visiting chicago...any casual restaurants????

my husband and i are visiting chicago this weekend and i was wondering if anyone knew of some good places to eat after a baseball game or while sightseeing???
thank you

[Pete]

There are many great places to eat here in Chicago many of which are pretty causual. First, after the game (up in Wrigleyville) there are a million places. "Byron's Hot Dogs" just outside of Wrigley, the "Cubby Bear" (ok the food is lousy, but a great place to go after the game), Goose Island Brewery has a place right there. Just walk up and down Clark until you find the place you want. There are so many great places that I could take up pages listing them all. Where are you staying and what areas of the city are you going to explore?

[Devotay]

Try Tuscano's right there in Wrigleyville, or head to the River North area and find loads of great stuff. on of my faves os Cafe Iberico, on LaSalle. It's a very big Tapas joint. Go hungry.

Peace,
kmf

I am the owner/chef of a restaurant in Lakeview, very close to Wrigley Field. (Walking distance). Deleece... we are at Southport and Irving Park. "casual but sophisticated" is what I've been told and what they write... Would love for you to stop by... if you do, ask for me and tell me who you are.
enjoy the game...

Frank Sinatra could never call a trip to Chicago complete without a stop at Twin Anchors.

thank you everyone for some great choices. i wish i would be in town long enough to try them all

[David Jones]

I have give another endorsement to Deleece. I ate there (again) last night and had a great meal. It's funny that, in a town with so many new restaurants, I still wind up at Deleece several times a month.

[logose]

Devotay,
I just want to thank you so much for your Cafe Iberico recommendation. I saw it on this thread and we tried it out. We had nothing but Tapas and I thought I was back in Spain. What a find. One of the better dining experiences we have had. So reasonable too.
Thanks again

I agree with Devotay, Cafe Iberco has been one of my favs for a few years now. Deleece was wonderful as well, but not really "casual". At Deleece we got to meet the chef- she's a fabulous person.

I don't really have any favorite casual places in the city, but if you get a chance to hit Ixcapulsalco, you'll truly enjoy it. It's reviewed on the Cheftalk site in the archives. It's gourmet Mexican food, and it's superb.

[Risa]

I really like Le Bouchon. It's pretty casual although some people get quite dressed up. It's a bit noisy but the food is good and the prices are right. I just read the review in ChefTalk and been hungry ever since. It's a little out of the way for tourists, but then I guess I was technically a tourist when I've gone.

[logose]

Nicko's better half,
I remember driving by Ixcapulsalco's on one of our trips to Chicago. I wondered about the place. I will definitely add that to my list of must try restaurants in Chicago.
Risa, Le Bouchon is obviously French. What type of French cuisine do they have?

we are back from chicago. we wound up at bistro 110 which is around the corner from fao schwartz and the michigan ave. the place was great i highly recomend it. a small menu but some excellent choices. we had french onion soup to die for, escargo it was superb then pizza with goat cheese and then a bowl of angel hair chicken pesto. we were stuffed. if you are in the area you should definitly hop in. thanks again for the suggestions

[Brook]

This isn't a restaurant, but if you like popcorn, Garrett's has the best popcorn I have ever had! While alot of caramel popcorn is gummy, theirs is crispy. And the cheese popcorn is wonderful! The only drawback is that every time I have tried to buy their popcorn, there has always been a line. It's worth the wait though -- just get alot! The popcorn is so addictive that the little bags are gone in no time.

[Jim]

Just wanted to mention this month's issue of Food Arts has a very ellaborate section on Chicago restaurants that is probably worthwhile if you are examining Chicago eateries.

[pragmatic chef]

I was in Chicago recently for the Fancy Foods show and a friend took me to Club Lago, a great neighborhood Italian restaurant that's been there for a long time. Not to pimp my site, but I blogged about it immediately when I got home, the link is here if you want more info. Heartily recommended!