gymp's Profile
Naha Report
Went just last Friday and can highly recommend ribeye steak (grass-fed so a bit chewy but wonderful, slightly smokey flavor), roast squab (w. foie gras and fruit garnish), and duck breast (rich flavor, great sauce).
Favorite Mexican Restaurant?/ Frontera Grill
I was at Topolo for lunch last Tuesday and it was at the top of its game--great food, service, atmosphere, and a real bargain. Frontera is always good too, but--quite apart from some more interesting food--Topolo is quieter (esp. if you ask to be in the back room, further from the entrance) and you can get a reservation.
Chicago with kids
For something with a bit more adult interest, but with enough to interest kids (I was there with a nine-year-old) try the Gage, the gastropub on Michigan across from the "Bean" in Millennium Park. To avoid noise and crowds, try going at earlier times for lunch or dinner.
I need a great downtown lunch
Topolobampo (Rick Bayless's "fancier" restaurant is top-flight and a real bargain at lunch--and (unlike his Frontera Grill next door) you can make a reservation.
Topolobampo
Especially since it's your first time at Topolo, I'd suggest the celebration tasting menu, which will give you a good sense of what the restaurant can do. I'd also suggest the wine pairings, which are generally very well chosen. There's a lot of controversy about Frontera and Topolo on this board, with some claiming that they are not authentically Mexican or just ordinary in quality. I can't speak to the first claim, but I've been to Topolo many times and have never had a dinner that was, in purely culinary terms, less than superb. Lunch is also very good--less choice but a real bargain.
At the high end, I think Everest is still doing a remarkable job with classic French.
Brunch in River North?
If Saturday works for you (that's the only day they have brunch), Frontera Grill would be a great choice. It opens at 10:30 and, though there are no reservations, if you get there by 11 there's usually little or no wait. There's also outdoor seating. The menu combines some of the restaurant's lunch items along with some breakfast dishes (especially eggs) not otherwise offered.
Frontera Grill...where can I bring my kids?
There are often a good number of children at Frontera's Saturday brunch--they cause no problems and seem to have a good time. If you arrive before 11am there's usually little or no wait. The menu includes some of the restaurant's standard lunch items and also breakfast items (including excellent egg dishes) that are available only at brunch
River North reco's for dining
India House on Grand has an excellent reputation. For good, basic French, you should consider Brasserie Jo (the informal restaurant of Chef Joho of Everest). A bit further north (900 Franklin), Kiki Bistro is very good and, unlike Brass. Jo, open for lunch).
Best Places To Eat Near Grant Park?
For a Bayless restaurant, you should consider Topolobampo for lunch--the price is great for what you get and you can make a reservation on OpenTable (which you can't do for Frontera Grill).
I give a strong second to the recommendation of the Gage.
Mercat a la Planxa gets 3 stars from Phil Vettel
We've been twice and like it very much. The first was at a prime weekend time, the place was packed, and service, though very friendly, was shaky (poor pacing and other confusions in bringing the many dishes of the tasting menu). But the food was sensational. Also, the wine pairing were superb. The second time, at an off-hour, the service was great, but the food was a notch below the earlier visit (e.g., the short rib flatbread was far less flavorful, the garlic shrimp more heavy-handed--in general,most dishes were blander and less exciting). But even the second time was quite good, and we'll definitely be going back.
Millennium Park area with kiddo??
I'm not sure about a six-year-old, but the Gage and Mercat were great for a nine-year-old (going at off times, to avoid the crowds and noise)..
Steak for husband and other options for wife?
Custom House would be a great choice. They have first-class steaks but also seriously interesting offering of other meats (e.g., lamb, rabbit) and fish.
Need fun, delicious dinner near the Mart
Aigre Doux is an outstanding restaurant and right across from the Merchandise Mart. Open for both lunch and dinner.
Lunch at nicer restaurants
Two terrific places for lunch are Custom House and Topolobampo. Custom House is about six block south of Palmer House, an easy walk if it's not too hot or raining. Topolobampo (unlike its companion, Frontera Grill) takes reservations. Not in the same elevated class as these two but still very good, very near Palmer House, and open almost all the time is The Gage, the new gastro-pub,
Frontera Grill and Topolobampo--overkill?
There's lots of disagreement on this board about Frontera/Topolobampo. I've been to both many, many times and think both are great. But, in my view, Topolo is one of the very best restaurants (of any cuisine) in Chicago. And relative to comparable restaurants, it's a great bargain. If you're interested in Mexican food, I think it would be a big mistake to miss dinner at Topolo.
Frontera Grill and Topolobampo--overkill?
It needn't be overkill. Diinner dishes at Topolo (especially on the tasting menus) are typically more refined and complicated than lunch at Frontera (though there can be some overlaps, especially in the desserts; and lunch at Topolo has some items from the Frontera menu). You can check the menus online to avoid any overlaps. I would especially suggest going to Frontera for Saturday brunch, when they have some splendid egg dishes that are quite different from anything at Topolo. Apart from the food, the atmospheres of the two restaurants are rather different, particularly because Topolo is considerably quieter, especially if you avoid the front part of the room, which opens onto Frontera.
Thai around Clark and Fullerton?
I'm looking for suggestions of good Thai restaurants within a mile or two radius of Clark and Fullerton.
Best Burger in Loop area?
The Gage (pub/restaurant at 24 South Michigan) has excellent burgers.
IF YOU HAVE 3 DAYS in Chicago Where would you eat?
In fact, I am meeting my gourmet/oenophile son in Chicago next week for a three day restaurant visit. We're going to: Topolobampo, Everest, and Custom House (the first and last are open for lunch and dinner). For something less formal (and open almost anytime), we'd go to the Gage (a pub restaurant).
Great place for lunch in the Loop or near north?
Two suggestions: Topolobampo (still has space on OpenTable) and Custom House. I've been to both recently, and they're superb.
Unmissable fine dining, chicago?
My wife and I were at Everest last night (Saturday). The last couple of times we thought they had slipped a bit, but this time (in the newly renovated room) everything was at the highest level, right where it used to be for so long. The very best place for traditional French cooking.
What were your top 5 meals of 2007?
1. August (New Orleans)
2. Topolobampo (20th anniversary dinner)
3. Ambria (last night)
4. Everest
5. (tie) Custom House, Aigre Doux
Help! Staying Downtown at the Palmer House Hilton
In the "don't miss" category, I'd put Custom House, which is on Dearborn, about six blocks south of Palmer House. Check out their website: http://www.customhouse.cc/
Best pre-Lyric Opera food?
Everest has an excellent pretheater three-course dinner (or you can order from the regular menu) and is very good about getting you out in time.
Trip Report: Onesixty, Topolo, etc
Just to make it clear that Chowhounds are divided on Topolobampo, let me say once again that I've been there many times in the last year and found it uniformly outstanding in both food and service, among the best in Chicago.
Everest Wine?
Thanks for the response. I see your points but still find it hard to believe that the price of restaurant wine just reflects a reasonable profit on an expensive investment. Could the sommelier's salary and the cost of storage and crystal amount to three of four times the cost of the wine itself? The only item you mention that might have a serious effect is replenishing old vintages at auction, but if and when that happens, the prices go up accordingly. In fact, it seems clear that at many places the prices even on wine that's been long on hand goes up periodically. So I think there's good reason to believe that most restaurants use wine (and other beverages) as a cash cow because people put up with it. As Charlie Trotter said in a recent Chicago Magazine article (regarding his amazement at Schwa's BYOB policy): "If you don't have a wine program you're just leaving money on the table". I'd be interested in solid evidence that top restauants don't typically make considerably more on wine than they do on their food--or that, if they do, this is essential to their survival. It would be good to hear from other Chowhounds who have information and views on this topic.
casual french for sunday dinner
Kiki's would be great, but I don't think it's open on Sunday
Brasserie Jo is open on Sundays, and I've always found it satisfying, though I haven't been there for several months. I've never been tot Cyrano's, but it has been getting some hard knocks on this site recently.
Everest Wine?
As you would also expect, the wine prices are extremely high--often triple or more than retail. This is especially true of wines by the glass. Evererst is not an exception here--many, many top-tier restaurants have wines that are absurdly over-priced. Unless there's a wine you really want to have and know you can't buy retail, drink something simple and relatively inexpensive and save your money to drink great wines at home. It's silly to have your wine tab double your bill. I recommend the policy of refusing to pay more than $75 for a bottle of wine in a restaurant.
rick bayless.
I've been to Topolobambo repeatedly over many years, for both lunch and dinner, and have never been disapporinted. The food has the same sort of subtlety and complexity I find in other highest-level Chicago restaurants. It seems to me that criticisms of Rick Bayless often come from people who have some specific conception of how Mexican food should taste that his restaurants don't match. There's also a puzzling tendency to treat Frontera and Topolo as essentially the same. Frontera is very good but at a distinct level below Topolo, which is truly extraordinary, in food, atmosphere, and service.
