Traveling To Chicago

I’m traveling to Chicago this week and meeting up with several friends to see Ireland play New Zealand in rugby at Soldier Field. We have dinner reservations at Grace for Thursday night, so I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for good places to go to lunch. Perhaps an Italian food, anything really.

Thanks in advance. champagne.gif

Grace is lovely.

Where are you staying in the city? And for food are you looking for something fancy or more low key?

Off the top of my head

Roister
Dove’s
Au Cheval
Topolobampo
MFK

For Italian - Cafe Spiaggia

George

I was awaiting the hotel location, but Au Cheval (elevated bar food) and Cafe Spiaggia were the first ones that came to mind as well.

Lots of places but trying to pick something different than Grace.

George

And if Dave is looking for something a bit more similar to Grace for lunch, the prix fixe at Blackbird is a steal…and just across the street.

Staying at a friends condo, pretty much in the heart of town. These are great suggestions… there’s quite a few guys on the trip, so getting them all to agree will be a challenge. That’s why I always go a day early on these trips, so the foodies and I can do an elevated dinner.

Other options among the more civilized are Sepia (seasonal American with a fine beverage program) and Coco Pazzo (Italian).

We can also give you some ideas for a taco crawl in Pilsen

Dave, you should listen to your namesake. Guys + tacos = win.

Sounds as if Ireland is an important theme to your trip. If so, this list may come in handy:

If you do end up going to Pilsen, then La Chaparrita in Little Village is nearby and a must.
I would do the taco crawl for lunch or in the early evening, as there are some areas around Pilsen that start to get dicey late at night.

Dave, if you do not mind the Trump number, Sixteen is a good choice. And to fit you Italian theme, their have 09 Giacosa reserve on the list at a pretty good price.

Pilsen taco crawl is the correct answer or Birreria Zaragoza if your doing dinner at Grace. If you want a slightly more polished lunch could do Dove’s/Big Star.

If you want to do upscale, I’m a big fan of Bavette’s steakhouse, Cafe spiaggia, or Piccolo Sogno.

Saturday we’ll need to be close to Soldier Field for the rugby match… any good Taco joints in that area?

BTW, thanks for all the recommendations… looking forward to this trip! [drinkers.gif]

Pilsen really isn’t very far. You could walk to soldier field (pretty much due east) from there but it’s better as a short Uber ride.

I don’t know of any good taco joints but Mercat de Plaza is very good Spanish tapas place and 7 Lions is good American fare w/a good wine list, too. I’ve walked to Soldier Field from both.

JD

Mercat a la Planxa if you’re looking it up. Very good, but on the high $ side for what it is.

I have heard that there have been some very recent changes in the kitchen… not confirmed though and haven’t been for a while.

George

The trip to Chicago was a smashing success. My buddies place was a mind blower with spectacular views of the city and Lake Michigan.

Grace did not disappoint! The service was spot on (edgy which we appreciated), the dishes were creative, flavorful and delivered at exactly the right intervals. I objected to a wine pairing with a Foie Gras dish, which was a bit hoity-toity on my part and they had a very nice Spanish replacement on the table within 60 seconds, without me even asking. The wine in question was from Greece. It actually wasn’t bad and my educated friend liked it, but I didn’t feel it matched the level of the dish. Let me preface this by saying, all the dishes were pretty amazing, but one dish in particular stood out. It was part of the first course, which had three dishes - a Cauliflower Moose with a wild mushroom at the bottom in it’s own broth. I’ve been to two Robuchon restaurants, one in London and the other in Paris, both come up with some very creative dishes, but this was really something special.

BTW we got our Tacos. We went to a fantastic Mexican restaurant called Mercadito. We were all tired and hungry after the rugby match and we spared no expense at this place. We tried all 4 styles of Guacamole and 4 different salsas along with some of the best Queso I’ve ever had. We also enjoyed copious amounts of Ceviche. The tacos were some of the best I’ve ever had and I’m from LA, so I know good tacos! They also had great Margaritas. I had two types, one a Pineapple and Guava with a Cilantro gar niche. The cilantro made the drink… very refreshing. The second was a Jalapeño Margarita. That was one banging Margy… loved it!

Glad you enjoyed your trip. Great weather too.

George

I hope you took the time to visit the Jay Cutler Museum.

Might not be open much longer.