ALINEA 9:00 P.M. - WOULD YOU DO IT?

[omax]

First visit to chicago at end of march and really looking forward to it.

Decided late in our planning, after seeing blog of meal from one of the posters (sorry can't remember who's) to try for reservation. 9:00 pm on thursday is only time available - we're on the cancellation list. I know the short menu is around 3 hrs so not sure how I feel about eating until midnight. I'm also staying at Hotel Felix so how far away would that be?

If not Alinea, where? The more I read the harder the choice becomes. I've reviewed the site and seen various postings on some of the tasting menus (Alinea, MK, Avenue, Moto, Tru, L20, Everest, Schwa, Bonsoiree, Charlie Trotters) but have some specific questions:

> 1. what's the major differences between the various restaurants, if any
> 2. what's the one that compares closely to Alinea
> 3. What would be the closest tasting menus to Hotel Felix

> Also, as I'm staying at Hotel Felix, any other suggestions for breakfast restaurants in the area. I've heard Yolk is good. And I plan to try one of Rick Bayliss' restaurants. Also which of the good brunch restaurants are near here?

And last, but not least, what would be considered the best place for afternoon tea.

Many thanks in advance for your time in responding.

[nsxtasy]

First of all...

>> ALINEA 9:00 P.M. - WOULD YOU DO IT?

Yes, absolutely! Alinea is just so different from what other restaurants in Chicago are doing, that if you enjoy high-end food and you don't mind paying for it, I think it's head and shoulders above the others. Major differences? Well, each place is determined in part by the personality of the chef, and what Chef Achatz is doing is amazingly playful and inventive. What really struck me when I actually went there were two things - how much FUN the dinner was, and how good everything TASTED (which you would hope and expect from any high-end restaurant, but this was way better in both ways). I would have a tough time claiming that any other place compares closely; Alinea is just THAT different. Not that other places aren't good also, but they are different from Alinea (and they're not even close enough to be called similar in any way).

I strongly prefer eating early to eating late, but having been to Alinea, if a 9 pm reservation were my only option, I'd grab it without hesitation.

Now, on to the rest of the questions...

>> I'm also staying at Hotel Felix so how far away would that be?

The Hotel Felix is on Huron Street in River North, 4-5 blocks west of the "Mag Mile" stretch of North Michigan Avenue. Alinea is in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. From the hotel, it's a little over a mile north and a little under a mile west. A cab will probably take 10 minutes.

>> 3. What would be the closest tasting menus to Hotel Felix

MK is the closest of the places you mention; however, it's more of a "casual fine dining" place. For a more high-end experience, Avenues, NoMI, and Tru are all roughly a half mile away.

>> Also, as I'm staying at Hotel Felix, any other suggestions for breakfast restaurants in the area. I've heard Yolk is good.

Yolk is okay, but really nothing creative in any way; it's just your normal egg and pancake dishes. That's why I don't recommend it; there are better and more interesting places around. There are a lot of recommendations in that area in this topic:

River North Breakfast Ideas - http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/693985

If I had to give you one recommendation near the Hotel Felix, it would be Orange, at its newly opened location at Clark/Superior right around the corner from the hotel. If you want to try something even more amazing and wouldn't mind traveling a little distance, you could go to either of the locations of Bongo Room, in Wicker Park (3 miles northwest of the hotel) or in the South Loop (2 miles south of the hotel).

>> And I plan to try one of Rick Bayliss' restaurants.

You may already be aware of the reservations policy; Topolobampo takes reservations in advance, whereas Frontera Grill takes only a handful and keeps most of the seating available for walk-in traffic. Topolobampo has been booking up three months in advance lately, so it may be too late to get a dinner reservation there, even on a weekday. Waiting times at Frontera Grill can be lengthy on weekends unless you get there just before they open the doors, but during the week it might not be so bad.

You might want to consider lunch. At lunchtime, the prices at both restaurants are quite similar, and much more affordable. Also, Topo hasn't been booking up way in advance for lunches.

>> Also which of the good brunch restaurants are near here?

If you're a fan of sumptuous (and expensive - $60-70) buffet brunches, the restaurants in the luxury hotels are the place to go: Seasons in the Four Seasons, the Lobby in the Peninsula, and NoMI in the Park Hyatt.

There are excellent a la carte Sunday brunches all over. Near the Hotel Felix, these include Cafe des Architectes (in the Sofitel) for contemporary American, and Heaven on Seven (on Rush) for a Cajun/Creole brunch.

There are lots more brunch recommendations in this topic, although they are all over the city:

Foodie needs recs on cocktails and brunch - http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/364403

>> And last, but not least, what would be considered the best place for afternoon tea.

The Lobby (that's the name of the restaurant located just off the you-know-what) in the Peninsula serves afternoon tea. It's a few blocks east of your hotel. I believe they also serve tea in the Drake, four blocks north of the Peninsula. They also used to do so in the Four Seasons and the Ritz-Carlton (both in that same vicinity), but I'm not sure whether they still do.

Feel free to ask more questions; we're happy to help. And enjoy your visit!

[mountsac]

I personally would go for Alinea at any time. It is simply the best in Chicago on all levels!

That said, of the list you provided, Moto is similar to Alinea in that the preparation and presentation are on the more experimental side. Food at MK, Tru, L2O, and Everest are more on the traditional at various degrees (never been to Schwa or Bonsoiree), and Avenues and Charlie Trotter's are somewhere in the middle.

In terms of overall experience (food+service+dining environment), I'd say L2O or Avenues compares more closely with Alinea.

MK is great for its price but does not provide an overwhelming dining experience. Moto is fun, but the taste of the dishes vary. Tru is super swanky, but some dishes don't work and the service is a bit pretentious for my taste. Everest probably has the highest level of cooking - every dish is a knockout - but the dining environment is crowded and the service is less smooth. Charlie Trotters is the worst one on your list, in my opinion, because the taste of the food just doesn't agree with me (especially the awkward use of asian ingredients and emulsion) ; the dining environment is also quite dated.- not as impressive as L2O, Alinea, or Tru.

[nsxtasy]

That's a little different from my own experience. The very best service I've experienced ANYWHERE was at Everest, whereas the service at L2O was quite uneven (particularly the wine service).

[mountsac]

Maybe I just had bad luck and bumped into a waiter who was not that good.

Everest does have dedicated sommeliers, who are quite well trained (and I agree, more so than those of L2O). At the beginning, however, the sommelier did not come; instead, it was the waiter who delivered the wine menu and took drink order from us (which is fine, if the waiters are well trained). But as soon as we requested a recommendation for a rose under $100, the waiter's face dropped (smile disappeared) and said "I don't know. You'll have to talk to the sommelier" and left. Obviously , he went to get the sommelier for us. But the way he responded left us feeling kind of awkward. We felt that we did something wrong by asking for a less expensive wine. It probably wasn't what he was thinking, but that was the impression we got. This is one example of what I mean by the not-so-smooth service. It was not bad at all. And what I have to complain are really just small things. But I just didn't get the royal treatment I received at L2O.

Our waitress at L2O was great in comparison. Friendly but cordial; made us feel like a million dollars but also feel at home - all the while without the swanky pretension of Tru (which some people would appreciate when they are paying big bucks - understandable - but I just don't really care for). The sommelier was not as experienced as the one in Everest, Tru, or Charlie Trotter's. But that did not really affect our experience. Perhaps, again, it was just a matter of which particular group of wait staffs you happen to encounter on the specific visit. Or maybe it was that we went with the wine pairing at L2O but not at Everest, so that the "wine knowledge" of the waitress and sommelier was not as important as when we asked for an impromptu recommendation at Everest.

[nsxtasy]

Here are more specifics about my own experience at each restaurant.

I still remember two different examples of the service during my most recent dinner at Everest. Seated at the table next to ours was a couple with their five-year-old daughter. A waiter noticed that the sun was in her eyes, and politely addressed *her*, rather than her parents, to ask if she would like for him to lower the blinds. Also, when my iced tea was served with a slice of lemon, I gave the slice of lemon to one of my dining companions for her glass of water. I made no request, but for the rest of the meal, the waitstaff served me iced tea without lemon, and my companion's water was replenished with a slice of lemon each time. That's why I say I've never seen any place with better service than Everest.

At L2O, one noticeable service glitch was a bottle of white wine we ordered, and arrived insufficiently chilled. The server seemed flustered, and although she was happy to bring an ice bucket to chill the wine, we wondered whether perhaps on other nights of the week, they may have a sommelier who might have realized the problem before actually serving the wine.

However, if I had the opportunity to have only one high-end meal in a visit to Chicago, and Alinea were one of the possibilities, that's where I would go (unless I had already been there and wanted to try something different).

[HoosierFoodie]

I have done a late seating at Alinea and I would do so again. But, do the short menu.

Check out the Ritz Carlton (a Four Seasons hotel) for afternoon tea.

I think you'd be happy at either L2O or Everest. I personally would choose L2O over Everest because my service experience at Everest is not what nsxstasy's was. I've been to Everest at least 6 times and have had service issues on about half of them; which is why I haven't been back. With the likes of Alinea, Tru, Trotters, L2O and others I don't go back. I should probably give it another shot. The food has always been very good at Everest and the view is great.

[uhockey]

I've posted reviews of my visits to Alinea (x2,) Trotter's, L2O, both Bayless places, and others here on Chowhound. I'd recommend Alinea at ANY time of day - there is always tomorrow for sleep. L2O would rank in my top 5 meals of all time, as well. Trotter's was excellent. Moto........no.

[chicgail]

One more vote:

Alinea is unique and astonishing. The food -- the whole experience of the food -- is incredibly well thought-out, prepared and presented. Unlike anything else you have had anywhere. Don't miss it. Nothing compares closely to it.

Everest is also excellent, as are Tru, L20 and Trotters, although there is much more disagreement about all of those.

Second tier for me (but that's second tier like the elite Olympic athletes who didn't medal, but won 4th - 7th place) would be Avenue, MK, Bonsoiree -- still very good food, but not quite in the same category.

Schwa is an experience. Hard to get a reservation there; hard to get them to answer the phone.. Kitchen and FOH staff are the same people. Creative, interesting menu, but can miss.

Moto is molecular gastronomy, as is Alinea, but for my money not in the same ballpark.

[omax]

Thanks for all responses. Reviews and uhockey's blog pixs sealed it and we took the 9:00 p.m.

thanks.

[uhockey]

Enjoy it and report back. :-) Glad to help, by the way.