Aaand the Michelin guide reputation in Chicago and associated fanfare takes another step off a cliff... Honestly they'd be better off if they simply removed Longman & Eagle as at least they'd have a semi-consisten list of what they're trying to get at. Having L&E on the list and not having Avec is pretty criminal. Having morons like the Sun Times food editor saying things like they feel Au Cheval is a snub is only empowered by this silliness. I'm happy for the chefs who will do well due to their stars, and sad for those who lost stars as it will hurt their business, but man, the inconsistency is remarkable.

I don't have a lot of lounges to compare it to, but I have to give it top marks.

Trying to put together a list of bars to rent out for New Year's Eve.

Would like somewhere that is nice, fairly open layout, decent beer selection.

Have contacted:

Sweetwater
Old Town Pour House
Crossings (and all other Four Corners Bars)
Haymarket

Any other suggestions? Anywhere from Lincoln Park to Downtown would be fine.

Old Town Pour House is really big, how many people are you expecting to go?

Yeah, that's def on the big end, they said their capacity is like 330.

I would think the ideal capacity would be between 150 and 200, but I think our group could have as many as 250.

Have you tried Benchmark? A little further West but fifty/50 fits your criterion.

Try State Bar

^^^ Good recommendation.

Benchmark and State Bar both have their own deals set up. Will probably consider shrinking the group and hitting up one of those places if we can't find a place to rent out.

Christ I dont think I even know 250 people, let alone people I could invite somewhere

If you'd like a great cocktail without entering a Doucheville, Blue Stem Martini Lounge on Irving -- just east of Damen and a block from the Brown Line -- is real chill. It's definitely a reformed dive bar, very dark, internet jukebox, but an amazing cocktail list.

I wanna say they spell out around 150+ cocktails on their menu and they're all $10, regardless of your vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, etc. choice. I ordered a Bombay Gin Buck and a Filthy Ketel Martini, expecting an upcharge and none at all.

The bartender was sweet, skilled, very patient with customers, and the place had a real chill 30+ crowd without being too busy. We just stopped in before a lane reservation at Timber Lanes and would definitely go back.

If you're doing a Lincoln Square or North Center dinner, it's a great pre-drink meetup spot.

Anyone interested in some/all seats at Next Kyoto's kitchen table next Thursday, 5:30?

all?

There are 6 tickets, currently I have one friend interested + I'm willing to go (but also happy if I don't), tickets are about $256 each, if you wanted all 6 I'd probably let them go.

Looking for a good Japanese restaurant for Saturday night.

Something that isn't all sushi, more of a mix of sushi and other stuff. Around $100/plate with drinks would be the range I'm looking at.

You don't need to spend a lot for a great time with Japanese in Chicago.

Kai Zan around Western and Chicago is a small place, but it's my new favorite. They have a sushi bar, but the entire menu is pretty creative. Most important, the staff is knowledgeable. Third time I went in there, I didn't want sushi. Asked for something tangy with salmon with sweet and spicy garnish to alternate.

I got something that wasn't on the menu -- a tangy soy-grazed sashimi with a sort of mango salsa and a wasabi mayo on the side. Some of the best fish I've had away from an ocean.

Another time, I received chicken, topped with a lightly-peppered yellow pepper/squash puree, with a dark side sauce that was sweet, but not as sugary as teriyaki.

As for the rolls themselves, anything with crab or salmon is among the best in the city, IMO.

The escolar pearl is what people gravitate toward. Personally, the orange rush is my favorite (salmon-wrappped scallop). The chicken kushi (skewer), beef tataki (seered before thinly sliced and grazed), and unagi poppers are my favs to start. There is sashimi with what they call a Kai Zan sauce that brings out the freshness of the fish much better than your typical above average joint drops in a plate.

It's casual and small, but nowhere near a dump (very clean and beautiful without that Gold Coast, ultra-sterile-looking pretentiousness) and they take reservations. They have booths that are well separated, so once you're seated, it feels private enough that it doesn't feel so small at all.

It's BYOB, $5 corkage, and it's tough to feast without your tab being more than $30/head before tip.

Make sure to get a reso @ Kai zan first though. It's very small. But I will +1 the rec if with a small group.


I'd also say that yusho would fit what you're looking for. I'd reso that as well. There's a bit more diversity in the menu irt sushi+grill stuff than at Kai zan(Kai zan is more sushi based).

Also, I'm finally getting to goosefoot tonight!!!

Got a reservation for Kai Zan on Saturday!

Super excited, any recommendations for a bottle of wine? I'm not a sophisticated wine drinker by any stretch, not really sure what to drink with a Japanese menu.

Zimmer,

You can't really go wrong with a cheap bottle of sparkling wine, and you can approximately never go wrong with a relatively dry Reisling.

Zim, what's your price range per btl? This is what I get paid the mediocre $ to do, so I'll gladly help.

Btw, the waitresses are pretty cute at Kai zan. Always helps.

Prob somewhere around $30-50 per bottle.

That won't be a problem at all. You can get a bunch of great grower bubbly producers in that range. Note, all wines that I'm about to mention are available at binnys:

Michel Arnold grand cru brut reserve(make sure to get the $36 one)
Henri billiot NV brut(personal favorite)
Pascual Doquet Blanc de blancs
Jose Dhondt blanc de blancs(another personal favorite)

and this one is $23 but rules:

Domaine Andre tissot cremant Jura indegenie

Good call. I generally don't like the feel of Reisling, so prefer chenin blanc as a pairing that works with all ranges of Asian -- from heat to sweet to tang.

Trader Joe's used to carry this South African chenin blanc, Zafrika, but don't anymore.

Chateau Ste. Michelle has one of the most impressive low-cost reislings is my smaller reisling experience. Not as dry as my palette desires, but the acidity isn't offensive. So, a reisling lover can appreciate the complexity and the more casual (or generally dry lover) can appreciate it as refreshing without feeling like 10 green apple Jolly Ranchers just got shoved in the mouth. But I generally avoid reislings, so others itt can help you better.

Obviously, can't go wrong with bubbles.

EDIT: Just saw your price range. Changes the game, SFobv.

Almost as yummy as the menu, IMO.

OT: Any recs for under the radar ~$15 pre-tax bottles of reds to pair with Indian? We eat mostly Indian at home (as I do most of the cooking) and generally prefer to pair with beer (sauvignon blanc/chenin blanc in the summers). But, it's starting to get cold and haven't really moved past medium-body syrahs with these dinners.

Thanks KDawg and others.

Will hit up Binny's after work today. Gotta get liquor for a Christmas Party tonight anyways.