Miso & others: dinner in Chicago?

[emjacobs]

My boss wants to go out tonight and put me in charge of finding somewhere. Only requirements are mid price range, good wine selection and decent portion sizes.

[sparkythelawyer]

Rosebud

[derp]

Volare

[penelope81]

Cuisine preference? Area preference?

[leeann]

Are you downtown? What area are you staying in?

[bonquiqui]

I thought you were suggesting that there was a Chicago meetup lol

[TrudyCampbell]

Hmm I don't know about the wine selection but one of my favorite meals was from the girl and the goat.

[emjacobs]

Open to any type of cuisine except sushi. We are in downtown.

[penelope81]

Wildfire (steak), Rosebud (Italian), Rockit (high end bar/comfort food). Mia Francesca is my favorite Italian, but you would have to cab it to Taylor Street.

[leeann]

La Madia has good woodfired pizza and a good wine selection
Cafe Iberico is tapas - but very generous portions

[leeann]

I should add that I'm a chain snob, so I avoid places that I can go to in other cities.

[cinderbella]

RPM Italian is really, really good.

[Jalapeñomel]

Yum! I love Chicago.

[ijack]

I loooooved girl and the goat.

[miniroller]

Sept 25, 2013 9:40:13 GMT -5 ijack said:

I loooooved girl and the goat.

Thirded!!

[wkatie]

Another vote for girl and the goat.

Also, I loved Frontera Grill (Rick Bayless - Mexican-type food)

[vampsterdam]

Girl & the Goat is excellent, but may be very hard to get in to.

If he's dining alone, he may be able to snag a walk in (with potentially a long wait) near the kitchen, but otherwise, it usually takes a few months to get a reservation.

[emjacobs]

It will be myself my boss and a coworker. I think we might go with wildfire but I'm open to more suggestions.

[leeann]

The odds of getting into Girl and the Goat are slim to none. Most people make reservations months in advance for it.

[Deleted]

Sept 25, 2013 9:20:03 GMT -5 penelope81 said:

Wildfire (steak), Rosebud (Italian), Rockit (high end bar/comfort food). Mia Francesca is my favorite Italian, but you would have to cab it to Taylor Street.

Did Mia Francesca move? It's always been on Clark.

[natsnow]

you'll never get into girl & the goat or frontera grill tonight. I'd try zed451. delicious.

[coribelle26]

I liked Joe's Stone Crab but I don't know if it would qualify as mid price range.

[Deleted]

Flattered that you're asking me, but you will likely get better advice from those who live in Chicago.

While The Girl and the Goat is awesome, I agree that it will be difficult to score a reservation quickly.

The only other non-chain Chicago restaurants at which I've dined and enjoyed are the following:
The Bristol
David Burke's Primehouse
Frontera Grill
Longman & Eagle
The Publican
The Purple Pig
Tru

You might want to check out Eater Chicago's picks:
Eater 38
Eater Heat Map

Hopefully more people familiar with Chicago may help you.  Good luck.

[Cricket0619]

Cafe Ba- Ba- Reeba
Shaws
Bandera
Rosebud
Mon Ami Gabi

[Deleted]

Just chiming in to say I disliked Wildfire a lot. Way to salty and chain-like. I've heard great things about a lot of the other suggestions.

[cbwm1]

WHY would you not go to Gino's or Lou's while in Chicago?!?

Unless you've already done this, then you can ignore me.

[penelope81]

Sept 25, 2013 12:08:39 GMT -5 @weeble said:

Sept 25, 2013 9:20:03 GMT -5 penelope81 said:

Wildfire (steak), Rosebud (Italian), Rockit (high end bar/comfort food). Mia Francesca is my favorite Italian, but you would have to cab it to Taylor Street.

Did Mia Francesca move? It's always been on Clark.

There's multiple locations. I usually go to the one on Taylor. 

[leeann]

Purple Pig is good, but I wasn't sure how that would fit with your budget. Bin 36 has a very good wine selection, too.

[lissaholly]

If you are thinking Wildfire, then I would suggest Kinzie Chophouse instead. Wildfire is a local chain and it really surprised me how friendly family it was. We got a sitter but all the other tables didn't. Kinzie is across from merchandise mart and is definitely an after work like crowd. I know I have dropped into the bar not sure about getting a table easily but I think so. Great wine selection and a good Chicago type place.

If you can get a lunch out go to Hannah's Bretzels. I miss that place like mad!!

[missmaddie]

Sept 25, 2013 12:07:26 GMT -5 pagas said:

Carmine's

This is one of our favs.  DH just made reservations for the night of his marathon there next month...getting excited!

I have been pleased with any of the Rosebud restaurants though.  We've typically been able to get by with no reservations, reasonable prices, and very consistent food experiences.