hot date...where to go..??? (Chicago, Ohio: live in, restaurants, prices)

[jiraiya]

alright everyone, i have a hot date this saturday night...barely know this girl, but she is super cute and seems pretty cool from what ive seen...anyways, i live in ukranian village and am looking for something somewhat low key, something i dont need to overdress for, or spend too much money. im trying to find something new and what i havent tried before. what kind of recommendations do you have...and not sushi, im not a fan

[Drover]

Metromix is your friend. Check out this list of 70 restaurants in East Village/Ukranian Village. Read through descriptions to narrow down your list, then read the reader reviews to zoom in on "the perfect place."

[jiraiya]

thanks drover...actually already planned on checking out metromix and citysearch...just wanting to get peoples opinions on here

[aragx6]

There's a place in Wicker Park called Francesca's Forno. It's very good and gets $$ from citysearch- with drinks my SO and I spent about $80. It's Italian and I had the best gnocchi ever there. Check out their citysearch page: Francesca's Forno - Chicago, IL, 60622 - Citysearch

hmmm. it is kind of loud though, maybe that's not so good for a first date? We liked People (a tapas place) in Wicker park too, but it's also quite loud.

[jiraiya]

yeah, ive been to Francescas before, i didnt try the gnocchi though...maybe that will be an excuse to go back! i agree, it was loud there, but theres tons of places to go out and have a drink afterwards! i havent tried People. if you want a good lunch over there ZK is good...actually its good for dinner too, but i think i want something a bit nicer. has anyone tried that costa rican place a little west of wicker park..irazu...ive heard thats good. oh, by the way, im not limiting myself to eating just in that area, but not too far away either, unless it cant be beat

[aragx6]

There's a pan-asian place at Rush and Ontario called Republic that's really good and not too expensive. It's a cool place and the food is good. There's sushi there, but lots of other stuff too.

A date would like it I would think.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by jiraiya

yeah, ive been to Francescas before, i didnt try the gnocchi though...maybe that will be an excuse to go back! i agree, it was loud there, but theres tons of places to go out and have a drink afterwards! i havent tried People. if you want a good lunch over there ZK is good...actually its good for dinner too, but i think i want something a bit nicer. has anyone tried that costa rican place a little west of wicker park..irazu...ive heard thats good. oh, by the way, im not limiting myself to eating just in that area, but not too far away either, unless it cant be beat

I've rec'd this place before on here, but considering you're going out saturday, Rio's on Armitage just W of Damen would be a good bet. Since its Carnivale weekend, they'll have live entertainment and dancers in the evening.

That'll give you an out without things appearing too awkward if conversation goes stale. Prices are reasonable, a majority of the entree dishes are in the $13-20 range. However, I went a few weeks ago only to realize they'd gotten their liquor license, and thus the BYOB bargain is now over.

So, I'd say it meets two of your criteria, it won't necessarily be low key, but you don't need to put on the jacket and the price will be around $80-100 with a few drinks.

[NYrules]

I love to take my dates to a place called Bandera which is on Ohio and Michigan Ave. The restaurant is located on the second floor of an office building and the whole front of the place is all windows that over look Michigan Ave and yes you can get a table right next to the window. There is a piano player and sometimes a band playing in the restaurant. Not loudly, but it enough to create a nice romantic atmosphere. There is NO dress code and you will see some people in there in business suits, to jeans. The bar serves everything you can imagine and is a fully functional bar. The restaurant usually isn't packed to the point that you will have to wait, but isn't dead either. Plan on spending $20-$30 a plate and their chicken is to die for. It's fire roasted split fired chicken and they have by far the best mashed potatoes I ever had. Check it out. Bandera - Metromix Chicago Restaurants

Bandera / Chicago Restaurants

FYI, they do validate parking, but you need to call and find out what garage they are using that week to get the reduced rate.

[Avengerfire]

Tell her to call me. I know where to take her. lol

[jiraiya]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Tell her to call me. I know where to take her. lol

lol, i know enough places, just looking for something new that i havent heard about ...unfortunately im not going to be in chicago too much longer, so i gotta get out and try the things i havent done