Midwest - Birthday dinner restaurant suggestion between SE Wisconsin & Chicago?

Both Mr dreamfool and I love food a lot so I thought this would be perfect time to throw some money on some really tasty stuff. The problem is, there are a lot of choices and reviews, and I can't possibly go through all of them. I thought maybe if I list the things I am looking for, my fellow FTers can give me some suggestions to start. Oh, I have already called Alinea, and they are full for the month of June already.

Location:
We are willing to travel but so far I have not found any cheap tickets to fly to other cities, so let's keep it simple and keep it to SE Wisconsin & Chicago area (and anywhere in between).

Type of restaurant:
Friendly, good service. Not stuffy. Prefer a non-chain restaurant.

Type of food:
We love seafood, but anything goes, as long as it tastes great. Prefer something tastes unique. We do not drink alcohol so drink selection is not important.

Budget:
I am not particularly concerned about the budget, as I understand you need to pay a certain amount of dollars to get really specatacular meals. However, if you would like to warn me about a place that may break my bank, I would appreciate that.

Date:
Mid-June 2012 on a weeknight if that matters

Both Mr dreamfool and I love food a lot so I thought this would be perfect time to throw some money on some really tasty stuff. The problem is, there are a lot of choices and reviews, and I can't possibly go through all of them. I thought maybe if I list the things I am looking for, my fellow FTers can give me some suggestions to start. Oh, I have already called Alinea, and they are full for the month of June already.

Location:
We are willing to travel but so far I have not found any cheap tickets to fly to other cities, so let's keep it simple and keep it to SE Wisconsin & Chicago area (and anywhere in between).

Type of restaurant:
Friendly, good service. Not stuffy. Prefer a non-chain restaurant.

Type of food:
We love seafood, but anything goes, as long as it tastes great. Prefer something tastes unique. We do not drink alcohol so drink selection is not important.

Budget:
I am not particularly concerned about the budget, as I understand you need to pay a certain amount of dollars to get really specatacular meals. However, if you would like to warn me about a place that may break my bank, I would appreciate that.

Date:
Mid-June 2012 on a weeknight if that matters

Charlie Trotter's? Not cheap but may be your last chance to try it (permanatly closing in August).

Charlie Trotter's? Not cheap but may be your last chance to try it (permanatly closing in August).

I posted in the Chicago forum about Alinea. One of the best, if not the best restaurant I have visited. And I have been to some of the best in the world. Being more specific on price would be helpful, Alinea is very expensive (about $500 per person including wine).

I had always heard that Sanford was quite a good, if not the best, restaurant in Milwaukee
Sanford
1547 N. Jackson St. (414) 276-9608
www.sanfordrestaurant.com

I had always heard that Sanford was quite a good, if not the best, restaurant in Milwaukee
Sanford
1547 N. Jackson St. (414) 276-9608
www.sanfordrestaurant.com

SweetWillie,

Sanford is indeed the best restaurant here in Milwaukee, but we have been there several times and thought of trying something new as this is a big birthday for Mr dreamfool. You should try it sometime, its tasting menu is reasonably priced compared to restaurants of similar quality in other cities. There is nothing else like it in Milwaukee. I like how it is really low key (in a quiet residential neighborhood), warm, intimate, and you feel like you are going to someone's house as a guest.

I posted in the Chicago forum about Alinea. One of the best, if not the best restaurant I have visited. And I have been to some of the best in the world. Being more specific on price would be helpful, Alinea is very expensive (about $500 per person including wine).

GadgetFreak,

I have called Alinea (actually the only place I called before I decided to start this thread) but they are already full for the month of June. I guess I am not used to make reservations two months ahead of time...

Charlie Trotter's? Not cheap but may be your last chance to try it (permanatly closing in August).

emma69,

Charlie Trotter's is definitely on my list. However, they only have 9pm reservation available for Mr dreamfool's birthday when I checked opentable.com today, and I am not sure if I want to be driving home at midnight...

How about you head into Chicago and go to Gibson's? It's a steakhouse on Rush street that not only has some of the best steak I've ever had, but has amazing service. Both servers I've had there seemed to know exactly when we needed them and when we didn't. It's a favorite of myself and my Father and he's 400 times pickier than I am!

I'll throw out some then:

Madison Wisconsin: L'Etoile www.letoile-restaurant.com

the next two are north of Chicago:

Le Vichyssois (far northern IL) www.levichyssois.com

Gabriel's (Highwood IL) www.gabrielsrestauranthighwood.com

Chicago:

Tru www.trurestaurant.com

Leopold www.leopoldchicago.com

Ruxbin www.ruxbinchicago.com

Arun's www.arunsthai.com

How about you head into Chicago and go to Gibson's? It's a steakhouse on Rush street that not only has some of the best steak I've ever had, but has amazing service. Both servers I've had there seemed to know exactly when we needed them and when we didn't. It's a favorite of myself and my Father and he's 400 times pickier than I am!

Thank you, I have never heard of this place, will look into it!

I'll throw out some then:

Madison Wisconsin: L'Etoile www.letoile-restaurant.com

the next two are north of Chicago:

Le Vichyssois (far northern IL) www.levichyssois.com

Gabriel's (Highwood IL) www.gabrielsrestauranthighwood.com

Chicago:

Tru www.trurestaurant.com

Leopold www.leopoldchicago.com

Ruxbin www.ruxbinchicago.com

Arun's www.arunsthai.com

Wow thank you Willie~wonderful list of restaurants! We are both food addicts, I am sure we will find a chance to try them all, one at a time. ;)

I am sure we will find a chance to try them all, one at a time.if you go to L'Etoile, please post your experience^