Kenneth L. wrote: >I will be Chicago next month for business. I went to to Chicago earlier >this year and visited Rush Street, Baha Club, and visited >a German restaurent around the corner from Palmer House Hilton (forgot >the name, they have their own liqour I remember). Can't help with bars other than to say that if you're into that yuppie Rush Street/Baha Beach Club scene, you'll find a lot of the plastic people in the strip of bars along Division street. If you like elegant Italian food in a quiet, elegant restaurant, then be sure to visit the Como Inn on Milwaukee in the River West neighborhood (I think). It pretty close to downtown, but it still isn't in the best or most populated section of the city so you'll have to call a cab to pick you up after dinner. I think it's well worth the effort, though. This Chicago jewel was established in 1927 and it is truly magnificent...Many elegant dining rooms, very large (and so) NO crowds and NO waits, polite, attentive service, and most of all GREAT food. There are other Italian places in more trendy parts of town (Carlucci's in the DePaul/Lincon Park area) which have snippy service, large crowds with long waits to sit in loud crowded dining rooms to eat Chef Boyardee food... There are some good Italian places in Little Italy (Rosebud Cafe, Tuscany), but none that I know of that have the history of the Como Inn. Can you tell that I was just there Friday night? :-) Other things that Chicago is famous for? Pizza. There's Gino's East (a few blocks east and I think a block south of the Hancock) and Pizzeria Uno and Pizzareia Due (both a couple of blocks west of Michigan--one on Ohio? and one on Ontario). Ranalli's (Linconln and Wisconsin). Other Italian. Leona's (multiple locations). Tony's Cuccina Italiana. Salvatore's. Sole Mio (Sheffield/Armitage). Papa Milano (Lincoln Park). Via Veneto (Northwest side Peterson). Trendy Stuff. Michael Jordan's new restaurant, Planet Hollywood, Ed Debevic's, Oprah's, Harry Carry's, Bub City Crab Shack, A-1 Texas Steak House (above Baha Beach Club at North Pier). Dick' last resort (also at North Pier) friends tell me that it's a Dixieland bar/restaurant that they go to when they are in an insulting mood. (?) "Ethnic" Food. If you're interested in this, you'll have to e-mail me because there's too much to list. There's Mexican, Spanish, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Indian, Iranian, Korean, Chinese, Thai, Greek... Polish, German (Lutz Bakery is famous, not sure what ethnicity, though) etc. Jazz. Jazz Bulls (Lincoln and Wisconsin) Never been there, they tell me it's a cave bar. The Green Mill (Uptown) Home of the world famous Uptown Poetry Slam (Sunday Nights). Blues. Buddy Guy's Legends. Checkerboard Lounge (by UofC...BAD neighborhood. if you're *terminally* white, you *may* feel like an unwelcome minority.) Industrial. Smart Bar. Reggae. The Wild Hare. Comedy. Second City (Wells). I obviously haven't been to all of these places (especailly not the bars/dance places), but I have been to many and when discussions of the types of places come up, these are the names that are metioned the most.
Chicago, IL