Sophisticated River North restaurant broadens its original French-Vietnamese concept to embrace pan-Asian flavors and dishes.

• “Exceptional service slightly overshadows the food”
• “Nothing great esp if you are vegetarian”
• “Great food and excellent service!”
• “Very Special!”
• “Change”

Tips: Chef Kim offers a tasting menu upon request.

Le Lan
email Le Lan

Loungy late-night restaurant glimmers brightly on the Halsted strip.

• “Impress your date ….”
• “great atmosphere”
• “The tango Maureen…..”
• “good treatment”
• “Want a hot dining spot in Lakeview- it’s not Firefly…”

Tips: Firefly’s wine list is small, global and reasonably priced, with a couple dozen bottles ($26-$40) and more than a dozen selections by the glass ($6-$10).

Firefly

Sophisticated, upscale Asian cuisine in an intimate setting at the Peninsula Hotel.

• “Excellent Asian Food and Fine Service … BUT Small Portions and VERY OVERPRICED!”
• “excellent all-around experience”
• “Shanghai Terrible”
• “OH MY GOD!!!”
• “I would go again”

Tips: The lovely terrace offers sunny-day seating and looks out onto the Chicago cityscape from four floors up.

Shanghai Terrace

Reasonable prices, romantic ambience and a B.Y.O.B. policy make this Argentine steak spot a Southport favorite.

• “best steak for the price in Chicago”
• “BYOB Fabulosity…weeknight hustle”
• “Great BYOB”
• “BEST STEAK EVER!!!!!”
• “NEVER EAT HERE”

Tips: The restaurant is B.Y.O.B. with no corkage fee; nonalcoholic beverages include South American sodas, fruit juices and Argentine specialty teas.

Tango Sur

Upscale but not uptight, this two-story wine bar in River West features impressive selections, service and skyline views.

• “Really poor service”
• “Great Variety, Good Atmosphere, Free Parking, and Excellent Food”
• “If you want snooty this is it”
• ””
• “sit back and relax”

Tips: A hot after-dinner spot, the Tasting Room fills up the later it gets.

The Tasting Room at Randolph Wine Cellars
email The Tasting Room at Randolph Wine Cellars

Classic French cuisine at great prices make this bistro one of Bucktown’s best restaurants.

• “AVOID”
• “Rudeness of a Bistro without the benefits”
• “Rude waitress”
• “Awful pretentious service and subpar food”
• “Very disappointed”

Tips: The room is small and fills up quickly, so be sure to make reservations or avoid going during peak hours, unless you don’t mind waiting up to an hour for a table.

Le Bouchon

Hipsters scarf sushi at this upscale Wicker Park lounge.

• “Best sushi around, great service, noisy atmosphere”
• “Questionable Customer Service”
• “The best sushi in Chicago”
• “Trendy and Delicious”
• “Great sushi, Great Date & Group Atmosphere”

Tips: The varied sake list is user-friendly. And there’s always the popular Red One martini, a tart house drink of fresh passion fruit, lime and cranberry juices, plus vodka, made smooth with a rim of powdered sugar.

Mirai Sushi

Traditional Italian fare in a cozy setting makes this a popular date spot off the beaten path in Boys Town.

• “cute cozy place, good food with lousy service”
• “Awesome Neighborhood Restaurant!”
• “Horrible service with Missing Ingredients!”
• “Gourmet food without pretentious attitude”
• “THE BEST!!”

Tips: Friday-Saturday nights are big for dates. Wednesday is neighborhood night, when residents of ZIP codes 60657 and 60614 receive a 25-percent discount on the entire bill, including bottles of wine and cocktails.

Angelina Ristorante

Casual country-French wining and dining in the heart of River North.

• “Good prix fixe”
• “Almost a 4”
• “Great french pick for the monetarily challenged”
• “Feel like you’re in a Paris bistro”
• “Regreted”

Tips: Cyrano’s Le Grand Lunch Express offers a four-course meal on an oversized platter for just $13.95. Five prix-fixe dinners range from three courses for $28 to seven courses for $51.

Cyrano’s Bistrot & Wine Bar

The former Iggy’s space gets overhauled, the resulting space more hip-wine-and-cheese-bar than gritty-late-night-haunt.

• “Consistently great experience, knowledgeable & friendly service, excellent selections”
• “Fun wine bar”
• “a place to relax and catch up with a friend ”
• “Worth to stop by”
• “Juicy Wine Bar too big for it’s britches”

Tips: The wine program is interesting; all bottles are priced at retail, but a $15 corkage fee allows patrons to sit and drink. Both prices are displayed on the menu to avoid confusion.

Juicy Wine Co.
email Juicy Wine Co.