Miss Restaurant Week? Try Chicago Chef Week Instead

By Anthony Todd in Food on Feb 21, 2013 4:20PM

Once upon a time, someone decided that a full week of dining deals just wasn't enough. Chicago needed more. Chicago deserved more. The name "Restaurant Week Redux" was apparently too boring, so they invented Chicago Chef Week. In all seriousness, Chicago Chef Week is similar to Restaurant Week, but it's run by a different organization, there are a few different restaurants and it happens in March instead of February.

When the list for Chicago Chef Week is announced, our first task is to compare the list to Restaurant Week and find the big differences. Some restaurants choose to participate in both promos, but a bunch only do Chef Week. Since Chef Week focuses on chef-driven restaurants, some of the unique entries will be big draws.

Here is a partial list of restaurants that didn't participate in restaurant week but are running this deal.

2 Sparrows
Acadia
Atwood Cafe
avec
Barrelhouse Flat
Bistronomic
Henri
Hot Chocolate
Yusho
North Pond
Nightwood
Publican Quality Meats
Telegraph
Slurping Turtle

That's certainly not a complete list, but it's a pretty good one. Check out the full list here. The actual promotion is substantively the same, if a tiny bit more expensive. Lunch is three courses for $22, just like Restaurant Week, but dinner is three courses for $44. There are also a bunch of exceptions allowed. For instance, Publican Quality Meats will be offering a 3-course prix fixe for $18.

Chicago Chef Week is March 17-22. Start making reservations now!