Heading to Chi-town next month and could not get into Alinea…
Now looking to head to the restaurant with the absolute best wine list to celebrate my one year anniversary…
Anyone have any thoughts?
Not to quibble, but why?
You’ll probably only have one bottle off the list, whereas you’ll be eating an entire meal at the restaurant. Most of the top restaurants in Chicago have very good - exceptional wine lists. If you name a style of cuisine you like, that might narrow things down, but among the very best restaurants in Chicago are:
L20
Tru
Charlie Trotter’s (perhaps it’s declined a bit, but wine service very good)
…more will come to me, but consider this a start.
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Best wine list i’ve seen in Chi-town is Charlie Trotters. You’ll hear mixed opinions on the food, although i thought it excellent - the decor on the other hand.
I agree that the best wine list hands-down is Trotters. It’s also pretty pricey, but it doesn’t sound like that’s an issue.
I haven’t been there in years but I’ll be at the kitchen table on August 13th, so I can provide an update on the food after that. However, I think people beat up Trotters unnecessarily on the food. The menu is still first rate, but I don’t think that the ideas have progressed beyond where they were several years ago. As a result, what was adventurous 10 years ago might seem more “normal” (from an avant garde perspective) compared to what Alinia is doing. I still don’t think you’ll be disappointed. They’ll also gladly give you a tour of the cellar when your meal is done.
Did you put yourself on the waitlist for Alinea? I’ve had good success with that.
Hopefully Nick Gangas will chime in for you - he said Tru is fantastic lately.
Congrats!
MK
Hello.
Yep we went to Tru recently and it was fantastic. Better than it has ever been and certainly better than when Tramanto was there. We ordered a 2000 Leflaive Chevalier for just over $500 which is a steal. Mark G recently went there also and was very complimentary.
I haven’t been to L2O since Laurent left but I would certainly go back. The wine list at Tru is superior though. They have a Grand Award from the spectator. Last time at Trotter’s we felt the food was so bad it was laughable. I’ll take Grant’s experimental but delicious cuisine anytime. The wine list there is excellent of course but also more expensive than Tru. Of course all this is just IMHO.
Alinea, L20 and Charlie Trotters are all fine choices.
I would be inclined to go to Bonsoiree, a recent 1 star Michelin winner, that only permits BYOW. Very inventive 7 course meal for $85. Not as a “molecular” as Alinea and not as fussy as Trotters. I know that doesn’t really meet your request but I don’t think you will be disappointed. Stop by Binny’s or Just Grapes and get some world class wines to bring with you.
For something more on point to your request, I would also take a look at Blackbird (everything from SQN to some older BDX and Burgs). Personal favorites also include Henri–wonderful decor, fine food and nice, interesting wine choices, but not nearly the depth as some others. Picolo Sogno has fantastic Italian fare with the nicest outdoor area in the City, a lovely and deep Italian list and close to 40 wines that can be had by the glass. No matter what you plan to do, to start the evening I would try to get a reservation at the Aviary, the cocktail bar adjacent to Next (both owned by the Alinea’s chef). Expensive, but very inventive cocktails. Hard to describe but go here and order one before dinner as a “try it once” experience.
If you are in town for at least 1/2 of another day, you could also try some “non wine” based choices such as Kuma’s corner for perhaps the best burger in town (but to the strains of heavy metal music) and Hot Doug’s (the King of encased meets).
Have fun.
While I haven’t been to the others, Bon Soiree was my first thought as well. Between Binny’s, Howard’s, Knightsbridge…any of several area shops…you’ll likely drink better going that route than from the list at the other restaurants. Bon Soiree also has a 13 course menu, FWIW. I’ve been & thought the food was outstanding.
If you’re into the BYO option, there’s also Schwa…probably just now taking reservations for much of August, if you can leave a voicemail.
Thanks all for the suggestions - thinking the BYO route may be the best…but the Aviary does look very cool for something a little different!
I’d agree with pretty much all of this. We were at Tru two weeks ago and it was outstanding. The wine service was excellent as was everything else. Trotter’s almost exactly one year ago was tired. Nothing was “bad” but nothing stood out, either. Service missed a few beats, too.
JD
I’ll pile on the TRU bandwagon. Ate there last week, during a short trip up to CHI. Outstanding food and service. Wine list very good, but expensive, but less so at the higher end. Corkage is $50, and probably worth it if you are going to drink something substantial.
Congrats.
If you go the BYOB route, I think the best culinary experience in a BYOB is Schwa by far. The problem is getting a reservation there and getting them to honor the reservation when you have it.
I really liked Bonsoiree for the first 2 years of their existance, but I haven’t been there in more than 18 months because they went totally Asian flavor in their menu. I’m sure it’s great if you like that, but I don’t.
I’ve never been to Schwa and doubt I ever will. I’d like to try Boinsoiree. What kind of glassware do they have?
Very generic- remember kind of big bowl type…but not terrible…if bringing some good juice- would bring a couple stems
+1 on Bonsoiree and Schwa for highest end food + BYOB
The most spectacular wine list in Chicago is at Italian Village on Monroe. The food is nothing special so go check out the 45,000 bottle wine list for an afternoon warm up and then head to dinner elsewhere. Ask to tour the cellar…crazy.
I’m really disappointed with the revamp of the concept at NoMi at the Park Hyatt but I bought a 2007 Spottswoode off their list a few weeks ago for $185. Crazy deal.
Tru was excellent; the food very imaginative, and the pea soup and salmon dishes were killer. I BYO d because there was only one of us drinking so had a half bottle. Ironically corkage was the same. The wine list was extremely expensive, but they had some interesting wines such as a Rouseeau CSJ 1980. But at $50, you can tailor the wine you bring to your wedding anniversary or her birthday, to give it something extra.
I tried getting into Schwa for a solid week; nobody bothered to answer the phones. If it helps, I wrote up my Chicago restaurant experience at the end of the end of my thread about deep dish pizza and good restaurants in Chicago.
My wife and I were at Trotter’s last night with my sister and her husband. This was the first time we had been there in a few years, for no other reason than there was always somewhere else we wanted to go. We were in the kitchen, which is how we prefer to dine there. My sister wanted to go, but I was a little concerned about the evening because of all the posts I had seen about Trotter’s having fallen off.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of Charlie Trotter’s (the restaurant’s) demise have been greatly exaggerated. The cuisine and the service were spot on. The execution was perfect. We ordered the wine pairings which were very good, although a bit pricey.
I mentioned in another thread that, IMHO, out-of-town foodies still see Trotter’s as a primary destination. That was proved to me last night. Most of the folks eating in the dining room get a tour through the kitchen when they’re done, which means they went right past me last night. One woman was ecstatic to see it. She said she was from Nova Scotia and had come to Chicago solely to dine at Trotter’s. She seemed to not be disappointed.
Here’s the kitchen menu from last night.
John,
Wow. Nice menu. If my menu would have approached this in anyway I would have been thrilled. I guess this has always been my problem here. It seems I’m always at the mercy of the chef’s personal dalliances at the time I choose to eat there.
I’ve always kind of scratched my head in regards to all the Trotter bashing( with all due deference to individual experiences there) the guy was one of the very first big tides to raise all ships in Chicago. His personality may not be everyone’s cup o tea but anyone that has spent a nano second working in or around a kitchen would take that with a grain of salt… John it’s great to hear that your experience matches up with what I’ve come to expect from CT…
It’s not his personality that I object to. Every time I’ve been there the meal has been underwhelming.