Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog

2018 Chicago restaurant review, for friends and readers

MOVING TO FRONT FROM YESTERDAY, IN LIGHT OF SOME UPDATES AND INFORMATIVE COMMENTS--MORE WELCOME

MOVING TO FRONT FROM 2016, WHEN THE APA CENTRAL WAS LAST IN CHICAGO

With the APA Central coming up in in a couple of weeks here in Chicago, this overview of Chicago dining options may be helpful to some readers--and, of course, I hope it is useful to non-philosophy readers as well.  As with my opinions about philosophers, I pull no punches; unlike my opinions about philosophers, the subjectivity of these judgments is probably a lot greater!

I break the restaurants into two categories, those that will run you at least $50/person (depending on how much alcohol), and maybe higher; and those where it is realistic to get away for less, and yet still have a very enjoyable meal.

EXPENSIVE (easily $50/person or more, some closer to $100/person)

Allium Chicago, located in the Four Seasons Hotel about a mile or two north of the Palmer House, has an eclectic menu, but everything is excellent.  The dining area itself is very pleasant, spacious and comfortable.  It's overtaken Naha in my book, but tastes may vary!   (Be forewarned:  the ceasar salad with the "crispy egg" is a meal unto itself!)

The Gage serves "rustic American fare," but check out the menu to see for yourself.  It's an eclectic menu and fun, and the quality of the dishes is almost always very high.  One can get away for less than $50/person here depending on one's choices.  It is also the only restaurant noted here that is just a couple of blocks from the Palmer House Hilton, the usual locus of the meetings of the Central Division of the APA.  Do make reservations, it is a popular place and can be quite noisy as well.

Katsu is not conveniently located to anything, except the far north side of Chicago!  Longtimers say it is the best sushi in Chicago, and having now been there, I concur.  The prices are a bit eye-popping, but the pieces of fish served are quite generous.  The hot dishes are more of a mixed bag:  shrimp tempura was mediocre, but the beef & asparagus appetizer was quite appealing.  But basically you come here for the sushi or sashimi.  The restaurant itself is comfortable, and street parking is easy.  (Be aware that another Japanese restaurant sometimes turns up if you search "Katsu Chicago"!  Katsu needs to get their lawyer on that one!  The preceding link gives the actual address as well as a sample menu.) (A reader points out in comments that Katsu closed in November, alas.  See Naoki Sushi, below!)

Naha is s one of those nouveau American places, or something like that; check out the menu.  The food is always very good, often excellent.  Its near northside location is reachable by a fairly short taxi ride from the Palmer House.  But it ain't cheap, esp. if you order a bottle of wine.

Naoki Sushi is a newer, high-end sushi place, not as expensive as Katsu, but arguably as good.  It's north, in Lincoln Park, probably a 15-minute car ride from the Palmer House, depending on the time of day (possibly less if off peak).

NoMI Kitchen is probably the priciest one on this list, and it even offers sushi/sashimi, as well as many dishes you might have found at MK or Naha, but other more unusual offerings.  Fabulous dining room overlooking Michigan Avenue and the old "water tower" landmark.   Food is always outstanding.

MODERATE ($25-50/person, including some alcohol)

A10 is a recent addition to the generally dreadful dining scene here in Hyde Park/Kenwood, where the University of Chicago is.  It is part of a university effort to increase the number of amenities in our part of town, and has been quite successful.  The food is good, sometimes excellent; it is sort of Italian, though an eclectic Italian.  The alcohol is overpriced, so one could exceed $50/person depending on one's choices!  One probably wouldn't make a trip to the south side just to eat here, but if you're in this part of Chicago, this is the place to go.  (Some oldtimers would say the same for La Petite Folie, a solid French restaurant [and more staid and quiet than A10], though I think there are plainly better French places in the city.)

Cumin offers Indian and "modern Nepalese" cuisine, in a slightly off-the-beaten-track location, but the food is very good to excellent and the prices can't be beat.  It's the best Indian we've had in Chicago (and compares favorably with the best Indian I've had in New York), but I should admit to not having been to the far North in the city where many good Indian restaurants are purported to be.  (India House downtown is a fancier restaurant, in a pleasant setting, and the food is good, but not nearly as good as Cumin)

Excellent and moderately priced Japanese restaurant in Chicago

This place was great, for both hot dishes and sushi; it's in the West Loop.  BYOB.

Central APA and Chicago Restaurant Week

The pre-registration deadline for the former is approaching, and Mike Titelbaum (Wisconsin) points out to me that, although coming to Chicago in February may seem an odd choice to make, the APA will coincide that weekend with the start of Chicago's restaurant week.   Blackbird, Cafe Spiaggo, The Gage, Japonais, and Topolobampo are all very good indeed, and Atwood Cafe is a nice choice for lunch.  (Topolobampo can be impossibly hard to get a reservation at.) Good but not great Italian restaurants are Tuscany on Taylor (Chicago's Little Italy neighborhood) and Osterio.

If you're ever in Kingston, Ontario...

...this place is a really good French Bistro.  C'est vrai!

A few Netherlands Tips

Many readers were kind enough to offer tips about dining before our trip earlier this month, so permit me to offer some recommendations of my own, now that the trip is done.

In Amsterdam:  the Convent Hotel is very nice (four stars), and has some fabulous deals (we got a room for two for under 90 Euros a night--booked it on-line--it's part of the Accor group of hotels).  Rooms were small, but well-appointed and comfortable.  Great location too, within walking distance of Central Station, Chinatown, the Anne Frank House, and even the Red Light district.  The Van Gogh museum is very well-done, organized chronologically with informative written material to accompany the paintings.  We only had one dinner in Amsterdam, and enjoyed it at Nam Kee in Chinatown.

In the Hague:  the Hilton was fabulous, and I imagine rather pricey (the conference host was paying).  And just across the way (on Noordeinde) are some very good restaurants:  Bojangles (Spanish) and Maharani (Indian) were the two we enjoyed.  The Escher Museum is fun, and nice for kids too.  And, yes, one must go to Madurodam, the "miniature" Netherlands.  Amusingly weird!

Yolanda Travis, McDonald's Franchisor of the Year

Business sense like this is probably hard to teach:   Ms. Travis owns the McDonald's here in Hyde Park/Kenwood (52nd and Lake Park, for locals), where last week a member of my family purchased a Big Mac, consumed it, and then became violently ill for hours afterwards (obviously food poisoning).  We complained to McDonald's.  Ms. Travis, in response, offered to give us a free Big Mac.  Seriously.

We'll see her in court, though if her legal sense is as good as her business sense, this will not be a protracted litigation.

When it comes to cuisine in Hyde Park, one must live without hope...

...but the arrival of a decent sushi place (not great, but good enough that one would gladly go back) can not pass unnoted and without a sense of gratitude.  Not as fancy (or pricey either) as our two legit high-end restaurants here (Park52 [also relatively new, and good] and La Petite Folie), but a nice alternative to pizza and Harold's chicken.  Now if only a decent Chinese restaurant would appear....

Mercat a la Planxa, Chicago

The readership has been generous in the past with restaurant advice, and I plan to offer some here on a more regular basis, starting with this self-proclaimed Catalan tapas place.  Having been several times to the Catalan region (Barcelona, Girona, various towns on the Costa Brava), I must admit to being a huge fan of the cuisine in this region.  If I ate nothing else for the rest of my life, I'd be "wretchedly content" (as Nietzsche would say).   Mercat is a very pale imitation of the original.   Their steak and their garlic shrimp are quite good, everything else is middling--sometimes due to ingredients, sometimes to preparation.  To make matters worse, the prices are out of sight (the prices on the present website are out of date).   How outrageous they are isn't apparent until you see the portions.  I never imagined fuet could be cut so thin.  On the plus side, the service was attentive and efficient. 

If you're desperate for tapas, and on an expense account, this is a reasonable bet.  Otherwise....