City Winery tonight - looking for eats before show

Am headed to City Winery tonight to see Poi Dog Pondering. For some unknown reason, it's our tradition to do Thai before one of their shows. Have been looking for a couple of hours for some good Thai in the area or anywhere between the western suburbs & West Loop and am not coming up with much. Any good suggestions? Yum Thai is our favorite, but we were just there a few nights ago! This is also my sister's first time @ Thai, so want to make it really special!

If we can't come up with Thai, any other suggestions near City Winery would be appreciated!

I don't know of any worthy Thai in the immediate vicinity. We usually opt for Maude's Liquor Bar or The Publican before City Winery.

=R=

I was looking at both of those... also Au Cheval. Do you prefer one over the other?

I wish I would have known about this, we love Poi Dog Pondering. Can you tell me more about this venue please? Is the seating comfortable or are you really packed in? It appears that every show I looked at is sold out, is it a place where you really have to be a member to get tickets? How is the food there and is it simpler to dine before or after a show?

wineaux wrote:I was looking at both of those... also Au Cheval. Do you prefer one over the other?

It depends on my mood but I generally prefer Publican. It's one of my favorites. Typically, I will eat a larger meal at Publican and have a lighter meal at Maude's. The menu is broader and more ever-changing at Publican. And there are the great beers and unsung whiskeys at Publican, too. But the food at Maude's is solid and it's also a much mellower scene. The uncertain wait time at Au Cheval -- combined with no reservations -- takes it out of consideration for me before a show. It's not a place I want to dine if I have to be somewhere else at a specific time after the meal. Too much variability.

Cinnamon Girl wrote:I wish I would have known about this, we love Poi Dog Pondering. Can you tell me more about this venue please? Is the seating comfortable or are you really packed in? It appears that every show I looked at is sold out, is it a place where you really have to be a member to get tickets? How is the food there and is it simpler to dine before or after a show?

It's a fun venue. In my experience, they definitely do not oversell/overcrowd it. I've seen some amazing shows there and some ok shows there. For a venue of its relatively small size, the acoustics are not uniformly great but there are spots in and near the middle of the room where the sound is outstanding. I've never eaten there because my initial hunch was that the food was probably not very good. Looking at some of the food served to other patrons near us during a few of the shows we attended, I'd say my initial hunch was a pretty accurate one. It just doesn't look very appetizing. But I've never actually eaten any of it, so your mileage may vary.

=R=

We were there for the Poi show the other night. Food was fine, it has improved a lot since they opened. Seating closer in to the stage gets crowded.

leek wrote:We were there for the Poi show the other night. Food was fine, it has improved a lot since they opened. Seating closer in to the stage gets crowded.

It's exactly as represented on the seating chart at their website. There's one person per seat and never more than that. The tables do get a little nearer to each other closer to the stage but it's nothing compared to a concert at a more conventional venue.

=R=

I really enjoy City Winery.... they book a wide variety of bands, has an intimate, yet casual vibe to it, the sound is decent. Tix are also very reasonably priced. Also like that you have the option to sit, although for Poi we usually choose seats on the outside so we can dance!

Looks like we're hitting Bodhi Thai on the way in.... will have to try the others another time!

Thanks!

ronnie_suburban wrote:I've never eaten there because my initial hunch was that the food was probably not very good. Looking at some of the food served to other patrons near us during a few of the shows we attended, I'd say my initial hunch was a pretty accurate one. It just doesn't look very appetizing. But I've never actually eaten any of it, so your mileage may vary.

=R=

I tend to think my standards are reasonably high and I do enjoy the food there and it's a nice treat to be able to eat at a show. They do mostly small plates and we've eaten at 3 or 4 shows. that we went to recently The burrata and short rib dishes were especially good. And over the summer we made it to the Prince concert which was standing room only (they took all the tables out of the room) and we still ended up eating there before the show.

Butterfly Thai (on Madison) and Anna's Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar (on lake) would be my choices for Thai nearby. Neither is amazing, but both are very good. Else, I would check out The Publican, Vera, or BellyQ/Urban Belly

FYI - The Butterfly on Grand Ave is better than the Butterfly Thai on Madisno

We've gone to Vera before shows at City Winery.

The GP wrote:We've gone to Vera before shows at City Winery.

Ditto that. It worked out very well. I liked the venue because I appreciate being able to reserve my table and arrive on my own time rather than pile in first-come, first-serve as in other venues like Park West. (A tip: the box office staff was super helpful. I gave them a ring when I was reserving seats, and they walked me through the process and recommended certain tables.) We stuck to wine and shared a cheese plate, and it was just okay, especially tailing a dinner at Vera. I probably wouldn't ever eat a full meal at City Winery unless I was under a time crunch, given all the other top-notch offerings in the area.

We attended the Friday Poi Dog show and while not Thai, my go to pre show dinner is always Coalfire Pizza. Despite a 7:15 arrival and a 15 minute wait for a table, our pizza was out within minutes of ordering it and we made the 8:10 start with ease.

Coalfire Pizza
1321 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 226-2625

We ate a couple of items at a show at City Winery last night, and actually found both items to be good. I thought the burrata was delicious (perhaps a little salty if I'm being picky) and the scallops were crispy, well seasoned, and still translucent. From my perspective, the fact that I can get at least this quality of food at a concert is impressive.

Still not a fan of their wine, but they made a great dirty martini and a good old-fashioned.

On Sunday, I went to see Booker T. Jones at City Winery. I was slightly surprised there is only a sparse amount of coverage of it here on LTH.
I am a craftbeer drinker, not an oenophile, but I did partake of its wines on tap.
This is its Pinot Noir Oregon 2013 ($11) with its Carrot & Ginger Soup ($8).
This is its Sangiovese California 2012 wine ($13) with its Duck Tacos. ($12)
I thought each course was good-tasting. As far as its value, I am not so certain. But preparation was swift, and I finished in sufficient time to recess to the music hall (but I could have opted to have the food brought therein).
Total cost (one more wine, one 12-oz glass of Une Annee Belgian India Pale Ale, also on draft) = $67.38.
The Booker T. Jones concert ticket was $40. ($43.64 on a credit card)

pudgym29 wrote: On Sunday, I went to see Booker T. Jones at City Winery. I was slightly surprised there is only a sparse amount of coverage of it here on LTH.
I am a craftbeer drinker, not an oenophile, but I did partake of its wines on tap.
This is its Pinot Noir Oregon 2013 ($11) with its Carrot & Ginger Soup ($8).
This is its Sangiovese California 2012 wine ($13) with its Duck Tacos. ($12)
I thought each course was good-tasting. As far as its value, I am not so certain. But preparation was swift, and I finished in sufficient time to recess to the music hall (but I could have opted to have the food brought therein).
Total cost (one more wine, one 12-oz glass of Une Annee Belgian India Pale Ale, also on draft) = $67.38.
The Booker T. Jones concert ticket was $40. ($43.64 on a credit card)

As I posted above, I'm clearly in the minority on this but I eat at the Winery for ever show I attend (4-5 a year). It's always been good. I love the burrata and also the shortribs braised in wine. And not having to get up from the table to go to the show is a nice perk.

Fans of Vera will be excited to know that Mark Mendez is now heading the kitchen at City Winery. I'm so excited to get to eat his food again.

http://www.chicagomag.com/dining-drinki ... ry-Vision/

BR wrote:Fans of Vera will be excited to know that Mark Mendez is now heading the kitchen at City Winery. I'm so excited to get to eat his food again.

http://www.chicagomag.com/dining-drinki ... ry-Vision/

That is good news. We usually went to Vera before shows at City Winery.

Asking the same question about dining before a show in the current day.

Would like something in reasonable walking distance so I can park just once. Dining companion does not eat red meat.

Giovanna

La Sardine is very close, and still a solid choice for French bistro cuisine.

I also dearly love City Mouse, but it's several blocks further.

Forno Rosso Pizzeria is 2 blocks away and would be a great option.

The Loyalist is even closer and has one of the city's best burgers.

While I haven't been yet, Riccardo Osteria is also very close and has been getting good reviews since recently opening. Same owners as Riccardo Trattoria and Riccardo Enoteca.

Maude's Liquor Bar?

nsxtasy wrote:La Sardine is very close, and still a solid choice for French bistro cuisine.

We ended up going to La Sardine and were pretty happy with it. (Perhaps the entrees were a little too salty.) Most bistro-y bistro I've been in since the last time I was in Montreal. Thanks for the suggestion.

Ironically, one of the items they were out of was sardines.

Giovanna

Has anyone eaten at City Winery since chef Mendez took over the kitchen? I was there for a show earlier this week but had already eaten before I got there, so I didn't try any food.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Has anyone eaten at City Winery since chef Mendez took over the kitchen? I was there for a show earlier this week but had already eaten before I got there, so I didn't try any food.

We went to a show last night and dined there. Mr. X and I shared mushroom-goat cheese risotto balls, mussels (white wine, garlic, shallots, pancetta, cream), herb-seasoned house fries and roasted beets. The risotto balls were probably my favorite dish of the night. They were served with a nice arrabiata sauce. The mussels did not have a lot of the delicious sounding liquid and made the grilled bread kind of worthless. The food came out quickly which seemed great except that a couple of the items weren't very warm (fries and mussels). I also forgot how small those tables are. It was a good thing they didn't provide a dish for the mussel shells. I was interested to try the food as we were big fans of Vera. Perhaps the concert menu is not the way to experience Chef Mendez' food at City Winery.

City Winery CEO Michael Dorf discusses reopening plans: ‘We want to err on the side of caution’

https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertai ... story.html