And even if you like pig parts served in unusual ways (or unusual pig parts :D), it is not what one thinks of as fine dining.

I'll be Mr. Crabby here too. I was underwhelmed by both The Publican and The Gage. I've been to the Gage many times, and every time I've just kind of felt "meh" about it. I've been to The Publican twice and, while it was interesting and tasty enough (with enough salt for four people), I don't need to go back.

New hot restaurant I really liked: The Girl & The Goat. Although I wasn't so fond of the goat cheese cake thingy for dessert.

Any relation to the Girl & the Fig in Sonoma, California?
 

Or did they just use a similar play on words?

I will be headed to L20, Tru and Alinea soon. I am looking forward to it! I think--but I do not have enough evidence to support this--that Chicago will overtake San Francisco for world class dining. I think SF is great, but the restaurant scene here is somewhat stagnant. It's very "California" and fresh ingredients, but nothing terribly inventive. Don't get me wrong; it's excellent food, but it's just nothing new.

The molecular gastronomy scene, which seems to be the wave of the future, really has not taken hold here at all. Chicago claims Alinea, which is one of the top 50 restaurants in the world (the highest ranking American restaurant), and it specializes in molecular gastronomy. Moto is another molecular gastronomy place.

In SF? Nothing. Nada. Madrona Manor in Healdsburg uses liquid nitrogen for their ice cream treat, but really nowhere else is using molecular gastronomy. It seems that SF really is becoming more "old school" California, and now Chicago has taken over as the vanguard. I'm definitely looking forwar to trying out the cuisine firsthand.

The OP of this thread is suspended. :eek: :eek:

My wife's lab does this all the time for parties. They ain't nowhere near fine chefs.

No relation that I know of. Girl and the Goat is the new restaurant of Stephanie Izard, the winner of Top Chef season 4. While I did like the food, I thought that there was a lot of hype around it. And the waitstaff were mostly clueless for the caliber of food they were trying to sell. Our waitress had no idea what was in the dishes we asked about and kept us waiting for long periods of time while she disappeared. The manager gave us some extra dishes for free without our asking.


I think this happened long ago. When I lived in SF (2001-2003), Food & Wine magazine had just ranked Chicago #2 for fine dining in the country, edging SF down to #3.

To me, molecular gastronomy means a lot of gimmicky things that Moto does with making things taste like things you'd ordinarily not think they would taste like. I haven't been to Alinea yet, but my understanding is that it's all about fresh and well-conceived meals, not freezing things with liquid nitrogen and serving edible menus. I hope that my conception of molecular gastronomy isn't the wave of the future!

Chicago will overtake SF, I believe, for fine dining.
 

It makes sense that Chicago should take over SF. It's bigger, more historic, more resources, and probably richer. Historically, the debate has been SF vs NYC, but I do think SF is really stagnating these days.

I eat out quite a bit here, and what are the "top places" in the city? Michael Mina, Gary Danko, Fleur de Lys, Masas', Aquerello, Dining room at Ritz Carlton. These have been the same places for years. Nothing new. Certainly their cuisines are not dramatically different. Very similar. Lots of stagnation..

Chicago has some very exciting places that are really leading the field. It's not just same old, same old. I think Chicago has the potential to even overtake NYC.

Kiki's Bistro
 

For French, might I suggest Chicago stalwart Kiki's Bistro at 900 N Franklin (in River North).

Mrs Schmidt and I are big fans of Le Petit Paris on Chestnut St. Run by a French guy that has been in Chicago for many years. Good traditional French cooking with a very decent wine list.

Fantastic dining town!
 

Just got back from Chicago. L20, Tru, and Alinea. All I can say is that these were great places!

L2O: delicious, innovative food. Lots of seafood, but there is plenty of other non-seafood fare. It is truly delicious and inventive

Tru: Classic French-American style place. Fantastic ambiance, extremely comfortable, and very very good food.

Alinea: a once-in-a-lifetime place. I have eaten at a lot of restaurants in the world, including French Laundry, Le Benardin, and Michelin 3-stars, but I have never, ever had a meal like this. Alinea is the next level. I can see why it is one of the 10 best restaurants in the world, and I can see why it is considered the best restaurant in America. Not only is the food so incredibly creative, it is aesthetically artful and it is absolutely delicious. The flavors are so intense and so rich, it's like nothing I've had before. Just an absolute delightful dining experience!

If you want to see some video of my dining experience, you can see it here, starting at 3:25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyFDjeEdRAI

I second that comment. I did the 26-course tasting at Alinea with full wine pairing. It was the most expensive meal I've ever had in my life (roughly $600 including tax and tip, for one). However, I will say that of the 26 courses, there were only 3 that were "world class" (Lobster 3-ways, A5-12 Wagyu, and the Guiness Beef thing), about 4-6 that were "excellent", about 12 that were "good to very good" and the remainder really just fell flat on their face...I would venture to say "unacceptable" (like the stuff you suck out of a glass tube, the duck, the egg thingy).

What makes the Alinea experience is the perfectly orchestrated service, the incredible knowledge of both the servers and wine stewards, and the fact that they have bread pairings to go with several courses :D

New menu
 

I agree with everything you've said. They changed the menu in the past few months. It is all now just a $185 prix fie menu for everybody. No options. No choices. Just one single set menu. No menu presentation or anything. Just sit down and eat. I believe it's around 23 "courses," meaning that something that is one bite can be considered a course.

Dined at the 1 Michelin star restaurant North Pond last night. There are very few restaurants in Chicago with a view like North Pond. (Take a look at their website to get an idea of the setting)

Our table's service was fine, a little cold to start with but then again my Pop has lost some "filters" as he gets older so I can imagine the wait staff might be taken aback by his brusque nature. I would say that service became inattentive (a bit) towards the very end of the meal when the restaurant was busy. On a side note, the waiter was removing wine glasses while the sommelier would put them back, a little funny the back/forth.

Amuse bouche: foie gras mousse, with parmesan cracker, pickled ramp, cranberry reduction. Enjoyable

Starters:
Egg, Spinach - Soft-Boiled Hen Egg, “Tandoori” Chicken, Ricotta, Spiced Spinach Coulis, Bosc Pear, Seeds, Naan Cracker

Foie Gras, Sprouts - Seared Duck Foie Gras, Brussels Sprouts Butter, Calvados Apple Boules, Fried Shallots, Cider Syrup, Almonds, Brioche

Endive, Sardine -Red, Green Belgian Endives; Citrus-Endive Marmalade, Sardines a la Plancha, Dill-Caper Cream, Blood Orange, Caraway Straw

Carrot, Shrimp Bisque - Carrot Bisque, Crab Croquette, Oregon Pink Shrimp, Celery, Pumpernickel Crumpet, Earl Grey Espuma

The egg/spinach starter was sublime. Foie gras seared perfectly. Really enjoyed the Sardine/Endive salad, VERY powerful flavors. Our table didn't appreciate the bisque, the croquette's fried exterior taste overpowered a nice bisque.

Mains:
Tilefish, Lemon - Grilled Golden Tilefish, Purple & Dauphine Potatoes, Smoked Meyer Lemon Curd, Leeks, Capers,Chips, Parsley jus

Venison, Root Vegetable - Charred Venison Loin, Purple-Top Turnip Brulée, Red Cabbage, Apples Celeri Rave, Baby Carrots, Red Wine Syrup

Tilefish dish was unremarkable.

Venison dish was terrific, each ingredient popped.

North Pond
2610 NORTH CANNON DRIVE
CHICAGO, IL
773.477.5845
http://northpondrestaurant.com/
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I'm looking to be adopted Willie....:D