Chicago (the city) suggestions needed

Well! There are a lot of downtown/Michigan avenue hotels that are nice and offer discount packages- and it's nice to be able to stroll around the area in the evening. That is where you will find all the big deluxe chains.

If you want something quirky, there are some boutique type hotels up on the North side. I like the City Suites on Belmont- it IS right next to the El train if that bothers you. It's a 20's style hotel, RIGHT in the mile of the action- a short stroll to Boystown. It looks like you can get in there for about $100 a night- a little more if you wnat a deluxe suite.

I've stayed at the Days Inn (Diversey) and Best Western (Broadway) also and both are fine if a bit dull. They are both close to Boystown.

Burnham is nice but that area can be dead at night- If you want a more downtown feel stick with Michigan Avenue.

How strange, my post from earlier is missing. I'll be staying in the Water Tower area. Any restaurants you'd recommend? The only one I know of is Tru.

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I had a friend pop in from out of town and we grabbed lunch at the Mity Nice Grill (Inside Water Tower Place). It was spectacular- diner food done right is a simple 40's style room. The Mac & Cheese and meatloaf were both great. And one of my favorite places is Wildfire- steaks & seafood grilled over a wood fire. MMMMMM!.

Thanks for the delicious suggestions. Can't wait!

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Also in the Mag Mile area, if you want to try Chicago deep-dish pizza, you can find the original Pizzeria Uno (and their satellite location, Pizzeria Due), Gino's East and Giordano's. Those are considered the top three for deep-dish and are always popular with a long queue, especially on weekends. If you decide to try it, give yourself a couple of hours lead time for the wait for the table AND the wait for the pizza. Deep dish pizzas take a LONG time to cook, so it's not a good idea to decide last-minute when you're already starving. For thin-crust pizza, I love Pizano's in the Loop (Oprah's favorite, for what it's worth).

And if you're REALLY hungry and not afraid of red meat, Texas de Brazil (don't let the cheesy name fool you) is the best Brazilian churrascaria I've visited yet. The salad bar alone is worth the price of lunch. Yes, it is a chain, but that doesn't stop it from being fantastic.

I have to admit, the Lettuce Entertain You restaurants have all impressed me thus far, even when I had no idea they were owned by the same company. For Chinese, I love Big Bowl (casual dining) and prefer Ben Pao over P.F. Chang's any day (more upscale). The black pepper scallops at Ben Pao are perfection.

If you like Indian food, India House is the way to go for a wide range of authentic cuisine, but be sure to ask questions as the menu makes a few too many assumptions on the diner's knowledge of Indian food and its ingredients.

Emilio's is my favorite for Spanish tapas (Sol y Nieve is the Streeterville location), though I've heard good things about Iberico and Ba-Ba-Reeba.

RL: http://rlrestaurant.ralphlauren.com/
Pizzeria Uno: http://www.unos.com/
Gino's East: http://featuredfoods.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/a-store/c-GinoAns_East.shtml?E+scstore+ginos
Giordano's: http://www.giordanos.com/main.php
Pizano's: http://www.pizanoschicago.com/loop.html
Texas de Brazil: http://www.texasdebrazil.com/
Wildfire: http://www.wildfirerestaurant.com/
Mity Nice Grill: http://www.leye.com/restaurants/directory/mity-nice-grill
Foodlife Food Court: http://www.foodlifechicago.com/
Big Bowl: http://www.bigbowl.com/
Ben Pao: http://www.benpao.com/
Emilio's Tapas: http://www.emiliostapas.com/
Cafe Iberico: http://www.cafeiberico.com/
Cafe Ba Ba Reeba: http://www.cafebabareeba.com/chicago/

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I most definitely will be trying the deep dish pizza as I have never had that before.

Wow, looks like I have a lot of options and decisions to make. Too bad I'll only be there for 3 and a half days.

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And, Dottie, September is usually the best weather of the year in Chicago!

I like the Berghoff, not a huge fan.

Do not forget our super chef star - Rick Bayless!


Rick Bayless

My ex-roommate used to work at Julio's so I went there quite often. Their carne asada is out of this world. And they make their own chips and salsa...delish. The chips are still warm.

Okay, you must get a deep-dish pizza from Lou Malnati's. It is the best food in the entire world. You may remember it as the supplier of pizza to the soldiers in Iraq on the day of the superbowl. The president obviously has good taste in pizza.

When looking for a pretty quick meal, go to Portillo's. It has the highest-quality fast food.

Mister Matt, for some reason, Charlie Trotter has always annoyed the hell out of me, so I don't think I'll be going to his restaurant.

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