(To be) in Chicago for a conference ... any suggestions?

Yeah, I guess "chain" might give the impression that Malnati's is like Pizza Hut. It's not. But there are locations in the city and suburbs. (I think the Gold Coast location is very new -- maybe not even a year old.)

There are a lot of good restaurants near your hotel, from River North to the Gold Coast. Hard to go wrong. Oh, and I just remembered The Original Pancake House, also in the Gold Coast (22 E. Bellevue). If you want a breakfast spot, that's a good one, although the line will probably be out the door on the weekend. My personal favorite -- for breakfast anytime, or lunch or dinner -- is 3rd Coast Cafe (and wine bar), a cozy, quirky place a little further north in the Gold Coast, on Dearborn.

Damn, this is making me miss Chicago.

 

There's another Orig Pancake House steps from Northwestern, on Green Bay Road.

An out-of-body experience, not to be missed.

 

HRI is near the only big league FRANCHISE, however.

 

Giordano's does have the best well decor of all the major pizza spots . . . oh, you're interested in the PIE? Giordano's broad corporate arrogance regarding the food is off the charts. Gave
them a second chance, but will never go back.

 

I'm not a huge fan of deep-dish pizza, but Gino's East or Giordano's is really good if you want that. Also, try an Italian Beef sandwich - Portillo's or Al's Beef are great. As far as public transportation goes, I'd give it a thumbs up. I've flown in and out of O'Hare and Midway to visit friends in the city and never rented a car - the El and the city's cab service have taken care of everything I've needed. If you have to go to the suburbs, you can get there and back with Metra, but if you're driving in suburbia, a car would be optimal.

 

YES. YES. YES.

http://www.walkerbros.net/

My wife clued me in to that place. To die for.

 

That place looks awesome. Wish it weren't so far out. We're definitely not renting a car and will mostly stick around the downtown and Wrigleyville areas, I think.

 

I actually had heard about Spiaggia and thought about it. Two things make it a no-go -- price and dress code. I don't want to pack dress clothes for the trip. Want to keep it jeans and sneakers.
Cafe Spiaggia, it's casual, slightly less expensive cousin across the hall, remains an option, however.

 

Spiaggia is definitely an expense-account restaurant or a special-occasion place. The Cafe is a great option, as Tony Mantuano sometimes puts Spiaggia menu items on the cafe menu.

Tony's one of my favorite chefs. He has a restaurant called Mangia in Kenosha that's heavenly and he just renovated and opened the old Bistro 110.

If you're looking for steaks, Mastro's just opened in Chicago. It's an outpost of a West Coast small chain but I've heard nothing but great stuff about it.

 

Chicago's subways are fine. They dwarf Boston's . . . limited/no late-night service in Beantown is pathetic.

 

My ranking of Chicago deep dish -

1. Giordano's

2. Uno

3. Gino's East

 

Of those people voting for Giordanos: Are any of you Chicagoans?