Dinner Date

A few months ago, a pair of sharply dressed couples strolled into the new Eddie V’s Prime Seafood in Oak Brook, intent on enjoying an elegant meal in one of the area’s newest steakhouses. No distractions. No time limits. No social obligations. Their most pressing concern? Should they order the tableside filet-mignon steak tartare (an

If you’re curious how Rich Labriola has kept his Labriola food empire in Oak Brook purring along since 2008, order his eponymous cheeseburger, the Richie Burger. You’ll get a juicy 7-ounce Black Angus patty. Slices of white cheddar. Some lettuce and tomato. All impressive, but will you look at that bun? All those quality fixings

It’s a bustling Saturday night, with the holidays fast approaching, in downtown Downers Grove. And you’d swear half the town has found their way to Entourage, a sleek American-style bistro from the owners of Vai’s in Naperville. There are so many shiny, happy, hungry people waiting for a table that we’ve formed a snaking conga

I can’t remember the last time a server—working in a packed suburban restaurant, on a Saturday night, in the middle of frenzied dinner rush—asked me if I’d like to spend a little more quality time with my cocktail before discussing my food order. Patience, in the restaurant world, is usually a financial liability. The fewer