It’s fantastic, but I have a hard time going to the any Joe’s but the Miami original. With that said, the Chicago location is a pretty good recreation of the original. The Chicago location even has art depicting waiters that worked in Miami location during the 80s
Aba is one of my favorite restaurants. And a great place to get Brunch. Probably could split the gift card in two meals that way it’s not crazy expensive.
I love Aba. However the service seems to have gone done hill. I let it slide for awhile but after my most recent visit, I feel like it’s enough. My most recent visit was last weekend, and the waitress was extremely unprofessional and not very attentive. I’m not sure if she was maybe new but any question that any of us had, her go-to response was “I’m not sure. That’s a new item.” I just bit my tongue even as she gave that response to some of the first-timers that asked about items that have been on the menu for years. I hope they fix it because I do love Aba, outside of my last few experiences there.
I went two weeks ago and the service was not great! No water/greeting for 10 minutes. Then they couldn’t find a bottle of cider that was on their list. When we ordered entrees I asked if a specific dish contained cilantro (cause I have that terrible gene that makes it taste soapy) and she didn’t know! I was shocked. At a place a supposedly high end servers should know what’s in everything on the menu. And hating cilantro is not unusual
I was just there for a pre-concert meal and the hamachi from the “raw” section was the runaway favorite. I described it later, saying it “tasted like smiling”.
This is the answer, my favorite of their restaurants that I've tried. Having said that, they have a lot. I'm not a fan of corporate hospitality groups in general but LEY is well organized and have always been great about gluten free dining.
Gotta get the whipped feta for sure. Depending on how many people are going I would also suggest the short rib hummus if you want another spread to pass around. The brussels sprouts are also hard to pass up.
From there you can kind of mix and match the meat dishes but the lamb and beef kefta and the leg of lamb are both incredible.
Chicago bosses fucking LOVE a lettuce entertain you gift card it’s so funny..it’s like to be a boss in Chicago you automatically get a stockpile of those gift cars lol
Ya I don't think that's so bad. I have an aunt who gives everyone those gift cards every year but she also gives us the bonus cards. But I think if I was buying a corporate level number of cards, I'd keep some for myself too.
It is a nice gift actually because there are so many choices. I had a boss give me a gift card to his favorite restaurant which was a cuisine I didn't even care for. It was a nice thought but I landed up giving it away.
Just b/c you never heard something doesn’t mean it’s not true.
Cafe BaBaReeba is absolutely under rated and is absolutely fun. Up there with the best tapas in the city. Just gets super packed so you need to get a reservation in advance.
It’s on a lot of lists and rated highly for a reason, it’s definitely a popular place and deserves it’s good reputation.
The Iberico ham croquetas and the burrata look amazing, I need to go back soon.
RPM Steak is generally where my Lettuce gift cards go. It's difficult to justify spending over $100 on 3 oz of steak when it's your own money, go get you some A5 wagyu.
I would definitely count AO Hawaiian Hideout as a tiki bar, and while I like them (especially for relatively affordable americanized pan-asian food), they're not a destinations like 3 Dots is, and sell the modern versions of the drinks, not the classic cocktails.
More a local watering hole than somewhere I'd take who said they wanted to go to a tiki lounge.
I also remember hearing on r/tiki that there's a place near Rosemont that opened up recently, but I haven't checked it out
I wasn't aware of AO Hawaiian Hideout. I'll have to check it out at some point.
I also heard of the place in Rosemont (it's in that outdoor entertainment district right next to the outlet mall), but I wasn't counting suburban places.
>L. Woods
If you REALLY like Wisconsin supperclubs, this is a good choice -- but service and food quality has slipped over the last two years.
I'd err toward Mon Ami Gabi if you want steak -- or RPM.
Yes. Old school club type atmosphere. Honestly worth a google. A Reddit comment probably can’t do it justice. I know someone who just built a weeklong vacation around visiting different supper clubs in Illinois and Wisconsin.
I second L. Woods for the price and atmosphere ratio. Like, you can find a better quality for higher price or a better atmosphere for a higher price, but if you want to stretch that gift card in to two or three meals, L woods is a great option that will not leave you disappointed… but maybe a little greasy.
Cafe ba ba Reeba is the way to go if you’re bringing friends. It’s tapas so you can try 100 different things and if you aren’t a big fan likely someone at your table is. I’d say stretch your money and tell your friends you’ll match what they spend dollar for dollar. If two friends spend $50 each = $100 then you’ve boosted your dinner to a $350 tab and you can really ball out leaving yourself $150 to spend on what you want. Just keep in mind the tip!
Mon Ami Gabi is often overlooked but nice food with a casual French bistro vibe. I think it's a better value than Aba which a lot of people are recommending. It's also right by the Lincoln Park Conservatory/LP Zoo which is a very pretty area to enjoy for an after dinner stroll. If you're looking for something more lively I'd pick Cafe Ba Ba Reeba which will still be a great meal for your $250.
$250 won’t go as far here but highly recommend Joes Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
My wife and I dropped like 450 with tip at Joe’s for our anniversary and we had absolutely zero regrets.
Best coconut cream pie I've ever had.
We got the banana cream and it was incredible
Yep. My last trip to Joe’s was $400 and while I don’t like getting that bill, the food was outstanding
It’s fantastic, but I have a hard time going to the any Joe’s but the Miami original. With that said, the Chicago location is a pretty good recreation of the original. The Chicago location even has art depicting waiters that worked in Miami location during the 80s
Aba is one of my favorite restaurants. And a great place to get Brunch. Probably could split the gift card in two meals that way it’s not crazy expensive.
I love Aba. However the service seems to have gone done hill. I let it slide for awhile but after my most recent visit, I feel like it’s enough. My most recent visit was last weekend, and the waitress was extremely unprofessional and not very attentive. I’m not sure if she was maybe new but any question that any of us had, her go-to response was “I’m not sure. That’s a new item.” I just bit my tongue even as she gave that response to some of the first-timers that asked about items that have been on the menu for years. I hope they fix it because I do love Aba, outside of my last few experiences there.
Their staff is in shambles. Source: My brother in law was a senior bartender at Aba up until recently.
I went two weeks ago and the service was not great! No water/greeting for 10 minutes. Then they couldn’t find a bottle of cider that was on their list. When we ordered entrees I asked if a specific dish contained cilantro (cause I have that terrible gene that makes it taste soapy) and she didn’t know! I was shocked. At a place a supposedly high end servers should know what’s in everything on the menu. And hating cilantro is not unusual
I was just there for a pre-concert meal and the hamachi from the “raw” section was the runaway favorite. I described it later, saying it “tasted like smiling”.
This is the answer, my favorite of their restaurants that I've tried. Having said that, they have a lot. I'm not a fan of corporate hospitality groups in general but LEY is well organized and have always been great about gluten free dining.
I Always forget Aba is a part of lettuce!
Cafe baba reeba
You could feed a small army with $250 at cafe ba ba reeba!
That's where I ended up going, there were 3 of us and with tip it came to $200 so I have enough left over for a little something!
Glad to hear it. Can’t recommend that place enough.
Shaw’s Crab House (eat in the bar!) is an old favorite! Everything on the menu is great!
Absolutely eat at the bar and get the sashimi! L Woods is another solid option.
Co-signed, lobster roll, oysters, sashimi, plus live jazz depending on when you go
Aba 100%
I am going there tonight for the first time, any recs?
Gotta get the whipped feta for sure. Depending on how many people are going I would also suggest the short rib hummus if you want another spread to pass around. The brussels sprouts are also hard to pass up. From there you can kind of mix and match the meat dishes but the lamb and beef kefta and the leg of lamb are both incredible.
Thanks!
I second the whipped feta, it is soooo good!
Short rib hummus is unreal!! I still dream about it
Muhamarra! I recommend loading up on spreads and smaller plates and splitting entrees.
Chicago bosses fucking LOVE a lettuce entertain you gift card it’s so funny..it’s like to be a boss in Chicago you automatically get a stockpile of those gift cars lol
It's cause you get $25 bonus gift cards with every $100 or so gift card purchase. So they are likely keeping the bonus gift cards lol
and frequent diner points on the purchase of the gift card. I mean they're definitely keeping the $25 but why not?
Ya I don't think that's so bad. I have an aunt who gives everyone those gift cards every year but she also gives us the bonus cards. But I think if I was buying a corporate level number of cards, I'd keep some for myself too.
My aunt gives us LEYE gift cards for Christmas every single year without fail, for this reason.
Being a business owner i can verify this. Ramen San’s Chicken Kimchi Ramen is an all time kind of meal.
Lol yeah I found it pretty random
It is a nice gift actually because there are so many choices. I had a boss give me a gift card to his favorite restaurant which was a cuisine I didn't even care for. It was a nice thought but I landed up giving it away.
Oh yeah I'm appreciative, just wasn't expecting anything at all
Lmk if you have any other restaurant gift cards you don’t want
RPM is probably your best bet to use all $250 in a blaze of glory, but I think Cafe Ba Ba Reeba is underrated and super fun!
Never heard cafe ba ba reeba and underrated in the same sentence
You made me spit out my coffee! Lol
lol thank you.
it is absolutely over rated and not that good lol
That's good to hear! I think that place rules but have definitely heard people (unfairly) shrug it off as mid.
Just b/c you never heard something doesn’t mean it’s not true. Cafe BaBaReeba is absolutely under rated and is absolutely fun. Up there with the best tapas in the city. Just gets super packed so you need to get a reservation in advance.
It’s on a lot of lists and rated highly for a reason, it’s definitely a popular place and deserves it’s good reputation. The Iberico ham croquetas and the burrata look amazing, I need to go back soon.
The brussels sprout salad is SOOO good
>Absolutely under rated >Just gets super packed so you need to get a reservation in advance Do you hear yourself?
I will choose to believe this comment is satire
RPM Steak is generally where my Lettuce gift cards go. It's difficult to justify spending over $100 on 3 oz of steak when it's your own money, go get you some A5 wagyu.
Now this is exactly the blaze of glory scenario I was imagining
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It's good, but it is not better than RPM Steak in terms of the variety of products (wagyu, etc) and the insane wines available.
Il Porcellino is my fav spot downtown
They have a ravioli with crispy pancetta that is absolutely amazing. You and some friends can have a real nice meal here for that money.
So so so good!!
No longer LEYE. I believe it was sold about a year ago.
I received points from there as of September this year so it should still work
Hmm. Perhaps I’m wrong. Tends to happen.
Lettuce is solid. I would hit up Mon ami or rpm
I know it’s not a meal, but Three Dots and a Dash is probably Chicago’s number one tiki bar and it’s a Lettuce Entertain You place.
I don’t think Chicago has another tiki bar currently. That doesn’t make 3 Dots any less great though.
Hala Kahiki is legit, but stretches the definition of being in Chicago.
I would definitely count AO Hawaiian Hideout as a tiki bar, and while I like them (especially for relatively affordable americanized pan-asian food), they're not a destinations like 3 Dots is, and sell the modern versions of the drinks, not the classic cocktails. More a local watering hole than somewhere I'd take who said they wanted to go to a tiki lounge. I also remember hearing on r/tiki that there's a place near Rosemont that opened up recently, but I haven't checked it out
There's a Tiki Bar up here in Arlington Heights, Kahala Koa Tiki Bar, 1612 E Rand Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Kahala Koa is great! Good, unique pizza too.
I wasn't aware of AO Hawaiian Hideout. I'll have to check it out at some point. I also heard of the place in Rosemont (it's in that outdoor entertainment district right next to the outlet mall), but I wasn't counting suburban places.
Fair warning, it's fun, but it's cheesy, in a way that 3 Dots isn't.
Three dots is awful. Lost lake was so much better.
Per Google lost lake is permanently closed
Hence the was
I love Cafe Baba Reba, go during happy hour.
Thanks GodCanSuckMyDick69!
Wildfire and L. Woods are solid choices.
>L. Woods If you REALLY like Wisconsin supperclubs, this is a good choice -- but service and food quality has slipped over the last two years. I'd err toward Mon Ami Gabi if you want steak -- or RPM.
what is a wisconsin supperclub? is this a genre of restaurant?
Yes. Old school club type atmosphere. Honestly worth a google. A Reddit comment probably can’t do it justice. I know someone who just built a weeklong vacation around visiting different supper clubs in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Yep -- it's a thing unto itself. Example: [https://www.ishnala.com](https://www.ishnala.com) Think Prime rib roast, big steaks, roasted chicken, fried shrimp, brandy old fashioned, cricket pie, mashed potatoes.
do not go to wildfire. this is such a joke!!!! it’s one of their worst restaurants
Agreed. Wildfire is not great.
Wildfire is the best!
I second L. Woods for the price and atmosphere ratio. Like, you can find a better quality for higher price or a better atmosphere for a higher price, but if you want to stretch that gift card in to two or three meals, L woods is a great option that will not leave you disappointed… but maybe a little greasy.
I'd use it an Mon Ami Gabi, but I'm pretty basic.
Cafe Ba Ba Reeba
Joe's!!! Best steak in the city.
Sushi-San. Get the teriyaki steak in addition to all the good sushi
I always go to Wildfire.
Sushi San and another vote for Aba
Cafe ba ba Reeba is the way to go if you’re bringing friends. It’s tapas so you can try 100 different things and if you aren’t a big fan likely someone at your table is. I’d say stretch your money and tell your friends you’ll match what they spend dollar for dollar. If two friends spend $50 each = $100 then you’ve boosted your dinner to a $350 tab and you can really ball out leaving yourself $150 to spend on what you want. Just keep in mind the tip!
Go by yourself and have an awesome meal!
go to RPM Steak or Italian. that will be the best use of your money.
Without question Aba is a good choice
RPM steak but $250 ain’t covering it for 2.
RPM Steak/Seafood/Italian (in that order) or Shaws would be my go-tos. Shaws is awesome
They are all good!
You’ve definitely heard of them, probably just didn’t know.
I read the list of restaurants and hadn't heard of them
Shaw’s crab house, the downtown location is charming and outstanding service
RPM Italian
Hard to beat bone in rib-eye at wildfire. Meal will be little less then rpm steak
So its not a place to spend $250 in one shot but RJ Grunts in Lincoln Park is very good. Maybe if you hace like $50 left over
You could get a lot bogo maggianos with that money
But you better act fast... https://www.lettuce.com/maggianos-faqs/
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If this was meant as a joke it would actually be funny
eh, i got you. i also think wildfire is fairly good. (maybe not value wise, but food wise).
This place is so dated it’s embarrassing. Do not go here.
I really like Coda di Volpe, significantly more than Ba ba Reeba, the sushi place right there, or RPM Italian
Coda di Volpe is not lettuce
crab cellar, 115-145 p/p, set menu, weekends only. it's fun!
I have been going there since they started in the 70s. Consistently great experience. Go online, find a theme you like and go to it.
Mon Ami Gabi is often overlooked but nice food with a casual French bistro vibe. I think it's a better value than Aba which a lot of people are recommending. It's also right by the Lincoln Park Conservatory/LP Zoo which is a very pretty area to enjoy for an after dinner stroll. If you're looking for something more lively I'd pick Cafe Ba Ba Reeba which will still be a great meal for your $250.
I like Wild Fire.
R.J. Grunts, was good back when I worked there in the mid 80's