It’s been a bit since I went to Alinea, but I didn’t think that it was worth the cost. The food is very good, but not memorable. It’s also not my favorite style of dining, but that’s very much a personal thing. I thought the servers were only fine. The somm, however, was great.
This list is about 9 months old and I don’t fully agree with it, but I think it might be a good starting point to explore. Note that it’s not all high end, which I appreciate, but YMMV.
Alinea didn’t make the top 50?
That’s actually a pretty solid list. It favors more of the affordable, casual gems, but so do I 
Tres Dita (bar for the vibe)
There’s a disconnect between the title of the article and the subheading. The article states “50 Best” and Alinea surely would be among the best. The subheading, states “here are our favorites”, which in my mind /= “best”. I tend to dine at a lot of Asian restaurants most of which wouldn’t make a “best of” list, but which are absolutely among my favorites. YMMV.
This is not intended as a knock @Tom_Chen, but if you are looking for a Michelin experience, you can pretty easily find a list. I provided the list I linked as an alternative. As I single diner, I’d probably do omakase. I think Kyoten Next Door is great, but it works for me because the food is fantastic and I don’t care about a vibe (the room is perfectly comfortable). Mako is also omakase, the food isn’t quite as good (it’s still very good), but the room is gorgeous and the service is truly exceptional. If you have any other questions, please ask.
Thanks Corey. Normally, I would look at omakase, but we will be going to Tokyo in 3 months and are planning to go to some nice sushi restaurants (casual and higher end). Plus, living in So. Cal, I’ve had some pretty good omakase experiences. I’m sure the ones you mentioned are fantastic, but want to go with something a bit different.
I will look at some of the suggestions above, as well as the Michelin list. The night I have is a Monday, so Oriole is closed (I had thought about going there again since it has been over 6 years since the last visit).
PSA: there’s a German SEKT wine dinner being organized on May 19th. Looking for restaurant recs.
For something different I’d check out Galit.
Nice restaurant. No where near #3, though
Given you mentioned enjoying Oriole… how about Smyth or Ever (Ever would be my pick)…
“Sweeting” the pot…. Sounds like a Freudian slip where it really means taking advantage of you.
IF you got your money back in five years, even without interest, you’d have a great ROI with the “free” dinner. My hunch is that they won’t make it five years, though.
Since I can only do Monday, it takes out Oriole, Smyth, and Ever.
That’s about it for Michelin 3 or 2 star, and nothing jumps out as a super unique experience, so I will try and book Alinea when reservations open up, unless strong naysayers. BTW: If Alinea, planning on a red Burg, as opposed to the pairing.
Do you free time for lunch on the way from the airport?:
Johnnie’s Beef
If you’re flying into Midway . . .
With bone
You might check Hais Sous. Danielle Dang maintained a superb Riesling list when Chef Thai Dang had Embeya.
A group of 6 of us will be meeting up in Chicago in a month or so. I think the group would very much enjoy Bavette. Appears to be a tough reservation to snag. Any tips other than stalking the website 21 days prior? Thanks.
You should be logged on to make reservations as soon as they open up at 9am. No other tricks that I know of.
My favorite steak house in Chicago, along with Asador. No tricks unfortunately. Need to be glued to your laptop once the clock strikes 9am and move quickly.
