Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
awfully familiar, but a location on Michigan Avenue that affords views of the
street life below makes this branch particularly well situated.
535 N. Michigan Ave.
&
312/644-3524.
Kids' menu, high chairs, boosters. Main courses $15-$25; kids'
menu $5-$10. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs 11:30am-10pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-11pm, Sun noon-10pm. Sub-
way/El: Red Line to Grand. Bus: 151 and 157.
Mike Ditka's Restaurant
STEAKHOUSE For many Chicago football
diehards, the glory days of former coach “Iron” Mike Ditka, who led the Bears
to victory in Super Bowl XX in 1985, are still alive and well. Football memora-
bilia lines the walls of this restaurant, filled with amber light and dark wood.
Kids who are at all into the game might inadvertently get a little history lesson—
even the Bears' 1985 victory, seemingly still fresh in the minds of Bears' fans who
love to relive the glory days, probably qualifies as ancient history to your kids.
Televisions in the posh bar allow patrons to simultaneously sip Scotch and pray
for “da Coach” to return. Upstairs, there's a cigar lounge that gets pretty pun-
gent: Families would be best off in the downstairs dining room. The hamburger
here (really, a chopped steak burger) is one of the best in the city and easily feeds
two. Appetizers here are called “Kickoffs” and include a “Duck Cigar,” a hand-
rolled pastry with a hearty duck-and-mushroom filling, and a “Souper Bowl” of
corn chowder. There are lots of salads, pastas, and seafood dishes to choose from,
but why be a wimp? Go for the “Fullback Size” filet mignon, with spinach and
homemade onion rings, or “Da Pork Chop,” surrounded by warm cinnamon
apples and a green peppercorn sauce.
100 E. Chestnut St. (in the Tremont Hotel, between Michigan Ave. and Rush St.).
&
312/587-8989.
www.
mikeditkaschicago.com. Kids' menu, high chairs, boosters. Main courses $9-$13 lunch; $15-$30 dinner.; kids'
menu around $8. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs 11am-10pm; Fri 11am-11pm; Sat 10am-11pm; Sun
10am-10pm. Subway/El: Red Line to Chicago Ave.
Oak Street Beachstro
AMERICAN/ECLECTIC Could a location be
more prime? Settled on the curve of Oak Street Beach, this bistro offers tables
on the sand. (The cafe is open in warm weather only and opens in early May.)
Take a dip in the lake with your family, then head up the beach for specialties
such as the grilled salmon sandwich, Cobb salad, and salmon filet. Less exotic
offerings such as salads, sandwiches, and pasta should please kids. For the
grown-ups, beer and wine is available, and frozen drinks can be made sans alco-
hol for the kids. Outdoor seating provides some of the best people-watching
around. Saturday and Sunday you'll find a breakfast buffet from 8 to 11:30am.
Come at twilight and you'll be treated to a beautiful violet sky.
1001 N. Lake Shore Dr. (at Oak Street Beach).
&
312/915-4100.
High chairs, boosters. Reservations
accepted for parties of 6 or more only. Main courses $15-$25. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. May-Oct (weather per-
mitting) Mon-Fri 11am-9:30pm; Sat-Sun 8am-9:30pm. Subway/El: Red Line to Chicago. Bus: 145, 146, 147,
or 151.
Ron of Japan
JAPANESE The heyday of teppanyaki dining (you know,
Japanese chefs chopping and grilling at your table, with the accompanying flash-
ing knives and flying shrimp tails) passed decades ago, but the show is still a kid-
pleaser. Specialties include shrimp with egg yolk sauce, filet mignon, prime rib
served on a samurai sword, and Shogun dinner (lobster and steak). Grilled on
an iron plate set into each table, the food is cut, seasoned, and served by chefs
who dish up amazing flair as well as flavor. The restaurant has 14 such tables—
larger ones accommodate up to 10 diners, the smaller ones, six or so. As knives
and pepper shakers fly through the air, meats sizzle on the hot iron plate. Above
each grill/table is a retractable hood that keeps smoke out of everyone's eyes.
