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Chicago PSers - Need Restaurant Help

lucyandroger

lucyandroger

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
1,557
Hi there,

A friend of mine is moving to Chicago and I wanted to get her a little going away gift. I was thinking that a gift certificate to a nice restaurant in her new city would be a good idea.

So, any suggestions for a nice restaurant that someone new to the area should definitely try? I'm thinking of giving a $100 gift certificate so that would be around the price range for 2 people I'd be looking for.

Thanks so much!

ETA - Also, if you have a better idea for a going away present, please let me know!
 
A nice place would be the Signature Room at the top of the Hancock Building downtown, nice view of the skyline and Lake. A great idea would be Giordano's Pizza, a nice "welcome to Chicago food" kind of place. If they will be in the suburbs, Lou Malnati is also very Chicago style. My thinking cap is still fuzzy this morning so I will give it more thought and hope some more Chicagoans log in...
 
Do you know where your friend is moving? As in, which area of the city? (Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Bucktown, Streeterville, etc.)
Does your friend love a particular type of food?
I think it's a great idea because Chicago definitely has a lot of great restaurants.

I think a place close to where she'll live would be super nice, so if you happen to be able to narrow it down at all we can help you out! Chicago is a big city, after all.
 
Thanks, AprilBaby! I really like the Signature Room idea and you can buy giftcards right from their website.

Haven, She said she would be "downtown" but I don't recall a specific neighborhood. I'm not familiar with Chicago so it probably went right over my head. She eats all sorts of food - has lived all over the world. She is a yoga instructor/ personal trainer so I would say something that's not too greasy/ horrible for you would be great.
 
I think a gift certificate is a great gift.

As for recommendations, I would go with Frontera Grill! The more casual restaurant by Rick Bayless, Top Chef Master.
 
sillyberry said:
I think a gift certificate is a great gift.

As for recommendations, I would go with Frontera Grill! The more casual restaurant by Rick Bayless, Top Chef Master.
Click to expand...

Ohhh. Rick was my FI's favorite Top Chef Master. Love this idea. Thanks, Sillyberry!
 
I love the suggestions above. Another option is a Lettuce Entertain You gift card, which covers multiple restaurants in Chicago and also in the suburbs.
 
Ooh yes, Lettuce Entertain You GCs are a great idea. They often have specials that earn you an addition $20 GC if you buy $100 in GCs, too.

I LOVE Frontera Grill, that's an awesome rec. Now I'm very hungry.
 
Thanks, Aryana and Haven! The Lettuce Entertain You card sounds like an awesome idea as well...hmmm...

And Haven I'm hungry now too and I want to plan a trip to Chicago!
 
Not from Chicago but have spent a lot of time there.

I hate to be the naysayer, but have eaten at Topolobambo and was not at all impressed, so I would avoid any Rick Bayless establishment. It's only one of two restaurants in all of my travels that I've eaten at and been disappointed (the other was in Hawaii). It's also the only restaurant my husband and I have ever eaten at that we felt the need to lodge a complaint as service was horrific. Perhaps we just were unlucky but we were so displeased with the entire experience.

One of my favorite restaurants ever is Perennial (http://perennialchicago.com/). Amazing food, great service, fantastic atmosphere.

Lettuce Entertain You offers gift cards on their website (http://www.leye.com/gift-cards) that would be convenient and there are some great restaurant choices.
 
KimberlyH, I'm sorry you had a bad experience with a Bayless restaurant! Based on my experiences, though, you may have just been unlucky. Which is very unfortunate - I think he's such a treasure of Mexican cooking! Coming from a lover of Tex-Mex, that's saying something.
 
sillyberry said:
KimberlyH, I'm sorry you had a bad experience with a Bayless restaurant! Based on my experiences, though, you may have just been unlucky. Which is very unfortunate - I think he's such a treasure of Mexican cooking! Coming from a lover of Tex-Mex, that's saying something.
Click to expand...

Sillyberry, my husband and I both found the food to be quite bland, honestly. We live in San Diego and are lucky enough to have access to some amazing retaurants that cook authentic Mexican cuisine and were both looking forward to dining at a Bayless restaurant because of his amazing reputation. We walked out wishing we'd just gone to our favorite local restaurant that cooks similar food instead.
 
Hi lucyandroger,

What about Le Colonial? It fits all of your perameters: healthy, delicious, and everyone I know here loves it. A $100 gift certificate would be the perfect amount there...and it's in a fun neighborhood to visit if they're living a little further out of the city.

Here's their website: http://www.lecolonialchicago.com/

My other suggestion would be Spiaggia -- this is the Obamas' favorite restaurant in the city. It's delicious Italian food, and they have both a cafe (less pricey) and a main dining room (more costly).

Here's their website: http://www.spiaggiarestaurant.com/

You can't go wrong either way...such a nice, thoughtful gesture for your friend!! :)

Good luck!
 
wyndham said:
Hi lucyandroger,

What about Le Colonial? It fits all of your perameters: healthy, delicious, and everyone I know here loves it. A $100 gift certificate would be the perfect amount there...and it's in a fun neighborhood to visit if they're living a little further out of the city.

Here's their website: http://www.lecolonialchicago.com/

My other suggestion would be Spiaggia -- this is the Obamas' favorite restaurant in the city. It's delicious Italian food, and they have both a cafe (less pricey) and a main dining room (more costly).

Here's their website: http://www.spiaggiarestaurant.com/

You can't go wrong either way...such a nice, thoughtful gesture for your friend!! :)

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Ditto Le Colonial. It's one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago! I don't know if they do this, but if Toro Sushi offers gift certs, I would totally recommend them. I've tried a LOT of sushi places here, in NY, in Boston, etc. and short of going to Tokyo, I haven't found anything better.

ETA: http://torosushi.biz/
 
Thank you so much KimberlyH, Wyndham, and B.E.G.! These are all great suggestions.

No matter what I end up deciding, I'm going to give her a list of all these recommendations. I knew I could count on you guys! :bigsmile:
 
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