I will be visiting the North Michigan Ave. / The Loop area with a traveling companion in a few weeks.  Close to this area is good but not required.  I am looking for input on the best food (Seafood, Steak, or ???) and possibly a unique dining experience. We have experienced Moto and looking for a new experience.

Thanks for your help, BLG

A lot of good places in that area.  French - Bin 110, Steak - The Chophouse, Gibsons  Italian - Carmines, Rosebud, Spiagga, TRU is a very nice fine dining restaurant..Chef Trumonto has a couple places. Frontera Grill is Chef Rick Bayless restaurant.  Spanish - Cafe Iberico has really good Tapas.  Sushi - Sushi Samba.  Phil Stefani has a couple places there.  NEver been to any restaurants in Trump tour.  The Palm restaurant is good.  I also recommend drinks at the 96th floor of the John Hancock  or Tavern on Rush.    Breakfast - The Original Pancake house and also Grand Luxe Cafe.

Enjoy!

Italian Village, especially when paired with a live show.

Topo Gigio. Italian.

Cape Cod Room in the Drake Hotel.

Bistro 110 (Eclectic with a French twist)
110 E Pearson St

Heaven on Seven (Cajun/New Orleans)
111 N Wabash Ave Ste 700

Rosebud on Rush (Italian) Rush&Superior,     1492 (Tapas) Wabash and Superior,           Devon (Seafood) Chicago and Wabash,
Gibsons (Steak), State and Rush and across the street:
Dublins (Bar food) late night great food

The Chicago Chop House. Have their specialty, the grilled prime rib. You won't need a knife. (Ontario across from Hard Rock Café)

For Italian, Volare (St. Claire and Grand)

SushiSamba Rio on Wells at Illinois. It’s an interesting fusion atmosphere and their risotto is both very unique and excellent.

In the area you're staying in, Blackbird.  Always a great dining experience

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab at Grand and Rush is excellent.  Alinea on Halsted near Willow is rated as one of the best restaurants in the country.  Boka, next door, also is excellent.  Both are a short cab ride from the Michigan Ave./Loop area.  Enjoy!

If you want a unique experience on North Michigan Ave. go to either Spiaggia or Nomi, which is in the Park Hyatt.

The Capitol Grill just south of the HanCOCK has great lamp chops......

I'm sorry, but Joes is the best steak in Chicago...Bar None.  Also, it's Stone Crab season.  You can get messy together...

NoMI has a great view, but it's more fun in the summer.

Have a drink at RL across the street after dinner.  The bar looks like what you'd imagine Ralph Lauren's office is, and there are couches and a fireplace to snuggle.

Thanks, I was wanting something different than we usually dine at, she will never guess this one, well unless she reads this board.  Is there one on North Michigan Ave?

it is in fact my favorite dinner destination.  But she is going to insist on some actual food.  Thanks!

Oh I'm not kidding about the Capitol Grill, it's a great place to eat....The crab cakes are to die for...

In this order:

1) Alinea (modern and deconstruction cuisine; James Beard Best Chef in the United States 2008). Adjectives do not even begin to describe this place.  World class.  Only go here if you really, really love food. It is totally wasted on the steak and potatoes crowd (no offense intended).  Food and decor has an Alice in Wonderland feel - not as romantic as Everest.  Walk to Steppenwolf Theater, but "dinner and show" is almost impossible (dinner will be 3 hours or more).

2) Tru (modern french).  Never disapponting, always something interesting.  Rick Tramanto has been nominated or won a James Beard award nine times.  Large room is not very intimate.  Off Michigan Ave.

3) Everest (classic and nouvelle french).  Food is nowhere near as interesting as Alinea or Tru, but the combination of very attentive and traditional service standards, incredible view (in the financial district, top floor), and outstanding food is something to experience at least a few times in Chicago.  Feels more romantic than the others. Loop in CBOE building.

4) Spiaggia (Italian).  Best italian in Chicago.  Good view.  Service is excellent or good, but you do not always know which.  Seats near the window overlooking Michigan Ave/the lake have a very nice view and are somewhat romantic.  Inner seating area not romantic.  North Michigan Ave.

5) Charlie Trotters (eclectic/modern).  The very first modern cuisine, world class chef in Chicago.  He has fallen far since he first opened, however, and now ranks a distance behind the top chefs here.  However, he is still one of the best (IF he is actually there).  If you go here, I would try to get the kitchen table.  Not very intimate.  Halsted/Armitage area - some great boutique shopping for women here.

6) North Pond (a bit off the beaten path north of the Loop in Lincoln Park).  Food ranges from world class to failed experimental, but is usually at least very good.  Some misses make this my last choice.  However, NP has some definite advantages and is unique in a few areas: (a) chef focuses on locally grown, mostly organic, "slow" foods (so food is very seasonal), (b) decor is more casual than others, and has a more intimate "lodge" feel to it that might be more romantic, (c) it is literally in the park on a small pond/lake and before/after dinner walks in the park are highly recommended if there with an SO (nearby is the butterfly museum, shopping on Diversey/Broadway, lots of birds, ducks and geese on and around the pond, and the Lp Zoo).

Let us know what you decide to do and how it turns out!

There is a lot of very good recommendations here to look into.  I'm may pass on the McDs as we have them locally, although it would be quite different than my normal dinner plans.  I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again!
BLG