rhwbullhead

I did a search and didn't find a specific thread about CHICAGO Idine (now called Rewards Network) restaurants. I'm not sure if this is the right forum. One could argue that this could be posted in the Idine forum, but I'm specifically interested in Chicago spots, so that's why I'm posting it here. An Idine Post would solicit more replies if it were a general question, but I doubt it would get better responsese concerning Chicago.

There are 224 Idine restaurant in the Chicago city limits according to a search I just performed using my UA profile and more in the suburbs. I'd like to be able to find out which ones are worth hitting for the 10 or 20 miles/$ and which ones are worth missing. If you have a lenghty review, feel free to write it, but a quick ^ would be helpful as well.

In another thread, someone recommended Maza (a Lebanese restaurant on Lincoln). That poster said it's the only good 20 miler he's been to in Chicago. As a result of this recommendation, I'm going to eat there in the near future.

India House I went to the Schaumburg location last night. Not bad. It had a buffet which I was happy about. When I had called last week, I had been mistakenly told there was no buffet there. Like mostIndian buffets, tandoori chicken and nan were brought to the table. The tandoori chicken was a little overdone but it tasted okay. There were no lamb dishes, but there were two chicken dishes. They were a little spicy (which I like), and they were boneless, which I was extremely happy about. I'd been to Khyber Pass in Oak Park (used to be an Idine place), and I didn't like how their food wasn't spicy and how the lamb and chicken curry had bones My water was filled constatly, so I was happy with the service considering it was a buffet. It was about $11 a person for the buffet which was a good price. The magno lassi (sic?) was $4.25, which I thought was pricey, though.

Frank's Pizzeria : on Belmost in Chicago. The place is a kind of a dump, but apparently that's to be expected of 20 milers (with the supposed exception of Maza above). I haven't been to any other 20 milers so I don't have a good comparison yet. The stuffed pizza was decent and if I lived in the area, I'd probably order it once in awhile and enjoy the free miles. Service: The plates were too small and drinks were served by the can. The dining room was small but the waitress came around too infreqently for my tastes (though it looked like she was also doing the phone orders and other stuff).

Nancy's The one in Elmhurst participates. I know this is a chain so there are other locations, though I don't know if they participate as well. The stuffed pizza is good (but I love almost any stuff pizza so I'm biased). I live in the area and it's the only Idine pizza place that's close so I hit this place often. Service was adequate in the one time i ate there . Pasta servings were good sized.

Charlie's Charhouse A fairly new steakhouse place in Elk Grove Village. The ambiance was very nice. The place was very busy on the Saturday I went there so I"m sure they are doing well. The pasta servings (girlfriend ordered that since she doesn't eat beef) are huge. The New York Strip steak I ordered wasn't great (I think Outback's is better), but the portion was huge. My mother's porterhouse was better. I'd probably go here again. Service was great, though they did mess up my girlfriend's order. The waitress didn't argue and immediately apologized and brought a replacement dish within five minutes. I think one would spend about the same here as an Outback dinner, but despite my experience with my steak, I think this would be a better dinner for the money (though I'll still go to outback for the chese fries ) Getting a baked potato "loaded" cost extra money. I didn't think this was a big deal, but the waitress should have mentioned this when we ordered so I didn't have to question it when I looked at the bill. Again, the waitress apologized for her failure to do so. I still say the service was great b/c the waitress apologized, and b/c they kept my waters filled, brought extra bread, often.

El Sombrero Mexican food place in Mt Prospect. A few weeks ago, this restaurant was noted as a "Benefit Alert" restaurant, but apparently they renewed their deal since then as it's no longer listed as exiting the program. The place was decent. I ordered a Queso Fondido appetizer which I thought was horrible but the enchilads were fine. The service is mediocre.

La Hacienda The Roselle location on Irving Park Road participates. I believe this is some sort of chain restaurant as I know of other locations bearing the name. I was happy with this place. I thought it was better than El Sombrero (for what that's worth).

Photo's Hot Dogs Mt Prospect. I haven't been there recently but I was there in 2002 (before I even knew that Idine existed). It was your typical fast food/hot dog stand type place. The food was what I expected from such a place, so I'd definately go there again if I were in the area (free miles after all)>

Thipi Thai La Grange. As the name suggests, a Thai place. I've been there twice. The food was good, though not as good as this place I love in Evergreen Park (Chi Tung, which sadly does not participate in Idine). I've always gone here right before closing so I got great service. My only complaint concerns my visit with a friend of mine and his then fiance (they ended canceling the marriage btw). Anyway, we had some leftovers. I had some pad thai that I was looking forward to eating the next day. When I opened my bag up at lunch the next day, I found that they had given me the other couple's food Despite this mishap, I went there again.

Tsunami near Division and Dearborne, Chicago. I went there before I knew about miles. The food was good but I felt it was overpriced for what I got. I like to eat a lot of sushi, and I now know that I should only hit an all you can eat place like Todai's (unfortunately not an Idine place). I think I spent $80 on sushi that day.

That's all I have for now. I know my reviews sound alike, but that just because I'm not very picky when it comes to food. I just like a large quantity of food and as long as the food isn't bad, I probably be happy eating there. As for service, I tip well as I used to work for tips, and my expectation is that my water is always filled as I drink a ton of it. With the old Idine, I didn't go to as many restaurants b/c some didn't seem worth it for 5 miles/$. Now that all of the restaurants are either 10 milers or 20 milers in the UA elite program, I feel like I'm getting a good deal if I have a good experience at the restaurant.

I'm hoping reading some reviews from people will help me have more great experiences, help me avoid any negative ones, and help me get thousands of extra UA miles per year

balima

Maza was reviewed on "Check, Please" and given very high reviews! I wouldn't be surprised if they are very busy right now. I'm now also planning on checking it out.

Nonna Silvia's - pizza
Not bad. Pretty standard as far as Chicago Pizza goes. I've only had their pizza. Much better in the restaurant than delivered. But hey - free extra miles to have pizza delivered to your door? I'm there!

Edison Park Palace - Indian
I've had better. Palace was formerly a corner ma & pa breakfast and lunch place. Decor has not changed any. Everything is made fresh due to a small clientele. Excellent Garlic Nan. Would only recommend if you really needed an Indian food fix.

Photo's
I agree, your typical hot dog joint. But, a great way to increase your number of restaurant dines without spending alot.

India House - Buffalo Grove
Have only been there for lunch. Indian Buffet available. They do have some interesting dishes available on the buffet not generally seen on buffets. Last time I was there they had a Dosa on the buffet, I've not seen that before. They have a fairly large number of dishes (about 15 not including salad and dessert). I like their Mattar Paneer. Tandoori Chicken available at buffet. Large number of Indian people frequent it as well, always a good sign.

blort

Photo's is in iDine? Too bad that didn't happen when I was growing up, I used to eat there all the time (my parents live right behind the place). I'll have to stop by more often.

As far as the Evanston participants are concerned...

Blind Faith Cafe: Vegetarian place just south of downtown at Chicago and Dempster. I've only been there for breakfast, and while it's not cheap (typically $30 with tax/tip for two people) the food is very good. Don't let the fact that it's meat-free scare you off. I've never tried the Peanut Butter Shake but a former co-worker used to rave about the things. My usual breakfast there is the Aztec Hash, although the pancakes are excellent as well. One of these days I'll get around to trying the omelettes.

Carmen's: Thin crust, pan or stuffed pizza. Just went there for the first time last night and got a thin crust to go. Not bad at all; almost as good (if not as good) as Gulliver's, which is the pizza place to go in Evanston, even though it's technically in Chicago since it's on the south side of Howard. They have salads and pastas available as well, but this is obviously a pizza place first and everything else second.

Alladin's Eatery (Middle Eastern), Clarke's (American), Dixie Kitchen and Bait (Cajun/Creole) and Zab Thai (duh!) are the other four participants in E-Town. The ranks have thinned somewhat, unfortunately... there used to be well over ten iDine participants in Evanston, and with the number of restaurants in town, I'm surprised there aren't more.

And back in Chicago...

1492 Tapas: According to the United version of the program, 1492 only participates on Sundays. hrmpf. That's unfortunate because the miles used to temper the prices, which seem a little on the high side to me. Then again, it is in the Gold Coast, so there's the location factor to be considered as well. Zagat rated 17/30 for food/service/decor.

The Pepper Lounge: A refuge from the goings-on in Wrigleyville and one of the few places that I would consider "romantic" in the area. Salads are excellent, I've never had an entree I didn't like, and the martini list has a number of very good offerings. With alcohol, tax and tip, expect to spend $100-120 for two. Highly recommended.

Lucia's: The full name is actually Lucia's Gourmet Italian Cuisine, but that's probably pushing it a little bit. The food is definitely good, but I wouldn't make the leap to "gourmet." It's BYO at Lucia's, which I happen to like; if you happen to be in Wicker Park and get the urge to visit, there's always the liquor shop around the corner on North Avenue (Lucia's is at North and Honore) that has a decent wine selection. I've only been for dinner (they're also open for lunch) and the service has been great every time with very personable staff.

rhwbullhead

Actually, the last few times I checked the list, this place was set to leave the program after July. I can't check it right now because the website is down. Both of our observations make sense, though. If you checked it on Sunday, then naturally it showed up as the only day available as it is the last day of July.
Edit:
BTW, I've been to Blind Faith Cafe, and I agree that it's pretty good, even for us nonvegatarians. The I went there, though, I didn't know it was in the program so I missed out on free miles.

This reminds me of a funny story. A friend of mine used to go to Blind Faith weekly with his then fiance (ex-fiance now). She was vegetarian and loved that place; he isn't and hates the food there. His solution was that he'd stop at Subway and buy a sandwich. Then, they'd go sit at Blind Faith and she'd order her food. When her food came, he'd open his Subway sandwich and eat it there with her. I was amazed at the fact that they let him do this, and that he actually would do this. He responded to my amazement by saying, "What were they going to say? We ate there every week. If they had said something, we would have just stopped eating there."

rhwbullhead

I guess I'll keep this thread alive. I just tried 4 more places this past week.

The Grape Escape Galena, IL. It's basically a bar/lounge that features wines on the menu. I believe there were about 20 wines available for purchase by the glass. I'm not a wine connoisseur so I don't know if the wines on the list, or the wines I chose were any good. I had the bread, stuffed olive, and oil appetizer. It was okay. Service was very prompt. The two glasses of wine and appetizer came out to $19. Bathrooms were nice and had small bottles of perfume or cologne available for use. If you want a glass of wine and some miles, I guess you'll be happy.

Lucky's Red Hots Rockford, IL. This place is hard to find if you're not from the area. I had to call them three times because the people working there weren't good with directions. I was expecting the place to be a dive, but it looked fairly new. The bathrooms were immaculately clean. This is a fast food place so the bathrooms shouldn't even matter, but I was pleasantly suprised by this fact. I had hot dogs, fries, and a polish sausage. The fries were okay, but nothing special. Nothing compares to the In-n-Out burgers fries from out west. I'd skip the fries here unless you really have a taste for fries during your visit. Hot dogs and sausage were comparable to other places I've been. The soda machine was out front so free refills are available.

Saded Thai I tried this place yesterday as I saw that they just joined Rewards Network. The restaurant was average. My girlfriend commented that she didn't like the way the tables were set up. They had a plastic tablecloth covered by a glass top. The glass top was glued to the table; my girlfriend pointed out that they should have put the glue on the white part of the tablecloth so it didn't stick out so much. We weren't too hungry so we only ordered spring rolls and the panang (sic?) curry. The food was good. My only complaint is that the servings were small, and I saw on the menu that they charged for sides of peanut sauce. If I had ordered Pad Thai, I would have wanted extra peanut sauce. Overall, this place was acceptable for me because of the miles, and the fact that it is walking distance from my girlfriend's place.

I'm spoiled by "Chi Tung" Restaurant in Evergreen Park. I love that place. The food is great and they have huge servings. The service is also great. If you ask for a huge side of peanut sauce, they'll bring you a huge bowl at no charge. The only downfalls of that place are that you get no miles, there's a huge wait in the winter time (always a problem at places that are good), and it's 40 minutes from me.

For a fairer comparison, I'd say that Thipi Thai in La Grange is far superior to Saded Thai. If I lived in Mt Prospect, I'd go here, but I'd probably order for take out.

Tace Fresco Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg IL (accross from The Cheese cake Factory). It's like a Chipolte but with miles, and various sauces. It's not a dine in restaurnt, but more like a fast food place. You order and pick up your food at the counter. There is no pop machine. You can buy cans of soda for $0.85, and they also sell Jarritos and bottled water. I don't like commercialized Mexican restaurants because they don't offer orchatas (rice waters). My burrito tasted good.

balima

I'm trying to hit some new mileage Plus Dining establishments this month while getting my 3000 bonus miles.

Taco Fresco Woodfield Mall Schaumberg
Not bad. Yes, it's fast food, but much better than a Taco Bell or such. My son and I first ordered some chips and salsa while waiting for Mr. Balima. The chips were freshly made and the salsa tasted fresh and not bottled. We then made a second purchase of a Chile Garlic Shrimp Qusadilla. The portion was generous, the shrimp had a nice flavor and were not overcooked. Can't ask alot more for six bucks. Best part was, we were credited for two dines since we made two seperate purchases.

Maza - Diversey and Lincoln - Lebanese
We had alot of fun. The food style I can only describe as a cross between Greek and Middle Eastern. We ordered the Masa Special, which entailed getting a tasting portion of every hot and cold appetizer on the menu. Our table was covered with all kinds of yummy little dishes. If you like to graze, this is the restaurant for you. We had hummus, falafels, fava beans in tomato, stuffed grape leaves, lentil soup (extra yummy when the offered lemon is squeezed in), babaganoush, radishes, pepperocini, chicken shwarma, stuffed kibbeh and more than I can remember. We also ordered the raw kibbeh, raw minced lamb with wheat, onions and toasted slivered almonds with lots of olive oil. Kind of a Lebanese steak tartar. A little too much olive oil for me, but still extra yummy just the same. We had some Lebanese Cabernet/Shiraz blend. Very Good, I was very surprised. Some California wineries could take lessons. Will definetely look for some next time I'm at Sam's Liquors. We ended with some Lebanese coffee, scented with cardamom seeds. Only thing we didn't like was the Vegetarian Couscous. Great place for vegetarians! Total bill for the three of us? $97 We'll be back.

rhwbullhead

I'm glad to see that this thread is still alive. I finally got around to trying Maza Sunday night. It is definately a great place, especially when you factor in the 20 miles/$. I didn't order nearly as much as you did. We ordered the falafel appetize. For our entrees, my friend got the chicken Shawirma, and I ordered the Brochettes of lamb. My friend wasn't too impressed by her meal, but I ate all mine, and what was left of hers and I thought both were good. I was also surprised that our entrees came with soup, and with some sort of desert, even though it didn't say so in the menu.

That lamb tartar sounds interesting, though I'm not sure if I'll be brave enough to try that. Next time, I want to try the "Mamoul Bi Tamr." The menu description reads as follows:

Baked crushed couscous stuffed with mashed dates and served with poached figs sit in appricot sauce.

On a sidenote, I'm thinking about going here for my birthday at the end of the month. I figure if I get 10-15 friends to come, the bill should be over $150 or $200, which means 3000-4000 FREE MILES

BTW, has anyone been to the Lucky Strike in Elmhurst? I see it listed as a participating location. I'm wondering if this means that I'll get miles for bowling there as well.

ElmhurstNick

Not sure why I never saw this thread.

Taco Fresco: One of their locations is across the street from my office. They annoy me because their menu selection is awful. No tamales, no sopes, no pork filling. Not to mention nothing really interesting like Guisado de Res, or gorditas con rajas.

Nancy's: The one in Woodridge used to participate, they don't any more. I think it is very good stuffed pizza, the thin crust is just average.

Carmen's: When I was at Northwestern from 1985-1994, this was THE place to go for stuffed pizza if you lived in Evanston north of Dempster, or if you lived in Wilmette or even Winnetka. It's not as good as it used to be, and there's more competition.

balima

Walter's in Park Ridge

I had a chance to go to Walter's twice this weekend. Walter's is located right next to the Park Ridge train station. You enter on what is very reminiscent of a place in the French Quarter of New Orleans. an upscale type of place with a large skylight right in the middle of the restaurant. Sunday brunch - not a buffet lunch. We had the chocolate chip pancakes, one of the skillet breakfasts and the eggs benedict. Everything was excellent. Hollandaise was freshly made. Pancakes had just an edge of crispiness with a lovely light and fluffy center. My husband wolfed down the skillet combo. They have a magician that goes from table to table to entertain, terribly corny, punny and hysterical. If you have children they are sure to love it.
Dinner - not a huge offering, but well made. We had black bean and french onion soup. Black bean was velvety and the french onion was home made, nothing from a can here. Crab cakes appetizer was offered to me as an entree. Lots of crab with just enough other ingredients to hold it together. Pork tenderloin was juicy, not dry and the steak was perfectly done.

I would be more likely to revisit for the Sunday brunch versus the evening dinner. Food was good, but would be more likely to go to more favorite restaurants in the Edison Park area.

rhwbullhead

Baisi Thai:
In the 900 N. Michigan mall

I'd definately recommend this place.

I had dinner there last night and was satisfied. With spring rolls, two main dishes, and a Thai iced tea, the bill was $25 (not including tip), so the prices are good. We got there at about 9pm. The restaurant closes at 10pm, and everything in the mall except other restaurants were already closed, so the place was dead. The servings were good sized: much larger than the ones I had at Saded Thai in Mt Prospect. We had exceptional service, but that wasn't hard to offer considering there were like 3 tables occupied. The service was almost too good b/c as soon as I finished eating, the server showed up and cleared the table b/c she was watching us. I'd eat there again. I believe they have some luch buffet or some lunch special, as I remember seeing a sign about it, though I didn't ask about the details.


Tsunami

I noticed that this place was listed as a New restaurant when I checked out the Chicago listing yesterday. I guess it had left the program for awhile, but it's now back.

Non-NonRev

Thanks to rhwbullhead for the recommendation of Baisi - I went there a couple of weekends ago and it was quite good indeed. I usually order pad thai the first time I eat at a new Thai restaurant, and Baisi's was flavorful and not overly sweet. The portion was very generous - a late lunch fulled me up for the remainder of the day and evening

Sweet Willie

Those prices may be good for N Mich Ave but are not for a typical Thai joint.

rhwbullhead

Asado Brazilian Grill

Asado is in Evanston, about a block west of Wolfgang Puck's (which also happens to be a mile place).


I ate there a few weeks ago. It's a Brazillian steakhouse similar to Fogo de Chau (sic) and Sal & Carvao's. I saw another Brazillian steakhouse place in the same Fogo & Sal area in Chicago, but I forgot the name of it. Obviously, I can't compare Asado to the third place, but I can compare it to Sal & Carvao's and Fogo. For the money, I think you can't beat Asado. Asado charges $15 for lunch and $30 for dinner. Fogo (and Sal, too, I believe) charges $30 for lunch and $50 for dinner. I've only had the Asado lunch so I can't compare the dinners. I was quite happy with the $!5 selection and I don't think it's worth paying double at the other two places.

I really need to try the Asado dinner so I can give a fair comparison with the Sal & Fogo dinners. In terms of taste, I'd probably rank Fogo ahead of Sal's, with Asado coming after, but I don't think the difference is that great.

Since I love getting miles, the prices are cheaper at Asado, and the taste is almost as good, I don't think I'll be eating at Sal & Carvao or Fogo in the near future. Asado will get my money for now. I do want to try the third place whose name I can't recall at the moment, just so I can compare it to the competition.

rhwbullhead

Let me resurrect this thread.

Sir Nick's
Meacham Rd.
Elk Grove Village, IL
(other locations also participate).

The pizza is good, but not great. They have a spectacular deal on Mondays, at least at this location . Pick-up pizza orders get 50% off. I normally get the 18" special. Normally, it would cost me $26 plus tax. On Mondays, I get it for $13+tax ^ I love pizza so this deal is great. Cheap pizza plus miles!

Sweet Willie

Turkish Cuisine & Bakery on North Clark Andersonville is Idine. for a review thread see: http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...hlight=turkish