions from everyone, but in my opinion, Lou Malnati's is superior. In addition, I have found it is harder to get seated and get my pizza in a reasonable length of time at Duo's or Uno's. Besides, Lou's has the best crust (and I don't even usually eat crust).

[nsxtasy]

When you phone in your order ahead of time, you'll be seated when it comes out of the oven (at the time you specify) at all of them - Uno/Due, Malnati's, or Pizano's.

All three are good, and all three are similar. Which is not a coincidence! Both Lou Malnati's and Pizano's were founded by sons of one of the principal players in the early decades of Uno and Due, and all three worked there for many years before the sons struck out on their own.

Depending on where you're located, one of these may be closer and more convenient than the other two. Whichever one that is, that's where I'd recommend going.

[nsxtasy]

Sounds like you've already done a lot of research! Here are thoughts about what you've laid out.

>> Lunch- Probably will be getting in around this time, any recs of a quick bite? I am looking for a real Chicago dog place. Somewhere locals would go. I don't think I can make it out to Hot Dougs.

Portillo's is always a great choice. Not the only choice, but one of the most popular places among locals. Also, Portillo's has the advantage of being a great place to get Italian beef as well as Chicago hot dogs. And the advantage of their location on Ontario being in the middle of the hotel district in River North/Mag Mile.

Another option, if you're looking for more exotic encased meats but you want to avoid the crowds at Hot Doug's, is Franks 'n Dawgs. It's a little closer to downtown, too.

>> Dinner-Girl and the Goat, Purple Pig, or Publican?

The places with buzz, huh? :) It may already be too late to get a reservation at the Girl and the Goat for March, but if you want to try, do it NOW, on Opentable or by phone. Purple Pig doesn't take reservations and waits for a table at dinner are excrutiatingly long; I recommend going there for lunch instead, when waits aren't so ridiculous. The Publican isn't my favorite, but at least you can make a reservation without difficulty; when doing so, specify if you have a preference either for your own table for up to 6, or for seating at the communal tables.

>> Lunch- I may be flying this one solo, so another street food/hole in the wall spot would be nice. Italian Beef?

As noted above, you can combine your beef and dogs at Portillo's one day, and do Purple Pig the other.

>> Dinner- Celebrating a birthday and am looking for a quiet, comfortable, and memorable place. I am thinking North Pond. Any great places for drinks afterwards that would be nice to go to dressed up? Maybe Tru's dessert tasting? Or the Siganture Lounge? Not looking for something too crazy, just something memorable and special.

All great choices. North Pond is great. It's not overly dressy; business casual is fine. TRU's dessert tasting is nice, and I've heard you can get it in the lounge to avoid the jackets-required policy in the dining room; check with them. The Signature Lounge atop the Hancock has that great view, of course. Here are two other places for drinks. The Violet Hour in Bucktown has amazing artisanal cocktails; if you go there, be aware that there is no sign outside, it's just a doorway hidden in the building's facade. Another option is Sable, in River North. Sable also has amazing artisanal cocktails - not coincidental, since their chief mixologist is a veteran of the Violet Hour. Sable also has terrific food; you can get anything from a full meal to some "small plates" of either the savory or sweet variety. The sweet corn creme brulee is a standout.

>> I already have my reservation for dinner at Alinea, so this day will obviously be centered around that. I am unsure about how much to eat before Alinea, I don't want to rush through because I was starving, also don't want to be full half way through.

Don't be overly concerned. Alinea has a lot of courses, but they vary in size, and they're spread over a long duration. I wouldn't starve yourself all day beforehand; it's really not necessary.

>> Brunch/Lunch- Want to get to Hot Chocolate or Jam (or both) on my visit. Maybe this day

My choice between these two would be Jam. Although I would choose Bongo Room first, if you haven't been there already. And M. Henrietta (the new sister restaurant to M. Henry) if you don't mind traveling from downtown (it's right at the Granville el stop on the CTA Red Line).

>> Lunch-I am going to need to get Chicago pizza on this trip. Wanted to head out to Burt's Place, but probably won't be able to make it. I have something later this night so a big lunch/early dinner would be ideal. Uno?

The original Uno and Due are excellent. So are Lou Malnati's (locations downtown on Wells in the west end of River North, and at 8th and State in the South Loop) and Pizano's (on State off the Mag Mile, and on Madison in the Loop). Remember to phone ahead with your pizza order to avoid waiting 30-45 minutes while seated for your pizza to bake.

>> Misc.- Also would love recs for great cocktail bars/bars around the city. Will certainly be going to Violet Hour and Big Star one night. Anywhere else not to be missed?

See above re Sable.

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

[Gorp512]

Thanks so much for the info. I will most definitely look into Sable. I wasn't too hyped about Girl and the Goat, Publican, and Purple Pig. We have some places in Philly right now doing those kind of things and they aren't necessary, but the Purple Pig sounds like a good place for lunch.

Some other Chicago-related things I forgot to ask. I was looking into possibly getting into an underground dinner party. I was looking into Xmarx.

Also, for the birthday dinner. By any chance, are there any exceptional chef's tables around town? Not necessarily something fancy, but I know here at home we have some ambitious young chefs who set up cool chef's tables in their byo's, gardens, etc.

And this has nothing to do with food, but where could I find the best jazz in town?

Thanks!!

[nsxtasy]

>> the Purple Pig sounds like a good place for lunch.

The nice thing about that option is, I believe they offer the same menu all day long. Which means you're getting "the real experience" even if you go for lunch.

>> I was looking into possibly getting into an underground dinner party. I was looking into Xmarx.

I've never been, and I don't see the appeal, at least not in terms of food compared with choosing from our many great restaurants. If your desire is to use it as a means to meet others, maybe.

>> Also, for the birthday dinner. By any chance, are there any exceptional chef's tables around town?

A few, not many, and they are in established restaurants. See http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/756500

>> And this has nothing to do with food, but where could I find the best jazz in town?

I know a lot of jazz fans like the Green Mill, in Uptown on the north side. www.greenmilljazz.com You should be aware, it's a somewhat seedy neighborhood that is very slowly improving. There are actually some good restaurants nearby, the best of which is Magnolia Cafe ( www.magnoliacafeuptown.com ) for contemporary American; other nearby options include Demera for Ethiopian, Marigold for Indian, and a whole bunch of Vietnamese places in the area around Broadway and Argyle.

Andy's Jazz Club is not quite as well known, but it's in the downtown hotel district which makes it a whole lot more convenient. www.andysjazzclub.com

You can find more info and listings of acts at www.chicagojazz.com/clubs-and-restaur...

[Tim N]

You can also try Segal's Jazz Showcase in Printer's Row. great place and has been around for ages. Not nearly as well known as the Green Mill. Segal's is also convenient to Buddy Guys if you are interested in some live blues.
http://www.jazzshowcase.com/