With that hellacious snowfall, subzero temperatures and Valentine’s Day madness safely in the rearview mirror, Chicago foodies can look forward to a welcome burst of modestly priced fine dining.
Chicago’s fourth Restaurant Week begins Friday, kicking off 10 days of three-course lunches ($22) and dinners ($33 and $44) at some of the finest dining establishments in the city.
Since its 2008 debut, when about 35 restaurants participated, Restaurant Week has grown in size and influence. Last year, 177 restaurants served 335,000 diners. This year, more than 200 are on board, including Blackbird, Boka, Cafe Spiaggia, Coco Pazzo, Frontera Grill, Il Mulino, Keefer’s, Mercat a la Planxa, Mirai Sushi and Province. Among the first-time participants are Benny’s Chop House, The Bristol, Elate, Prairie Fire, Purple Pig, Sable and Sepia.
There are more than 20 suburban options, including four Wildfire locations, two suburban Morton’s, Atwater’s in Geneva and Vie in Western Springs.
Not only will you eat for a much lower price than you ordinarily would, you’ll also be able to drink a little cheaper too, because of participation (at some restaurants) by Blue Moon beer and Moet & Chandon champagne.
The official website, eatitupchicago.com, lists participating restaurants and their respective menus, along with links to opentable.com, where you can make reservations.
The big “get” this year, as in previous years, is a dinner table at Naha, which routinely sells out its lunch and dinner seatings (dinner reservations are well ahead of lunch, I’m told). Chef/owner Carrie Nahabedian takes her mission very seriously, creating special dishes just for Restaurant Week. (I still have happy thoughts about last year’s banana tartlette.)
Calling it “Restaurant Week” is a misnomer, as the event concludes Feb. 27. But the discounts often go on; each year, some participants extend their special menus by a few days or more.
As in previous years, I’ll be sampling the offerings at various restaurants, reporting in Live! and at chicagotribune.com/thestew.
