Chicago: Eating Out in the Windy City

Gene & Georgetti

This place feels as though it hasn’t changed since it was founded in 1941. You can almost see the ghost of Al Capone smoking a stogie at the bar. Unless you don’t eat beef, there’s no reason to order anything other than the filet ($38.50), a huge chunk of meat, crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. But then, if you don’t eat meat, why would you go to Gene and Georgetti’s in the first place?

500 N. Franklin St., tel. 312-527-3718, www.geneandgeorgetti.com

Pizza

In Chicago, pizza means deep dish. And deep dish means Pizzeria Uno (try to forget that it has become a chain). Or Pizzeria Due. Or Lou Malnati’s. Or Gino’s East. This is pizza that eats like a meal. It starts with a flaky crust pressed into a two-inch-thick pan, covered with tomato sauce and other toppings, baked and delivered to your table piping hot by a slightly crabby, harried waitress. Wherever you choose to eat your deep dish, use the knife and fork, these slices are too big to eat by hand. Sadly, my kids have been corrupted by Domino’s Pizza, a source of unending embarrassment to lifelong Chicagoans. But they do love the ambiance of these classic Chicago restaurants and, well, sometimes the parents get to pick. We try to accommodate the kids by planning our pizza forays during off hours rather than make the kids wait an hour for pizza they don’t really want. And be sure to sit the kids as far away from the pan as possible. It’s a burn blister waiting to happen.

Pizzeria Uno, 29 East Ohio Street, tel. 312-321-1000
Pizzeria Due, 619 N Wabash Ave., tel. 312-280-5110
Lou Malnati’s, 6649 North Lincoln Avenue, Lincolnwood, tel. 847-673-0803
Gino’s East, 162 E. Superior St., tel. 312-266-DEEP (3337)

Award Winners

Frontera Grill and its fine-dining sister, Topolobampo

These are the brainchildren of award-winning chef, cookbook author and television personality Rick Bayless. For 20 years, Frontera Grill has been a Chicago favorite for upscale Mexican food. Frontera is kid-friendly, provided the tykes can stand the wait for a table and their palates are sophisticated enough to be merit the expense. If you want to sample Bayless’ wares without the wait—always a better option for families with impatient kids—you can get a taste at the Macy’s store on State Street, where the seventh floor food court includes Frontera Frescoe, which sells Mexican fast food, Bayless style. But if you want the real thing, it requires planning and patience. Topolo (as local foodies call it) is booked up two weeks or more ahead, so call now if you’re planning to visit in the next few weeks. Frontera generally is a first-come, first-served sort of place, but it’s always worth a call; sometimes the restaurant accepts reservations.

• Stuffed or deep dish, Chicago pizza is the best.
• Brad Kaplan

445 N. Clark St., www.fronterakitchens.com

Arun’s Thai Restaurant

I remember going to Arun’s when it was a little hole-in-the-wall neighborhood restaurant with a half-dozen or so tables and chef/owner Arun Sampanthavivat was the guy who seated you, took your order, cooked your food and bused the table. Today, Arun’s is an upscale restaurant (still far from the Loop, this Northwest Side joint is most easily reached by cab), and the prices are a little higher than your average Thai fare. But the $85 prix-fixe 12-course dinner is always a surprise. I mean that in the best way. I haven’t taken my kids, and would never risk this with my unadventurous son, but my daughter, newly enamored of Thai fare, is angling for a visit. She keeps saying it would be a nice birthday treat.

4156 N. Kedzie Ave., tel. 773-539-1909, www.arunsthai.com