Showdown at the PR Corral: Eve

You know there’s a good PR team at work when a restaurant shows up on Thrillist, DailyCandy, JuliB, and UrbanDaddy. But who does it best? We subscribe, read, and levy judgment… so you don’t have to

Today’s showdown, the half-opened Eve (840 N Wabash Ave, 312 266 3383). We say “half-opened” because the new kid in town is only opening its doors for lunch right now, though dinner service begins on November 5 (perfect for all you kids in need of an unsullied environment in which to soothe your post-election day hangovers). Today’s battle is an epic duel: the oft-insipid Daily Candy vs. current board leader Thrillist. Will the tables be turned? Let’s find out!

Thrillist’s take on…
a witty title:
“All About Eve”
an overarching narrive conceit: The quality of being prolific: a philosophical exploration.
pop-culture elements obsessed over by many of our ex-boyfriends: Zeppelin, Goodfellas, giant TVs
names or resume items of involved parties: zero names, but an indication of two individuals; one other restaurant (Tallulah)
number of animals mentioned in menu description: 9 (boar, duck, crawfish, pig, goat, lobster, cow, crab, lamb). 10 if you count “sheep” as distinct from “lamb.” 11 if you count “ham” as distinct from “bacon.”
explanation of the restaurant’s name: It’s from Milton’s Paradise Lost. The poem also lends its title to a Ketel One-based cocktail.
closing witticism: “[There’s a private room with TVs and WiFi] for when your net-surfing & TV-watching’s more prolific than your friend-making.”

Daily Candy’s take on…
a witty title:
“Out To Lunch”
an overarching narrive conceit: Naming something is a delicate responsibility.
concepts obsessed over by many of our girlfriends: portion sizes, sparkliness, polenta
names or resume items of involved parties: Troy Graves only; two other restaurants (Tallulah, the now-closed Meritage)
number of animals mentioned in menu description: 5 (lobster, boar, duck, goat, turkey).
explanation of the restaurant’s name: “We don’t know why (or how) Troy Graves… christened his latest Gold Coast venture Eve — and frankly, we don’t care.”
closing witticism: “Everyone who’s anyone will be there. But we won’t drop names.”

Winner: Thrillist, thanks entirely to their having taken a freshman year literature survery (or, um, existed in contemporary Western society) and being aware that Eve is a biblical character about whom Milton wrote a poem. In fact, we wonder — their writeup describes a restaurant so epically dude-friendly, did the team behind Eve pick the name in order to indicate that their resto would be the ultimate temptation of men? Maybe we’re overthinking this.

Loser: DailyCandy, who continue their streak as the losing-est challenger at the PR Corral. The complete dropped ball on the name front is one thing, but selling this restaurant to “ladies who lunch” (based on portion sizes and chandeliers, no less!) feels unpleasantly hollow. Bonus points, though, for yet again winning the “correct and comprehensive naming of people and other restaurants involved” category. Thrillist — take note!

Thanks for playing, everyone! See you next time!

Eve [Thrillist]
Eve Restaurant Opens For Lunch [DailyCandy]
Showdown at the PR Corral: The Bristol [previously]
Showdown at the PR Corral: Duchamp [previously]
Showdown at the PR Corral: Piccolo Sogno [previously]

Showdown at the PR Corral: Eve