I am a fan of Bouchon. As to the corkage, you can save some money bringing your own wine. We've done it many times. Be advised that last time we checked MGM properties limit corkage to two bottles per table.

Lotus of Siam is a cab ride but relatively cheap with a great and very reasonably priced list with excellent food.

The Beatle's Love is fantastic.

Have your tried The Spice House or Fox & Obel?

Its been a while but the Swissotel is fine.

I'd hit Malnati's for pizza. Uno/Duo after that. I personally avoid the Giordano's on Rush. Its not deep dish or "Chicago" but we had a fantastic pizza at Bar Toma a couple of months ago.

You can get a Chicago dog, sausage, or Italian beef at Protillo's. Also a very under-rated cheeseburger. Al's is great but as shorty mentioned Portillo's offers more.

I like Cafe Spiaggia for lunch.

If you want another high end place with Alinea, I prefer Tru to other places. We just went to Grace and weren't thrilled. It was very, very good. I certainly wouldn't turn anyone away from it but I still prefer Tru. If you're into wine I would avoid the pairings at Grace and order a bottle or bottles~don't know their corkage policy. I think Grace needs to work out a few kinks. If you end up there you won't be upset with the decision.

Nsxtasy gives some good recs. I like Bayless' place and Salpicon a lot. de Cero taqueria on Randolph is also very good.

Mass Ave. has some fun places. Good (upscale-ish) bars. R Bistro is probably my favorite place in Indy. Black Market on Mass ave is sort of a gastropubish place. Very good food.

Oakley's is an Indianapolis standard and it is very good.

Downtown: Lots of chains. Though Oceanaire is very good. You also have Libertine (independent) Liquor Bar downtown. Creative and well executed menu as well as cocktails, beer & wine.

Indianapolis will be packed so take extra time getting places and ressie up now.

I agree that they should have made an exception. But while the OPer is legit do you know how many illegitimate similar request they might get?

And it may in part be the alcoholic beverage but it is also a chance to up-sell a special or dessert, too.

No it is not discrimination. Its a business move to get people to eat inside the restaurant. Unfortunate maybe, callous, maybe but not discrimination.

I like Jeanty a bit more than Bouchon. My last meal at Bouchon was o.k. but that's about it. We had a absolutely fantastic dinner at Atellier Crenn last fall.

As far as some other restaurants in the area, we were quite impressed with Lucy last fall and would definitely go back. Also really like Redd and Redd Wood.

Etoile for lunch was outstanding, too. Bottega was a service disaster and we won't be back. The food was good but certainly no more than that.

The best? I would have to go with the Peninsula lobby restaurant brunch. I've been to the Ritz and 4 Seasons and I'd give the nod to the Peninsula.

All of these are expensive.

Trader's Point Creamery rocks.....

I would opt for Lou M.'s, Pizza Uno/Duo well before Giordanno's-especially the Giordanno's on Rush.

Funny. I've been to JG twice for dinner and service and food were excellent. The second time the wine pairing was a disaster but nothing else was great. Lunch at the The Modern last year was outstanding.

Anyplace can have a bad night.

I was just at The Bristol. I've been three times and the most recent one was the worst. First, we called from the cab at the time of our reservation and told them we may be a bit late due to unforeseen traffic. We were told they only hold reservations for 15 minutes. If we missed that window they would give away our table and we would have to wait. They secured our reservation with a credit card, which is fine. But this 15 minute window thing was news to us. It was never mentioned and we didn't see it on their site. With the phone call I think they handled the situation very poorly.

The food was good as in we had no complaints. But we were over-sold on the food and ordered more than we needed. The room is incredibly loud which usually doesn't bother me but when they started cranking the tunes conversation was impossible.

It is off of our Chicago list now....

Another Flannery recommendation here....

I don't completely disagree but that wasn't the question. They were asked to bring a wine.

Maybe a tawny port? Otherwise I like the sweet white suggestions above, too.

Wow, that is unusual for my experience with Delmonico! We make that our steak house night for a group of guys who regularly go to Vegas. We originally chose it because of their reasonable corkage policy but have never had a disappointing meal. I hope your experience was the exception and that things haven't changed.

Having spent 24 years in retail I can tell you that the customer is definitely not always right. In fact its probably 50% or less. And the ones who complain the loudest and are the most belligerent, the ones who make the greatest demands, are usually the most wrong. Its how a business manages to placate these people that makes the difference.

I don't think the OP was necessarily wrong. I think you ask to be moved and don't mention moving another party. But, given their experience with the place that should have been a pretty simple thing to do.

I would accept the offer to be their guest and leave it at that. Another issue with the hostess and I'd never return. If the OP has been going to a place that long it must be pretty good.

Redd is a very solid choice. We recently had a great lunch at Redd Wood (pizza/Italian). Jeanty, from our experience, has always been a solid choice. We've also had some pretty fine lunches at both Mustard's and Brix.

For really informal Gott's Roadside for burgers.

Winery visits can depend on what you like and don't like. I'd get ressies sooner rather than later.

Its the continuing flash of the "very important blogger" what is generally considered the problem. A family photo? I can't see a problem with this.

I definitely agree. Medical or religious reasons get a pass. And the customer is not always right. It also depends on the restaurant and the person, I suppose.

I have a friend that asks a ton of questions and almost always makes a special request or three. Its a real pain in the ***.

What Gonzo said...

They had the time limit from day one. Their partner/manager had experience in the business and, I think it was his idea.

My sister and brother in law owned a coffee shop/restaurant for some time. "Laptop hobos" are indeed an issue. Especially around meal times. They offer wifi b/c most people don't abuse it. Theirs had a time limit but don't remember what that was because of this issue.

The BKs in our area have gone way, way downhill in the lat few years.

Morel

Agreed with many here. A coffee and croissant doesn't entitle one to very much. Certainly not more than an hour.

I don't remember. I do remember it being reasonable and that they handled it very well. I've brought wine in a few times there with no issues. I just don't remember the price.

Agree about Boulud. I wouldn't over look the restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton. Sort of a upscale steakhouse but we were very, very impressed a few months ago. Renato's (Italian) was pretty good, too.

Not a burger expert when it comes to Chicago but I have to agree DMK makes a really good freakin' burger!