How would you rank and compare and contrast Schwa, 42 Grams, Grace and Next. I will be there for one night and and can only do one.
I would not do Next. The food is outstanding at Grace, it has 3 Michelin stars for a reason. The wine list is OK at best. 42 grams has excellent food. It is BYOB only which can be a great advantage… or not if you are travelling.
While both are excellent I think Grace is more of a singular experience and would give that an edge over 42g.
George
Thank you, very helpful.
I’d second the raves for Grace. Food is excellent and you can substitute between the flora and fauna menus, which is a plus. The dining room is contemporary, but also warm and comfortable. I really like the ambiance.
I love Grace but, as you said, the wine list is OK at best and they don’t allow corkage. Our first visit we did the wine pairings and they were neither good wines nor a good value. We’ll be back but we aren’t in a hurry. Still wanting to try 42g.
JD
My daughter and her husband, both chefs (he was sous at North Pond, she was at Boho) loved their dinner at 42g. She and I had the meal of a lifetime at Schwa (also byob - and by for the kitchen) but it’s a very specific experience - completely relaxed in service and tone, extraordinary on culinary creations. Read some reviews or accounts of meals there to see if its what you would enjoy. Next has gotten tired and then some - fun idea, a few very good meals early on … since then not so much (and they are having seriious trouble selling tickets which is a bad sign) We haven’t done Grace yet.
Thanks for the recommendation, I went to Grace and loved it. The atmosphere is serene, service is fantastic but not overbearing in the way that *** service can be. I thought the wine list was good and had some gems. The food is delicious, well thought out with unique combinations of ingredients. I did the Flora menu which has much less protein than the Fauna menu. I was trying to decide between a Riesling and an 09 Clos Rougeard Le Bourg (it was close to the retail price). The somm politely tried to steer me towards the Riesling as it would pair better with the Flora menu. I went with the Rougeard which was not a great match for the Flora menu and she kindly ended up pouring me Rieslings from the tasting menu for the dishes that needed a white. Overall a great experience and worthy of their three stars.
thanks for the update on your experience. Sounds like a good somm. 
Yes really great somm, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and I should add that I did not have to mention the wine I chose was not a good pairing for some of the dishes she knew it and just poured me the whites. Very impressive.
that is truly awesome service
Thanks for the update. Really glad you enjoyed it and that the wines worked out. Next time you are in Chicago you need to try Alinea 2.0 and compare.
George
I have been to Alinea in the past but it has been a few years. Going to Alinea in Miami in a few weeks.
Alinea is in the midst of being completely reimagined (according to Achatz) hence the Alinea 2.0 and why they have been in Madrid and now Miami. They completed gutted the restaurant and are starting over. Should be interesting. Would be interested to hear how they do in Miami.
George
I heard from one person that Alinea in Madrid was no more than Alinea Chicago menu and did not take advantage of local ingredients which is the opposite of what Noma did in Tokyo and is doing in Australia.
I saw pics of the Madrid menu and although there were identical dishes there were many different ones also. Not so sure about local ingredients.
George