Kind of surprised I didn’t see Vera listed anywhere in this thread.
I’m also a big fan of Yusho and The Bristol. For tasting menu focus I’ve heard great things about Intro.
Our current dinner plans for the 3 nights are:
Friday - Prime & Provisions (would prefer Girl & The Goat but no reservations available for our desired times; will try to secure same day reservation if possible)
Saturday - Alinea (reservations open next week)
Sunday (post Bears Game) - Nico Osteria
Of course, we will fill out our brunch/lunches with some of the other great recommendations, and will also be on the lookout for bars/pubs as well.
Thanks again for the suggestions!
Any thoughts here on Acadia??
Acadia is great. Go there. The Manager is Rob Diaz mention WB and you won’t get anything. 
Highly recommended.
George
Acadia’s food is excellent and they did a good job with the wine pairing. However corkage is pretty steep and I got two different answers as to what corkage would be and, IIRC, one was $65.00 and the other higher. Communication wasn’t very good re: corkage, though I did really like the food. Service was also good. I’d probably go back but there is are a lot of good restaurants in Chicago.
JD
I got free corkage. I think Rob may have moved on to Bascule
George
I believe Rob did move on to Bascule.
Good to hear that the food is great! We are doing the pairings, so corkage should be fine regardless. I might want to bring another bottle as it is a special occasion (my birthday) so I’m wondering just how steep its gonna be!
Best case it is $65.00 per limit 2 per table. But good luck getting the same answer twice!
JD
Well, we changed it again…
Friday - Siena Tavern
Saturday - Acadia
Sunday - Nico Osteria
Very much looking forward to this trip. Thanks again to everyone for the suggestions
david, i have a reservation on sat 8/1 at acadia. maybe ill see you there!
Nice line-up David.
I did not love Acadia the one time I went (it was bad enough that I wouldn’t go back, but I realize I am in the minority) but Nico Osteria is fantastic and the somm, Bret, is on WB.
Michael - we aren’t going until September, but please chime in and let us know your experience at Acadia
What was it about the experience that needed improvement? Food, service, atmosphere?
Glad to hear the positives about Nico Osteria. Of the three in the lineup, I think that’s the place I’m most looking forward to.
Well, scratch that. Acadia isn’t going to work out. Screwed up my reservation and the conversation about my girlfriends fish allergy was awkward to say the least.
We just booked el ideas instead. It looks amazing and is byob. Glad to be drinking my own wine!
Haven’t been to El Ideas yet but here big raves! Report back?
El Ideas is great. Why no Alinea? Couldn’t get a reservation?
For what it’s worth I think the only true rival to Alinea is Grace. Different, but it’s equal.
I’d love to check out Alicia sometime. Need to add another “0” to the end of my salary first
Right now $145pp with a byob policy is in my wheelhouse. Honestly, the playfulness of the menu, along with me being a bit younger, make it the right choice for now.
Assuming it’s still around, I’ll probably want Alinea for my 30th next year
Atmosphere was sleek/modern, but comfortable. Service was quite efficient, though the server lacked personality.
The food underwhelmed me, and I went in wanting to really like the place. Our appetizer was a savory dish where the chef added a sweet component that did not work at all. The main was a chicken dish that was so salty that it tasted like Canadian bacon. The wine parings were subpar – the best wine of the bunch was a cheap ($12) desert wine. All in all, wouldn’t go back.
I went 10 weeks ago and the only two dishes I can recall were a potato and ice cream soup that was very fun and tasty, and an onion dish that was more interesting than delicious. The food was good, but not memorable. I thought the vibe was a bit weird too…they pitch it as a dinner party but there was no interaction among the tables.
Grace is stellar though.
We wanted to go to Alinea but I was too slow to notice that they opened reservations up yesterday and by the time I figured it out the only time left is 5:00pm. If I’m going to spend that kind of money on dinner, I at least want it to be dark outside. There will be other opportunities I’m sure, but in the meantime I’m happy with the lineup we have going.