spring for the cab and go somewhere else. this place is BAD.

Keens. No doubt.

We weren't blown away by our choices so we had italian.

We went to keens saturday night and got the porterhouse. It was great.

I was in rubirosa saturday for lunch. There were 3 of us, each in our mid 50's. We did not feel out of place at all. It is a small place so get reservations if they accept them. (we walked in about 11:45am) and it filled up quickly. Try the house made limoncello. We had the breakfast pizza. We had a good time and will definitely go back.

I had dinner at da'andrea sunday night. There were 6 in our party. There was nothing anyone ordered that was exceptional in any way. It was ok but i will not go back..

Thanks for the suggestion. Have you ever tried sevilla? Some say it's good others disagree. I guess there's not much interest in spanish food. Maybe if someone opened a spanish spot with a 10 course tasting menu they might get some play.

A group of 6 will be in town the 2nd week in December. We are looking for a spanish restaurant to have dinner thursday night. It seems as if everything we look at is primarily a tapas restaurant. We would prefer a traditional spot. Our hotel is in midtown but we can cab anywhere. Cost is not really an issue. Any ideas? Thanks for your help.

i wanted to check in and let you all know how our dining experience went. we had a late lunch at the purple pig and it was great. we told our server what we liked and let her choose a few starters. she did so well we turned over the ordering to her. we especially liked the pork neck gravy. after 2 drinks at the bar we got a table at frontera. everyone enjoyed their appetizers (ceviche trio, guacamole). the spice rubbed ribeye and the duck breast were stand out entrees. fridasy we had dinner at la scarola and it was a blast. the grilled calamari and grilled octupus were at treat for us. there's not much octopus in texas. our meals at pp, frontera, and la scarola were great. thanks to all who took the time to guide istook the time to help us. saturday we went to gene and georgetti. i should have listened to jbontario. it basically sucked. the service was fine but the food was tasteless. lesson learned. sunday we were "fooded out" and went to sable for a few drinks and a few plates. the scallops were good, but the pork loin was somewhat flat. you guys gave great recommendations, i wished i would have listened to them all. thanks again.

Ditto on lanterns keep. Tell the what you like and dislike and let them get creative. My wife and I had a great time. The mussels are great also.

La scarola is our choice. I understand that a non-regular group would get a less desirable table at gene and georgettis but would the service also be sub par? Has anyone out there had bad service simply because they weren't a regular?

We are planning on waiting in the bar at frontera until a table opens up. We have reservations at gene and georgetti and sable. We still need an Italian spot for Friday. The piccolo song group was full Friday when we wanted to go. What else might you recommend? Also, what are some quick breakfast spots close to the fairmont? We don't want to spend much time in the morning, just something to tide us over. Thanks.

We are at the fairmont. What is your opinion of the purple pig? I hear great things about the food but that it is crowded and hard to get into at peak times. Also, is there any significant difference between piccolo song and piccolo song due? I have read some of your posts and you are very knowledgeable about the Chicago dining scene. What are your favorite restaurants? If you could go anywhere in town where would it be?

We were thinking about getting a car service but received an email from the Ryder cup site telling us that public transport (train) would be a great option. Do you have any experience or opinion with those 2 options. Also, I was looking at frontera grill. How hard would it be to get a 7:00 reservation on Thursday? If it's impossible, what is the latest they will seat a party?

A group of 4 will be coming to Chicago Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the Ryder cup. We will be staying near downtown. I am looking for dinner ideas for 4 nights. We would like to enjoy chicago's great restaurants but are overwhelmed with the choices. Since we will be out all day we don't want to have to get too dressed up for dinner. We know we would like a steakhouse, Mexican, and Italian. We would like ideas for these 3 plus any other interesting idea anyone might have for another type of restaurant. Reservations are much preferred. This is a bucket list trip so we are not too worried about cost. Thanks so much.

I don't know if your birthday has passed or not but I would definitely go. I love the food at PA. Red sauce must mean the same thing as toxic waste to some people on this board. My wife and I have been many times and have always been pleased. The meatballs and oso buco are particularly good.

Any tips on how to score a table?

You forgot gumbo.

We are staying at the palomar. We can walk or cab anywhere.

My group of 4 will be in Chicago the first week in December. We have dinner reservations nailed down. We are looking for small, family owned Italian restaurants to have lunch each day. The location and price aren't major considerations. Casual attire is preferred. Any suggestions?