Los Angeles Hounds...looking for this coming weekend!

[liu]

We are several Los Angeles Hounds coming to Chicago for a family wedding.

We will be staying at the Sheraton in the River North area.

We are looking for Hound-ish places for dinner Thursday night, and all meals on Friday as well as breakfast and perhaps lunch on Saturday. We are a group of 6 adults (one vegetarian) + a child.

We are not looking for "fancy." We prefer clean and modern with excellent food. Truly, it is the food that is important here. We love Asian or any other ethnic restaurants and do not want a typical American meal.

I would appreciate any suggestions with details, please. Thank you in advance!

[jadec]

For dim sum I recommend Cai as one of the better Chinatown options. No carts, menu ordering only. There are decent vegetarian options too unlike many dim sum places.

[camusman]

Hopeful the OP, liu, will give us the promised report back so we can find out if Chicago has any good Asian food.
;->

[nsxtasy]

Of course Chicago has good Asian food! But it is better than some things than others. Our Thai food is very good, but since Los Angeles has two thirds of the Thai people living in the United States, it's at a distinct advantage over anywhere else. Chicago has great Indian and Pakistani food. Chinese is not a strength, but as Tony Hu expands his restaurant empire, that is changing (and there are numerous regional Chinese cuisines to consider). Chicago has some very good Vietnamese food, particularly around Argyle Street, but I'm not sure how that compares to other cities. Korean, Japanese, etc... There are so many different types of Asian cuisine that it's practically impossible to generalize. But it's pretty safe to say that Chicago has a lot of good Asian food.

[liu]

Hello, camusman!
No, I have not forgotten my duty to report back.

If I had something to shout about, perhaps I would have returned here sooner and with more enthusiasm. However, the "foodie" part of our Chicago travels did not turn out as exciting as I had anticipated. This is partly due to our schedule and family wedding-related obligations, and it is partly due to timing; sometimes, we just needed to eat close-by and could not afford the time to search for those gems that I had dreamed about. In truth, ChowHounding works when it works. But sometimes we are not in the company of other Hounds and they think chains are good enough. Other times C'Hounding is just not an option due to real-life schedules. So, we did the best we could to find a few good things to eat in Chicago.

We ate at Slurping Turtle. We were only four diners at that dinner, and two of us liked it and two of us did not. We arrived as the doors opened and were seated immediately at a window booth. We ordered several dishes. Some of the specials (oysters is what I am thinking of at this moment) had too many flavors...too much party going on! It was as if the chef was trying too hard to wed flavors that just did not meld together. Some of the other dishes were good. However, when we were done, we went in search of somewhere to have dinner! All of us were still hungry.

That same night that we had dinner at Slurping Turtle, we had our second and "real" dinner at Bandera on Michigan Avenue, upstairs. It was terrific! I had their special and most popular salad...and I would order it again and again! Our service there was attentive and friendly, and we enjoyed everything about it.

Another afternoon we wanted deep-dish Chicago pizza and ended up at Lou Malnati's. It was delicious and satisfied all of us!

We ate breakfast one morning at Fox & Obel, the gourmet market. I was very disappointed in the food there. It all looked and smelled so good, but nothing was so good. I was expecting very good toast...much to be disappointed about. Also, my eggs had a funky flavor about them. Perhaps their gourmet items in the store are good; I do not know.

One night for dinner there were just three of us. We stopped by Bao Wow on our way to our destination. We ordered at the machines -- which was fun and reminded me of a beloved noodle place in Tokyo -- and then sat at high tables with our dinner. The chocolate and custard bao's were heavenly. I also had a shredded cabbage bowl which was quite satisfying. I liked that I had options to replace the noodles or rice in the bowl with shredded cabbage. While this was not fine dining, it was quite fun and perfect as a casual and quick dinner option. AND, the bao's were really, really indulgent.

A few other places we ate are not worth mentioning, and quite honestly I can not remember the details. The fact that we did not find amazing food is our fault and not Chicago's absence of "good eats!" Food was not the focus of this trip -- much to my disappointment! -- so we did not search out the "best of" as we might have otherwise in accordance with the Chowhounds that we usually are. Still, we did enjoy the fact that we did have so many options and we did enjoy what we selected as it fit into our schedules.

Again, I wish to thank everyone here who posted their Chicago favorites. All of your suggestions were helpful and I appreciate your Chicago hospitality!

[camusman]

Thanks for the lengthy report! Much appreciated.

I'm glad you mentioned Bandera. It is a good option on Michigan Avenue that deserves more attention.

[liu]

Bandera is run by the Hillstone Restaurant Group. Houston's is part of this group as well. There are many similarities between the two. I like both!

http://www.hillstone.com/

[liu]

Correction: The name of the Bao place is Wow Bao and not "Bao Wow" as I mentioned in my post above. Opinions about it vary greatly. It served us well as a quick, informal dinner between other activities. And, as I mentioned, my cabbage bowl was good, as were the sweet bao's.

[RealMenJulienne]

You've already gotten a lot of great recommendations in this thread but I am more of a low- or uni-brow kind of guy so I'll throw out a slummier suggestion. When I think of true Chicago food more than anything else I think of the typical street stand menu. You can find fine dining lots of places but this is unique to Chicago as far as I know. For this kind of food in River North you have three solid choices: Al's Beef on Ontario, Portillo's on Ontario, And Mr. Beef on Orleans. Of the three I recommend Mr. Beef not because the food is better, but because it's a real deal old-school Chicago stand whereas the other two are prettied up for downtown. Atmosphere aside the food is not dumbed down at any of these three places.

It's fair to say I'm obsessed with Italian beef sandwiches so I recommend you try one "juicy hot" which means soaked in beef jus and topped with a hot pepper relish. I would rank the beef at these three particular places in this order 1) Portillo's 2) Al's 3) Mr Beef but all are good.

[liu]

Sounds good, RealMenJulienne!
This is exactly the type of eating that some of us enjoy most, even in our own city. We search and search to find good street food.

However, for this particular Chicago trip, we will need to curb our usual Chow obsessions in order to accommodate the rest of our group. I will keep Mr. Beef and the others in mind if we manage to sneak away from the group for a snack!

[liu]

Thank you, THANK YOU, to all you Chicago C'Hounds who responded so quickly and with so many wonderful recommendations!

We're off soon, so I will let you know what we tasted of Chicago upon our return in a couple of weeks.

My entire group thanks all of you for keeping the conversation alive and for offering so much good information beyond the food.

[ipsedixit]

Girl and the Goat.

[liu]

WOW, ipse~
You moved from LA to Chi-Town very quickly!

I do so appreciate YOUR recommendation!

[liu]

Girl and the Goat...looks like a lot of fun, but "reservations required in advance" might not suit our spontaneous style. Still, I have it on my list.

[kathryn]

Girl and the Goat books up 3-6 months in advance. A walk in with a party of seven might take a very long time. It is also pretty loud and I've never seen any kids there--the atmosphere seems much more geared towards adults. You'll have to show up before they open to avoid a wait, so before 4:30pm.

[liu]

Thank you and I agree that this style of restaurant might not suit us for this trip.

[kathryn]

The food is wonderful, but better to come back as a party of 2-4 and book ahead.

[nsxtasy]

Just to support kathryn's comments - I ate there in a party of six, and the noise level was loud enough that it was difficult for everyone to hear everyone else at our own table. (There are even louder restaurants in Chicago though - I'd call it an 8 out of 10 for noise.)

[nsxtasy]

Beware, Girl and the Goat is very popular, and their reservations book fills up months in advance. You may be able to walk in without a reservation if you go early when they open the doors at 4:30, but otherwise you can expect a long wait without a reservation. Girl and the Goat is in the West Loop, almost two miles west of the Sheraton. (FWIW, I've been there and I was underwhelmed, but others like it.)

G&TG and the Bayless restaurants are the only ones mentioned where it's tough to get a reservation a couple of weeks ahead. Topolobampo, you're probably not interested in, but dinner books up months in advance, lunch only a week or two. Frontera Grill only accepts a handful of reservations, and keeps most of the dining room available for walk-in traffic; as noted above, waits can be lengthy unless you go before they open the doors.

You really, really, REALLY should consider making reservations anywhere you're planning to go, especially for dinner on a Friday or Saturday and especially for a group of your size; otherwise you may encounter a lengthy wait to be seated or you may even be refused entirely. Remember, if you change your mind, you can always cancel a reservation you've made.

[liu]

"...I was underwhelmed..."

Thanks for your honest take, nsxtasy.
This is probably not the restaurant for us as a group of 7.

[sherris]

Rick Bayless' restaurants are always wonderful and close to where you will be staying. Here's the link: http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/

[liu]

Thanks for the link, sherris.

Surely, being so close by will encourage us to take a look. However, these Rick Bayless restaurants might be too crowded and too formal for our walking shoes!

[mrsdebdav]

Consider Orange (River North location) for breakfast. Good food, veg sausages as well as the usual swine suspects.
http://orangerestaurantchicago.com/
I'm veg and love Asian cuisine, but I don't think this is Chi's long suit.
Sable at the Hotel Palomar offers a nice menu of delicious small plates, many of which are veg. I would suggest a table on the patio so the child can stretch his/her legs.
Would also suggest you check google maps for restos near your hotel and come back with questions.

[liu]

mrsdebdav, thank you!

Small plates menus work for all of us...we are family and we can share!

I also appreciate your consideration of our 5-year-old. She is a good traveler, but meals can be boring for her. She is not a ChowHound, yet!

[camusman]

<<I'm veg and love Asian cuisine, but I don't think this is Chi's long suit. >>

Sorry, I have to take issue with this. Chicago's Chinatown, Argyle, and North Center neighborhoods have many excellent Asian restaurants. Liu, let us know if you are willing to take the trains to get to restaurants and we can point you to great Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai places.

[nsxtasy]

I agree with this. (We also have numerous Indian and Pakistani restaurants in the Rogers Park neighborhood.)

The neighborhoods comprising "downtown Chicago" have a lot of restaurants offering very high quality at a range of price points. But they don't represent the full variety of our local cuisine. Less expensive ethnic restaurants are not as common in the downtown area because of high rents, and because that's not where their local customer base lives. Chicago is well-represented by cuisines from every corner of the world, but many of them are only found in outlying neighborhoods (and a bit in the suburbs). Some of these cuisines, particularly those from Asia and Latin America, are also found in the Southland, so they may not be that different from what you can find back home. Others, such as Eastern European foods, are more common here than in SoCal. And of course, Chicago is also well-known for our local specialties, including deep-dish pizza, Italian beef sandwiches, and Chicago-style hot dogs (and those CAN be found in the downtown area).

[liu]

I know we will have deep-dish pizza for one lunch or dinner...where?

Thanks, nsxtasy, for your insightful comments. Even though we find Asian in all its permutations in SoCal, it is our first love. I would love to have your recommendations for some Asian restaurants, even if it means that we will need to weave our way through the city to get there...will travel for great Asian food!

[nsxtasy]

For deep-dish pizza, there are several good choices. The original Uno and Due, where deep-dish started, are the closest to your hotel, and are still good. (Unlike their franchised siblings, the two original locations still use the original recipe.) Lou Malnati's is very reliable too; their downtown locations include Wells Street in River North, State and Rush in the Gold Coast (near the north end of the Mag Mile), and 8th and State in the South Loop. Pizano's is good too; their downtown locations include State north of Chicago in River North, and on Madison in the Loop near the Art Institute. Any of these is excellent and representative of our great deep-dish.

They are also related by family. In the early decades of Uno and Due, one of the principal members of the staff was Rudy Malnati Sr. and his sons worked with him there for years. His son Lou went on to found his namesake restaurants beginning in 1971, and his son Rudy Jr. started Pizano's in 1991.

Deep-dish usually takes 30-40 minutes to bake. If you want to avoid waiting this long while you're seated in the restaurant, you can call ahead with your pizza order so it's ready shortly after you get there. I know you can do this at Lou Malnati's and Pizano's; I've heard that the downtown Uno and Due don't do this for dine-in.

For Asian, I'd second camusman's recommendations for Vietnamese. For Thai, consider TAC Quick in Lakeview (at the Sheridan stop on the CTA Red Line). For Chinese, I prefer spicy Szechuan food. My favorite is Double Li on Cermak, and Lao Sze Chuan is also good. Both are in Chinatown; take the CTA Red Line south to the Cermak-Chinatown stop.

[camusman]

Big +1 on TAC Quick. About as good as Aroy Thai in my book. The chalkboard specials at TAC are very reliable.

[liu]

Yes, camusman, we are will to take the trains...but not too far with a 5-year-old.

Go ahead and point us in the direction of some good Asian places, and please drop a few names. I'd love to hear the details, as well: what you like to eat there, what we should not miss...all that Chow talk!

And again, camusman, thank you for staying with this conversation and getting us to this point. It is those Chow places that we are searching for!

[camusman]

If the little kid is like mine, the train might be fun. It is a bit of a ride out to the ethnic Asian restaurants, but not bad.
For Vietnamese, take the Red Line train to the Argyle stop. My two favorites are Nha Hang Viet Nam and Tank. Nha Hang can make up a nice plate of chow fun noodles for the little one but you should go for the pho, the claypot catfish, and the red crab. Also nearby is a top Cantonese place called Sun Wah, which can give you a fantastic Beijing Duck dinner if you call ahead (but it's closed on Thursdays).
For Thai, take the Brown Line to the Damen stop and hit Aroy Thai. (Sit in the last train car for a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline.) So many good things there I can't really single one out.

[liu]

Thanks! This is all good information, and I do think our granddaughter will like the train! Surely, I would have at that age!

Japanese? Japanese small plates would be perfect -- if the place is highly recommended. Then we can mix in some veggie plates with some other more fishy items!

[camusman]

I think you would enjoy Roka Akor for Japanese. Less than a mile from your hotel.
One word of caution: You said your family prefers spontaneity, but many of these places will be busy on a Friday night, and getting a table for 7 might require a wait. Try to call ahead, even if it is only a little ahead.

[liu]

Roka Akor sounds good! I so appreciate your focus on my request, camusman!
Thanks, too, for your wise words about calling ahead.

[ipsedixit]

Please, please, please do not waste your time, or calories, on Roka Akor. The best thing about Roka Akor is that it is one of the few restaurants with a Palindrome name.

Also, the Chinese in Chicago's Chinatown is pretty average. Lao's is simply pedestrian, even to the most untrained palates -- and yours is most definitely not untrained.

[liu]

Well, thanks, ipse~
Truly, it is not that my palate is "not untrained;" rather every day I realize how fortunate I am to have the San Gabriel Valley available to me! Every Saturday is so delicious!

At the moment I am on a shave ice kick...where else but SoCal? !!!

--and thanks for your advice about Roka Akor. I so trust you!

[kathryn]

What are your thoughts on Yusho?

My husband challenges that it's better than Yakitori Totto in NYC. I think it's just as good, but different because it's non-traditional.

[ipsedixit]

Sorry, never been to Yusho.

[kathryn]

Definitely try it, it's one of the best restaurants I've been to in Chicago. Very high level of cooking and attention to detail.

[ipsedixit]

I will be there in October. Anything in specific you recommend?

Thanks.

[kathryn]

Their menu is fairly seasonal, my review is here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/859890

And they take reservations, which is nice.

[camusman]

Ipse, have you had any good meals at Japanese or Chinese restaurants in Chicago?

[ipsedixit]

Japanese, yes.

Chinese, no.

[nsxtasy]

I've had excellent Szechuan Chinese food at Double Li and Lao Sze Chuan.

Another really interesting Chinese restaurant is Shanghai Terrace. It's in the high-end Peninsula Hotel, and the food and service are delicious and exquisite. They serve food from a variety of Chinese regions. It's not inexpensive; prices are comparable to upscale contemporary American restaurants. And it's not as casual as Chinese restaurants typically are; for example, appropriate attire is business casual. But it's well worth considering if you're looking for some of the best Chinese food in town, in a luxurious setting. The food is excellent, creative, interesting, and delicious.

[ipsedixit]

Shanghai Terrace is like PF Changs with better silverware.

[nsxtasy]

Sounds like perhaps you have never actually eaten there...

[ipsedixit]

We were there last summer when my friend dropped of her daughter at Lake Forest College.

My comment wasn't a slam on Shanghai Terrace. It is what it is, a faux Chinese, Asian fusion restaurant.

That's not necessarily the problem with it. The problem is that liu is coming from LA, where there are plenty of such restaurants (Mr. Chow, Joss, etc.). Why go to Chicago and dine on something she can get back at home?

Maybe Shanghai provides a better view, but surely there are better ways to enjoy the view while dining ...

[nsxtasy]

>> Why go to Chicago and dine on something she can get back at home?

Actually, she can probably get just about anything back home that she can get here, with the possible exceptions of authentic deep-dish pizza, Italian beef sandwiches, and Chicago-style hot dogs, all of which she has said don't fit her needs for this trip. (Chicago also excels in contemporary Mexican cuisine, but L.A. may be the only other city this side of the border that also does that well.)

Lots of people come here, and not everyone wants to eat foods that they can't get back home. For example, some visitors ask about the best steakhouses here, even though you can great steaks in any large city around the country. And that's fine; people can decide for themselves whether to seek out foods that are unfamiliar to them, or whether they would like to have the same kinds of foods that they are accustomed to eating back home. As long it's great food, it's all good.

Oh, and you're dead wrong about the authenticity of the food at Shanghai Terrace, which is part of the Peninsula Chicago hotel. The company that owns the Peninsula hotels, the Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels, Limited, was started in Hong Kong in 1866 and is still based in China, where three of their nine Peninsula hotels are located. They designed the menus at Shanghai Terrace in conjunction with their other hotels, and they are similar to the menus at their hotels over there. There's absolutely nothing "faux" about it. The main difference is that the food is what's served as upscale Shanghainese and Cantonese cuisine in theirs and other luxury hotels in China, rather than the street food (i.e. "cheap eats") you find at other, less expensive Chinese restaurants, here and there.

[camusman]

<<Japanese, yes.

Chinese, no.>>

Perhaps it would help the OP if you would indicate which Japanese restaurant in Chicago met your standards?

[Willa]

<<Japanese, yes.

Chinese, no.>>

Ipsedixit, I disagree with your assessment of Chinese food in Chicago. I adore Asian food. Asian food is exquisite, exotic, sophisticated, complex, very personal, and very creative. Some of the recipes are centuries old. When I go to Cal -- San Francisco, usually - I can't get enough of it. My trips even if for business are also fun food trips and we will eat four or more small meals a day just to try places. Thai and Chinese food is different in every part of the U.S. I have had Chinese and Thai food so good it makes me cry in San Francisco, absolutely love Yang Sink for dim sum, Marnee Thai...Khan Toke....dozens of great Asian Restaurants (not so many in SF Chinatown, I usually avoid it except for this little dive under a bridge on the outskirts of Chinatown, cannot remember the name!).

I don't understand why you have not had any good Chinese food in Chicago. And further, I think that just because CAlifornia has excellent Asian cuisine doesn't mean that Chicago's Asian cuisine is not something new to experience for people from the West Coast.. I have found, traveling all over the country, that in each region the Asian food is somehow different. The recipes differ. Slight differences in ingredients and proportions. I like to try Gang Par (Jungle Curry) in every city I go to because I am addicted to it. The ingredients are different. The Chinese food differs just like the Thai food does. I have had very bad Asian food in California too. Plenty of it. West Coastern Asian food does not sit alone on a pedestal to me, as good as it can be.

It sounds like you have closed your mind to Chinese food, particularly to Chinatown, in Chicago. I had the same problem with Chinatown for years until recently. Tried it repeatedly, had many horrible meals and finally gave up on it. I have re-discovered Chicago's Chinatown! Some of the restaurants are exceptional, and I have not tried as many as I would like to. I agree with the Lao restaurant supporters. The food is definitely not "pedestrian" in my opinion. Have you tried their pork stomach? Chicken feet? Fish in black bean sauce with silky tofu ---omg. Such fresh, flaky sole. It melts in your mouth. Even the Americanized standards are great. The vegetable dishes are beautiful and fresh, with wonderful flavors. I think the pot stickers at Lao Szechuan are the best I have had anywhere. My own might compete with theirs except I am still trying to learn how to make the wrappers. And Lao Shanghai is one of the few Chinese restaurants in Chicago where you can get soup dumplings. Moon Palace is another. I'm not as fond of Moon Palace, though. Actually, there is a dim sum restaurant in Chinatown up on the second floor of that mall, just north of the big main drag, called Cai. I was taken there for the first time recently by one of my partners who knows the Lao owner. Cai has soup dumplings! They were good, not great. But delicious dim sum and other entrees, huge variety, luscious experience. So far, having not been to Shanghai, Joe's in New York has the best soup dumplings I have had, but I may have simply not found them all yet.

Since soup dumplings are scarce in Chicago, I have learned to make them. Such a wonderful little thing, the soup dumpling. My mouth is watering. The broth is key.

I also make my own Thai curries. So does my sister. We compete with each other, make two separate curries and decide who made the champion curry that night. I have studied asian ingredients, including Chinese dishes of course, for years as a hobby. I have great respect for the cuisine. We have huge Asian markets, even in the sneered-at suburbs. Oh, right, Yu's Mandarin is very very good, by Woodfield Mall out here in the burbs. Shopping at an Asian market here is like going to an amusement park to a little kid. The markets have an incredible variety of pristinely fresh fish, all looks beautiful and many varieties of which I have not yet tried, sushi quality meats, exotic meats, mouth-watering produce (I bought and prepared fresh bamboo shoots a week ago. Those have poison -- cyanide or arsenic or something bad like that -- in them and must be boiled to cook them and get the poison out. Then, so very delicious and better than canned bamboo.). The markets have Thai eggplant, Japanese eggplant, baby eggplant, Indian eggplant, Chinese eggplant -- and for something different, fresh waterchestnuts! Kaffir leaves. Long beans. Every kind of chile. Bitter melon. Quail eggs. Chinese greens, Indian curry leaves. Fresh lychees. Beautifully fresh Chinese noodles. Tiny straw mushrooms, unpeeled, in bins.

I have gone on for a while now, so that you know I understand a little about Asian cuisine (I know I have barely scratched the surface even after 30 years) and you are discussing Chicago Chinese food with an Asian cuisine addict and general foodie. So now I ask -- how can it be that, with such careful attention to quality and freshness that I have seen in our Asian communities, and the pride that they take in quality and cuisine, as some of us do in every culture, all over Chicago and even in suburban markets, and with such an obvious passion that the Chinese have for their food -- and with the wonderful Asian meals that I have happened upon in Chicago and yes, even in some of the suburbs, every bit as good or better than those in the West Coast -- that you have not had a good Chinese meal here in Chicago? You must keep looking! LOL.

I think it is a little bit unfair to our Asian community in Chicago to be so negative about all of Chicago's Chinese food. I do understand that you like the quality or character of the Asian food on the West Coast better than that of Chicago. But you can always be surprised. I was driving home from Peoria, Illinois (Central Illinois, in the middle of farm country) the other day after a business trip. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I craved Thai food. My navigation system (I use it to find ethnic restaurants, LOL!) told me that there was a Thai restaurant in Normal, llinois. I jumped off the expressway and found it. Unbelievable. It looked like an old Denny's. It said Thai Restaurant in small letters over the door. The wait staff were all Illinois State college students. I had few expectations but went ahead and sat down. I ordered Kang Pa and Green Curry chicken. I had to explain to the waiter, a nice young man, what those dishes were. They were on the menu but he was new. When the food arrived, I was blown away. The Kang Pa was so delicious -- it is what I look for and what is so hard to find anywhere. Very very hot and spicy. Just the right amount of broth, fish sauce, palm sugar, curry paste, no coconut milk, good choice of vegetables, tender fresh chicken. They used the necessary rhyzomes, and not too many of them. The Green Curry was just beautiful as well. Go figure! Obviously, the chef or the owner knew what he or she was doing. I had a great time that afternoon. Those dishes were totally unique. They belonged to the chef, and happily to me as well for a short time. Have never had quite the same versions of the curries anywhere in the country. And I order them every time I can.

I'm done with my tome on Asian food. I just love Chowhound and have recently been having a lot of fun with it. Cannot wait to exchange more thoughts on the little, out of the way places we are so lucky to have in Chicago.

Last comment. I have eaten at Shanghai Terrace twice and I loved it.

[nsxtasy]

Willa, thank you SO MUCH for sharing those thoughts here on Chowhound. You provide a wonderful perspective on Asian food throughout the United States as well as on your own background and interest. I enjoyed reading it and I learned a lot from it. Thank you!

[Willa]

You are quite welcome! I am supposed to be working on two huge projects for my day job. Big hearing and argument tomorrow in Peoria (hey! just realized! I can go back to that funky thai restaurant on the way home!). Outline due for speech at 8 a.m. I have not started it. It is now 8:30 pm. Avoiding the projects by browsing through Chowhound and typing away for hours. Do you think I might be in the wrong line of work?

[Willa]

LOL! I got so hungry thinking about Chinese food, and I am really in serious trouble with my projects so no time left to play, I ordered Chinese delivery from our Grubhub service. This restaurant has been in my neighborhood for years. It is in one of those strip malls that seem to be jinxed, where there are no good stores and most stores cannot keep there business going. Bad location. Ugly. I was NEVER going to try it. But I was desperate a while ago and I ordered from the place. I loved it! Again, what a surprise! It's called China Wok, in Arlington Heights. Might be Prospect Heights.

[kathryn]

Joe's is nowhere near the best XLB in NYC. Try Nanxiang, Red Farm, Shanghai Cafe.

I grew up in SoCal and lived in the Bay Area. While the Bay Area has good Chinese food, you can't really compare against the sheer breadth and depth of Southern California, especially if you're willing to drive around for the best Chinese food.

[Willa]

Thanks, Kathryn. I know of Shanghai Cafe and agree with you! Have not been to the others, but have not been to NYC in a while.

[jbontario]

For Japanese with the family and without breaking the pocket book, i would try Slurping Turtle. It is really one of top 5 restaurants, i try to go with at least four people so you can order a couple/few different noodles and share. Add some apps and/or yakitori. They also do a bit of sushi, but i've not yet tried. There are no reservations so I always call about 15 minutes before I want to go to see how the wait looks.

[liu]

Hi, jbontario.
I am glad that you responded with your vote for Slurping Turtle.

Camusman recommended it upstream as my first response to my post here. For some reason, I rejected it; perhaps I was waiting for more options.

Actually, Slurping Turtle might be perfect for our group. I appreciate your advice about calling ahead to see how crowded they are...or, we might just go early, as soon as they open.

I am glad that your post directed me to a second look at this restaurant!

[kathryn]

If the menu appeals, try Yusho, run by a Trotter's vet who was inspired by Japanese street food and a grilling centric restaurant in Basque country in Spain. They take reservations on their web site. The food is excellent, as is the cocktail list. One of the best dishes there is a grilled maitake mushroom with a runny egg. Really wonderful, creative cooking. Not your typical yakitori joint.

If you like Asian food, don't miss it.

[danimalarkey]

When is your trip? I didn't think I saw it mentioned -- and I only ask because if you do head to Chinatown, I think taking a water taxi is one of the best ways to get there (weather permitting). Routes/maps/ticket information here: http://www.chicagowatertaxi.com/SiteP...

I've been a huge fan of Lao Hunan these days. It's much smaller than Lao Sze Chuan, but I find the dishes to be worth dealing with a line. There's also a strong Chairman Mao/Red Army theme going on. Some of my favorites include Dry Chili Fish Fillet, Chairman's Favorite Pork Belly, Twice-cooked Duck, Jade Tofu, Ground Pork with Preserved Sour Bean, Famous Prawns in Hot Wok and Preserved Beef with White Chilli. To name a few. :D

[liu]

Hi, danimalarkey!
Your recommendation for Chinatown and the water taxi are terrific...will definitely do it!

We will be there in a couple of days and through the long weekend.

Lao Hunan sounds delicious to me. Thank you for suggesting some very specific dishes!

[nsxtasy]

Incidentally, these restaurants whose names start with "Lao" are all owned by local Chinese restaurant empresario Tony Hu. Each one is somewhat different (often but not always distinguished by a specific region). You can go to all of their websites at www.tonygourmetgroup.com

I haven't been to Lao Hunan, but it's on my list of places to try.

[masha]

I second the recommendation of Sun Wah as a great place for inexpensive, tasty food for a family group. It's up in the same Argyle St. neighborhood as the Vietnamese restos. Reserve in advance for the Peking Duck. Better yet, be sure to order noodles -- they are homemade & unbelievably good.

Have not yet been to Slurping Turtle. It too is supposed to be good but does not take reservations & is very popular. Not sure what the wait is like, but that could be an issue with a 5 year old.

Yusho is good but I was not as blown away by it as the reviews (both in the press & on CH) had led me to expect.

[liu]

Sun Wah...got it! I am glad to get another vote for this one, masha...thanks!

[chicgail]

Slurping Turtle is excellent. I wanted to taste everything on the menu. We went on a very hot Sunday evening this summer and were seated immediately.

[nsxtasy]

Casual with extraordinary food. Yes, we can do that! (So can L.A. - I've been to Animal!)

The previously-mentioned Frontera Grill is an excellent choice. They are open for brunch on Saturdays, and while waiting times to be seated are typically 90 minutes or more, you can avoid a long wait by arriving 10-20 minutes before they open the doors at 10:30. You can also do the same thing for lunch, which opens at 11:30 on weekdays.

Here are more places that qualify, and all are within roughly a ten-minute walk of your hotel: Sable (contemporary American small plates, artisanal cocktails - my absolute favorite restaurant in downtown Chicago), GT Fish (seafood small plates), Mercat a la Planxa (tapas), Piccolo Sogno Due (Italian), Quartino (Italian small plates), Purple Pig (Mediterranean small plates), the original Uno and Due (deep-dish pizza), and Lou Malnati's on Wells (deep-dish pizza). All of these are fine for families of all ages, and all have items of interest to vegetarians. All are open for lunch as well as dinner, and all except Purple Pig and the pizza places accept reservations (including on Opentable) which are strongly recommended.

For breakfast, you have a unique place right inside your hotel. It's a restaurant called LB Bistro, and it features food from a world pastry chef champion. The food is extremely high quality (check out the all-you-can-eat buffet), although the atmosphere is standard hotel coffeeshop, nothing fancy. There are other casual breakfast specialty restaurants within a few blocks, including Yolk, Eggy's, and Eggsperience, although these are really ordinary and if you want something a bit more unusual, you're better off walking ten minutes to Meli Cafe on Wells. Other nearby places I like for breakfast include Heaven on Seven (Wabash location), South Water Kitchen, and Atwood Cafe. (Orange is okay, but it's a bit further than all of these other places and not any better.)

You are also two short blocks walk from Fox & Obel, our premier gourmet food store. They have the very best of everything, including prepared foods, basics like meats and fish, etc. Their bakery department is one of the best anywhere, particularly for breads more so than pastries; don't miss their rich cinnamon swirl rolls, rustic fruit and nut bread, brioche loaf, etc. I occasionally eat breakfast in the cafe in the rear; it's not fancy and not that unusual, but its location makes it very convenient.

Incidentally, River North usually refers to the area on the other side (west) of Michigan Avenue from the Sheraton. The area east of North Michigan Avenue (the "Magnificent Mile") is often called Streeterville, sometimes River East.

[liu]

OKAY...I hear a passionate Hound inside you, nsxtasy!
All of your suggestions sound great! My special thanks to you, nsxtasy, for your Fox & Obel recommendation; that surely interests us! I am also glad to know about having a great breakfast at LB Bistro in the hotel; otherwise, we might have missed this.

I also very much appreciate that you have offered me a geography lesson. As is probably obvious, I do not know Chicago; your clarification helps!

My sincere thanks! I will take your suggestions with me.

[camusman]

Withing walking distance of your hotel:
Rick Bayless's Mexican places, Topolobampo/Frontera Grill/Xoco
Slurping Turtle
Quartino

[liu]

Thanks, camusman!
I will do a little research on all of your suggestions.

I do appreciate your quick response.

[liu]

Topolobampo and Frontera Grill look good, but they appear to be a little nicer and dressier than what we want for this weekend. However, Xoco might work well for one of our lunches, either Friday or Saturday...thanks!

We will be tourists on Friday and part of Saturday, so we are searching for something that is casual with extraordinary food.

[kathryn]

Extraordinary, vegetarian friendly, and kid friendly, is a tall order!

Topolo is the formal one, Frontera is much more casual. However the lateness of your planning means there are likely no reservations left. Waits can be long, not sure how tolerant your party will be.

For something casual and excellent near the Magnificent Mile, try Purple Pig for a lunch. No reservations, so lunch is better than dinner for waits. Do check the menu to see if the vegetarian sees enough for he/she to eat. They have great vegetable antipasti.

For breakfast on the go near the Loop, Do Rite Donuts. Near the Loop for lunch is Mercat a la Planxa.

[liu]

Thank you for your helpful response, kathryn.

I will check out all of them!

[liu]

kathryn, well, donuts are always good!!!!

Mercat a la Planxa for tapas looks good and might serve well for a mixed group as we are. Thanks for this suggestion.