Well, if you're in South Barrington, that is little far for nightly Chicago excursions. Your best bet would be to go to Schaumburg and hit the Woodfield Mall area which has Joe's Stone Crabs, Weber Grill, Ted's Montana Grill. Yes, I know these are chains but it's just an idea of what's there. However, if you have a car, I'd drive over to Chicago and hit the Polish area near Belmont & Central. There's a place there called Lutnia that's awesome. It's higher end Polish fare with items such as duck, venison, boar.

I used metromix.com last time and found some unique places to eat. Tempo Café on E Chestnut, West Egg Café on N Fairbanks Ct, Original Pancake House on E Bellevue Pl., and Fado Irish Pub just to name a few recommendations. If you’re looking for good eats, Chicago will find you well!

Lou Malnatti’s is high on my list too, along with Chicago Oven & Grinder. For sites, depending on what time you can get out of SB, there is the John Hancock Observatory, Navy Pier, Sears Tower, Grant Park and more. Traffic getting into the city may take over an hour from SB during commuting hours.

White Castle? Save room for “Chicago-Style” pizza Tyler! Last time I was in the area I went to Lou Malnatti’s and Gino’s. Their deep-dish pizzas were DELICIOUS! Highly recommended.