quote:

Originally posted by dug

try ina’s for breakfast or lunch located at 1235 w. randolph,great homemade comfort food at it’s finest!
frontera grill/topolobombo are fantastic,i choose the bar area for dining[both menu’s are offered] and i have always had incredible mexican cusine.highly recommended no matter how long the wait.
i have dined twice at osteria via stato and loved it!a parade of small plates of italian antipastas and pastas come to your table via knowledgable servers,all you do is choose one of 5 or 6 entres….delicious and filling too.good for large parties.
i also love heaven on 7th[cajun comfort],the bannos bros. have two locations downtown[the garland building[7th floor] and rush st.]
arun'[located in a ‘dicey’ area far from downtown] is overated,way too expensive and degustation onlyand ambria has changed concepts[still french but with influences from el bulli in spain].
or,if it’s bizzare deconstuctivist food as theater you’re looking for try moto,they are getting lot’s of national press for their quirky but serious cusine[caution…appraoch with an open mind and wallet]!
hope you have a great time!

I’m not going to challenge you on your dislike of Arun’s, because I haven’t been there in years. Last time I went, it was wonderful, but perhaps it’s changed.

However, calling it a "dicey" area is just plain wrong. It is indeed far from downtown, and difficult to get to without a car, but there’s nothing dangerous about the neighborhood and no one should be discouraged from going for that reason. I say this as someone who grew up on Chicago’s North Side and lived there until recently. I consider myself an expert on Chicago’s neighborhoods.

For great Chicago food that’s really in a dicey location, I recommend Leon’s BBQ on Halsted and 59th, in the Engelwood area of the South Side (the neighborhood with Chicago’s highest murder rate). There aren’t any tables – and the servers are behind bullet-proof glass. I used to go there, but that was before I had a wife and kids. (There are other Leon’s locations in less dangerous neighborhoods, as well).