The newest addition to the West Loop’s famed “Restaurant Row” is this week’s newest addition to the Deals & Discount section - and now, under the spotlight. La Mediterranee Restaurant & Bar brings a welcome sense of relaxation and a sophisticated atmosphere to Randolph Street, amidst so many restaurants that - in our opinion - focus more on the décor than the food. That’s not the case here. The classic French and Italian cuisine at La Mediteranee does not disappoint, and neither does the price point (especially with the amazing offer for PLRG readers). To give you a “taste”, the $10 Coquilles Saint-Jacques appetizer (sautéed jumbo scallops in egg batter and lemon caper butter sauce over Julianne vegetables) melts in your mouth while if you enjoy some spice in your food we recommend the Linguini Fra Diabola (linguini pasta in a spicy diabolo marinara sauce with shrimp) for just $13. Want to try more items? Sunday - Thursday, La Med offers an $18 prix fixe menu that includes a small ceasar salad, your choice of a half pasta order and select entrees.

Bon Appetit!

D&D Offer for PLRG Readers:

Spend $50 at dinner and get $20 off your bill when you mention PLRG (40% discount)! Cannot be combined with any other offers.

La Mediterranee is located at 941 W. Randolph Street, 3 blocks west of Halsted St.

The New Year is quickly approaching and, for those who don’t have party plans yet, the pressure is on. The cost for many NYE events in the city this year starts at $100 and goes up from there. Now, we aren’t rocket scientists, but it seems to us that most NYE “packages” are just glorified bracelet parties with a paper tiara or a party horn thrown in (really, for a PLRG birthday recently we got three hours of open bar for $30 a person). We don’t think a party favor and a half glass of cheap champagne at midnight is worth triple the price of your average package party. So, in protest (and for all the PoorLittleRichGirls out there) we have come up with our own list of NYE soirees that provide the most bang for your buck.

Kit Kat Lounge & Supper Club presents Sexy Supper Club NYE Party
$75-$85
Includes a five course meal, a martini or champagne cocktail, champagne toast at midnight (second seating only). Plus classic movies being played on jumbo screens and entertainment by divas Madame X and Traci Ross (fyi- it’s a drag club). The perfect place for a girls NYE out.

Fizz Bar & Grill New Year’s Eve Party
$60-$75
This casual Lakeview spot is hosting one of the longest open bar packages we’ve seen. Cocktails will flow for four and a half hours. Plus they’ll have apps a champagne toast and party favors, of course.

Silver Cloud New Year’s Eve
$29.95
Includes a four course dinner (appetizer, salad, entree, dessert) and a half bottle of champagne or wine.

Deleece Grill Pub New Year’s Eve
$35-$50
Includes a four course dinner (beer pairing are optional) and a toast at midnight. In true Chicago style, the toast is with PBR, not champagne!

In Fine Spirits
$20.09 (advance tickets)-$50.09
This black and white theme party includes appetizers, $9 drinks (including fancy champagne), party favors and a “surprise at midnight.” For just $30 more you can add a three course prix frixe menu with wine pairings.

Free Is For Me-These spot are all no cover, no reservations, no problem for NYE.

The Long Room
Free to get in and no reservations required, but no drink specials either. They will, however, be offering a comp champagne toast at midnight.

Motel Bar
No cover or reservations required. DJ’s, champagne specials and “yearbook photos.”

Ravens
Just cut to the chase and head over to this 4am bar for the new year. Open to everyone, music all night and $3.50 Sam Adams Winter Lager. 

Chief O’Neils
The ultimate in cheap NYE parties, Chief O’Neils will be starting off the night at 6pm with a toast (when the ball drops in Ireland), followed by live music until 9pm, swing lessons at 8pm and a DJ at 10pm. They’ll even knock 20% off the price of all food and drinks.

(Lacey Brenly)

Ladies, we are so sorry we did not find out about this deal sooner. We really just assumed that a place like Morton’s was always going to be out of  our price range and let it fall off our radar. Let this be a lesson to all PoorLittleRichGirls that you can have your steak (and seafood too!) you just have to keep an eye out for specials.

In honor of their 30th Anniversary Morton’s is offering a three course meal for $49.50 per person. Now, this is not some chintzy ”tasting” or “sharing” menu. Each dinner includes a choice of salad, a filet, choice of shrimp, scallops or crab cake, choice of side and choice of dessert. Although $50 is still not a cheap meal, when you consider that a filet at Morton’s normally runs around $39 a pop, this anniversary special is really a great value.

Being that this is an anniversary deal, it is only available until December 31, 2008. The special is available until midnight on December 31, so it’s a great idea for a fancy New Year’s Eve dinner. Honestly, we dare you to find this kind of menu package anywhere else. (And, if you do, please let us know of course!)

“Hey Sal - I always end up paying more than all of my friends when we go out to eat. Some people add up exactly what they have, to the cent, and then they don’t leave money for tip - other people insist we split evenly when our tabs are far from equal. How do I pay my part without souring the meal?” - Marie

If I had a penny for every time this subject came up, caused problems, and sent diners cringing - I’d be able to buy everyone’s meal! Let’s face the facts - money issues between friends, no matter how small or irrelevant they may be, are awkward. One friend makes more money. One friend never covers his/her part. One friend never sees what the big deal is, it’s just a couple of bucks, right?
Wrong.

This situation is something you’ll encounter over and over, so rather than have a math lesson on long division, let me tell you how to simply remove yourself from the equation all together. BRING CASH. And I don’t mean two twenties - I’m talking small bills that will allow you to produce exact change. As you order, take note of your entrée and drink costs (be sure to factor in Chicago’s 10.25% tax and the server’s tip). That way when the bill comes, tell your group you’ve got exact change, and toss in the towel. If they decide to split, or someone doesn’t pay their portion - you’re out of the mix. (This gets tricky when you eat a communal appetizer, so if you take part in that, be sure and pay for it.)

On a side note - if you’re organizing the meal, you can be proactive. When you send out an email to remind everyone of the plans, also ask everyone to bring cash - that you “know this restaurant doesn’t like to split checks.” And that’s not a lie my friends because no restaurant likes to split checks. Save them, and yourself, the trouble.

The annual Chicago International Film festival is once again upon us. In its 44^th year, the festival runs for two weeks and features everything from documentaries to shorts to full-length films by film makers from all over the globe. Head over to the official festival website where you can find all of the films, locations and show times listed. Tickets range from $7-$16 and can be purchased at the box office or at ticketmaster (we recommend purchasing in advance, especially if you are interested in seeing the much talked about “The Wrestler”).

Once you pick your movie, it’s time to choose your dinner spot. This Friday, there are some sweet restaurant deals that will satisfy your pre or post show hunger pangs:

If you’re in the mood for something light and flavorful stop by Vermillion for their $12 tapas flight (5pm-7pm).

Did you forget to eat lunch and now you are absolutely famished? Try Tizi Melloul’s $35 five course prix-fixe menu and you’ll be feeling full in no time.

If you’re headed out as a couple (whether that be you and your boy toy or you and your BFF), A Mano has a killer three-course dinner for two that’s just $58 (that’s $29 a person for those going dutch).

This Morrocan chicken uses a few of our favorite and quickest ingredients. Couscous can be found in the pasta aisle and, of course, you can substitue your favorite veggies. Left overs for lunch the next day are even better.

Moroccan Chicken and Couscous
Serves 4

• 1 Rotisserie Chicken, shredded (from Dominicks, Whole Foods or Coscto)
• 1 Cup dried Apricots, chopped in half
• 1 jar Roasted Red Peppers; roughly chopped (or 2 fresh bell peppers)
• 1 box Wheat or Regular CousCous
• 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes (optional)
• 1/2 Cup green onions; chopped (optional garnish)

Bring liquid (water or chicken stock) and apricots to a boil. Turn off heat. Add couscous and cinnamon and cover for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add peppers and chicken. Serve!

(Recipe by Kristin Hamzik)

This meal can transport you to Asia in 5 minutes. And, your waist line will thank you because you avoided the take out joint down the street!

(Vegetarians can substitute tofu or Portobello mushrooms for the steak.)

Asian Steak Salad
Serves 2

• 2/3 pound (6 oz) Flank or Skirt steak
• 1 Cup frozen edammame; pre-shelled
• 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
• ½ Cup Ginger Terriyaki store bought salad dressing
• 3 Cups of mixed greens in a bag
• [1 Cup Snow Peas (optional)]

Pre heat a large skillet, grill pan or outdoor grill to high heat.
Grill steak 2 minutes each side for medium rare-medium. Meanwhile, place edammame in a microwave safe bowl and add salt, pepper & 1/3 cup water.
Cover and heat for 2 minutes.
Slice steak into thin strips
Toss all ingredients with dressing (except steak)
Arrange steak on top of salad mix

Enjoy!

(Story and Recipe by Kristin Hamzik)

Every PoorLittleRichGirl deserves a fancy Friday night out, whether it’s with the girls or that hottie from the next cube over. Every Friday we pick a place that is so fancy it’ll knock your fancy pants off when you find out how cheap it is!

We heard about this Fancy Friday pick from a friend’s girlfriend and could not believe we had not heard of it sooner (another classic example of how PLRG’s can help each other out). Every Friday night,5pm-11pm, is Girls Night Out at Wave at the W Chicago- Lakeshore. For $35 a person you get four courses of small plates to share (they adjust the portions according to how many gals you bring along). They even throw in a glass of Sangria to wash it all down.

If you want to really make a night of it, have your girls over to the house to get ready together. Drink cocktails, help each other with your makeup, swap purses and then head out. Plus, the pre-party cocktails will help your Sangria go a little further- if you know what we mean. After dinner you can hang around the “living room” of the W for some serious people watching. Or, if you want to continue cocktailing, we recommend making the trip to Motel Bar in River North where you can get a little more bang for your buck. On Saturdays Absolut and Flavored Absolut cocktails are just $5 a pop.

When the evening winds down you can rest easy knowing that you just spent a fabulous jam-packed night out with your girlfriends for under $50 in downtown Chicago.