Randolph Street

NNTP-Posting-Date: 6 Oct 2001 20:58:29 GMT
Xref: usenet.INS.cwru.edu chi.eats:11564

>
> Cliff are you listening?

It is considered poor form to comment too critically on other places within the industry particularly since virtually everyone who works at the Randolph Street restaurants patronize Twisted Spoke, but since you asked ... starting at one end:

One Sixty Blue -- I had dinner here in their private room, so I don't know how they treat the every day riff raff, but it was really good. The room has this big round table so that everyone (up to, say, 15) can sit together and there is an ante room / lounge attached.  I never really looked at the menu so I can't comment on the selection.  The service was great and the atmosphere pretty elegant.  It is a pretty expensive place.

Ina's -- This would be Ina's third go at things.  I have not been to the new location, but I used to stop by the old place on Webster from time to time.  Ina specializes in breakfast, but she serves lunch too.
 I always really enjoyed her food, but it is pretty expensive for what it is.  She uses high quality ingredients so she charges for it.  As an aside, before she opened, she offered "Ina Bucks" for sale.  The public at large was invited to pay in advance and would receive a premium of 20%, I think, which was a truly brilliant scheme.  I don't know if it worked, but I admire the hell out of her for doing it.

Market Street Inn -- On the other end of the spectrum from Ina's, this is an old fashioned diner.  I have not been there, but the awning at the front door states "Home of the Hot Dog Special."  You have to hand it to these guys for such an invention.  Actually, it looks quite clean and I am sure that it is inexpensive.  One of these days I want to stop in.

Hi Ricky -- Pan Asian food that is fairly inexpensive.  It costs more than you would find at any of the numerous storefront Thai or Chinese places all over Chicago, but not obscenely so.  It has a nice enough look inside and the food is decent enough.  I suppose by definition if a place is Pan anything, it is not likely to have any particular style stand out.

Wishbone -- This is actually on Washington, but since they have been there longer than most of the others, it should be included.  Good prices, comfortable atmosphere, pretty decent food.

Marche and Vivo -- Very interesting spaces, pricey, quite loud, and the food is generally very good.  I am pretty sure that everyone on the planet already knows about these places and the impact that have had on transforming Randolph Street into what it is today.  They are still very chi-chi and places to be seen, but you can still eat well and avoid all of that by going at the off times.

Millennium Steak House -- Haven't been and I never care to pass along any one else's opinion.

Red Light -- Cool place, really expensive, enjoyed dinner, but probably not enough to pay the price in the future.  It is possible that I was just not adventurous enough in my ordering.

Blue Point -- I will remain diplomatically silent.

Grace -- This is expensive and very trendy, but I had a couple of really good meals there.  Although, now it is a new chef with an entirely new menu, so it is really Grace in name only.  This is kind of like of rooting for the home team when they have all replacement players.  The Tribune gave it a rave yesterday, for what that is worth.

Blackbird -- I have never eaten here, but it is a really interesting, minimalist space (how's that for a description photo-boy?).  I have heard universally good things about Blackbird, which, frankly, is pretty unusual for a trendy type place.  Again, for what it is worth.

There are a couple of other little places in between, but I can't think of them off hand.  Generally, the nature of the warehouse space along Randolph is going to mean large restaurants.  Economics being what they are, you need lots of customers and a high ticket to make this work.  By definition, this means trendy or tourists or the like. My places, on the other hand, attract a much more salt of the earth type ... meaning neighborhood drunks.  We are trying to branch out though and attract the type of customer who demands fish in their drinks.