Thanks, nsxtasy and ferret for your suggestions. If the dinner ends up being a small group (6-8), can you offer some other suggestions? We're coming from all parts of the country so we'd love to be able to hear one another when catching up. Downtown/Loop, Gold Coast area. Cost isn't an issue. American, New American. Cocktail list as well as wine list.

I'm trying to convince the other party members that we should go to The Aviary for a cocktail and toast my husband's uncle there since he enjoyed one of their cocktails tremendously when we were in Chicago visiting a couple weeks ago.

Also - have you been to Storefront or The Savoy? Does either sound like they'd be an option? Or Trencherman?

American regional food. Cost doesn't matter. Near the Gold Coast is most preferable. He was from the Chicago suburb area, loved wine and is a bit traditional. I'd say the most important feature is that the room is comfortable, the food is good (doesn't have to be great, leaning towards traditional, nothing like Alinea), the noise level isn't ear shattering (The Publican and Girl and the Goat are too loud) and they can accommodate a large group. I'd say unfortunately for me, food is the least important for this meal.

My husband's uncle passed away and we'd like to plan a dinner to celebrate him. We don't have a head count, I'm guessing it'll be 20 people. Regional food would be nice and a decent wine list. Not super loud so we can hear each others toasts. Private room not necessary but an option. Thanks for the assist.

Yes, the prix fixe is a "deal" but the one drink everyone had on their tables (Chai) isn't available on the a la carte menu, and having tasted it, it is not to be missed. We ended up ordering one of the drinks from the prix fixe menu a la carte since we liked it so much. The drink was much larger than the prix fixe one. I think we were charged $24 for that one.

BTW, if you're interested, the vessel used for serving the Chai cocktail is available for sale on Kickstarter until 9/4: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/6...

Awesome! If you're into cocktails, do not miss the Aviary. It's not a bargain but for what you get, I'd say the drinks are worth it. The menu's so deep, I would have gone back a third time.

Thanks to all that helped shape my list. We went last weekend and had a ball. Here was our final weekend eating:

Friday:
Dinner: Charlie Trotter's
Drinks: The Aviary

Saturday:
Breakfast: Do-Rite Donuts, The Doughnut Vault
Lunch: XOCO
Drinks: The Aviary (So good! Had to go back a second time!)
Dinner: The Publican

Sunday:
Breakfast: Glazed and Infused
Lunch: The Purple Pig
Snack: Portillo's
Drinks: The Violet Hour
Dinner: Girl and the Goat

All around, a super fun (and filling) weekend. I would agree that Do-Rite's doughnuts are superior. Their Vanilla and Old-Fashioned are superb.

I got a reservation for 10p. So excited!

Good call! I just called Trotter's and they said 2.5-3 hours so that would get us pretty close to the 10p reservation spot at The Aviary. I just emailed The Aviary - fingers crossed mine gets selected!

Thanks for the quick reply! I may try emailing the folks over at Aviary but I just don't know how long our dinner will be at Trotter's (any thoughts on that?) and then to make a reservation at The Aviary - only available at 6, 8 and 10p time slots - seems dicey.

We're coming to town, primarily to eat at Charlie Trotter before they close. We have a 6:15 reservation so we might have some energy left for a round or two of after-dinner cocktails. I've heard of The Violet Hour and Aviary but I'm guessing both places will be slammed on a Friday night. Any other suggestions? We're staying in the Gold Coast neighborhood. Thanks!

1) Do-Rite gets the vote! Thanks, danimalarkey and kathryn!
2) Sounds like The Office is even HARDER to get into - sheesh! jbontario mentioned Au Cheval for dinner earlier in this thread - anyone else second it for dinner? Maybe we bag The Purple Pig and The Publican all together... ?
3) Beer will most likely be our choice since we'll be blowing our wine budget at Charlie Trotter's and also on some cocktails. Also, my husband detests super noisy places and sitting at deuces. He'd much rather sit at the bar and eat there than have to sit super cramped next to a loud table.

Thanks for the suggestion but I don't think Piano Terra's hours are going to work with the other things on my itinerary.

Good call on switching the two snack options. Here's a question, just saw this article:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/feature...

Questions:
#1 --- Should we do: Do-Rite Donuts or The Doughnut Vault? Based on their hours and my morning plans to see Green City Market, sounds like I'll only be able to hit one or the other. Might be able to squeeze Glazed and Infused in on Sunday AM.

#2 --- Any suggestions for cocktails near The Publican other than The Aviary? We're going to try getting into The Aviary on Sunday and if we go to The Publican for dinner on Saturday, we'll probably want cocktails pre or post somewhere. A friend suggested the Violet Hour but seemed like a hike, especially since they don't take reservations. Unless, there's another good cocktail bar near The Violet Hour if we don't get in there???

#3 --- Is The Purple Pig or The Publican worth it? If you had to chose between the two, which would you pick?

Thanks, Everyone for the thoughts pro/against some places! I will most certainly need my stretchy pants! Here's how things look to be shaping up:
Friday: (arriving late-afternoon)
Dinner: Charlie Trotter's

Saturday:
Brunch/Lunch: Grazing through Green City Market
Snack: XOCO
Non-food activity: Architectural Cruise
2nd Snack: Do-Rite Donuts
Dinner: The Purple Pig or should we do The Publican and then The Purple Pig for Sunday brunch? Since neither place takes reservations, which do you think will be a bigger issue for Saturday night?

Sunday:
Brunch/Lunch: The Publican or The Purple Pig ???
Non-food activity: Millenium Park
Snack: Portillo's
Drinks: The Aviary (do they accept walk ins?)
Dinner: Girl & the Goat (8:15p)

Monday: (departing in the AM)

Sunday: If I go with The Publican for Sunday brunch, is it really worth it? I would be happy to eat lunch at Portillo's and skip The Publican since the criss crossing seems a bit wonky. Any recos for snack places near Millenium Park that are open on a Sunday? We've had Garrett's before but happy to have it again if that's the only option. Are there any other gourmet food shops (similar to Dean & Deluca) or even a Latin or Asian supermarket you could recommend?

Thanks for all the awesome advise!

We're coming from NYC to sup at Charlie Trotter's before they close and having dinner at Girl & the Goat on Sunday with my husband's cousins. We're not huge brunch people (pancakes, eggs and waffles don't move the needle - we prefer lunch-type foods). That's all I've got so far! Since we're doing one expensive meal (Trotter's) and one not as expensive meal (Girl & the Goat), I'm in need of 2 lunch places, at least 2 snack places and 1 dinner place (Saturday) that:

1) isn't expensive (dinner less than Girl & the Goat) / doesn't have to be fancy
2) takes reservations or doesn't take reservations but high probability of at least getting two seats at the bar
3) is Chicago or mid-western specific. My husband's cousin suggested hot dogs and Italian Beef at Portillo's, "biker" burgers at Kuma's. Just read about Do-Rite Donuts - yum!
4) isn't deep dish pizza; we like thin crusted Neapolitan-style
5) isn't "fusion-y" Mexican

We'll be taking in an Architectural Cruise and going over to Millenium Park so any places near there would be great. We're staying just south of Lincoln Park, won't have a car so we'll be on foot or taking public transportation (we like walking!). If there are any good farmers markets or interesting international food shops/markets, gourmet food stores, etc. Please let me know those as well. As you can see, our schedule is still very flexible!

Friday: (arriving late-afternoon)
Dinner: Charlie Trotter's

Saturday:
Brunch/Lunch: ??
Snack: ??
Dinner: ??

Sunday:
Brunch/Lunch: ??
Snack: ??
Dinner: Girl & the Goat

Monday: (departing in the AM)

Thanks for your help in advance!

Ugh. I didn't anticipate all the things that needed to be done the morning we were leaving and ran out of time. I showed the above list to the cook at the ranch and she actually suggested a totally different place: Pro's Ranch Market on North Zaragoza Rd. She said they make their own masa and tortillas on site, loud Mexican music plays and you can go grocery shopping too. Since I love going to local supermarkets whenever I visit a place, I figured Pro's Ranch Market is where I should go. I don't think I'll be back until next year, but I'm thinking it's best to go there BEFORE heading east. Thanks for checking in though. Happy Holidays!

Thanks so much for the in depth response! I don't do very well when I have a lot of cheese (slightly lactose intolerant - a total drag!) so I'll take a look at the menu and see if there's anything else that sounds doable. Weren't the jalapenos super hot to just snack and dip with?

We're going to Texas in November so haven't gone to any of the places yet. We only have time for one lunch so I don't think crossing the border is an option but thanks for the head's up!

Thanks for the suggestions for places to try. We are driving from Van Horn and flying out around 3p so no dinner or crossing the border for us - this time. Tacos are sounding pretty good right now (I'm a little hungry) so Los Cunados is on the short list of options. Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestion! Anything else a MUST EAT on the menu?

High or low, doesn't matter. I'm looking for the most authentic and delicious Mexican.
Here's what seems to be the short list of recommended places:

H & H Car Wash
L & J Cafe
Forti's Mexican Elder
Kiki's Mexican
Tacos Santa Cecilia
Julio's Cafe Corona
Leo's Mexican Food

Which one should I go to or am I missing The Best One of All?

Thanks in advance!

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L & J Cafe
3622 E Missouri Ave, El Paso, TX 79903

Santa Cecilia
5500 El Paso Dr, El Paso, TX 79905

Julio's Cafe Corona
8050 Gateway Blvd E, El Paso, TX 79907

Leo's Mexican Food Restaurants
7520 Remcon Cir, El Paso, TX 79912

Mexican Taco Restaurant
8028 Fredericksburg Rd, San Antonio, TX 78229

Thanks for the suggestion! Are there any notable places you'd suggest I try? I'm always compiling a list!

Oops! Here's the list. We had such a good time, we are definitely thinking of going back in October. I see it as an opportunity to eat at some of the places we didn't hit. We stayed at Hidden Pond - fabulous place. Great hospitality. The thing that really was the clincher for us was the bread basket that showed up every morning on our porch. A thermos full of hot coffee, warm bread, muffins, jams and the NY Times. So, breakfasts were taken care of.

Thursday night, Lucas on 9: clam chowder, really great lobster stew, mixed seafood penne, baked stuffed haddock
Friday lunch, Duck Fat: delicious fries - not too skinny, not too fat, meatloaf sandwich, pork terrine
Friday dinner, Street & Co.: bread salad, mahogany clams, sole francaise, lobster/pasta
Saturday lunch, Mabel's: crab roll and lobster roll. Too stuffed to try the PB pie - next time!
Saturday dinner, Nunan's: Since it was pre-season, we had no problems getting a table. Really sweet lobster. They were having a special of 2 1-1/4 LBS lobsters (per person) for $28
Sunday brunch, MC Perkins Cove: wedge salad w/ spicy glazed pecans, white pizza with clams, shrimp salad. Fabulous. They were there promoting the cookbook so they were actually serving some of the dishes from the book. Ended up buying it for myself and my mother-in-law.
Back in NYC: diet! ;)

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Street & Co
33 Wharf St., Portland, ME 04101

Duck Fat
43 Middle St, Portland, ME 04101

Thanks for the recommendations! We already came and went but we had such a good time, we're thinking of coming back up in the fall. I don't think there's a shortage of tasty up there.

We already went but we had such a good time, we're thinking of going back in the fall. We walked by The Clam Shack - and now it's going on the list! Thanks!

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Clam Shack
2 Western Ave, Kennebunk, ME 04043

What I'm looking for is great, solid food. By foodie, I don't mean exotic or food that tries to have a wow factor. More often than not, there isn't wow but disappointment. I'd gladly pay $30 for an outstanding hamburger but if the best one in town costs $4, let me know where that establishment is! Volume also isn't a priority. I can always order another dish, if I'm still hungry or get an extra dessert. All I'm looking for is, if you've only got a couple days to eat well, preferably without ill-behaved children (but this too isnt a make or break factor), where would you go?

In a different thread, you mention Cape Pier Chowder House, as a child-friendly establishment. Are there any places you'd recommend for foodies, as non child-friendly restaurants? Since we're thinking of this weekend as a romantic getaway, crying babies in restaurants tend to spoil the mood.

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Chowder House
RR 16, North Conway, NH 03860

After your comments, we've rethought the anniversary dinner and decided on a bit less stuffy. Not that we don't want a fun, decadent night out but I'd be really disappointed if our anniversary meal was less than perfect, if we're going to be paying beaucoup dollars. On the Marsh sounds terrific and MC Perkins Cove might be the place to stop for lunch on our way to Freeport. Thanks!

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On the Marsh
46 Western Ave, Kennebunk, ME 04043

I saw Wild Willie's as an option on Zagat but didn't see BT's Smokehouse. I'll give my husband the option and see which one he's leaning toward when we get into the area. And thanks for the gas station suggestion - especially now that gas is getting so expensive!

Thanks for the intel, IWantFood. I'll definitely avoid Clam Shack and since it sounds like there are tons of tasty places, it isn't necessary to put up with indifferent service.