Chicago - any recnet visits to a Fabulous Restaurant?

Alinea - the most amazing restaurant I've ever been to. I went with a group of foodies this past summer. It was an outstanding experience in presentation, service, ambiance and cuisine. Check out their website.

Fronteria Grill just won "best restaurant in the USA" at awards yesterday. Tru came in for "best service" award.

You have immense choices, and the price range you desire is important information.

www.metromix.com

Trendy pan-Asian that I have been, I didn't think were fractionally as good as Fronteria- all pricing levels aside.

These are super-expensive places. What is your price range? And that is Frontera Grill, in case you want to Google it.

Correct, marilyn, I didn't proofread.

I was shocked that Chicago won so many of the restaurant awards, as they did.

Restaurants are so subjective, that if you don't have a price range or some other "we like" characteristics, it can be picking one straw out of literally 100s. Romantic, service foodie, peace and leisure "want to be left alone" factors?? What is wonderful for one, is "neglect" for another. Wine? Drinks? Is that important? Love/hate places like Geja's? Many women just love it, others want more substance.

Alinea, named the best restaurant in the US by Gourmet mag, is memorable (and big bucks). You must reserve exactly 30 days in advance (as I recall). Also Schwa gets great reviews and requires very advance reservations.

Thanks everyone, I lknow it is an open-ended question...

price is not a factor.

I visited wine spectators web site for their choice of best wine .... I love good wine but I an not an expert. So this is not super important. I think Fun, good vibe, chic, "different" cover it for me.... Still somewhat subjective I realize!!!!

Has anyone been to The Slanted Door in San Francisco? I would love to know if there is something similar in Chi Town?!

By the way, if you decide to dine at Alinea, go with their more expensive flights of wine. We chose to do so and worked bowled over by the wine, alone. It's an amazing experience. I hope you can get a reservation.

Oh! Thought I should mention some others. We also dined at Charlie Trotter's (loved it but am disappointed in his cowtowing to the anti-foie gras people) and Spring. Since you mentioned Slanted Door, you might enjoy http://www.springrestaurant.net/

I went last May to Chicago, which is a fabulous city. We ate at Spring in Wicker Park which was incredible and very different. For Asian we ate at Kamahachi(?) which was on Wells St near Second City and was also excellent.

FYI, the "tour" for two at Alinea including the wine upgrade will approack $1,000.

Very true, DRJ, for the two of them but it's worth it. She said money is not a factor. It's five hours of the best of the best. We plan to fly out there, from California, at least once a year to experience Alinea. It's outstanding in every way.

I might say that "money is not a factor," too, but a thousand bucks would still not be what I meant!

TTess: Look into Schwa on eGullet.org. Nothing but raves.

Schwa is indeed fantastic, but you will not be able to get reservations for June at this point. I also love Blackbird and Avec. For a really great vegetarian option, try Green Zebra.

I am not sure my husband would like a tour or to pay $1,000 - He would ask if we coudl keep the gold plates!!!

Have you heard of two places called :
Normai (sp?)
Japonaise

an aquaintance thought these were very good!!

Great suggestions.....Thanks

It is so hard to choose....

Frontera Grill was mentioned, but even better: Topolobampo, the sister resturant next door.

My husband and I had one of our best resturant experiences EVER there last September. Really wonderful if you have any inclination towards Mexican (NOT Tex-Mex, not that there's anything wrong with that!):

http://tinyurl.com/2wtoqb

~Liz

Schwa -- but it isn't easy to get a reservation

Re - Frontera Grill - I love Mexican food but would never peg Mexican as being such a great restaurant expereince,so.... I am curious to try!!! Maybe we will go there the night before with our friends who are meeting us

It is Nomi, and it is excellent. Alinea is always booked BUT that is what a platinum amex is for. Have their concierge service make the res.
Tru is also outstanding.

Just had our second meal at Aria in the Fairmount. It was fantastic~!

Nomi and Japanaise have been listed by name this week for big no-no's. Primarily this concerns food labeling- particularly these were of the group mentioned by name who are serving talapia and red bream and designating it as red snapper on the menu. When they did DNA testing on fish in both medium and high end places, not a one had real red snapper out of 10 that listed it as such.

It wouldn't really matter that much to me, but to some foodies it would.

I have had a nice meal at Aria as well. There are probably literally 50 or 60 good choices in the range $200-$300 in just a short taxi distance- I hope exiledprincess shows up to give you some latest maybes.

This is more a warning than a recommendation. We recently ate at Charlie Trotter's and were enormously disappointed. No one at the table was impressed. There wasn't an outstanding dish among the 16(!!!) we sampled. It felt like a case of the emperor's new clothes. After eating there I checked Zagats and almost every review I read concurred with our opinion. It cost big bucks, but wouldn't have been a great meal if it had cost a lot less. Atmosphere is... lacking. Service is friendly. We had a pretty nice meal at Carlos in Highland Park.

We are leaving for Chicago tomorrow!! We are trying a couple of the restaurants mentioned on this thread. I will post back with the culinary trip report!!

I can't believe no one mentioned Tru. I loved it. It was like dinner and entertainment in one because the service was so amazing.

www.trurestaurant.com

i had a fantastic meal at "topobampo", which is also rick bayliss' resterant, and attached to "frontera grill"
but i also loved my brunch at north pond. it's all local/fresh food so the menu changes daily, and great atmosphere. for breakfast, there is the grand luxe cafe also. killer breakfast!

See if it is possible to get a reservation at Everest on the 40th floor of the stock exchange. You won't be disappointed.

I have to second Topolobombo, one of the best meals I've ever had.

ange...we practically only went to chicago (from new york) to go to topolabampo and north pond. and rick bayliss was the chef the night we were there! he came out to talk to people and everything. we were besides ourselves!

Well, I'm going to put it on my LIST this summer: TO DO ABSOLUTELY- TOPOLABAMBA. I've been to probably 100 restaurants in Chicago and have yet to get there.

Honestly, there are SO many great restaurants in the neighborhoods that are seldom hyped like the big ones that you just don't believe it after you have mis-hyped too many times.

But Rick Bayless, on his tv programs, seemed like SUCH a peaceful, warm and honed person that I would absolutely love to meet him myself. And his food is and looks fabulous; that is what everyone here seems to chorus too by experience.