Restaurant Week Guide 2010--complete with missing menus!

If you're in the market for renegade Restaurant Weeks, The Local Tourist Restaurant Week has good deals at Gemini Bistro, Hearty and other spots that end tomorrow, and Chicago Originals Restaurant Week, which offers the chance to visit some of the city's classic restaurants, like Café Bernard and Café Matou, at bargain prices, begins Monday (Jan 18) and runs through the 31st of the month.

While all of 2010 is shaping up to be one giant Restaurant Week, it's actually not until February 19th that the "official" Chicago Restaurant Week kicks off and the city's big guns start blasting their bargain prix-fixes. The moral of this Restaurant Week story? It's time to start making some reservations. Here's my guide to Chicago Restaurant Week 2010, which runs Friday, February 19–Sunday, February 28. Lunch is $22 and dinner is $32 (a buck cheaper than last year, if anyone cares), with tax, gratuity and beverages not included. Stars indicate exceptional values.

Bin 36 (Lunch and dinner, all days)
Here's a quick run-through of the not-online menu. For lunch, it's soup or salad, then lobster club or wood-grilled burger, ending with crème brulée. For dinner, course 1 is a goat-cheese salad or house-smoked salmon; course 2 is sautéed sturgeon, half-chicken, pork osso bucco or wild-mushroom canneloni; and dessert is a milk-chocolate semi-freddo. 339 N Dearborn St, River North. For reservations: 312-755-9463.

Bistro 110 (Lunch and dinner, all days, RW menu)
The dinner menu (escargot en croute, grilled steak frites) speaks to me more than the lunch one (French onion soup, oven-roasted half-chicken). 110 E Pearson St, Mag Mile. For reservations: 312-266-3110.

Bistro Campagne (Dinner only, all days, RW menu)
Classic dishes like roast chicken, steak frites and chocolate souffle in a classic setting. 4518 N Lincoln Ave, Lincoln Square. For reservations: 773-271-6100.

Blackbird (Lunch only, Mon–Fri only, RW menu)
Blackbird offers a similarly exciting and affordable $22 3-course lunch normally, so if you can't snag a seat during RW, don't panic. If you want to spot TOC ed-in-chief Frank Sennett, on the other hand, he's already made his reservation. 619 W Randolph St, West Loop. For reservations: 312-715-0708.

Blue 13 (Dinner only, all days except Mon 22)
Since the menu's not currently online, here's a run-through. Course 1: Truffled mac and cheese or three-beet salad. 2: Housemade pappardelle, duck duo (including a confit "lollipop") or hot 'n sour striped bass. 3: Warm chocolate cake or carrot cake. 416 W Ontario, River North. For reservations: 312-787-1400.

*BOKA (Dinner only, all days)
The complete menu is not up yet on the official site, but it will include multiple options for each course, including sea scallops with crispy pig's tail, Angus tenderloin paired with short rib and finally, sticky pudding. The new desserts here alone are worth the trip. 1729 N Halsted St, Lincoln Park. For reservations: 312-337-6070.

Brasserie Jo (Dinner only, all days)
If it's been a while since you've visited Chef Joho's Alsatian bistro, consider yourself due for a trip for old-world pâtés, beef bourguignon, warm bread pudding and more. 59 W Hubbard St, River North. For reservations: 312-595-0800.

Cafe des Architectes (Lunch and dinner, all days, RW menu)
Perhaps CdA's preexisting $29 3-course prix-fixe (still available at dinner Sun–Tue) was too good a deal. Still, I'd pay $4 more to eat spice-duck confit, Shepherd's Pie, parmesan gnocchi and more on the weekend. 20 E Chestnut St, Gold Coast. For reservations: 312-324-4063.

Cafe Spiaggia (Lunch and dinner, all days, RW menu)
I might give this place some flack for repeating some of last year's menu, but that butternut-squash-filled pasta and those gelati and sorbetti are so good, it'd be a travesty if they weren't offering them. Good to know: chicken option at lunch, porchetta at dinner. Whether you believe in fun will dictate which meal you eat there. 980 N Michigan Ave, Mag Mile. For reservations: 312-280-2750.

C-House (Lunch and dinner, all days, RW menu)
Recently, Lula vet Nicole Pedersen took over the kitchen at C-House, bringing the savory side of the menu up to speed with pastry chef Toni Roberts's desserts. Stop in for a salmon pastrami sandwich (you read that right) or burger at lunch, or the raw bar followed by trout, hanger steak or mushroom bolognese for dinner. Both meals end with a trio of housemade candies. 166 E Superior St, Mag Mile. For reservations: 312-523-0923.

*Crofton on Wells (Dinner only, all days except Sundays 20 and 27, RW menu)
To get the most out of Restaurant Week, there's a school of thought that says you should hit places where entrées themselves usually cost as much as the three-course prix-fixe. If you subscribe to that school, start here, with the signature crabcake followed by winter risotto, amish chicken or arctic char with Iroquois white corn grits. 535 N Wells St, River North. For reservations: 312-755-1790.

David Burke's Primehouse (Lunch and dinner, all days, RW menu)
Steak is a good bet for Restaurant Week value, and Primehouse is a great choice because unlike almost every other restaurant, which restrict options to two or three per course, the choices here are pretty extensive, from Kobe beef sashimi to Delmonico steak. Lunch and dinner menus are the same, so the logical choice would be to go for the meal that's $10 cheaper. 616 N Rush St, Gold Coast. For reservations: 312-660-6000.

Frontera Grill (Lunch only, Tue–Fri only, RW menu)
First course is sopa Azteca. Second is tacos al carbon (choose from meat, poultry, fish or mushrooms). Third is chocolate-pecan pie bars. But the only thing you really want to know is whether there are still reservations available. I tried to call to see whether reservations were still available, but all the receptionists were busy....445 N Clark St, River North. For wishful thinkers: 312-661-1434.

Gemini Bistro (Dinner only, all days except Mon 22, RW menu)
Yes, a similar menu is offered here for a similar price every day—except in normal circumstances, the deal's available only before 6:30pm. So here's your chance to try Jason Paskewitz's bistro fare (mushroom risotto, short-rib ravioli, steak frites, crème brûlée) at a less-embarrassing hour. 2075 N Lincoln Ave, Lincoln Park. For reservations: 773-525-2522.

La Madia (Lunch and dinner, all days, RW menu)
Bonus points here for broad selection: half-dozen appetizers at lunch (pizza fondue!) and a dozen at dinner (bresaola with saved fennel, prosciutto-wrapped dates), 8–10 pizzas to choose from at lunch or dinner, plus a selection of entrées like Chianti-braised short ribs at dinner. 59 W Grand Ave, River North. For reservations: 312-329-0400.

Landmark Grill & Lounge (Dinner only, all days except Sundays and Mondays)
It may be clubby, but that doesn't mean that goat-cheese ravioli, potato latkes, braised short ribs, mushroom-and-chestnut risotto and a warm chocolate brownie aren't on the menu. 1633 N Halsted St, Lincoln Park. For reservations: 312-587-1600.

Lawry's The Prime Rib (Dinner only, all days, RW menu)
When was the last time you went to Lawry's? Bless your heart if you said last week. For the rest, this is the chance to go old-school with a "Spinning Salad Bowl," 6-ounce cut of prime rib with Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes and gravy and the strawberry trifle. For non-meat eaters, a fish and vegetarian entrée are available. 100 E Ontario St, River North. For reservations: 312-787-5000.

Le Colonial (Lunch and dinner, all days)
Proving that budget dining can still be romantic, Le Colonial offers shrimp-and-pork spring rolls, oxtail soup, a grilled-duck salad, sautéed filet mignon, lightly fried tofu, grilled salmon and more. 937 N Rush St, Gold Coast. For reservations: 312-255-0088.

*Naha (Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner all days, RW menu)
Last year, I did extensive arithmetic to demonstrate that Naha gives you the best value for Restaurant Week dinner. This year, you're just going to have to trust me. Or look at the menu: Where else are you going to eat La Quercia prosciutto, roast quail, Kurobuta pork belly and Door County golden whitefish caviar for $32? 500 N Clark St, River North. For reservations: 312-321-6242.

Perennial (Dinner only, all days)
Ryan Poli's black-truffle gnocchi was named one of the 10 best dishes under $12 in America by Food & Wine. Fortunately, it's on the Restaurant Week menu, as are second courses like grilled salmon, roasted duck breast and red-wine braised short rib. And for dessert: cheese cake or a crispy hazelnut bar. 1800 N Lincoln Ave, Lincoln Park. For reservations: 312-981-7070.

Salpicon (Dinner, all days, RW menu)
Salpicon's entrees can run into the mid-$20s, so a three-course meal for $32 is definitely a good value. But note these two things: 1. A 3-course meal featuring many of the same items (marlin ceviche, tiger shrimp in garlic and olive oil) is offered every Monday and Tuesday for $29 ($3 less than the restaurant week price). 2. Any meal here inevitably includes a few of the fabulous margaritas—so make some room in your budget for them. 1252 N Wells St, Old Town. For reservations: 312-988-7811.

*Topolobampo (Lunch only, Tue–Fri only, RW menu)
Scoring a reservation here not during Restaurant Week is already impossible. So let's hope whoever's enjoying sopa Azteca, red chile–marinated pork loin and crèpes with cajeta is truly, truly enjoying it. 445 N Clark St, River North. For wishful thinkers: 312-661-1434.

Please email any updates to eatoutdrinkup@timeoutchicago.com.