Chicago: Ambria or Arun's

Sebastien K. wrote:
>
>My wife and I are going to Chicago for a day, and we are looking for a
>romantic and memorable dining experience.  Based on our food preferences
>and a dining guide, we have narrowed our choice to Ambria or Arun's, but
>we can't seem to decide from there.
>
>Any comments on either of these two places would be greatly appreciated!
>
>Thank you,
>
>Sebastien Korner
>

Obviously these are highly dissimilar restaurants.  I have eaten at both. Arun's is way off the beaten track and a little hard to find.  Ambria is conveniently located in Lincoln Park.  I think Ambria is the more romantic of the two restaurants.  Arun's is a pretty restaurant and the food served there is not only delicious but extremely beautiful.  You are unlikely to find Thai cuisine of this quality outside of Bangkok I believe.  I also really love the food at Ambria.  The last time I ate there the food was very interesting and used a lot of asian ingredients and techniques in this nouvelle cuisine restaurant.  I am using nouvelle in the best sense/meaning of the term.  You can't go wrong at either restaurant but the elegant and romantic atmosphere at Ambria might give it the nod for a special occasion.

Kate