Best Restaurants for Business 2010
Companies may be profit-starved these days, but the executive lunch hasn't disappeared.
"You can't get to know people just working behind a desk," says Michael Pierson, chairman and president of Prudential Rubloff Properties in Chicago.
Dining dollars are as low as they were last year, if not lower, for Mr. Pierson and 45% of respondents to our survey at ChicagoBusiness.com. But the networking-minded are working around that.
"I cut back dining expenses 20% since last year by doing more lunches than dinners," Mr. Pierson says.
With those factors in mind, we built this year's list of business-lunch favorites around value, with a focus on fixed-price menus that keep the bill in check. All of our choices deliver top-flight food, service and atmosphere.
Some names may surprise you: Sixteen and Morton's on the value list? But the recession brought down prices at many classic favorites.
To check out the full list, head on over to
ChicagoBusiness.com.
In this gallery
American 11 E. Walton St. (312) 646-1400 www.balsanrestaurant.com <p></p> For foodie clients with fashion sense, book a table at Balsan in the Elysian Hotel. <p></p> Named for Etienne Balsan, friend and lover of Coco Chanel, the 70-seat dining room is crisply tailored in gray, black and white. Best for business seating: cozy alcoves along the windows, each with its own stunning, Dale Chihuly-like chandelier. <p></p> Executive chef Jason McLeod, veteran of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, oversees a short, memorable menu fed by seasonal, organic ingredients and imagination. <p></p> Testa cake ($12) will establish your food cred; it's made from slow-cooked pig's head, tongue and feet, sweetly balanced by prune bits. <p></p> Approachable wood-fired flatbreads are wafer-thin and crisp; artisanal Gruyère, bacon and olive oil ($15) top one rustic version. <p></p> Curry sauce adds sizzle to sea scallops with diced apple and almonds ($17) in a delightfully unpredictable entree. <p></p> Desserts by award-winner Mindy Segal are heavenly; think hazelnut cream-filled pastry ($5). <i>L. B.</i>
Mexican 108 W. Kinzie St. (312) 329-9555 www.mercaditorestaurants.com <p></p> With its urban edge, festive sparkle and lively menu, this small-plates Mexican restaurant is one of the hottest new spots in town. The mood is upbeat, the energy high at midday, when a younger, business crowd fills the seats. There's enough polish to make it appropriate for entertaining, but it's casual and relaxed.<p></p> The 120-seat dining room combines rustic, old-world Mexico with sophisticated urban attitude, including aggressive artwork by Erni Vales, a New York graffiti artist.<p></p> The menu is chef-driven and imaginative; traditional dishes get some contemporary flair, like guacamole ($7.50) with habaneros and pomegranate seeds. It's unbeatable with the homemade tortilla chips.<p></p> Tacos ($9.50) are the heart of the menu; the corn tortillas are made onsite, the fillings layered with flavor. Share these two: marinated pork with grilled pineapple and red chili salsa, and beer-battered mahi mahi topped with Mexican coleslaw. <i>L.B.</i>
Italian 201 E. Delaware Place (312) 280-0700 www.chicagoraffaello.com <p></p> Chic and chef-centric, Pelago ("open sea") offers two- and three-course lunches in an intimate, 65-seat setting that would be lovely for an Italian Vogue fashion shoot. White faux-leather chairs with peekaboo backs, porcelain chandeliers and aqua damask banquettes mix traditional with modern, much like the seafood-based menu. <p></p> Chef and co-owner Mauro Mafrici, a Michelin star holder from a former New York venture, has crafted a fine-dining menu with exquisite preparations and presentations. <p></p> Two courses are $22 and three courses $28, but expect little extras, like an amuse-bouche of breaded mozzarella-anchovy on carrot purée. Entrees include sides; I had mashed potatoes, broccoli rabe and roasted tomato wedge with sauteed striped bass, in light, refreshing white wine sauce. <p></p> Dessert service is charming, starting with complimentary morsels posing prettily in a miniature glass cake server; among them, a perfect strawberry tart. Follow up with this full-sized delight: a sugar cookie cylinder stuffed with banana-mascarpone sabayon, topped with blueberry sorbet. <i>L.B.</i>
Mediterranean 500 N. Michigan Ave. (312) 464-1744 www.thepurplepigchicago.com<p></p> There's lusty Mediterranean cooking in addition to loads of salumi and cheese at this lively, 70-seat Michigan Avenue spot. Festive and with a wine-bar feel, the Purple Pig is probably not the place for a buttoned-up client, but it's great for casual group gatherings — and just the thing to impress a foodie.<p></p> The menu, designed for sharing, includes antipasti, crostini spreads, salads and fried snacks ($4 to $9).We're still thinking about those fork-tender chunks of olive oil-poached tuna with creamy lima beans ($6), lardo crostini (think cured pig fat on garlicky toast, $7) and brown-buttered cubes of butternut squash with ricotta salata ($4).<p></p>You won't find entrees here, per se, but there are a few smaller main dishes that do the job, such as silky, milk-braised pork shoulder ($9) or juicy, flavor-packed chicken thighs ($9) served on our new favorite potato prep: smashed, then fried with the skins on. <i>A.N.L.</i>
Pan-Asian 110 W. Illinois St. (312) 644-0500 www.sundachicago.com<p></p> Yet another feather in publicity-hound Billy Dec's cap? Groan. But we have to concede that the entrepreneur-about-town and his Rockit Ranch Productions know what they're doing with Sunda. The 200-plus-seat setting is fashionable, the crowd fun and the food just unusual enough to hold your interest, if not truly adventurous. It all adds up to stylish business entertaining.<p></p> Appetizers nearly steal the show, with crunchy, coriander-scented cornmeal fritters, studded with fresh corn kernels ($8), and steamed bao buns that are split and served like sliders with BBQ pork or roasted duck ($9). Get your sashimi fix elsewhere (it's good here, just pricey) and spend your money instead on unique maki like Wa-Machi, a roll with yellowtail, wasabi-flavored fish roe, wasabi mayo and fresh wasabi ($15). Sunda takes care to round out the lunch menu with entree salads, noodle and rice dishes, and even a couple of bahn mi sandwiches ($12 to $14).<i>A.N.L</i.>
Balsan
American 11 E. Walton St. (312) 646-1400 www.balsanrestaurant.com For foodie clients with fashion sense, book a table at Balsan in the Elysian Hotel. Named for Etienne Balsan, friend and lover of Coco Chanel, the 70-seat dining room is crisply tailored in gray, black and white. Best for business seating: cozy alcoves along the windows, each with its own stunning, Dale Chihuly-like chandelier. Executive chef Jason McLeod, veteran of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, oversees a short, memorable menu fed by seasonal, organic ingredients and imagination. Testa cake ($12) will establish your food cred; it's made from slow-cooked pig's head, tongue and feet, sweetly balanced by prune bits. Approachable wood-fired flatbreads are wafer-thin and crisp; artisanal Gruyère, bacon and olive oil ($15) top one rustic version. Curry sauce adds sizzle to sea scallops with diced apple and almonds ($17) in a delightfully unpredictable entree. Desserts by award-winner Mindy Segal are heavenly; think hazelnut cream-filled pastry ($5). L. B.
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