Restaurant recs and Eataly?

Question

Hi! Hubby and I are coming Aug 18-23 for a 3rd visit coming from LA. Main trip reason is to see Pearl Jam but also for the amazing food! We are huge "foodies" and travel mainly just for food. We've done some of the standard Chicago places the last 2 times (Pizza, hot dogs and Rick Bayless). I have a rough plan of the trip but need some help. 

We love Mario Batali and try to go to his places when we travel so is Eataly worth a visit? If so, any suggestions for lunch in there or should we just snack. 
Here's my places and where I need help:
Thursday- arrive at Thompson Hotel around midnight, need a late night "snack" walking distance from hotel.
Lunch help please: Fat rice, Bar Siena, Boeufhaus, Purple Pig, Bottlefork, any thoughts or suggestions?
2 "nice" Dinners are Friday: Next or Roister (Next doesn't have that Friday up yet so Roister is a back up)
Then Sunday (party of 4 this night) Boka, Salero or RMP. I'd love to try Monteverde but it's booked. I know these are all different, but any thoughts? 

Now I really need suggestions on early dinner before the PJ shows. They're playing at Wrigley. Are there any decent places near there? Or should we just eat somewhere and then uber there? Like Purple Pig or Bar Siena

Brunch: Duseks, Bohemian House or Jam?
Any pastry or coffee shops by our hotel?
Thanks for any help!! Really appreciate your time!

Answer

Been to Eataly a couple of times; decent choice if in the area, but nothing too exciting and lots of better options in Chicago IMHO. For Italian, don't give up on Monteverde; that is one of my favorite Italian venues in town and since your trip is a good ways off, decent chance you can snag a reservation if you are vigilant and keep checking periodically. 

Boka is my favorite of the higher end venues you listed. Salero I loved the food, but not so much the ambiance, service or beverage program. Were you thinking RPM steak or Italian? RPM steak is (along with Bavette's Bar & Bouef) my favorite steakhouse, but I found RPM Italian just OK and not on par with my favorite local Italian venues. Next used to be a favorite but I only go now if I can score deeply discounted tickets as I find it such a terrible value. Roister I thought was good, interesting food, but LOUD, annoying ambiance. 

In addition to Boka my other favorite upscale venues in town include Grace, Oriole, El Ideas, Elizabeth and Sepia. 

I used to live in Wrigley area and my favorite spot there is an Italian venue called Ceres' Table. Wonderful wood fired pizzas and overall very good cuisine and a strong wine and cocktail program; also super friendly service. I also like a venue called Home Bistro in that general area; Contemporary American/Farm-to-Table emphasis (Home Bistro is BYOB). Heard good things about MFK (mentioned by another poster) but have not made it there personally. All of these venues are either a long walk (15-30 minutes) from the ballpark or short, inexpensive Uber (Home Bistro is the closest, MFK the furthers). 

Out of the lunch venues you mentioned, Fat Rice and Purple Pig are excellent - but Purple Pig often has super long waits unless you go during off hours. Sepia has a nice lunch offered on weekends (Upscale venue with Contemporary American cuisine and one of the city's very best wine & cocktail programs). Sumi Robata would be another great choice to consider for lunch.

Snaggletooth (specializes in cured fish) in the Lakeview neighborhood has become my favorite brunch place. Been going every weekend it is so outstanding and the staff and owners so friendly. Fat Rice is excellent for brunch as well and they recently opened a bakery as well; I am likely checking that out this weekend. M Henry, Tweet, Bongo Room (these three feature breakfast centric food), Publican (Farm-to-Table), Cellar Door Provisions (excellent pastry and farm-to-table fare, small menu) and Big Jones (Southern) are also brunch venues I enjoy.

Answer

>> We love Mario Batali and try to go to his places when we travel so is Eataly worth a visit?

Only as a shopping experience; on a short trip, I wouldn't dedicate an entire meal to eating there.

>> Thursday- arrive at Thompson Hotel around midnight, need a late night "snack" walking distance from hotel.

I would flip your itinerary around, and consider using your late night snack as an opportunity to go to Purple Pig without experiencing the horrendous waits that prevail there during most of the day and evening. The kitchen closes at midnight, so this might or might not work. Otherwise, I'd go to Quartino for Italian small plates. Their kitchen is open till 1 a.m.

>> Lunch help please: Fat rice, Bar Siena, Boeufhaus, Purple Pig, Bottlefork, any thoughts or suggestions?

As noted, waiting times at Purple Pig are horrendous. Fat Rice would work, if you don't mind the distance. Good lunch places within walking distance of the hotel include Cafe Spiaggia for Italian, Bistronomic for French bistro fare, and Cafe des Architectes for contemporary American. I haven't been to the other three you mention.

>> 2 "nice" Dinners are Friday: Next or Roister (Next doesn't have that Friday up yet so Roister is a back up)
Then Sunday (party of 4 this night) Boka, Salero or RMP. I'd love to try Monteverde but it's booked. I know these are all different, but any thoughts?

I haven't been to Roister and I wasn't all that impressed with Next. For a nice dinner, we have a lot of great places. My absolute favorite is North Pond, which is a little over a mile north of the hotel. It offers an exquisite setting in the middle of the park, with a stunning view of its namesake pond and the city skyline. (When making reservations, request seating in the front room with the full-length windows, although the rear room with the open kitchen can be fun too.) The food is contemporary American and terrific, from James Beard Award-winning chef-owner Bruce Sherman. This would work for dinner on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. They also do Sunday brunch, so if you can't get there for dinner, that's an option too.

As for the other three, when you say RMP, are you referring to RPM? And, RPM Steak or RPM Italian? Boka, Salero, and RPM Steak are all excellent, but so very different from each other. Boka is a very good chef-driven restaurant with contemporary American cuisine. Salero offers more unusual food, from the Basque provinces of Spain. I've eaten there several times, and loved it every time - the food, service, atmosphere, everything! If you go, don't miss the churros for dessert. RPM Steak is a luxurious experience, a great choice if you want steak, and their non-steak items are also excellent... but not all that different a place from what you find in any big city. If you're having trouble deciding, browse the menus on their websites and see if you find one particularly appealing. Whichever one you don't pick for Sunday, might be another option to consider for Friday.

>> Now I really need suggestions on early dinner before the PJ shows. They're playing at Wrigley. Are there any decent places near there? Or should we just eat somewhere and then uber there? Like Purple Pig or Bar Siena

Unless you're very close to Wrigley, you may as well eat somewhere and then take a taxi/Uber or el there. And there isn't much I'd recommend that's close to Wrigley. I would also worry about crowds at any place that's really close. Of those mentioned by others, I like Fish Bar but it's almost a mile away and could be crowded with concertgoers (no reservations). A similar place is Fahlstrom's Fish Market. The food at mfk is good not great, but it's tiny and incredibly loud, and it's over a mile away. If I were you, I'd eat somewhere else, then take the el to the concert. One place you might consider is GT Fish & Oyster in River North, which has a small plates format for its seafood menu. It's outstanding.

>> Brunch: Duseks, Bohemian House or Jam?

That depends on the day of the week. Jam is absolutely terrific, but not very close and they don't take reservations; you can expect waits of 30-60 minutes to be seated on weekends, none on weekdays. Dusek's is also pretty far but you can make reservations for their weekend brunch; I've only been for dinner, for which it's quite good. I haven't been to BoHo but it's close and you can make reservations for weekend brunch there. I mentioned North Pond above, a great choice for Sunday brunch if you don't get there for dinner, and they take reservations. Another very good option is the Original Pancake House, right across the street from your hotel (no reservations though).

>> Any pastry or coffee shops by our hotel?

I've heard you can get good pastry at Nico Osteria, the Italian-seafood restaurant in your hotel. I've only eaten there for dinner, and wasn't all that impressed. Another bakery (that I wasn't all that impressed with, but it's nearby) is Hendrickx Belgian Bread Crafter on Walton. For coffee, Bow Truss, a local roaster, has a cafe in the little park kitty-corner from the hotel. And of course, there are Starbuck's and Peet's nearby too.

Some of the places being mentioned involve relatively long travel distances (30-45 minutes or more). Maybe you don't mind that for a place that's truly unique, but with some others, there are equally excellent places close by that don't require the long travel times. Play around with your favorite mapping website or app to get a sense of locations and travel times to help you in planning your itinerary.

Answer

Thanks everyone for the fret suggestions! I have a lot to look up and figure out.

Answer

Mr Autumm will be going to the Wriggly PJ shows, and has gone to the one in the past. Not sure if you have fan club tickets or not, as this might matter. Fan club tickets have to be picked up in person afternoon or evening of show, so if that's how you are getting in, look for options close to Wriggly.

If not, look for something further away because on his last adventure to this Pearl Jam at Wriggly event, he reported all the close places were PACKED and they almost missed the start of the show trying to get food. And maybe pack a few nibbles in your pockets, as they had a 3 hour rain interruption last time, and there was no food and they were a bit peckish when the show ended at 2AM

Answer

1) For the OP: don't leave Xoco out of possible plans for breakfast. Unusual Mexican breakfast, Rick Bayless (no small consideration), good.
2) For locals, if we are talking about Eataly: don't even think about Eataly for Italian groceries. Go to Angelo Caputo's very big Italian market at the corner of Harlem and Fullerton (if not driving, take Fullerton bus to end of line and walk a block and a half west). Aisle after aisle of imported Italian products, not to mention a deli counter about a mile long, at a fraction of Eataly's prices.

Answer

I think Eataly is heaven, just plan to go at an off-peak time and allow time to spend a few hours total between eating, browsing, and shopping. It's Disneyland for Italian food. Don't miss it! My advice is to go to the seafood counter to eat. It's less busy, you can usually sit right at the bar with the chefs and those fellas will take care of you. The last time I went there for lunch, they gave us a few tasting pours of wines they love and a few free nibbles of special things they were working on. It was a spectacular lunch. The pizza/pasta area is almost always nuts, so be open minded to the other areas and you won't be disappointed. And pick up some truffled red pesto sauce in the pantry section. Yeah, baby.

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La Pizza & La Pasta at Eataly Chicago

BoeufHaus

The Purple Pig Restaurant

Boka

Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio

Looks good!

Restaurant recs and Eataly?

Discussion Summary

La Pizza & La Pasta at Eataly Chicago

BoeufHaus

The Purple Pig Restaurant

Boka

Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio

avec Restaurant

Big Star

Cold Storage

RPM Steak

RPM Italian

EL ideas

Sepia

Ceres' Table

m.henry

Tweet

Bongo Room

Big Jones

Quartino Ristorante

Cafe Spiaggia

Bistronomic

North Pond

The Original Pancake House

The Original Pancake House

Hendrickx Belgian Bread Crafter

Maple & Ash

XOCO

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