Dining... Chicago Restaurant & Dining alternatives by chicagonightlife.com From ethnic dining, to traditional family fare, Check out our list of Chicago's newest and most popular restaurants.
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CHICAGO RESTAURANTS & DINING
Bin 36 Seasonal American Cuisine with a wine driven focus. 339 N. Dearborn 312.755.9463
Bob Chinn's 33,000 Square foot seafood restaurant. 315 N. Lasalle 312.822.0100
Charlie Trotter's 816 W. Armitage Ave (At Halsted St) 773/248-6228 Cuisine: French/Belgian Price Category: Very Expensive
Foodies flock to the namesake restaurant of chef Charlie Trotter, Chicago's first celebrity chef. Yes, he's done TV shows and authored a series of cookbooks (with almost impossible-to-follow recipes), but Trotter's focus is this restaurant, a shrine to creative fine dining.
There is no a la carte menu, so this is not the place to come if you're a picky eater. Decide at the outset if you would like the vegetable ($90) or grand ($110) degustation menu. Trotter delights in presenting diners with unfamiliar ingredients and presentations, and prides himself on using only organic or free-range products (so you can feel good about indulging). The very long entree descriptions signal Trotter's attention to detail; The dining room may be formal, but the staff is not intimidating. The wine list is extensive, and a sommelier is on hand to help match wines with each course. The entire restaurant is nonsmoking.
Fixed-price menus $90 and $110. Open: Tues-Sat 6-10pm. Reservations required. Jackets required, ties requested. Credit Cards: AE, DC, DISC, MC, Visa Morton's 1050 N. State St 312/266-4820 Cuisine: Steaks/Chops Price Category: Very Expensive
Morton's is a well-known chain with a couple dozen locations nationwide; but it's Chicago born and bred, and many people still consider it the king of the Chicago-style steakhouses. Named for its founding father, renowned Chicago restaurateur Arnie Morton, Morton's holds its own against an onslaught of steakhouse competition with gargantuan portions of prime, wet-aged steaks, football-size baking potatoes, and trees of broccoli rolled out on a presentation cart. The restaurant is somewhat hidden in an undistinguished high-rise. House specialties include the double filet mignon with sauce béarnaise, and classic cuts of porterhouse, New York strip, and rib eye. A la carte sides include baked or mashed potatoes, hash browns, potato skins, or potatoes Lyonnaise.
This is a great place for a slice of carnivorous Chicago power dining -- and a slice of Key lime pie or New York cheesecake.
Main courses $20-$33. Open: Mon-Sat 5:30-11pm; Sun 5-10pm. Reservations recommended. Credit Cards: AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Spiaggia 980 N. Michigan Ave (At Oak St) 312/280-2750 Cuisine: Italian Price Category: Very Expensive
Spiaggia means "beach" in Italian, and the restaurant's name is a tribute to its spectacular view of Lake Michigan and the Oak Street Beach. But this is no casual beach cafe. Spiaggia is widely acknowledged as the best fine-dining Italian restaurant in the city. The dining room is bright, airy, and sophisticated, an atmosphere far removed from your neighborhood trattoria (wear your jackets, gentlemen).
You can order a la carte or from two different degustation menus. The menu changes often and emphasizes seasonal ingredients. For starters, consider carpaccio of smoked Sicilian swordfish or pork loin wrapped in pancetta, served with sautéed artichoke hearts in a balsamic vinegar dressing. The classic Spiaggia dessert is the baba all'arancia, a cake soaked in orange liqueur and served with orange cream.
Main courses $17-$25 lunch, $29-$38 dinner; menu degustation $95-$135; fixed-price 3-course lunch $35. Open: Tues-Thurs 5:30-9:30pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-2pm and 5:30-10:30pm; Sun 5:30-9pm. Reservations required on weekends. Credit Cards: AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. mk 868 N. Franklin St (1 block north of Chicago Ave) 312/482-9179 Cuisine: American Price Category: Very Expensive
Considered by foodies to be one of the top American restaurants in the city, mk doesn't flaunt its pedigree. The loftlike dining room is as understated as the lowercase initials that give the restaurant its name. Chef Michael Kornick specializes in creative combinations, such as sautéed whitefish and Maine lobster with sweet corn, mushrooms, and a light cream sauce; a nouvelle surf and turf of grilled filet mignon and lobster with truffle aioli, red-wine sauce, and potato purée; and a New York sirloin steak with veal porterhouse. The presentations are tasteful rather than dazzling; Kornick wants you to concentrate on the food, and that's just what the chic, mixed-age crowd does. Service is disciplined yet agreeable, and fine table appointments signal this restaurant's commitment to quality. Pastry chef Mindy Segal is mk's not-so-secret weapon: her sweet seasonal masterpieces, from intriguing homemade ice creams to playful adaptations of classic fruit desserts, shouldn't be missed.
Main courses $19-$34; menu degustation $55. Open: Mon-Thurs 11:30am-2pm and 5:30-10pm; Fri 11:30am-2pm and 5:30-11pm; Sat 5:30-11pm; Sun 5:30-10pm. Reservations recommended. Credit Cards: AE, DC, MC, V.
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