"Provaré in West Town is a guaranteed great time regardless of why you’re here, date night is no different. Their Creole-Italian dishes—cheesy chicken parm, crispy fried lobster tails with spicy aioli, and spinach artichoke dip—are so rich and comforting you’d probably still leave in a good mood even if the date ends up being a bust. The Chicago-themed cocktails are also delicious, like the refreshing Hyde Park with tequila, pineapple juice, and midori. And since there’s always an excellent R&B and hip-hop throwback playlist, instead of asking your date for their MBTI, you can figure out what their favorite Ashanti-Ja Rule collab says about them." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen