Oral pleasures

Listen up wine-and-diners: Letting your partner order lobster is no longer the key to getting laid. It takes much more these days to seal the deal; and apparently, swank spots are taking the hint. We found a few standouts who know that setting a seductive scene takes more than a rose and a candle, and then asked a “sexpert” what restaurant details can really get the motor running. To find the answers, we brought in Michael Bailey, a Northwestern psych prof who teaches human sexuality. Class is in session.

Between Boutique and Café

Between Boutique and Café
(1324 N Milwaukee Ave, 773-292-0585)
Professor says: “The tassel curtains dividing the booths from the rest of the space give one the illusion of being private while being able to see everything else. Voyeuristic intimacy, if you will. Colors are dominated by reds and whites, and there are playful and striking chandeliers that give a trippy elegance. And guys should know that their dates will find good, shareable desserts sexy. Also, the trip-hop music—like Massive Attack—fits the bohemian crowd.”

Victor Hotel
(311 N Sangamon St, 312-733-6900)
Professor says: “To start, it’s sexy to go from a nondescript warehoused street to a striking place inside…like a secret surprise. Sophisticated but austerely minimal, with lots of reds. The music is more house-industrial than loungey, so there’s a more insistent sexual pulse. One long wall is lined with black-and-white photographs that are very titillating if you like bold: The subjects are mostly nude and they look you in the eye. The waitstaff is gorgeous, and when it’s packed, it’s undoubtedly a crowd of beautiful people.”

Coast

Coast
(2045 N Damen Ave, 773-235-5775)
Professor says: “First of all, sushi is for the open-minded, and open-mindedness is sexy. Plus, sushi is light and neat to eat, in other words, great date—or prelovemaking—food. The texture of sushi is also erotic: soft and moist, like the body parts we like to put in our mouths.”

The Zebra Lounge
(1220 N State Pkwy, 312-642-5140)
Professor says: “I didn’t find this place very sensual, but I could see it, I guess. It’s a dark piano bar with lots of people who’ve been on Rush and Division drinking. Some of them just met tonight, and some might go there to meet others. It’s got a kind of cheesiness that if you can let down your hair and just get into it, you might just get lucky.”

Le Colonial
(937 N Rush St, 312-255-0088)
Professor says: “Of all the places I visited, this is the sexiest for a couple. Like its name suggests, it’s reminiscent of French Indochina. The restaurant downstairs is elegant and looks like every table deserves a couple in love. Upstairs is more sultry, with lots of small, dark, intimate spaces. You can imagine the romance and danger of an earlier era.”

Russian Tea Time
(77 E Adams St, 312-360-0000)
Professor says: “While not immediately alluring, it does have its charms. Old World and cozy, with romantic Russian music and good comfort food. But it’s too bright and has ceiling tiles. I suppose, though, who hasn’t had the fantasy of having a Russian or Eastern European lover? This place evokes that kind of feeling.”

SushiSamba Rio

SushiSamba Rio
(504 N Wells St, 312-595-2300)
Professor says: “With bright reds, yellows and oranges, and stunningly ornate bars and chandeliers, this is in-your-face hedonism. Again, beautiful people, and Latin-infused loungey music. The two-way mirrors in the bathroom area are simultaneously voyeuristic and exhibitionist. Upstairs the rooftop bar is darker and more intimate, but still energetic with romantic possibility.”

Japonais
(600 W Chicago Ave, 312-822-9600)
Professor says: “This is Asian-European fusion opulence with a sprawling interior and outdoor riverfront terrace. Reds, greens, blacks—all very elegant-looking. It’s the kind of place where one can’t help feeling beautiful, unless one pays too much attention to comparisons with others: a very trendy, sexy-looking crowd. The music is loungey and sensual.”

Juicy Wine Co.
(694 N Milwaukee Ave, 312-492-6620)
Professor says: “The dark lighting and cozy seating is intimate for couples or even small groups. It’s more for hipsters than for beautiful people—though to be sure, one can be both. DJ was spinning ’80s and ’90s music, but interesting and eclectic rather than cliché. Overall, it’s a good place to get lucky on a third date.”

Avec
(615 W Randolph St, 312-377-2002)
Professor says: “Regarding the communal seating, I think it could be hot for some people to be put in a position, unusual for this country, where one has to be close to other people…especially when those people tend to be attractive.”