Chicago’s Restaurant Week 2011

If you are a foodie and are in Chicago, you’re in luck. Major luck. Starting February 18 and lasting for 10 days through February 27, over 200 restaurants will offer special prix fix menus starting at $22 as part of Chicago’s annual Restaurant Week 2011.

This is a great bargain considering that some of Chicago’s top restaurants will be showcasing their best dishes and spirits with three-course lunches and dinners. (According to the City of Chicago, “participating restaurants offer lunch, dinner, or both at their discretion.”)

Where to Find Participating Restaurants

Chicago’s list of participating restaurants is alphabetical by the restaurant’s name. Click on the link for the restaurant and you will be taken to a page that gives the restaurant’s contact details, as well as a link to its Restaurant Week special menu, and in some cases, a link to reserve a table for lunch and/or dinner.

Tip: With some 200 restaurants participating in Chicago’s Restaurant Week it can be hard to chose where to have lunch or dinner. Thankfully, the Chicago Tribune’s food critic, Phil Vettel, usually does some pre-tastings and comes up with a list of menus he finds appealing. (Check the Chicago Tribune’s Web site regularly for this list.) Last year, Vettel’s picks included:

Blackbird (619 W. Randolph Street; map it) for its lunch menu with roasted squab with smoked sausage, warm octopus appetizer with chickpeas, and Asian pear and hazelnuts.
Japonais (600 W. Chicago Avenue; map it) for its lunch and dinner menus with lobster spring rolls, nori-wrapped salmon with oyster-leek stew, and chocolate chawan mushi dessert.

Tips on Navigating Chicago’s Restaurant Week 2011

Because of the popularity of Restaurant Week, many restaurants fill up quickly so reservations, if the restaurant will accept them, are recommended.

Most restaurants participating in Restaurant Week are in the city but a couple are in the suburbs including Atwater’s in Geneva and Mon Ami Gabi in Oak Brook.