Chicago Restaurants

Duke of Perth doesn't really seem that different from every other pub to me. Sarah and I got a fairly gross vegetarian option off their menu: some kind of beer-battered vegetable platter that was mainly beets, so it was essentially a big dish of fried beets.

The fish and chips are divine.

and it is SCOTTISH

oh duke of perth...damn i miss pubs that even just look like that.

Uncommon Ground is the worst place in North America.

Worse than PRISON.

i miss duke of perth intensely now.

Duke of Perth is nice. They have good beers on draft and the food (meat variety) is tasty. Burgers and grilled chicken wings are good.

the beers are delicious.

driving down clark and lincoln over the holidays and seeing all these places led to a lot of mourning over the charmless style of 99% of the pubs in l.a.

Aw, that would make me sad, too. Pubs are v. important to my mental health.

Also in the area, Chen's Chinese is actually really good. Great steamed dumplings. Just avoid Harry Carrey's, Cubbie Bear, Sluggers, and any place with more TV's than beers on tap.

I don't know if they serve food, but OMG the Captain Morgan's bar that is attached to Wrigley Field looks awwwaaawsawawawwaful.

But if it were not in Wrigleyville, and not branded so, it could be pretty fun. All the windows open up, making the whole thing a patio, and they have indoor cornhole.

i'd like to rep heavily for barnaby's (local pizza parlor chain). their pizza is pretty amazing, albeit not chicago-style. more like the greatest bar pizza you'll ever have in your life. i always have a blast when i go there.

also, the foxhole in mchenry, which is completely divey and has its own vv good variation on bar pizza.

Duke of Perth serves a burger with a fried egg on it. One of the best I've ever had.

hey folks!

headed to Chicago in a week, probably going to go out to dinner with 5 people

one is vegan, the others aren't- is there a place where there will be plenty of yummy food for the vegan guy but plenty of yummy non-vegan stuff for the rest of us? We're all downtown by the hotels for the MLA convention, so closer to that zone would be better than further

Thanks for any expertise or commiseration you have to share.

Guess it's going to be kind of chilly, eh?

You might get a better response in the rolling Chicago thread.

It's hard to think of a place off the top of my head that will meet both your requirements, but as a guess, you might try Sunda in River North?

reza's might work. also, assuming you won't be dining with someone who absolutely requires meat at every meal, there are a few vegetarian restaurants in the area that i think non-vegetarians could probably enjoy: karyn's cooked and green zebra (the second is a little further out from river north—think it would be like a 20 minute bus ride or a short cab trip)

Was gonna suggest Green Zebra but wasn't sure about the distance. That's a place that any serious eater would be interested in, vegan/veg/whatever, imo.

What's good?

We don't eat out much.

It's probably not worth making the trip for, but if you're in Hyde Park you could do a lot worse than Salonica. It might be the best diner I've been to in Chicago.

90 Miles always great.
Indie Cafe always great.

We've been enjoying Andy's Thai Kitchen by Wellington. Probably my current favorite Thai. Everything is really spicy though.

I refer to this list a lot: http://stockyardpalate.wordpress.com/eat-here/

Salonica: Where Greece Comes Alive!

We used to live right behind there, and trust me, we could sure smell the "greece."

A lot of places are blending together to me these days, but I always love returns to Publican and NIghtwood. Oh, and really looking forward to a second time at Kai Zan, one of the best meals I've had in a while.

Seems like 90% of new places are fried chicken focused.

generally consider myself a chicago-style hater. I like a thin crust and I don't want a pizza to sink me like a stone. I'm in the south loop at a hotel, too goddamn tired and hurting to walk anywhere. desk tells me go for giordano's or lou malnati's. I almost order the lou's thin crust and then I go, you know what, you're here one night, the worst case scenario is this pizza a lot of people love doesn't punch your button like it does theirs but you get fed. I order the Lou: spinach and mushroom mix, cheddar cheese, roma tomatoes.

fucking A that is an outstanding pie. I could probably eat the other half of it but I'm trying to show some restraint. couldn't do it as a full time thing but I renounce my chicago-style opposition henceforth

victory's banner changed owners and is not as cult-y. it still has pictures of sri chimnoy and his artwork, but the servers wear street clothes and seem like normal people.

i don't think they close for pilgrimages twice a year anymore either.

i want to give a gift certificate to a nice restaurant to a couple i know in chicago. maybe a couple hundred bucks? do you chicagoans have any suggestions

victory's banner changed owners and is not as cult-y. it still has pictures of sri chimnoy and his artwork, but the servers wear street clothes and seem like normal people.

― na (NA), Friday, February 23, 2018 11:37 AM (one year ago) bookmarkflaglink

i don't think they close for pilgrimages twice a year anymore either.

― na (NA), Friday, February 23, 2018 11:37 AM (one year ago) bookmarkflaglink

update, it's now called "lucy's cafe" and is not culty at all (unless you consider the live laugh love aesthetic a cult). the food is the same as when it was victory's banner, though they've added some options.

i don't eat anywhere nice, sorry.

yeah me either

maybe a lettuce entertain you gift card? not really fancy but they can use it at a number of good places.

ha I was gonna mention lettuce but I have no idea which of their concepts are worth going to nowadays

lthforum GNR's was always my bible. Here's their section on fancy schmancy joints:

NEW AMERICAN/FINE DINING
avec-- Offering small plates and wine at communal tables in the west Loop. It does not hurt to have one of Chicago's best chefs helping out, either. Probably more pan-Mediterranean or Spanish, but just eat, drink, and don't worry.
Big Jones-- Southern cooking gone upscale, along with strong drink of the best sort. Engaged, inspired, and pushing the envelope within the vernacular.
Carnivore-- Oak Park meat shop of wonder, stocked with local produce, handcrafted charcuterie, fresh oysters, and an expert grill turning out exceptional burgers and vegetable sides.
El Ideas--Ever wonder what a dinner party at a professional chef’s house would be like? Phillip Foss has created a completely unique fine-dining experience that brings diners as close to the action as possible while serving cutting edge cuisine. Bring your own wine, spend some time helping the chefs plate the next course, and rock out to what some have called the best playlist in the city. It all makes for an intimate and unforgettable experience.
Elizabeth Restaurant-- Passionate forager-chef Iliana Regan – whose prior venture was a single-table restaurant in her apartment – serves inventive, seasonal, and artistic dinners in an intimate Lincoln Square dining room. Both serious and whimsical, the evolving tasting menus have included a terrarium with yellow watermelon, uni ice cream, bear rice crispies, and a shrimp noodle. Service is top notch, wine pairings are thoughtful, and reservations are a must.
Fat Rice-- For many of us, Fat Rice is one of our favorite restaurants… boatloads of accolades, and still are down-to-earth, putting out wonderful food consistently, with good service and no pretension… service with a smile and superb unique food… where else in the world would one find a Portuguese/Asian/African fusion restaurant?
Inovasi Restaurant-- A master chef offering a constantly changing menu of creative, and usually delicious dishes. Put yourself in his hands and he will take you on a fun ride.
MANA Food Bar-- MANA is a vegetarian restaurant where you don’t miss the meat. No vegetable-based substances dressed up to look like meat, just well-conceived and well-executed food. A small, beautiful place to spend an evening drinking and having small plates, with chef-driven food drawing from Asian, European, Latin, and American flavors. Whether it’s curry, tamales, house-made pickles, or pierogi, there’s plenty for everyone.
Pearl's Southern Comfort-- This Edgewater spot has a Cajun heart and skills covering the breadth of Southern foodways, from scratch gumbo and pimento cheese to Nutter Butter pie.
Prairie Grass Cafe-- Head up to Northbrook for a "casual meal in the kitchen of one of America's best chefs." Great ingredients prepared to highlight their flavor and quality. Simply delicious.
Purple Pig-- Yeah, yeah, it’s a bit of a celebrity spot, but it delivers. And not just the pork products - the vegetables are delicious, too. Really, we wanted to hate it, but it is too good.
Vie-- A Blackbird-alum chef with a strong commitment to regional and seasonal flavors brings a downtown foodie outlook to suburban Western Springs.

if they're very adventurous, Elizabeth is great. A nice warm atmosphere and Iliana Regan will likely be one of the handful serving you if she's there.

Monteverde would be a good choice for the gift certificate. Elizabeth (as Omar says) if they're very experimental and Parachute if they're pretty experimental. Monteverde won't seem too conventional or too avant-garde if they're in the middle and is top-notch on all fronts.

thanks dudes!

Etta too -- a good combo of informal while feeling like a special-occasion place.

I'm going to be in Chi this weekend, any recommendations for places that are still open in 2022 and that I could actually go to on a weekend? Any favorites among the myriad of Thai and Vietnamese places in Uptown?

It was over a decade ago but people brought me to Spoon Thai in lincoln square once and it was extremely memorable; we ordered a bunch of things off the 'secret' menu and they were confusing and delicious.

I've been to Chicago four times in the past 7 months but haven't eaten IN a restaurant there since 2019, only gone in to pick up jibaritos and such.

Hai Yen was a favorite back in the day

…as was Tank Noodle before they became Jan 6 insurrectionists: https://abc7chicago.com/tank-noodle-chicago-trump-yelp-rally-dc/9482003/

oh no not tank noodle

i don't really know the vietnamese/thai restaurants in uptown that well. nhu lan is my favorite banh mi place and they have an uptown location, but i've never been to that location, i always go to the one in lincoln square/avondale. along with spoon thai, sticky rice is the other fun thai place in lincoln square with a "secret menu" (not really that secret but more authentic i guess). if you want a lunch buddy, text me.

Thanks! I was planning on stopping by Ba Le before the Green Mill, Nhu Lan looks good though, I've noticed that place before (looks like they close early though). Got my eyes on Jin Thai or Bibim Town for lunch, maybe Lucy's Cafe fka Victory's Banner.

My wife is running the marathon in Chicago in a couple of weeks. Any recommendations for post-race dinner on Sunday evening not that far (no more than a short Uber ride) from Grant Park? Looking for a casual elevated comfort food type of meal with good beers and reservations for as many as 5. Right now I have a reservation at The Publican, but wanted to keep looking.

Publican is a great choice, you can never go wrong with Publican. I'd also maybe recommend Dusek's in Pilsen, they probably scratch a similar itch.

Thanks, JiC.

I agree. Was thinking that The Gage and Cherry Circle Room, both on Michigan Ave., could work if you don't want to travel far. But the Publican seems perfect for what you're looking for.