Need Input from Chi-town Dopers! Restaurant and Hotel Info

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hey y’all, can you help a girl out on rooming and eating places in the windy city?

I will be up there either next Friday/Saturday or the Friday/Saturday after that for an expert deposition close to the University of Chicago. My little brother lives in Chicago, but he’s not from around that area and can’t really help too much as he hasn’t lived there that long.

I’m looking for a hotel and place for dinner that are true to Chicago…not chains that I can find other places…Ethnic germanny/polish food is a bonus but not required. Money is not really an object, but I’d prefer not to have to get too gussied up for dinner–mostly 'cause I’ll be taking little bro and fiance out too and little bro won’t dress up. Keep in mind that I’m from Dallas, TX so I get all the tex-mex and steaks down here that I want…

To be honest I care more about the food than I do the hotel…I guess I can stay at a chain unless there’s something cool nearby.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

2

If you want to stay downtown, I’d recommend the Drake or the Renaissance – they’re both pricey but gorgeous. (Especially the Drake. Beautiful old-style hotel.)

My favorite place for German downtown is the Berghoff – not much on atmosphere but the food’s fantastic. There’s also a lot of great places up on the north side.

I’d check out www.metromix.com – there’s a lot of info on that site about restaurants and hotels in Chicago.

3

For a great hotel in a cool neighborhood, I’d suggest the City Suites on Belmont. Then you can run across the street to The Alley for some assless chaps. There’s an Ann Sather restaurant (Scandinavian food) there, too – I mainly go for the enormous cinnamon rolls.

For German, you can go to Lincoln Square (check out lincolnsquare.org) for some authentic German restaurants. For Polish, Red Apple on Milwaukee is probably the best place in town.

4

Not a real great neighborhood around U of C. You can go the Museum of Science and Industry, that’s right there. Otherwise, I would probably head at least near north. For hotels in I would go for:

Claridge Hotel
1244 N Dearborn Pkwy
312-787-4980
(Small but very nice hotel, right around the corner from one of the hot bar areas.)

Drake Hotel
140 E Walton Place
312-787-2200
(Say Hi to Oprah, she lives just a couple doors away. Right on Michigan at Oak Street beach. Tons of fancy shops around there.)

Best Western River North Hotel
125 West Ohio
312-467-0800
(If you’re on a budget, this place isn’t bad. Located not far away from the other two mentioned.)

Food:

Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
Chicago - Lincoln Park
958 W. Wrightwood (Sheffield & Lincoln)
(Best Chicago pizza in my book.)

Dublin’s
1030 N. State St.
312-266-6340
(Great fish, imagine that.)

Famous Dave’s
739 N. Clark St.
312-266-2400
(Decent pub grub and ribs, with live blues to boot.)

Heaven on Seven
600 N. Michigan Ave.
312-280-7774
(Awesome cajun food. A bit expensive, but worth it.)

Leona’s
3215 N. Sheffield Ave.
(My favorite Italian restaurant in Chicago.)

Original Pancake House
22. E. Bellevue Pl.
312-642-7917
(If you stay at one of the hotels listed above, go here for breakfast.)

Reza’s
432 W. Ontario St.
312-664-4500
(What to try something different? A Persian restaurant. A Berghoff is right next door too.)

Tsunami
1160 N. Dearborn St.
312-642-9911
(Very good, Japanese.)

Portillo’s
100 W. Ontario St.
312-587-8930
(Best Chicago fast food place. The ribs are great, the sandwiches are great, well, everything is great.)

Have fun!!!

5

Damn…now I have to go to Ann Sathers and get a cinnamon roll!..Fortunately the one in Andersonville is a mere skip from my home…Also don’t forget Harry Carey’s…HOLY COW…Harry Carey’s … (312) 828-0966 33 West Kinzie Street, Chicago, IL 60610 Cuisine: American Contemporary Price Range: Moderate ($16-$30)…The Palmer House Hilton is a true Chicago Hotel…old school…17 EAST MONROE STREET
CHICAGO, IL 60603

6

Plus, if you stay at the Palmer House you can have high tea in what may be the neatest hotel lobby ever, and stumble downstairs to pickle your brain at Trader Vic’s.

7

Or…
you can stay at the Hilton on S Michigan Ave, stand out on the corner and chant The whole world’s watching! Then catch a vator up to the roof and re-enact the ending of The Fugitive.

There’s always the Congress Hotel just a block up Mich, where employees are currently on strike, so you can walk thru a picket line each day. I read their occupancy was down around 30%, so with that and the strike, you might be able to wrangle a sweet deal. Might need to make your own bed, tho!

If you want reasonable rates, there is the Pacific Garden Mission on S. State St. Not to mention the SROs on S. Clark across the street from the jail.

Now why am I unable to get this image of Gundy and assless chaps out of my mind?

8

The Hard Rock is just about to open a hotel in the old Carbon and Carbide building - one of the neatest buildings in town.

And I think they remade the Reliance Building into a hotel - right on State Street across from Marshall Fields.

As far as remodeled hotels - they redid the old Bismarck up on Randolph renamed Allegro - supposed to be funky.

And they’ve been working on the old Whitehall on Adams, no named “W” forever.

Depending on what you want to do:

Allegro is in what is considered the “theater district” - a block or 2 west of the State St. shopping area.

W is close to the Sears Tower - and my workplace - but not much else.

Palmer is a block down from the MF, and a block or two from the Art Institute.

Congress and Hilton are on Mich just S of the Art Institute, but closer to the Field museum, aquarium, and planetarium.

Claridge and Drake are up near Michigan Ave - probably the premier shopping district. Drake is right across from Oak St beach, but the watter is getting a tad nippy.

Belmont Suites is 3-4 miles N of downtown, around 10 miles N of U of C. But the choice of the listings so far if you want to be in a neighborhood.

Enjoy your trip.

9

Definitely check out Chowhound for food recommendations.

For German food, you can do a lot worse than Resi’s Bierstube on Irving Park Road with the added benefit of Jarbabyj as your waitress :slight_smile:

10

Now I am unable to get the image of Dinsdale with the image of Gundy in assless chaps out of my head.

My BIL comes into town each fall for a bond attorney conference at the Palmer House. He speaks very highly of it and I agree with him that it has one of the most glorious lobbies I’ve ever seen.

11

As long as we are discussing Gundy’s booty, aren’t all chaps by definition assless?

12

Mmmmmmm… assless Gundy…

13

The lobby is worth going to look at even if you don’t stay…

14

Seconded. My wife and I visited Chicago in August, and Chowhound was an invaluable resource for narrowing down our dining options.

<hijack> By the way, I never bumped that previous thread to say thanks for the help. For our anniversary dinner, we ended up at Les Nomades, where I had the best duck I’ve had in my life. Thanks to everybody who contributed! <end hijack>

15

Thanks so much so far…I’m taking notes…will do some research and will let you know what I decide to do. I’m drooling already!

As far as University of Chicago location, wow, I know it’s not in the best location…I got confused in getting back on the highway last time and I was a bit, how shall we say, disconcerted…

16

I honestly have no idea how to take this. Me being assless would be…good?

17

Well, it’d probably make the chaps fit better.

I honestly have no idea what I’m saying anymore.