Going to Chicago to see the Wicked show at the Ford Theatre in Chicago. This will be my first visit to Chicago! Any recommendations on a good restaurant around the Ford Theatre?

Thanks for any help!

I don't know if it is near Ford Theater but I would recommend The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton - great atmosphere and very good food.

Budget? Date? Size of Group? Cuisine preferences?

There are a whole bunch of steakhouses on the other side of the Chicago River...Morton's, Ruth's Chris, Shula's, Lawry's, etc. It's not walking distance though...will need a cab or car unless you want to walk about 15 city blocks.

Budget of $30 a person December 10 with 2 people...looking for any restaurant other FTers have tried and liked...particuarly a place with good atmosphere...

Thanks for all your help!

The closest restaurant nearby is Petterino's - like 1/2 block away from the theater. It's nice, but I wouldn't call it romantic. Other good places within a block or three are Atwood Cafe (which is romantic - probably as nice a view as you'll get in a ground floor restaurant), 312 Chicago and South Water Kitchen. You are going to have trouble with $30 per person and still be "nice." You might come pretty close at these last three places but not with liquor. Another place I like nearby that is more moderately priced is Nick and Tony's. All the steakhouses mentioned above and the Ritz Dining Room will be WAY over your budget. You can do a Google search for any of these places and get an idea of menus and prices.

BTW, Wicked is great! Feel free to PM me with any questions. I live within walking distance of all these places.

Atwood menu. ^

http://www.atwoodcafe.com/atwmenu/index.html

Atwood Kitchen is a good bet for price and distance. Up by the Ritz, you'd be lucky to spend $30 for a two rounds of martini's.

Thanks for the suggestion for Atwood Cafe! It looks very cool...

By chance, has anyone been to Rivers on Wacker Drive?

I would make a reservation for Atwood Cafe as soon as possible. It books up very quickly due to pre-theatre business. You can make reservations at www.opentable.com

If your show starts at 8:00pm, I would book a 6:00pm table to give yourself enough time to enjoy your meal. If you finish your meal early, you can stroll around Macy's across the street to view the holiday decorations.

Another restaurant about 10 minute walk is Aria at the Fairmont hotel.

That kind of budget limits things. But if you're willing to take a cab, go to Red Rooster Wine Bar & Cafe in Lincoln Park. The perfect little romantic hide-away. And very inexpensive.

If its the Rivers I'm thinking of, it's the restaurant inside the Mercantile Exchange. I'm sure there are FTers who work in the building and can respond with something better, but it's my recollection that it's a office-building kind of diner.