Dine Out Chicago!
The month of November has flown by for me, after getting organized again from two vacations last month and getting a little more comfortable at my new job. I've also been learning to sew on a sewing machine (mostly doing small quilting projects to start). With the warmer weather, the cooking mood starts to strike me... making soups and stews, baking casseroles and muffins. I'm all about new recipes, but I have those old favorites as well- time to make some real, homemade chicken stock in order to make Chicken Beurre Blanc or Chicken Duxelle, some baked beets or baked squash with sage and warm chocolate lava cakes....Mmmmm....
Now that I've made you hungry :), I got an email this week that another Dine Out week is happening in Chicago NEXT WEEK Nov 17 - 21, called the "Appetite Stimulus" plan- great name. :) Here are the partipating restaurants. I have raved about this in the past to several people (sorry if I am repeating myself! ;), but the idea is that restaurants sign up to particpate in the week and provide 3 course meals (soup/salad/appetizer, main course and dessert) for $24 for lunch and $35 for dinner. You only get a choice of two, or possibly three, different items for each course- so you don't get to choose from their entire menu. Often, they will put their specialties on the menu, so the food is some of their best- after all, this is a way to advertise their restaurants to all of us. I really think its a great deal- you get to enjoy some really great food at high end restaurants that you wouldn't normally go to because of the expense. This time, there have many suburban participating restaurants as well as in the city. I can't say enough to get people out there to try at least one place during the week, because some of the best meals I have ever had are among those during restaurant weeks in Chicago! (I was also lucky enough to be in New York for its restaurant week once). So get and out and enjoy some food! I'll blog on the resturants I end up going to next week and give my reviews (I'd love to hear of other's experiences as well).
Some recommendations I can offer are below. I'm already almost done planning my next week of meals. :) Happy Dining!
Brasserie Jo is part of the Lettuce Entertain You network in Chicago. I went there a few years ago on a restaurant week and I remember having a superb homemade pasta fettuccini noodle with a light sauce, veggies and toasted pine nuts.
59 W. Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL
312.595.0800
Park Grille is at Millenium Park. I went there for lunch on restaurant week a few years back and still remember the delicious spiced pumpkin soup (which is on their regular fall menu and I intend to get there this year just for that dish, even if it is not next week! :) and a nicely prepared lake superior whitefish (doesn't hold a candle to the fresh stuff we grill up in Canada that was caught that day, but a close second ;)
11 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL
312.521.PARK
Roy's Seafood was recommended to me by my friend Leanna. The food was delicious, as was the free edamame they served at every table (not sure if that is a common thing or not). What you HAVE to get is their Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle. Impressively, Roy's has their prix fixe menu online, which I believe are the same choices I had for restaurant week last year at Roy's, so I'm pretty sure this is the menu for next week as well.
720 N. State Street
Chicago, IL
312.787.7599
One Sixty Blue was also good. Only thing I didn't like was that they tried to push a cheese menu and drinks on us before our meal when were only interested in the special menu... they literally wouldn't give us the special menu until after we said no to several things. But, the food was still great, so just go in knowing you'll have to politely decline all the pre-offers.
1400 W Randolph
Chicago, IL
312-850-0303
I haven't been to these restaurants for restaurant week, but I have been to them several times and their food is always good (in fact, they are both on my Top Ten Favorite Restaurant list I blogged on back in June):
Wildfire
Shaw's Crabhouse
Now that I've made you hungry :), I got an email this week that another Dine Out week is happening in Chicago NEXT WEEK Nov 17 - 21, called the "Appetite Stimulus" plan- great name. :) Here are the partipating restaurants. I have raved about this in the past to several people (sorry if I am repeating myself! ;), but the idea is that restaurants sign up to particpate in the week and provide 3 course meals (soup/salad/appetizer, main course and dessert) for $24 for lunch and $35 for dinner. You only get a choice of two, or possibly three, different items for each course- so you don't get to choose from their entire menu. Often, they will put their specialties on the menu, so the food is some of their best- after all, this is a way to advertise their restaurants to all of us. I really think its a great deal- you get to enjoy some really great food at high end restaurants that you wouldn't normally go to because of the expense. This time, there have many suburban participating restaurants as well as in the city. I can't say enough to get people out there to try at least one place during the week, because some of the best meals I have ever had are among those during restaurant weeks in Chicago! (I was also lucky enough to be in New York for its restaurant week once). So get and out and enjoy some food! I'll blog on the resturants I end up going to next week and give my reviews (I'd love to hear of other's experiences as well).
Some recommendations I can offer are below. I'm already almost done planning my next week of meals. :) Happy Dining!
Brasserie Jo is part of the Lettuce Entertain You network in Chicago. I went there a few years ago on a restaurant week and I remember having a superb homemade pasta fettuccini noodle with a light sauce, veggies and toasted pine nuts.
59 W. Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL
312.595.0800
Park Grille is at Millenium Park. I went there for lunch on restaurant week a few years back and still remember the delicious spiced pumpkin soup (which is on their regular fall menu and I intend to get there this year just for that dish, even if it is not next week! :) and a nicely prepared lake superior whitefish (doesn't hold a candle to the fresh stuff we grill up in Canada that was caught that day, but a close second ;)
11 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL
312.521.PARK
Roy's Seafood was recommended to me by my friend Leanna. The food was delicious, as was the free edamame they served at every table (not sure if that is a common thing or not). What you HAVE to get is their Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle. Impressively, Roy's has their prix fixe menu online, which I believe are the same choices I had for restaurant week last year at Roy's, so I'm pretty sure this is the menu for next week as well.
720 N. State Street
Chicago, IL
312.787.7599
One Sixty Blue was also good. Only thing I didn't like was that they tried to push a cheese menu and drinks on us before our meal when were only interested in the special menu... they literally wouldn't give us the special menu until after we said no to several things. But, the food was still great, so just go in knowing you'll have to politely decline all the pre-offers.
1400 W Randolph
Chicago, IL
312-850-0303
I haven't been to these restaurants for restaurant week, but I have been to them several times and their food is always good (in fact, they are both on my Top Ten Favorite Restaurant list I blogged on back in June):
Wildfire
Shaw's Crabhouse
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