Help us find a spot for our rehearsal dinner in Chicago
June 27, 2011 7:13 PM Subscribe
Where in Chicago should we have our rehearsal dinner? We need a place that's got a private room for 40 people on Labor Day weekend. We are on a budget, and we have a few criteria.
--Some guests (including us) are vegetarian or pescetarian. One is gluten-free. Most are fairly adventurous eaters, but Indian would be too spicy.
--It should be convenient to the North Side or Northern suburbs. We won't want to deal with the traffic of downtown, River North, Mag Mile, etc.
--One guest uses a walker. She can handle stairs, but convenient parking would be ideal.
--We'd prefer family-style service or a set menu to keep costs down.
Many places we've looked at have been too cheesy (owned by a big corporation is a turn-off), too booked, or, of course, too expensive. One possibility is Sabatino's on Irving Park. The reviews are great and the prices are doable, but we're not excited about the dark, windowless decor.
--Some guests (including us) are vegetarian or pescetarian. One is gluten-free. Most are fairly adventurous eaters, but Indian would be too spicy.
--It should be convenient to the North Side or Northern suburbs. We won't want to deal with the traffic of downtown, River North, Mag Mile, etc.
--One guest uses a walker. She can handle stairs, but convenient parking would be ideal.
--We'd prefer family-style service or a set menu to keep costs down.
Many places we've looked at have been too cheesy (owned by a big corporation is a turn-off), too booked, or, of course, too expensive. One possibility is Sabatino's on Irving Park. The reviews are great and the prices are doable, but we're not excited about the dark, windowless decor.
Fabi's on Clark Street is tasty food and they have a private room.
posted by bleep at 7:57 PM on June 27, 2011
posted by bleep at 7:57 PM on June 27, 2011
Do you think of Lettuce Entertain You as a "big corporation"? Because I've held events for two to three dozen at both the Schaumburg and Old Orchard Maggiano's locations, and they do a decent job at a reasonable price.
Also, with dietary restrictions, maybe a caterer and a small hall would be a better fit than trying to find a restaurant...?
posted by OneMonkeysUncle at 8:17 PM on June 27, 2011
Also, with dietary restrictions, maybe a caterer and a small hall would be a better fit than trying to find a restaurant...?
posted by OneMonkeysUncle at 8:17 PM on June 27, 2011
Kingfisher on Clark. Seafood, parking, and the possibility of renting out a semi-private room.
posted by ohio at 8:42 PM on June 27, 2011
posted by ohio at 8:42 PM on June 27, 2011
Dave's Italian Kitchen in Evanston has a private room for up to 60. It's not particularly adventurous--heavy on the pasta--but they have some good fish dishes for the non-pasta eating folks. Their wine list is good.
Reza's has private rooms, too, but I don't know if they have parking.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:13 AM on June 28, 2011
Reza's has private rooms, too, but I don't know if they have parking.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:13 AM on June 28, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! We went with Wishbone. They've got good prices and the kind of character that suits us. Their snarling poodle logo was created by my former landlord. Although we didn't go with anyone's recommendations here, it was valuable to have them for comparison purposes.
posted by hydrophonic at 12:20 PM on July 28, 2011
posted by hydrophonic at 12:20 PM on July 28, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 7:23 PM on June 27, 2011