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Going to be going to the big city tomorrow with my girlfriend. As her Christmas present I got her two tickets to "Wicked" at the Ford Center for Performing Arts. Will be staying overnight at the Westin Chicago River North.

Just looking for any recommendations as far as restaurants/dining in the area. Looking for a nice meal at a semi-romantic place but looking to keep price fairly low as the rest of the weekend is already pretty expensive. I'm thinking Italian but not limited to that either (although I am what you would call a "picky" eater).

I know pretty much nothing so any suggestions, recommendations, tips, experiences are welcome!!!

Question. By 'romantic' do you mean 'expensive'?

Because I gotta tell you, romantic is more about what you do than where you go.

No I dont mean expensive - just meant some place maybe quieter and/or more intimate? Basically not some loud bar & grill type place - a place where she thinks i'm interested in talking to her instead of watching the tv's taht are around haha

But no, expensive is definitely a detriment not a requirement...

Here's an idea. I've been to this place and it has good food, not too expensive if I remember correctly. Great atmosphere too.
http://www.italianvillage-chicago.com/

In the couple minutes I have had here at work the only place I had looked at was that one. Looks like a nice atmoshpere and reasonable prices. Good to hear another recommendation. Thanks!

Dola - by the way, I'm honored to have brought out your first post!

A couple other recommendations that are non-Italian. For a fun, sort of easy on the wallet place my wife and I like Redfish, a cajun chain with a fairly good drink list. Average plate is between $18-20 and solid food. We have a subscription to Broadway in Chicago and this is our standby place.

If you guys like seafood, Catch-35 is a good choice. Small and a little more expensive, but great wine list and good food. Average plate here is probably $25.

Italian Village isn't bad for Italian. For some reason I'm blanking on other Italian options but I'll try to think of anything else.

There's not a lot in River North that's going to go easy on the wallet, I'm afraid.

Some recommendations: Frontera Grill is really great Mexican by Rick Bayless. A little expensive, though, and they don't take reservations.

I am a huge fan of Sayat Nova, which does Armenian food (think Turkish). It's pretty nondescript, but the food & service is very good. We go at least once a year and had our rehearsal dinner there.

For something different there's always CHIC, which is run by students of the Chicago Culinary Institute. Very reasonable given the quality of the food in question.

As you can see from my links, I highly recommend using reviews from the Chicago Reader to find good stuff. They rarely steer me wrong. Have fun! :D

I would recommend staying away from Dick's Last Resort.

I always like to take the lady friend to Grand Lux.

Spend the cash on the dinner and then eat mac and cheese for the next month. She'll remember the Chicago dinner.

Near the hotel, I'd recommend Papa Milano on State and.....I forget exactly.

Near the show, I'd recommen Trattoria No. 10, on Dearborn between Madison and Washington.

But Italian Village and Grand Lux are both good recommendations, too.

Oh, sorry, I was thinking of Westin by the Hancock, since my cousin is staying there next weekend. Scratch Papa Milano.

I'd stick with Trattoria No. 10.