Birthday celebration Group of 10 - Feedback and recommendations

[brucie]

I would appreciate any feedback on restaurants listed below and/or any better recommendations. There will be a birthday celebration with 10 people in attendance, all over 40 and half are frequent diners in Chicago. Some of the 10 people will not know each other and I thought a restaurant that was small plates (for sharing) with some focus on wine (again sharing and exchanging views) would be helpful in people enjoying themselves and getting to know one another. Everyone attending is from the Chicago area.

Birthday girl now lives in northern suburbs, but our first apt was in Sheffield and our first house was in Lakeview. I mention this because going back to our beginnings may also be a nice theme.

Anyway, any feedback on the list below and/or recommendations for other locations would be enormously appreciated.

Webster Wine Bar
Deleece
Sable
Randolph Wine Cellar
Mercat a la Planxa

Thank you all.

-----
Mercat a la Planxa
638 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605

[nsxtasy]

I haven't been to the two wine bars you mention, but I can comment on the other three, and also add some additional suggestions. If you don't want to read all the way to the end, my top picks would be Quartino (Italian small plates downtown), Sable (particularly if their small private room works out for you), and in the northern suburbs, the Stained Glass in Evanston, and Inovasi in Lake Bluff.

First, a general comment. If you really want people to get to know each other, you may be better off in a place that can give you a small private room. Many of the other small plates restaurants tend to be rather noisy, and with a group of ten in the main dining room, it's often difficult for those at one end of the table to hear each other. Not every restaurant can provide a private room for such a relatively small group, but it's something to consider. You can look up private room information for restaurants that take reservations on Opentable at www.opentable.com/info/banquets.aspx?m=3

Deleece and Sable are two of my favorite restaurants, where I have had the very best meals in the city of Chicago in the past year. However, Deleece doesn't really sound like what you describe. Deleece is more of a neighborhood bistro type place serving excellent contemporary American cuisine. It really doesn't feature small plates, and while the wine list is good, it's not exactly a wine bar type place either. Don't get me wrong - I love the place, the food is great, and it's very affordable. It's one of those "hidden gems" that you don't hear much about. But it's not exactly what you're asking for. Oh, and also note that Deleece is supposed to be moving down the street some time in the next few weeks.

Sable is much more of a "small plates" type place, because most of the items on their menu are available in half portions. And even those half portions are often served in ways that are easily divisible among several folks (for example, a half portion is three pieces of corned beef reuben strudel, three bacon-wrapped bleu-cheese-stuffed dates, etc). They have quite a wine list as well as amazing craft cocktails. They have a small private room that you might want to inquire about.

Mercat a la Planxa, of course, is an excellent tapas restaurant. It's somewhat loud, since it's one very large high-ceilinged room. I think it would be a good choice, one among many.

If I had to choose one place in downtown Chicago that combines what you're looking for - small plates and a nice emphasis on wines - it would be Quartino. The small plates there are Italian, and very good. Also a bit noisy.

Another place you might want to consider, since the birthday girl is in the northern suburbs (you don't mention where the others are coming from) is the Stained Glass, in Evanston. It's a wine bar serving excellent Mediterranean-influenced contemporary cuisine, many items in small plates. Also a bit noisy.

If the far northern suburbs work for your group, even further north is Inovasi in Lake Bluff. They have great food, and it's sort of a small plates format (most items are about 2/3 the size of conventional entrees). And I know they have a small private dining room that would be perfect for ten people.

All of those are good options for what you're seeking, with the setup and noise being something you might want to think about.

HTH

-----
Quartino
626 N. State Street, Chicago, IL 60654

Mercat a la Planxa
638 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60605

Deleece Restaurant (on Southport
)3747 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657

The Stained Glass
1735 Benson Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201

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

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