Need A Chicago Veteran Troublemaker

[heavyd]

A friend from NYC (my former home) is coming to visit me in Chicago next weekend. We are mid 30's and enjoy food and wine, in NYC we used to enjoy drinking and eating at some of the fun see and bee seen spots in town 11 Mad, BLT, Ono and the like.

Here's my list after living here a year, your help and insight greatly appreciated. I want to show him the scene here, hit some restaurant bars, have some fun:

Rockit - seems to be a fun spot

Avec/Blackbird - Design and food

Peninsula Hotel Bar

Victor Hotel

The new bar at Tru Restaurant (maybe not)

Japonais

Nine / Ghost Bar

Gibsons, etc... "viagra triangle"

Moto (just to see it really)

Alinea (again, just to see it)

Trotters.. (same here.. )

If you know of any other fun places to visit, ideally where i can present a sexy side on Chicago... love to hear.

Thanks!

 

[Soph]

Originally Posted by heavyd

A friend from NYC (my former home) is coming to visit me in Chicago next weekend. We are mid 30's and enjoy food and wine, in NYC we used to enjoy drinking and eating at some of the fun see and bee seen spots in town 11 Mad, BLT, Ono and the like.

Here's my list after living here a year, your help and insight greatly appreciated. I want to show him the scene here, hit some restaurant bars, have some fun:

Rockit - seems to be a fun spot

Avec/Blackbird - Design and food

Peninsula Hotel Bar

Victor Hotel

The new bar at Tru Restaurant (maybe not)

Japonais

Nine / Ghost Bar

Gibsons, etc... "viagra triangle"

Moto (just to see it really)

Alinea (again, just to see it)

Trotters.. (same here.. )

If you know of any other fun places to visit, ideally where i can present a sexy side on Chicago... love to hear.

Thanks!

---
Alinea is the best overall for a food/wine journey.

Joe's Stone Crab and Prime Steak - is the best for overall traditional steak and seafood and service. Their bone in filet and others is untouchable.

Gibson's food is a complete joke.
The scene is strictly the only reason for being there. Gibson's does good sliders, potatoes and lobster bisque. It has a rep for being for 'dirty old men and hookers' by the locals. Which you will find both at Gibson's consisently.

Victor Hotel has a very classy ambience for socializing and all age groups pretty much apply.

Moto is fun for artistic value and presentation, also Fulton Lounge is great for lounging with the ladies. I was there last friday on a date and let's say we ending up a Transit dancing.

HEAT- has the best sushi, do the chef special of 8 courses with wine progression.

Arun's: 8 course Thai 4 stars if you like Thai.

Rock-it is a bit too post college crowd, but it can be fun.

MODA - across the street has eye candy and pretentsion for all.

Soundbar is great for dancing also.

 

[heavyd]

thank you very much, i am friendly with kleiner and have been to victor. will i get in to moda? do i need to be on a list?

thanks!

 

[heavyd]

are there really hookers at gibsons??? dang very vegas.

 

[auto90403]

Originally Posted by heavyd

A friend from NYC (my former home) is coming to visit me in Chicago next weekend. We are mid 30's and enjoy food and wine, in NYC we used to enjoy drinking and eating at some of the fun see and bee seen spots in town 11 Mad, BLT, Ono and the like.

Here's my list after living here a year, your help and insight greatly appreciated. I want to show him the scene here, hit some restaurant bars, have some fun:

Rockit - seems to be a fun spot

Avec/Blackbird - Design and food

Peninsula Hotel Bar

Victor Hotel

The new bar at Tru Restaurant (maybe not)

Japonais

Nine / Ghost Bar

Gibsons, etc... "viagra triangle"

Moto (just to see it really)

Alinea (again, just to see it)

Trotters.. (same here.. )

If you know of any other fun places to visit, ideally where i can present a sexy side on Chicago... love to hear.

Thanks!

i haven't been back to chicago for nearly two years but that's a pretty good list.

i'd drop gibson's however. it's is full of gorgeous coat hangers hustling clients. it has such a reputation that women in my firm refused to go on client events because they got tired of men assuming they could be rented.

what do you mean "just to see it"? have a drink but not dinner? or look around and walk out?

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by heavyd

see and bee seen spots in town

Gibsons is the alpha king of see and be seen spots. On any given night, its Q factor is greater than that of every other joint in town, put together. Of course, it has its detractors as it is very difficult most people to get a good table.

 

[EL72]

Originally Posted by aportnoy

Though I'm about to drown my commercial flight blahs with a giant T-bone and like-sized Saphire Martini at Gibson's, Chicago.

 

[heavyd]

Originally Posted by auto90403

i haven't been back to chicago for nearly two years but that's a pretty good list.

i'd drop gibson's however. it's is full of gorgeous coat hangers hustling clients. it has such a reputation that women in my firm refused to go on client events because they got tired of men assuming they could be rented.

what do you mean "just to see it"? have a drink but not dinner? or look around and walk out?

I walked in last night, packed on a Tuesday. I have to assume all the blondes are hookers as you say, but they are low end and very "western suburbs". I assume they are scrapping away at the hotel set travelling for busienss. How would one know they are for hire? Word of mouth? Seems a lot easier to go online for that sort of business rather than hang out at Gibsons. What do I know...

 

[auto90403]

Originally Posted by heavyd

I walked in last night, packed on a Tuesday. I have to assume all the blondes are hookers as you say, but they are low end and very "western suburbs". I assume they are scrapping away at the hotel set travelling for busienss. How would one know they are for hire? Word of mouth? Seems a lot easier to go online for that sort of business rather than hang out at Gibsons. What do I know...

the guy makes small talk and she responds. he starts buying her drinks and believing that he's got game -- big time. after he's had enough alcohol to loosen his inhibitions, she will suggest that for a few hundred dollars, she will gurantee him a fun nght.

that's if the guy has no idea what kind of place gibson's is. many more men will just take it for granted that a well-dressed and unaccompanied woman at the bar can be rented and cut right to the chase.

 

[heavyd]

Originally Posted by auto90403

the guy makes small talk and she responds. he starts buying her drinks and believing that he's got game -- big time. after he's had enough alcohol to loosen his inhibitions, she will suggest that for a few hundred dollars, she will gurantee him a fun nght.

that's if the guy has no idea what kind of place gibson's is. many more men will just take it for granted that a well-dressed and unaccompanied woman at the bar can be rented and cut right to the chase.


and that's different from a regular woman how? JOKE... joke... couldn't resist. new topic.

 

[Soph]

The Negative:
Gibson's is a touist spot.
The steak is very very subpar. You have no taste if you think steak at Gibson's is even remotely above average and I say that with great confidence and lots of experience.

The bar is quoated by local girls, "gross, and for dirty old men and hookers"

The Positive:

I went to lunch there last Friday:
1. The waitesses are attractive and hostesses (I've dated one) are usually attractive.
2. The ribeye steak sandwich I had was pretty sad.
3. But the mashed potatoes are excellent
4. thei lobster bisque is excellent
5. their sliders are very good, same kitchen as Hugo's
6. The valet's once you get to know them, are very cool.
7. You willl occassionally see a celebrity if that is a big deal to you
8. Gibson's has a nice location

Carmine's sucks also
The Viagra triangle restaurants are all pretty average at best, they ride on the location/atmosphere. The food S U C K S. There are much much better in Chicago.

 

[arenn]

I recommend against Alinea. The place is designed to be experimental, but I thought most of the experiments were failures - high on the preteniousness factor (e.g., food served on a pillow of sassafras air which supposedly slowly seeps out because of the pressure of the plate while you eat, adding some je ne sais quoi to the dish), but low on impressing the taste buds. If you've got the budget to blow at this place, hit nearby Charlie Trotters instead.

Gibson's was formerly one of the absolute top steak places in Chicago. My steakhouse page, written many years back, ended up having it in a tie for first based on the consensus vote of nine steak junkies who hit every single place in town for a no-holds-barred eating extravaganzy. But every trip I've been too since has been worse than the last.