Lunch during the week

[csj18]

Looking for a good place for lunch. Places I like Purple Pig, Bin 36, Frontera Grill. No Asian food please.

Doesn't have to be in the city...we are coming from the Gurnee area so it can be suburban or even WI.

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Frontera Grill
445 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Bin 36
339 N. Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60610

Purple Pig
500 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

[BeanTownGolfer]

I'd tack Blackbird on your list. They have a great 3 course prix fix deal ($29 I think) or an a la carte menu.

[nsxtasy]

It's on the list above. And their website shows the price of the prix fixe lunch as $22, which is indeed a great deal.

[csj18]

Thanks, I did look at Blackbird and was interested. Wasnt sure how long of a wait for lunch there?

I had really wanted to try The Girl and the Goat, but no lunch. I like the small plate concept like Purple Pig.

I have been looking at Big Star, Longman and Eagle, De Cero, 90 Miles for a bit more laid back food.

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Girl and the Goat
809 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60661

Purple Pig
500 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

[nsxtasy]

>> Thanks, I did look at Blackbird and was interested. Wasnt sure how long of a wait for lunch there?

It's best to make a reservation there, either on Opentable or over the phone.

>> I like the small plate concept like Purple Pig.

A lot of places do small plates at dinner, but not so much at lunch, where portions are typically smaller anyway. The only reason Purple Pig does small plates at lunch is because they have the same menu all day long, so that's their dinner menu. Other places that do small plates for dinner include Sable and Inovasi (listed above) as well as Quartino and Mercat a la Planxa.

[chicgail]

Big Star has excellent tacos: pork belly, poblano and onion, fish, etc., plus queso fundito and beans. The food is superb, the atmosphere fun and casual.

Longman and Eagle is also fun and casual and, I would add, very, VERY hip. I think it has some of the most creative, superb food I've had. They eared a MIchelin Star,for pete's sake. I've been there twice for dinner and once for brunch (which they serve every day).

Some people have complained about long waits, but I've never waited longer than 15 minutes, which is just time to order and get started on a beer at the bar. I think the trick is to go at off times. Lunch or early evening is perfect.

For brunch I had a Sunny Side Duck Egg Hash. The truffle fragrance preceded it to the table. This is no rustic thrown-together hash. The dish is a neat ring containing hunks of duck confit, a brunoise of Yukon gold potatoes, fresh chopped spring onions and an exquisite, sweet black truffle vinaigrette swirled on one side of the plate. It is topped with two perfectly cooked fried eggs.

Mr. CH got a strata. It was a carefully composed concert of brioche, homemade chorizo, tiny Spanish pequilla peppers, dates, and ros, an artisan, aged sheep’s milk cheese from Spain’s Basque region. While it is egg that holds it together when it bakes, this strata is also topped with a fried egg. I wrote more here: http://foodbeest.com/?p=2516

I think there are also non-egg items on the brunch menu.

90 Miles very casual Cuban, has outdoor seating and is good, but not as good as the other two. And, sorry, I've not been to De Cero. Hope this is helpful.

[csj18]

Great info! Thank you so much ;-)

[nsxtasy]

Gee, I can think of HUNDREDS of great places open for lunch on weekdays!!! But here are the ones that come to mind as the "best of the best", going north to south, excluding Asian cuisines:

Northern suburbs, contemporary American - Inovasi (Lake Bluff), Jerry's (Winnetka), Bluette (Wilmette)
North Side Chicago, contemporary American - North Pond (summer only), Deleece, Lula
North Side Chicago, provincial Mexican - Mexique
Downtown Chicago, Italian - Piccolo Sogno, the Florentine, Cafe Spiaggia, Vivere
Downtown Chicago, contemporary American - Blackbird, Naha, Sable
Downtown Chicago, steaks - David Burke's Primehouse
Downtown Chicago, seafood - Shaw's Crab House
Downtown Chicago, French bistro - La Sardine, Kiki's Bistro
Downtown Chicago, Latin fusion - Carnivale
South Side Chicago, provincial Mexican - Mundial Cocina Mestiza

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Mundial Cocina Mestiza
1640 W 18th St, Chicago, IL 60608

Kiki's Bistro
900 N. Franklin St., Chicago, IL 60610

La Sardine
111 N Carpenter St, Chicago, IL 60607

David Burke's Primehouse
616 N Rush Street, Chicago, IL 60611

North Pond
2610 North Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60614

Cafe Spiaggia
980 North Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

Mexique
1529 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Shaw's Crab House
21 East Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60611

Piccolo Sogno
464 N Halsted, Chicago, IL 60622

Vivere
71 W Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603

Naha
500 North Clark St., Chicago, IL 60610

Carnivale
702 West Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60661

Inovasi Restaurant
28 E. Center Ave, Lake Bluff, IL 60044

[nsxtasy]

North Pond is no longer open for lunch during the week, not even during the summer. Sorry!

[csj18]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm checking them out!

[nsxtasy]

I did not mention the restaurants which focus on brunch, offering breakfast dishes as well as lunch dishes all week long, but those are also worth considering. The best:

Northern suburbs - Walker Brothers
North Side Chicago - M. Henry / M. Henrietta, Southport Grocery, Jam, Bongo Room
South Side Chicago - Bongo Room

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Bongo Room
1152 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

Southport Grocery & Cafe
3552 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60657