Originally Posted by
getsaround
My fav for a special occasion is RL, next door to the Ralph Lauren store at Michigan and Chicago. Clubby with retro food, great service and hot crowd (including the bar) but not particularly romantic. For romance, the candle-lit Le Colonial just south of Barney's on Rush Street is the best. "Gay-friendly"? What isn't in Chicago?
I can't say that I agree about RL. It's a lot like the Ralph Lauren clothes, all about seeming East Coast WASPy without really being that. It's somewhat modeled after New York's 21 Club, including the menu. When I've been there, it was heavily populated by Ladies Who Lunch, with stray business people. For example, it's the favorite in-city lunch spot of a straight suburban stockbroker I deal with: he's the sort who always wears bow ties.)
It's certainly not in the class of the "event" restaurants listed by the OP, and not in the least romantic.
One long-time favorite of mine which is in that class is Les Nomades. It is a classic French restaurant, with service that strikes the balance between unobtrusive and perfectly attentive. If you want romantic, ask for the upstairs dining room which is a little dimmer and quieter.