i agree on Bayless. We just got back from Mexico and he is well known and respected down there. I have spoken with him twice and he has always been gracious. My 9 year old wrote him a letter after we had brunch at Frontera. He was sent back a hand written letter and a $25 GC. I don’t know for a fact that Bayless wrote the letter but he at least signed it and the writing IMO matched the signature. That goes a LONG way in my book.
George
Lots to comment on here. Funny how Chicago dining threads tend to go on. First, I hate to disagree with my friend Dan but I would never cab to Hot Doug’s. You’ll never get a cab back. The encased meats are great though. There is another place more accessible doing the same concept. Frank n Dawgs on Clybourn. Pretty good too.
As far as the Mexican restaurant debate, I’ve never been to Salpicon so I can’t comment. when we lived in the city we would go to Frontera once a month about 9 at night and sit in the bar. We would drink Margarita’s ans split some appetizers and finish with an order of wood grilled duck tacos and fresh sour cream. If there is anything better please shoot me now. We did go to Topolo last year and it was good but not great. For me Frontera is the experience to have. I’ve worked with several people who worked with Bayless and all sing his praises.
Wilfred is correct that Alinea is fantastic. I assumed you would already know that though. I disagree with Wilfred on the other hand that Tru is tired. The chef just came in this year and is really now doing his thing. As has been stated elsewhere he came from Robuchon in LV and the influence really shows. I went last month based on a veteran restaurant guys recommendation and he was spot on. Service is impeccable here and clearly the best in Chicago.
Heard the same about Tru. Decided against Alinea; that many courses/molecular cuisine with a 17 year old may be a little much. Price tag, over $200 PP was also a consideration. For the second night something pretty low key. Frontera seemed ideal for that.
Did Alinea with my 13 yer old girl over the holidays. She had a great time.
Alinea is singular if you can spring it
I went to Alinea in 9/2008 with Wilfred. I was really nervous, as I really assumed I wouldn’t like it. I really tend to favor far more basic treatments of ingredients.
Honestly, I have never been more amused and entertained by a meal in my life. It kept me off balance but was utterly fantastic. I wouldn’t trade that meal for any other food experience.
Heard from more than one person about Alinea being amusing, entertaining, the experience, etc…funny how people dont talk about the food…but rather what surrounds the food.
I don’t think that is the case. If the food was not great, no amount of “experience” would push the restaurant to be the best in the country. What is unique about Alinea is not only the fact that the food is phenomenal but the entire dinner is an intellectual experience. IMO it is like the difference between listening to your favorite artist/band on an CD and going to see the music live. There is just so much more to the experience.
GH
While I agree that if the food wasn’t that great people wouldn’t continue to go…but when asked about meals food is normally not the first thing mentioned.
It may be because there is so little food in each course (often one bite or two) that it is hard to have a food driven hedonistic dinner…you taste it, think “wow” and then the food is gone and you are on to the next course…there is no way to get attached to the food in my opinion…as a result it is the whole experience that you remember and get attached to. I tend to like spending time with a course just like I do with a bottle of wine…this is more akin to having wine come in 2oz bottles where you have a moment in time rather than an extended experience…what you have at the end of the evening is an aggregation of intellectually satisfying but not hedonistic moments in time…
Good choices Mark. Really the best that Chicago has to offer.
Yes Alinea does have slot of tricks but in the end the food is delicious.
Alinea is at the top of the heap in my view.
Been to Salpicon twice and really, really enjoyed it. Its a different experience than Topoo but it is very good. I have heard the same thing as Nick about Tru. We went a while back just after the new chef took over and it was very, very good. I think it got really, really tired under Tramonto especially after he opened up all of his other restaurants. We quit going for quite some time. That said, I have been told by several friends that have been their recently that the new chef (now a partner) is really doing great things. Its also gotten some really good press recently if one tends to pay attention to those type of things. We have a reservation and will be going soon. So we shall see…
I do tend to agree that Chicago pizzas can be touristy but if that is what someone wants to try recommendations (like avoid Giorodono’s downtown) are needed. There are a ton of Pizza Uno/Duo, Malnati’s and Giorodanos around so someone besides tourists must be eating there. In the many, many times I’ve had Chicago pizza only a few times. It is what it is…
JD
It is funny how few people really seem to love pan/deep-dish/stuffed pizzas. I guess they’re somewhat of a tradition in Chicago so a lot of out of towners try them. One thing I will say is be sure to monitor the wait at the big name downtown places. Have any of you locals had the Neapolitan pizza at Spacco di Napoli?
I have a friend that goes to Tru relatively often. His report is that there has been a resurgence over the year+ that the new chef has been there. That after a definite wane late in the Tramonto era. I guess the cuisine is a tad “simpler” or refined. I haven’t been in over five years, but the last meal I had there (Chef’s “Collection”) was one of my ten best all-time. I actually think TRU is a tad formal for my style. Make sure your son has a jacket Mark, or check on the policy, as I think one is required. The very attentive service is nice, but personally it feels a little stiff, especially over the long meal that the tastings are.
I had a really excellent meal at Avenues last year, though it does not seem that some enjoy it as much as I did. To me it had interesting technique without being over-the-top, and was priced at a tier below TRU. Over my last two trips I think I called Schwa 30 times with no success. Why they can’t get it together to join the communication age is beyond me, even if they have no shortage of customers.
I’ve never been to Salpicon, but really like both Topo and Frontera. It’s hard to imagine regional mexican much better. Other than perhaps Diana Kennedy, Bayless has a real passion for the cuisine. Though the winelist at Salpicon, and the pairings look interesting. Lots of Alsace, which is my favorite with Mexican. I would think these places would be a good option for a New Yorker. One thing I am still struck by is how little good Mexican food there is in NYC.
I definitely find the time for an Italian beef sandwich. I think my favorite is Al’s and you can practically walk there (as well as Portillo’s and Mr. Beef) from the TRU area. The beef at Al’s might be a tad dry and minced, but the flavor is good and I get dipped anyway. Their giardiniera is really good.
Went to Avenues in March and had a great meal - it deserves more attention than it gets and while it is a hotel restaurant (Ria deserves more attention than it gets as well), it should be on anyone’s list of serious dining places to consider.
I had a great meal at Ria a month or so ago. My only complaint is that it was excessively long: there were a fair number of empty tables, but still the courses were very slow in arriving. The sommelier is great to chat with. Totally unpretentious.
That is so cool! We used to go to Pequod’s when I was a kid (it was the Pequod Inn at the time), and I guess Burt (didn’t know his name) used to take my dad into the back room where he had an antique radio collection. My dad is an antique collector, and they used to talk for what seemed like hours. Good to see he is still around.
Came in, loved Tru, really interesting menu. A chef with a sense of humor, lots of food puns like balls of sturgeon on a bed of avocado puree served in caviar tin, a pea soup ladled onto a bouquet of edible faux fruit, flowers and pea pods (made from pea puree and cooled) a magnificent salmon dish, smoked and then cooked perfectly with sorrel served on a wonderful kitschy plate. A couple of minor glitches at the end (one of the cheeses, an emmmentaler, served warm, so damp and rubbery) and a failure of essence of cucumber served with vanilla. Nasty, but that is a cucumber for you. Horrible with wine, and I suspect does not like oak barrel flavors either. Overall 97 points
Arun: Thai restaurant good, an array of beautiful dishes, very consistent high quality, a little spicy for me. I should realize I am medium for Indian but mild for Thai.Some adorable carved carrots in the form of a carp. Delicious 92 points
Topolobampo: Very disappointing. Hard not to be overly commercial with a celebrity chef, but I felt like I was on cattle class on an airline. Get us in, get us out, the food was OK but certainly not great. And perhaps the thing that really put me off the place was watching the hostess seat an elderly couple. It is a crowded restaurant, and he struggled to get into a banquette and finally landed on it with a very heavy thump. The hostess stood around posing rather than helping with the table; after that I watched her seat another couple, different pose, he was little more lithe, so less of a thump. A very poor way to greet your clients.
Just went to Ria last night and the food was fantastic as was the service - I agree that the sommelier Dan is a great guy!!! I think they don’t do as much business because it is hidden at the back of the third floor of a relatively little known hotel…of course with ** from Michelin it should be a destination and the room is beautiful so not sure - last night they probably did 75% of one turn, steadily over the course of the evening (we were there from 6:30pm to 11:30pm with nobody there when we arrived and just a few when we left). Well worth the effort to go there.
Glad to hear about Tru - I haven’t been in many years and it sounds like it is time to go back!
If you had to choose one. Ria or Tru?
George
Dan,
I believe the Michelin rating is for the chef that just left.
George,
I haven’t been to Ria but Tru is as good as it’s ever been.