I have been eating and making Bagna Caoda since my childhood. It is an essential component of holiday meals and family gatherings from early Dec. through January. We have always had it on Christmas Eve as a hot dip for vegetables and bread made Ina fairly traditional way. That means butter and olive oil, minced anchovies, minced garlic sautéed over very low heat (30 minutes to an hour) till the garlic mellows and the anchovies dissolve to which a bit of milk or cream (usually cream) is whisked in towards the end.

My father has been eating it for about 80 years (both of his parents are from the Piedmont region of Italy so this is mother's milk on some deep level for him and it is a dish my Grandmother taught me how to make) and is endlessly inventive on what he wants it on or with. Leftovers are turned into toppings for scrambled eggs, grilled meats, pasta sauce, etc., etc., etc. There must always be leftovers. It really works with roasted cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts ( or similar vegetables that can stand up to a dish redolent with garlic and anchovies

I like to make variations on Bagna Caoda that can include an acidic component like red wine or various vinegars and made more or less "saucy" depending on what I want to do with it. Fresh herbs can totally change the character of a Bagna Caoda sauce but rosemary and/or parsley are the herbs my Piemontese background make most prevalent.
Anchovies, capers, garlic, olive oil and tuna are also natural combinations, at least to my mind, and can make the basis for sauces like tonnato sauce that accompany "Vitello Tonatto" something my father wants every summer. Cold dips/spreads to top crostini such as a tuna, anchovy, caper, olive oil, garlic and whatever herbs or spices strike your fancy can be made and pulsed through the food processor and served on crackers, crostini or scoopy vegetables like celery hearts. I like Italian oil packed tuna for most of these sort of things and I prefer salts packed anchovies and salt packed capers for most dishes but that is not a luxury I can find when I visit them in small town USA so if you have to (as Grandma did) use oil packed anchovies (I normally soak in milk then discard the milk) or capers in brine ( rinse unless the brine adds to the finished dish)' tuna packed in water ( no great fix here because I love Italian tuna in oil, drained).

Sweet red or yellow peppers, either minced to make a dip or cut into bite side wedges are also naturals that work well with anchovies. They can also make a great pasta sauce even better

I don't get anchovy dislike but I have been eating them my whole life so I am acclimated to love them

Ppers

Portillo's is quick so in that respect it is "PERFECT" if you enjoy pedestrian fast food that can be had almost anywhere in Chicago, the same could be said for McDonalds which is less than a stone throw away. But from the OP's preferred picks as mentioned in the original post my guess is it would be a huge let down.. For way better quality food that's fast I'd suggest a trek to Big & Little's Seafood on Orleans about a mile from corporate chain Portillo's. It has creative and generally good food and some of the specials have been absolutely great. It's pricier than Portillo's but you get what you pay for. If you want a transcendent hot dog experience and don't mind a non-chain sit down place try the dog at Allium in the Four Seasons Hotel. It costs $14.00 and is worth every penny. House made all beef hot dog (juicier than you can imagine) with house made everything (bourbon balsamic ketchup, pickle relish, dill pickle, sesame seed bun, mustard and fries). There is no wait here. As for quick, well, you may be tempted to order the pappardelle with pancetta, mushrooms and chicken thighs or the Wagyu skirt steak with cheese fries (excellent both) which may cause you to linger a bit more than "quick" might entail. Allium is food for lunch or dinner, late or otherwise).

As to Billy Goat Tavern, now also a local chain, made famous by Mike Royko (Chicago newspaper columnist) and John Belushi's sketches on SNL in the mid to late 1970's it is also "quick" but the food isn't very good.

If you time it right there are plenty of places that serve excellent food (lunch or late night) without a wait. Your list of venues is all over the map so, perhaps, you have a car? If not cabs or the EL are the best bet if walking doesn't suit. Within easy walking distance I like The Gage (gastro-pub), The Purple Pig (go after 2:00pm and before 5:00 pm or after 9:00pm for no wait) ((you mentioned you have already been but the food changes seasonally and I just love this place)). Bar Toma (I am not in love with this place but they do a few things pretty well - arancini springs to mind - and it is fun), Frontera Grill and/or Topolobambo (go at about 1:30 pm they seat till 2:00 and you should have no wait for either restaurant), Cafe Spiaggia, Avec - yummy food and unusual beers particularly the 5 grain beer (go at 3:30 to 5:00 pm for minimal waits) and the list could go on and on depending on what interests you and what you find appealing. Personally nsxtasy's suggestion of Portillo's is a non-starter for me. It is the place I do the drive through for when I happen to be stopping at the Walgreen's across the street and am suddenly famished. It is a now corporate chain restaurant (40 something locations) that serves okay fast food but is certainly not destination worthy. It is not worth a visit from an out of towner who sampled Publican, Purple Pig, Sable and David Burke's Prime House and picks places like Hopleaf, The Violet Hour, Aviary, Girl & the Goat etc. as must tries.

My liver hurts just from reading your Friday itinerary. My feet hurt from trying to get to all of those places. But enjoy!

Fried Brussells sprouts leaves with chile, lemon and thyme. Had some the other day at The Purple Pig in Chicago and they were Autumn-on-a-plate delicious! I have already started experimenting as I want to perfect them for Thanksgiving. These would pair well with sweet buttery pumpkin ravioli.

Others have provided you with the usual suspects so I'll just add Pelago at the Raffaello Hotel. We eat there a lot. The pastas are house made and delicious and they do a tasting that includes 3 different pasta dishes. The chef used to be at Felidias in NYC. For the pastas I am particularly fond of the malloreddus (Sardinian dumplings made with flour) with sausage ragu and pecorino, the trofie with pesto, green beans and potatoes, and the maccheroncini with lamb ragu. Really terrific pastas! They usually have a fettuccine or similar type pasta with butter, parmesan and truffles (white or black depending on the season) that's on special that my SO loves. They specialize in seafood, hence the name but I have had great luck with any of their meat entrees. I like to order an appetizer and the pasta trio. It is located at 201 E. Delaware.

If your liking for Italian translates to a love for house made pastas and you are willing to hop into a cab to a Lincoln Parkish place I also really enjoy Balena located at 1633 N. Halsted (just north of North Avenue on Halsted). I ate their last night and we sampled 3 of the pasta, all house made, that were really delicious. The rigatoni with pork bolognese, the tajarin with butter and sage and a pasta (linguine I think) with roasted tomatoes that is not listed on their website today. We also had one of their pizzas with prosciutto, tomatoes and burrata cheese that they served with a slightly spiced chile oil that was just terrific. We shared the 36 oz bistecca (grilled bone in) simply served with grilled lemon, olive oil and roasted garlic. Utterly tender and delicious. This place is near my home so I'll be running back but I'd say it's worth the short trek from the MM.

nsxtasy wrote:

"But if you want something that comes across as more upscale, I'd recommend Boka, in Lincoln Park. It's contemporary American, the food and the service are terrific, and it's a place that doesn't get as much attention but really has its act together. www.bokachicago.com"

Just a caveat about Boka. I ate there last week with a group of friends. I loved what I ordered a bento box with a sampling from the raw bar and a first course of the marinated grilled squid. I also sampled some of the melon, mint & feta side someone ordered and a bit of someone else's skate main. The side salad was great. The skate was good but after a few bites was revealed as seriously over-salted. So much so that my friend stopped eating it. Another friend absolutely hated her halibut main while others who ordered the same thought it was okay but not great. Nobody liked the desserts which I can only describe as weird. It has been almost a year since I had (previously) been to Boka and I picked the restaurant so I wanted people to like it. Most left feeling that the food didn't justify the expense. I can kind of see their point on the entrees which were in the $30 to $40 range and were not generous in their portions. I ordered my main course from the first course listing and for less than $20 got as much food as the listed entree mains. I ordered that way because I don't eat as much as I used to not because I was trying to be economical (my friends were treating me to dinner in any event).

A coubiliac or koubiliac variation indeed! It is more refined than the Russian version which often includes hard boiled eggs and rice. A friend of mine supposedly begged for the recipe from Bocuse's restaurant sometime in the 1980's. It was written on stained notebook paper and we had to seriously fill in the blanks. I remember the first time we made it, for my parents, we split the duties. He made the puff pastry dough and I made the scallop & lobster (possibly shrimp) mousse. He picked the pin bones from the salmon and I made the herbed beurre blanc. It's been awhile since I made this but I do remember thinking that salmon that isn't smoked can be divine!

Basically the process was as follows:

Seafood Mousse
sea scallops
steamed lobster meat (1 1/4 lb lobster steamed removed from shells and shells reserved for making lobster stock)
lobster stock (shells cooked with shallots, carrots, onions, pureed and strained)
egg whites
cream or creme fraiche
cayenne pepper or piment des espelette
lemon juice
minced shallots
minced chives
whiz all in a food processor and chill for a few hours till ready to bake fish

For the salmon - The first time I made this we cooked one large piece in puff pastry but subsequent incarnations have been individualized. I also don't bother making puff pastry dough but buy DuFour's or another all butter dough and thaw, roll out and cut to fit individual
servings. Salt & pepper the salmon. Place a large dollop of mousse on top of the pastry, top with salmon and follow with another large dollop of mousse. Encase in dough and crimp/seal with egg wash. Brush egg wash on top of dough and bake.

While salmon is cooking make the beurre blanc. I use white wine, maybe champagne, white wine vinegar, shallots, peppercorns, bay leaves, butter and wee bit of heavy cream plus fresh herbs (I am partial to tarragon but have used sorrel to very good effect).

The sauce is placed on the plate and is topped with the salmon en croute. If you want to gild the lily top with more sauce.

I can't really say if this is close to the original as it has been years since I first made it and it has been reincarnated by me several times.

I make tortellini/agnolotti with this filling and it is always a huge hit.

6 oz well trimmed pork loin
4 oz Italian mortadella
4 oz Italian posciutto di parma
1 to 1 1/3 cups freshly grated reggiano parmesan cheese
large pinch nutmeg
(fresh rosemary leaves, minced cloves of garlic and salt & pepper for the
pork loin plus butter to cook loin).

Slice pork loin in half lengthwise and season with salt & pepper. Spread
fresh rosemary and minced garlic all over the meat. Wrap tightly in plastic
wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. When ready to cook pork
loin brush off herbs, garlic and excess seasonings. In a skillet over
medium high heat melt butter and cook pork loin till done, turning as
necessary. Cool then coarsely chop pork and process briefly in the food
processor. Don't let it be turn to mush. Remove from processor and add the
mortadella and prosciutto to the processor. Process till minced and
combined. Add the cheese, nutmeg and the pork and process to combine. Wrap
in plastic and refrigerate till needed.

I've done a salmon en croute with a scallop lobster mousse and herbed beurre blanc that I consider sinfully good and I don't like un-smoked salmon as a general rule. The mousse is layered on top of the salmon which get wrapped in puff pastry dough and baked. Make the sauce while the fish is baking. The original recipe was from Paul Bocuse but I lost that long ago and just make it from memory and inspiration.

I do lift the clams after swirling them in the broth then transfer to a clean bowl then strain the broth they were resting in and strain through a paper towel lined fine mesh strainer, I hesitated to provide this much detail because I already sounded more than a little an*l ;-)

Didn't see your request until now. But I am happy to comply! I am a little fussy about clams and want them to be completely free of grit/sand so I tend to go the extra mile and do a two part cooking process (mere soaking of the clams doesn't work completely for me).

Clams & Spicy Sausage for Pasta, Bruschetta or Anything in Between
olive oil to coat pan
2 dozen Manilla or Littleneck clams
1/2 lb Spicy Sausage (I use a good quality Merguez or Mexican Chorizo) removed from casings if applicable
1/2 cup minced fresh shallots (I like shallots better than onions in this applications because they totally dissolve texturally but yellow onions are a fine substitute)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small can( 151/2 oz) roma tomatoes, seeded & crushed with their juice (or equivilent fresh, peeled, seeded and chopped)
1/2 cup dry white wine or sherry
1/2 cup homemade or low sodium chicken broth or clam juice (warning clam juice can be very salty so beware)
1 to 2 T butter
grated fresh parmesan cheese
Parsley, chopped

First steam the clams. (This is my fussy version if grit doesn't bother you just add the clams to the pan in which you will cook the sausage, shallots and garlic, cover and let them open) In a large sauce pan place 1/4 cup of wine and broth heat over high heat. Add clams and cover. Let steam until they open (about 5 minutes tops) and remove them as they open. Remove from and discard the shells and place shucked clams into a small bowl. Cover with remaining broth to loosen any clinging sand. Strain steaming fluid including the juice released from the clams through a fine mesh strainer. Rinse pan and place back on burner over medium heat. Add some olive oil and add the sausage breaking it up as it cooks then add the shallots and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the strained steaming liquid and the remaining wine, broth and tomatoes. Let simmer until reduced by about 1/3 or so (the reduction depends on the intended final use) 15 minutes or so.

When ready to served lower the heat to low and add the clams and their juice to the pan to warm them slightly finish with some butter, parmesan and chopped parsley.

I've been playing around (translate: obsessing) with spicy sausage & clam recipes and used the leftovers for an open faced toasted English muffin and slow soft cooked parmesan scrambled egg breakfast dish. It was incredibly good. The broth from steaming the clams and cooking the sausage soaks into the muffin and makes a decadent base for the soft cooked scramble. The sausage and clams make for an interesting twist on a breakfast sandwich. If interested I'll post my method/recipe.

I love, love, love The Purple Pig and I eat there a lot but almost always at off hours and usually alone because my SO will not wait for a table at peak times. Late afternoon works best for me as I cam combine lunch and dinner. If you have flexibility than by all means go as the food is terrific. We went a few weeks ago at about 9:15 on a weeknight (fairly late by Chicago standards) and there were no seats at the bar (where I normally eat) and the wait time was 60 minutes! That wasn't going to work so we headed over to the Peninsula and ate at Shanghai Terrace which is a fine dining Chinese restaurant. We had a really delicious al fresco meal (terrace outdoor garden). I hadn't been in awhile and I forget it's there but the service and food were terrific.

I've only been to Picollo Sogno but last time I went it was significantly better than my previous visit and it is so nice to dine in the garden area.

For the bucket list I have had two exceptional meals in the past two months at Les Nomades. The food was so perfectly prepared that it was almost scary to me as an avid home cook. How do they absolutely nail it with every dish? Also for the bucket list I recommend Tru for it's elegant atmosphere and excellent food. Just a few thoughts.

Naha is just north of the loop and does a great lunch. It is primarily Mediterranean flavors with farm to table sensibilities that is creative and has generally excellent food. Topolobambo (or Frontera both of which are within a block of Naha in the 400 block of North Clark St.)) are great for a high end Mexican lunch and if you can go for a latish lunch, 1:30 to 2:30, you should be able to get a table with little problem. Topolo is more modern and high scale but both work for me.

Purple Pig, A short stroll north on Michigan Ave. Try to go at off hours if you can, otherwise the wait is awful, but the food is certainly worth it. I have probably eaten about half of the items on the menu and would have eaten everything on the menu except that there are so many things I love that I simply *have* to order them again and again. For me the best time to go is late afternoon or very early evening. I love the way this place balances flavors and mixes textures and I am constantly stealing ideas from them for home cooking uses. I have never waited for dinner here though which could be a problem. I hate restaurants that won't take reservations so I was a bit late hitting this place but if you time it right it is just so good!

This is a great sweetish vinegar that I've never heard of. It's pricey but complex and absolutely delicious. I tasted it out of the bottle at the store I found it in Chicago and kept thinking this could make so many dishes absolutely great. My SO wanted salad for dinner followed by a grilled burger with good cheese on a toasted bun. This is about as easy as it gets so I wasn't about to countermand at the end of July when I know 10 minutes of prep time will result in a meal he will love. I don't know what he thinks but I rarely do bottled dressings and I make my own salads. He likes to get salads from salad bars because he thinks this is helpful but then never really likes the stuff he gets. I purchased this vinegar with the idea to make a spring mix salad with vidalia onions, sliced grapes, sliced grape yellow tomatoes and some spiced sweet pecans That I Make in large batches. The dressing was two parts Quince vinegar, 4 parts EV olive oil, 1/2 to 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of membrillo paste (quince jam - just quince and sugar) plus 1/2 shallot, minced and some minced chives. This was so surprisingly good. I use expensive balsamic vinegar in lots of recipes for marinades and sauces but this vinegar took me by surprise and I would love to incorporate it other dishes. Because of where I shopped, "Publican Quality Meats" we had a starter of crostini topped with their very nice chicken liver pate, some membrillo and a dash of the quince vinegar. Absolutely great (hopefully I am making it clear that these are not their offerings but stuff that I made at home using purchased ingredients that they do better than I do) I can't say I was thrilled with their porchetta sandwich with lemon aioli but they make more than enough things right to make it worth going there.

Has anyone else used this great vinegar? Obviously it works in the artisan Balsamic venue but it it is different and I would be interested to hear thoughts.

When I read a recipe that includes "goat cheese" I assume that it means a young, non-aged fresh chevre. That's what I would choose for a beet salad. You could substitute fresh ricotta but it offers, generally, less tang. I view ricotta more as a starting mechanism or an additive that gets infused with other flavors to make it interesting. A good sheep milk ricotta can be terrific but a little bland until jazzed up a bit. It makes a great dipping sauce for grissini with a little roasted garlic and truffle oil and whipped a bit.

It never occurred to me one way or the other. If I am going to a 3 star Michelin restaurant I will know the name of the chef because I am not spending that type of money for a non-entity and most Michelin stars go to chefs with a certain pedigree. Beyond that I tend to pick restaurants for food quality driven reasons. It woldn't normally occur to me to mention a bar tender or waiter unless they served well and beyond the call of duty or the restaurant was bar orientated. I don't really get the question as I don't pay attention to yelp. I am not a shill but if I know the name of the chef I will mention it for better or worse.

I love The Purple Pig and I am not a natural Banos fan as I dislike Heaven on Seven but The Purple Pig is deservedly popular. I could order the manilla clams and house-made chorizo with it's terrific broth several times per week. The shmear with crostini topped with foie gras mousse and membrillo (quince jam) is genius. I won't wait in lines so I eat there in off hours. That late at night within walking distance requirement is really limiting. Chicago isn't great at "late". If a cab is a possibility The Girl & The Goat serves late as do several places in the west Randolph and Fulton Market area. "Late" on weekends is better than "late" on weekdays.

Thanks for the info on L20. It will certainly figure in future dining especially if non seafood dishes can be thrown into the mix. In the end we went with what worked for me when I revisited Tru this year after a several year hiatus. We revisited an established restaurant that hadn't totally thrilled but basically had the right stuff the last time we were there and was now under the care of a different chef. We chose Les Nomades which is now (back) under the helm of Roland Liccioni. I'll preface by saying that this is not mind-bending or cutting edge food but it was flat out delicious. Glorious French food actually with terrific service.

We did wine pairings with the food (after initial cocktails), basically half pours for two courses and full pours with our main course. Our waiter (didn't see a wine steward) made suggestions and we accepted them. He chose well.

The menu says that you can order the 4 course menu $115 or the 5 course tasting $130 but our waiter said we could order only 3 courses for a lesser charge (or more for a greater charge but in smaller portions). We went with 4 as both of us were quite hungry (and weirdly my SO's choices were seafood centric which is unusual for him).

The amuse was a creamy gazpacho with cucumber and tomato brunnoise. I could have eaten buckets of this. Our first, for me was Vietnamese crab cake and tempura fried soft shelled crab with a pommery mustard sauce. The soft shelled crab was the most crispy, light and perfectly cooked specimen I have ever tasted. The whole grain mustard sauce was a bit muted but it worked very well with the crab cakes and the slightly sweet pickled cucumbers. My SO had the risotto with foie gras and summer truffles. The waiter warned that the risotto was possibly a bit brothier than we might be used to. It was but in a wickedly good way. I only got a taste of the rice as the truffles and foie gras went into the man gullet across from me.

My first was paired with a verdeho white from Spain and my SO's with a Pinot Gris from...somewhere.

The second was a kabocha squash and fennel soup with candied pumpkin seeds and truffle foam. The foam was mere froth ;-) and I didn't taste truffle but the soup was a sweet and savoury delight, Every bite of the pumpkin seeds was fun. This was served with a Kabinett that was on the dry side but with a sweetness that worked with the soup. I picked this soup because I was curious that it was on a summer menu but whatever the season I want more of it NOW. My SO had the warm lobster and shrimp salad with pickled mango and mango vinaigrette. He ate every bit of it without any left for me so I can't comment but he seemed very happy. This was paired with a Montrachet of some type.

For mains I ordered the roasted squab and confitted squab leg with a grass fed rib eye (cooked sous vide then nicely charred) served with 2 sauces one foie gras flavored and the second with spices typical to Moroccan cuisine. It also had creamy grits, couscous and a riot of turned vegetables (I actually felt somewhat sorry for the person who had to cut those vegetables as turning vegetables is not one of my strong suits and takes me lots of time). In short it was not an exercise in restraint but a fiesta of flavors and textures. This was served with a hearty French burgundy. My SO ordered the Dover sole which was roasted whole then brought to the table filleted. I don't remember a thing about it or what came with it but he pronounced it outstanding.

For dessert we decided against the many souffles and he went with a warm flour-less chocolate cake with a liquid cassis ganache center and lemon verbena ice cream. I got the fresh apple tart with green apple sorbet. There were lots of other things going on both desserts including macerated berries and candies and God knows what but the sum total was absolutely delicious. My tart was clearly just made the pastry was absolute heaven and I loved the slightly tart sorbet. My SO just moaned over the chocolate and actually gave me a small piece which made me understand the moaning. Both of these desserts required ordering at the start of the dinner and there was a bit of a time lull between the mains and the desserts but it was certainly worth it!

In short luxurious fine dining ain't dead in Chicago you just have to look for it.

When I run out of home-made stock I doctor up low sodium chicken broth with chicken bits from the freezer (necks, backs, thighs and wings) with chopped onions, garlic, celery, carrots (or whatever is about to turn bad in the fridge) and some bay and parsley and simmer for about one hour. It makes a pretty good imitation of home-made stock and, so far, no one has known the difference.

I really like Naha and have for years but it doesn't fit into the "luxe" "fine dining" niche I have in my mind. Both Naha and North Pond are restaurants I have gone to with my girlfriends. That makes them very good restaurants (I like the food a lot better at Naha than North Pond but North Pond has the great setting) but not the destination dining I wanted. I was not intending to diss Chicago restaurants at all I just think we have, at least momentarily, a limited number of luxury fine dining retaurants that aren't tasting menu only, offer full amenities like bar/wine service and let you choose what you want to eat. I saw the NoMi review and it looks like a restaurant I'd like to try but it isn't what I would call fine dining. In fact the restaurant was specifically made more casual so as to attract more business.

I love Tru but they won't vary their d***n menu. Acadia looks great. I love the menu but the web site picture makes it look a wee bit sterile. I will certainly be stopping by for dinner.

My experiences at EMP were way better than just "pretty good" and I provided it as the type of place I wanted for this experience. Elegant with polished service, in a great setting with inventive, sometimes remarkable food.

I'll be interested to read more about Sixteen but when I went to the hotel last summer for drinks I found the pricing offensive (and we aren't penny pinchers for food that merits the cost). Unless there were hidden ingredients that wouldn't ordinarily be hidden (like truffles, foie gras and fresh porcini) then none of the prices seemed justified by any stretch. I will look at it though. Charlie Trotter's like Ria is no loss on the dining scene as far as I am concerned. I went to Trotters right after it opened before it was strictly prix fixe and loved it until it got too full of itself. It hasn't been particularly interesting for several years but it is always good. Acadia looks interesting but not quite the luxe thing I was hoping for. EMP kind of sums it up for me. We no longer have a place like that in Chicago. Great food, gracious, elegant surroundings and graceful service where you don't have to invest many hours for dinner or, in the case of EMP, lunch. It's not too often that you really need to dine at a place like that but you sure miss it when you can't.

I look forward to Duffy's new place as we loved Avenues. More so under his helm than GEB. As to Next I can't figure out their reservations and I still don't know how I got reservations two weeks ago at Aviary. Fun as it was dinner at Publican was even better.

Everest meets the criterion and I haven't been there in ages, actually, not in the past 10 years although I enjoyed it in the day. I'll check out their menu. Sixteen doesn't appeal much (that could be because anything with the Trump name attached is extremely unappealing to me). Coco Pazzo and Frontera are not what I consider fine dining but I enjoy them both, particularly Frontera/Topolobambo. Haven't been to Coco Pazzo in a while but have eaten lunch at Frontera/Topolobambo 3 or 4 times in the past 2 months. Always great!

I want to go out for a luxe fine dining dinner but can't do an Alinea style multi-course, multi-hour type tasting. Our favorites used to be Avenues (closed) and once upon a time, Seasons (closed). I have gotten to really enjoy Tru but their menu hasn't changed a smidgen (entree-wise) in 6 months. That has me questioning them (is this all you can do?) and a little bored (there are 4 seasons ... ok maybe only 3 in Chicago). So what to do. Spiaggia makes me cranky because of its prices and hard sell on 3 courses but the food is always good. Ria is closing and I truly get why. I loved the tasting menu but hated the ala carte and there were serious service and timing issues. Schwa, Bonsoirree and Goosefoot are non starters for my SO as they are too quirky and too many courses (I've done and loved Schwa and the others are on my must do list sans SO). For my options I see L20, Les Nomades and ???. I haven't been to L20 but it may be a little too fish centric for the SO. I haven't been to Les Nomades in many years and with Liccioni at the helm the menu looks interesting but I always found the place a bit fusty and too clubby. Anybody been recently? Am I missing options.

In a nut shell what I want is a fine dining restaurant with excellent food, elegant ambiance, quiet space where talking is the loudest noise. If I lived in NYC I'd be at Eleven Madison Park in a heartbeat.

Thoughts?

I did cocktails and appetizers at Avec last weekend (a great 5 grain beer that I had never seen before) and the house made Mexican style chorizo stuffed Medjool dates wrapped in prosciutto. We wandered in about 4:00 P.M. and had no problem sitting immediately at the bar and loved the very filling appetizer. We walked to The Aviary where we had reservations for cocktails. This place was a hoot and everything was delicious but, seriously, this place is way too much. I am thrilled to have had the experience but my companion and I agreed that it is a "try it once kind of place". Dinner at Publican followed ( a short walk in keeping with our "just stroll and taste" plan. We loved our meal here. Beautiful oysters (the West Coasters were best), lovely soft shelled crabs, suckling pig was awesome (slightly too salty unless eaten with the accompaniments but perfect with) and a brown butter Financier cake/cookie dessert that really fit the bill. I thought Publican was terrific and have frequented Publican Quality Meats since it opened not only for the sausages, meats and other take home fare (Great house-made chorizo and yummy sandwiches, soups and salads) but will include Publican on my dinner rotation even though it is loud, has communal tables and other things that would ordinarily keep me away. The food was great, the ambiance was loudly fun and I can't wait to go back.

I have been to Tru three or four times in the past 6 months. I find it a significantly better restaurant than it was under Tramonto. It is sometimes a little gimicky like when they prep the duck consume (served with foie gras and duck confit ravioli and fresh herbs and greens) in an elaborate glass device to "infuse" the broth with various flavors or add "snow" to certain dishes but I keep returning for the great food. I might be back more often if they varied the menu a bit but that won't be a concern for an out of town visitor.

I've eaten lunch at The Purple Pig three times in the last three weeks. I'll be going back. I avoided going there because of the no reservations policy and alleged long wait times but my experiences were not like that. I sat at the bar all three times and had no wait, I loved the Manilla clams and Merguez sausage with an incredible spicy broth that begged for more grilled bread for dunking. The foie gras mousse "shmear" with membrillo jam is the best savory dessert I have had in a long time. It isn't offered as a dessert but it should be. Time it right (about 1:30 to 2:00) and there should be no wait.

Frontera Grill and Topolobambo also do great lunches. I love the three mole trio at Frontera. Last time it was a fabulous Mole Negro with lamb, a chicken enchilada with Mole Poblano and a Green Mole with squash blossoms and potatoes. Really Terrific! The ceviches are also excellent. Despite the popularity of these restaurants if you time it right (again 1:30 to 2:00 as they stop serving at 2:30) you can easily walk in with no wait.

My sister made the Forbidden Rice (Thai flavors with mangoes & peanuts) recipe in this months Bon Appetite (find at Epicurious.com) and I really liked it.