Romantic Dinner Recommendations?

Due to work and school circumstances, my wife and I are currently living is different cities and have not seen each other in a couple months. Anyway, she is coming to town in a couple of weeks and I am looking for a romantic dinner recommendation. I am willing to spend some money, but not break the bank. Pretty much any food type is fair game, but would like to stay in the city limits. Any help would be greatly appreciated and I look forward to posting on wherever we end up.
Thanks!

Marquee,

In a recent romantic thread I posted about the vault seating at Opera, which I think might meet your requirements.

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=38739#38739

Best,
Michael

Lazily piggybacking on eatchicago's recommendation, Gioco, across the street from Opera, works for my wife and me. The decor and vibe is lush, hip and sensuous, but not overwhelming. The menu format allows for good sharing of appetizer, pasta and desert courses, something that I think is a must for a romantic dinner. Like Opera, Gioco has some unusual rooms that you may be able to use. I find the food to be excellent, not cheap, but not poverty-inducing.

Cafe Spiaggia is very nice, romantic, slightly cheaper alternative to its big brother Spiaggia (which is a must-visit, but quite expensive).

Bandera on Michigan Avenue can be a romantic spot as well- they have low lighting and live jazz. The food is good- not necessarily outstanding, but good.

The prices may be higher than you are targeting, but I think the best romantic dinner spot in town is North Pond. Not that my knowledge is encyclopaedic, because it is not -- but I can't imagine a more romantic setting (I love that you have to stroll through the park and past the pond to get to the front door, rather than just being dropped off on the curb outside). And the food is always first rate.

I concur that North Pond is the spot for you. The setting is lovely amidst the surroundings of Lincoln Park. The service is polished and the food quite good. Pop for a bottle of bubbly or Maysara Pinot Noir with dinner and converse in hushed tones until your bill arrives. You will probably hear about other romantic spots like Ambria, Everest, Mon Ami, and NoMi. They will all fit the bill and each offers its own unique ambience, but North Pond stands out as it is a bit understated and simply dellivers with quality food and service each and every time.

Okay, maybe it's a cliché, and some will disagree, but I don't think you can talk romantic restaurants without mentioning Geja's. Not saying it's better or worse than any of the others mentioned, but the fondue thing helps promote extra conversation, and the flamenco guitarist adds a lot. Try for a booth. Great wine list.

Having said that, I'd also highly recommend North Pond.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:The prices may be higher than you are targeting, but I think the best romantic dinner spot in town is North Pond.

agreed.

You and your wife haven't seen each other in months? She's coming for a short visit?

That calls for a romantic meal at home. Dim the lights, set the table with your finest, chill the champagne and light lots of candles.

If you don't cook, call a caterer or get delivery from her favorite kind of restaurant. (If they don't deliver, enlist a friend to pick up the meal.)

Pasteur is romantic without being too obviously so. The menu is Vietnamese with an emphasis on seafood. I imagine this is what Saigon was like before the wars. While not necessarily superior to the other excellent suggestions, it's another way to go.

Pasteur
5525 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
773-878-1061

If it's over a weekend, and you can be romantic in full daylight, I second North Pond, for their Sunday brunch. It's very good, you can take a walk in the park after so that when you arrive home you're not senseless from too much heavy food. Nice jazz in the background.

Do tell them that it's a special occasion. Himself and I celebrated our 20th there for dinner, and this past year our 22nd at brunch. Both times they printed up a copy of the menu for us as a souvenir, which was nice. They must be around here someplace.

Their Sunday brunch is, IIRC, your choice of each of three courses that very nicely include both sweet and savory. There is usually a game entree, as NP has a good hand with game.

I believe they have a website, but it may have "sample" menus as opposed to what they're currently serving.

PS: I forgot to mention, I think the Brunch will be in your price range.

cowdery wrote:Pasteur is romantic

Chuck,

I believe Pasture is either closed or about to close. The building is being torn down for.....ta da......condos.

From what I hear there will be an interim restaurant on Devon called, I think, Viet Bistro/Viet Cafe. When the condo building is completed Pasture will reopen on the ground floor.

Important note: The above is third hand information. I attempted to fact check prior to posting, but no one answered the phone at Pasture.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:I believe Pasture is either closed or about to close.

Yeah, with a name like that, I should hope so.

E.M.

Erik M. wrote:Yeah, with a name like that, I should hope so.

Erik,

Pasteur is being put out to pasture.

My second LTHForum spelling mistake this year, and it's only August.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:My second LTHForum spelling mistake this year, and it's only August.

I think "second" is really a misspelling of "eighty third"

How easy is it to park at/near North Pond?

edit: Nevermind, just checked the website

How easy is it to park at/near North Pond?

For three years, my man and I lived at 2800 N. LSD. Essentially, it is the last building on Diversey-butting up to the driving range and next door to St. Joseph Hospital. They offer public parking in their garage. The walk from the garage to North Pond is a beautiful five minute walk. (I did it countless times, but sadly not to eat at North Pond, but to rent/return a DVD at Tower Records on Clark and Beldon.)

As you walk the path, you climb a gentle hill, North Pond is not visible, and when you hit the apex of said gentle hill, the lagoon that fronts the restaurant appears, and you can see it over the flat top roof of the restaurant. It really is a great approach and I can say the hundreds of times I did it over the three years that I lived at 2800, it always made me slow my pace and revel in the beauty.

They do have outdoor seating, but I'd say eat indoors and ask to have dessert outside. This way you can enjoy each others company without the hustle and bustle of the park but finish up and join the hustle as well.

I do recommand the place as romantic, and I would suggest a leisurely stroll (15-20 minutes) around the lagoon as an incredibly perfect opportunity to hold hands and steal kisses....

sigh..go figure, I'm a hopeless romantic...

Anyhow the Lincoln Park Zoo http://www.lpzoo.com/index2.html is down the way another five minutes or so and it's free, so you can go pre or post and hold hands and steal even more kisses....

Here's a sadly blurry pic of my old view at 2800....you can see the zoo and North Pond if you squint...lol

Every time I post something about Pasteur, if I haven't been there recently, something always tells me it might be going to close. Too bad on several counts, as it was a nice building and part of the ambiance. Oh well. It sounds like there's a big ground swell for North Pond anyway.

First Genesee Depot, now Pasteur. Is it me?

cowdery wrote:Every time I post something about Pasteur, if I haven't been there recently, something always tells me it might be going to close. Too bad on several counts, as it was a nice building and part of the ambiance. Oh well. It sounds like there's a big ground swell for North Pond anyway.

First Genesee Depot, now Pasteur. Is it me?

In the May 11 issue of Dish, this is discussed in greater detail:

http://www.chicagomag.com/dining/051105dish.htm

Best,
Michael

cowdery wrote:Every time I post something about Pasteur, if I haven't been there recently, something always tells me it might be going to close.

Chuck,

Oh well, off by 4-months, at least I had the closing/condo part correct.

Frankly, I liked Pasteur a lot more when they were on the S/E corner of Sheridan and Lawrence. Less expensive, casual and very good food. I also loved their signage, I'm sure leftover from a previous tenant of the space. A large blinking neon sign, above the entrance, which said Time To Eat.

Enjoy,
Gary

Frankly, I liked Pasteur a lot more when they were on the S/E corner of Sheridan and Lawrence. Less expensive, casual and very good food.

I concur. Part of my affection for the reincarnation was based on my love of the original, although the name was about the only thing they had in common.

Well, between visiting friends and family, shopping, and sightseeing we chose not to spend the big bucks on a dinner out. However, we did hit some of our favorites: Barcello's for thin crust pizza, Frontera Grill for lunch, Handlebar for drinks, Dat Donut for breakfast snacks, and The Port Drive-In in Chesterton, IN. for rootbeer. Thanks for all the recommendations which we will hopefully get to try on the next visit.

Well, I see I am a bit late, but for future reference, my favorite spot for a special occasion romantic dinner is Crofton on Wells. The room is intimate and charming, the service has never missed and the food is among the best in the city, IMO. My husband and I only went out a few times when our daughter was a baby, and we always went to Crofton. Why take a chance?