if you have the money i would suggest fogo de chao. i normally hate steak or any meat for that matter, but i think this place is very good. great service, but its pricey and you definitely need a huge appetite before you go or it isnt worth it. it would be better for a date or family get together type thing. ive also been to another place like this called brazzaz that i thought was pretty good. along with the same type of foods as fogo de chao they had cooked pineapple floating about which i thought was magnificent to find at a sit down restaurant.

You know Fogo is a chain of churrascarias, right?

yes, yes i do. there are about a dozen of them around the US if i remember correctly.

Food

Thai
Arun's 4156 N Kedzie.
Considered one of the best Thai restaurant's in North America. Even the NY Times has given this place great reviews and they usually pooh pooh anything connected with the midwest. It's incredibly popular so you have to make reservations way in advance, but you may be able to sneak in once in a while.

German
Cafe Lutz 2458 W Montrose
Mostly known for it's bakery. People usually go there for carry out. If you're a fan of German Pastries, particularly involving chocolate, nugout and marzipan you'll love it here. The cafe is also real nice. Try the hazel nut milk shake. The open face sandwiches such as tilsiter cheese and Westphalian ham are great. The tables are small and cramped and there's still some old fashioned German guests that don't believe in deodorant, but that adds to the charm. When the weather is nice, there's an outdoor cafe.

Polish
Red Apple Restaurant 3123 N Milwaukee
I don't think it's still true, but Chicago was once the largest Polish city in the World. There's still a large Polish community in the city, mostly along Milwaukee Ave. Red Apple is a friendly, inexpensive buffet. So you'll get to try a lot of different Polish dishes. They also sell frozen perogies to take home.

Indian
No particular restaurant. But head up to Devon and Western. The neighborhood is a blast. Very colorful and full of Indian Restaurants, Grocery stores and bakeries.

Late Night Drunks
Golden Apple 2971 N Lincloln
Just regular American Diner Food. It's open 24 hours a day. And this is where all the drunk northsiders go after closing time. It was once featured on "This American Life" on NPR.

Soul Food
Army and Lou's 422 East 75th St
Long time Chicago favorite. Reasonable prices for Southern Cooking in a great atmosphere. Some of the friendliest and most efficient service you'll get any where in the city.

Besides pizza and hot dogs (make sure you get the day-glo relish to be authentic) another local favorite is Italian Beef. Which of course has nothing to do with Italy. You can get them any where.

Just some places off the top of my head. When I get some more energy I'll post some local attractions.

It's been mentioned before but if you want to try a "Chicago-only" churrascaria you can go to Brazzaz. IMO Fogo > Brazzaz but it's close.

Another chain that I enjoy having in River North is Grand Lux.

we always go to the Brookfield zoo fyi i can elaborate when i'm not typing on the ps3

For those who don't know, it should be noted that Arun's is not a typical Thai place which serves $6 pad thai. Meals here easily run $100 per person. Good food, although personally I prefer other restaurants in this price range.

Lake Front

Driving on Lake Shore Drive isn't really a whole lot of fun, I just always liked that song. The point is, that the lake front is stunningly beautiful. A bike path/jog path along the lake covers most of the length of the city. Cycling on the Northside in the Summer sucks due to overcrowding and people with poor cycling skills. But the South Side is always fun.

Some spots along the path.

Promontory Point - 5491 South Shore Drive
Nice place to have a picnic and some wonderful views of the lake and the city. You can venture into Hyde Park, home of the University of Chicago. It's been said that there are more Nobel Prize winners per square mile in this neighborhood than there are any where in the world. This is also the location of the previously mentioned Museum of Science and Industry. If you're interested in architecture you can visit Robie House 5757 S. - Woodlawn Ave. If you go a little farther North into Kenwood you can find Barack Obama's house.

31st street beach
Spending some time here is worth it just for the delicious smells of BBQ.

Lincoln Park Zoo - Fullerton and Lake Shore Drive
One of the best things about the Zoo, is that it's free. Parking is expensive. But if you walk there, it won't cost you anything and the bus is only $2.00. The big ape house is great, along with the africa exhibit, the children's zoo, the small mammal and reptile house and the bird house. Unfortunately, if you're looking for elephants, you won't find any. It's illegal to have elephants within the city limits.

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum - 2430 N Cannon Drive
Right next to the zoo. Check out the Butterfly room. You can watch butterflies hatch from their cocoons year round.

The Chess Pavilion
If you enjoy chess and gambling this is where you want to go.

The Totem Pole - Near LSD and Waveland
It's just kind of cool that there's a totem pole in the middle of the park. It's a nice place to meet friends and play some hacky sack. If you head back to the lake, you'll find the big boulders that maintain the shore integrity. There's a long standing tradition of graffiti on these rocks. Some of the graffiti has been dated back to the 1920's.

I'm a Cubs fan, but it's a lot easier to get Sox tickets. The food is better and on Saturday Nights they have a great fireworks show after the game.

Historical Sites

Stephen A. Douglas Tomb and Memorial - E 35th Street and S Cottage Ave
Nice looking place. I just enjoy the irony that the pro-slavery Democrat is buried and memorialized in an African American neighborhood.

Biograph Theatre - 2433-43 N. Lincoln Ave.
This is where John Dillinger was killed by the FBI. Sadly it's no longer a movie theatre. They show stage productions there now. But it still looks a lot like it did back when Dillinger was a guest.

Pullman Historical District 11151 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
Originally a company town for the employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company, it was eventually annexed into the City of Chicago. The place has kind of an erie medieval feel to it.

Haymarket Memorial Corner of Randolph and Desplaines
Takes you back to the good old days when the terrorists were European Christians.

Graceland Cemetery - 4001 N Clark Street
Elvis isn't buried here, but many prominent Chicagoans are. Including: George Pullman, Louis Sullivan , Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Allan Pinkerton. Make sure the Cubs aren't in town when you go, as the ballpark is close to the cemetery.

For more on Chicago's History, you can go to the Chicago History Museum - 1601 N. Clark St. It's located in Lincoln Park close to the zoo and old town. So you can park/cab/bus there and spend time at all locations.

a great BYO I would highly reccomend is Cotes Du Rhone in Andersonville off of broadway. Free Corkage(at least for now until they get their liquor liscense) and really good food at a solid price(most entrees will be around $20-30) and a really good staff. I was there for a birthday dinner with some friends last week and the entire staff was great. Hell, they even had Foie Gras almost right after the ban got lifted

I completely disagree. If you are looking for molecular gastronomy, Alinea is the best option in the city and indeed in the entire country (probably world) from all Ive heard ( I cant afford to go there just yet .) But it certainly is not fine dining imo. Its an event onto itself, and you dont really go there cuz youre hungry. Thats not to say that you wont be satiated, but it takes something like 3 or 4 hours to complete the 24 course tasting menu...

and by "intriguing" Im guessing you mean "doubtful" ? I mean seriously, you cant have had anything that resembles a good slab if you think these are the best. Its simple schematics. An italian place does not sell enough ribs to warrant the equipment and time needed to make truly amazing ones.

If you are interested in some really amazing bbq though, check out smoque. http://www.smoquebbq.com/

BLASPHEMY!

Wrigley bleachers > *

Who needs "good food" when you have foot long brats?

best french food in the city can be found at Old Town Brasserie. And Im not just saying that because I work there. The chef previously ran La Francais in its heyday and also Les Nomades and Carlos'. Prices are really reasonable too, with entrees falling between 24 and 30$.