3 Nights in central Chicago - need help please

[millygirl]

We're planning a trip for early October and only have 3 dinner opportunities. Mr MG and I love food and want to make sure we capture the best of.....

I've done some homework and am leaning towards -
Spiaggia
Naha
The Girl and the Goat

I haven't booked hotels yet but it will be near the magnificent mile area.

Your thoughts? I was thinking lunch we'd probably just go on the fly but recommendations are appreciated for this also.

The Publician and The Billy Goat are some I've written down.

Thanks everyone. I'm getting very excited...this is our first visit I should add.

[nsxtasy]

Spiaggia is excellent for high-end Italian dining. Naha is excellent too, for upscale contemporary American dining.

Do you have a reservation at Girl and the Goat? If not, be aware that without one you may be waiting 90 minutes or more for a table.

I would also suggest something in addition to contemporary American and Italian, to provide some variety. For example, you could swap in a meal at one of our modern Mexican restaurants, such as a lunch at Topolobampo or a dinner at Mexique.

If this is on a weekend, you might consider Sunday brunch, perhaps at North Pond or Shaw's Crab House.

Make your meal reservations now, as some places book up well in advance; you can always change them if your plans change.

[millygirl]

Thank you all.

I believe I've left my planning to late re hotels, flights, etc to go in the next 4 weeks so trip has been postponed until spring when I can begin bookings much earlier.

[nsxtasy]

Thanks for letting us know.

Keep in mind, I believe the Girl and the Goat starts accepting reservations on Opentable three months in advance, and over the phone even earlier than that. Topolobampo starts accepting reservations on Opentable three months in advance. Both places fill their reservations up quickly. So if either or both is in your plans, you might want to give them a call long before your trip, to snag one of those reservations. Remember, if your plans change, you can always cancel your reservations.

[kathryn]

Great advice.

( GATG will let you book up to 6 months in advance on the phone, BTW.)

[jbontario]

I am a road warrior traveler so may I suggest you don't blow off October yet. You may have overlapped a big convention weekend which would mean lots of hotel room blocks that will be lifted mid- to late-September. Flights is another story, but we have three major airline hubs so flight prices are constantly fluctuating.

[millygirl]

This is why we never go anywhere. Neither of us are able to decide what we want for dinner in the evening let alone chose holiday dates months in advance. I recognize now that this is a problem and were gonna have to bite the bullet and figure it out.

As for this coming Sept Oct I spent an hour or so online trying to match things up and it just wasn't happening. With so many hotels etc to pick from the whole thing got to overwhelming for me. Travel agent, I'm not.

Maybe this weekend I'll play around a bit again but then I fear I won't get the restaurants.

Yeesh, how do people do it!!!! And unfortunately Mr MG is even worse at long range planning.

[cantatagirl]

Forget about the Billy Goat Tavern on Ogden Ave. in Chicago. The hamburger was not anything special. I just ordered grilled cheese and couldn'[t wait to leave. The odor at the bar was horrible. The smell of pine sol was everywhere to try to cover the old smell. There is alot of history there if you like goats and John Belushi.

[jbontario]

The Michigan Ave location on the lower level, the door is actually on Hubbard. This location, while actually the second spot, has tons of character and was a big press and political hangout 20 years ago. Now its fun to go, the burger is old-school grill burger on a big kaiser roll which holds the onions, relish and mustard really well. Go grab a bear and enjoy it for what its worth. Double Cheese, Double Cheese, Double Cheese, No Coke, Pepsi, but now you can get fries.

[chicgail]

For nostalgia if you are a big fan of early SNL. For food, service or ambiance? no.