Things I Like - Chicago

A friend recently asked me for restaurant recommendations for an upcoming trip to NYC. I pulled out the list I kept of places we dined during the 3 years we lived there and was amazed to see that while there were plenty of high end, special occasion places that we really liked, we never found more than a few casual places that got top ratings for good food, good service and a nice room all at the same time.

That is not the case in Chicago where you can find a great meal in just about any neighborhood without spending a bazillion dollars. Chicago definitely has its share of high end restaurants that can hold their own with NYC but we tend to specialize in the kind of place that you want to go to on a regular basis, both for the food and the reasonable prices.

I think it's a Midwest thing, we like our value. The kind of NYC restaurant that serves a $19 burger with a side of attitude wouldn't last long here. And the value opportunity is about to get even better. Chicago restaurants will be participating in a couple of restaurant week events in the next two months, offering special set price lunch and dinner menus ranging from $22 to $32 for a three-course meal.

It's a great way to try out a new place or enjoy one of your favorites for less. And with the economy we are currently enjoying, taking advantage of this event only makes sense.

Basic info below - check out the links for details and participating restaurants. I'm posting this early so you have plenty of time to make reservations, things booked up at the top spots pretty quick last year.

Chicago Originals, a small group of independent restaurants, is hosting 2 different events with three-course lunch ($24) and dinner ($29) menus on Jan 25 - 30 and Feb 1 - 6.
http://www.chicagooriginals.com/restaurants.php

Eat It Up Chicago, a group of 130 local restaurants is participating in the 2nd Annual Chicago Restaurant Week, Feb 20 - 27. Three course lunch ($22) and dinner ($32) menus will be offered.
http://www.choosechicago.com/eatitup/Pages/default2.aspx