I recently came back from 9 days in Chicago where I splurged and indulged to say the least. I thought it would be interesting to list the restaurants I was most excited to try going into the trip versus what my favorite restaurants where after my trip. I did enjoy a wine pairing at each of these restaurants when available but that is not accounted for in my final rankings, neither is price.
Restaurants I was looking forward to in order:
1. Alinea
2. Atsumeru
3. Cariño
4. Next
5. Sepia
6. Elske
Restaurants I enjoyed the most:
1. Sepia
2. Cariño
3. Elske
4. Atsumeru
5. Next
6. Alinea
Sepia was one of the best meals I have ever had. I originally booked it because it was one of the only restaurants that had open reservations on the date I was looking at. The restaurant was practically empty I dined, maybe 4 other tables? Even sitting there I wasn't expecting anything great, but it has 1-star so it should be good. I was completely blown out of the water. Every dish was spot on and delicious and was closer to a 2-star restaurant than 1-star.
Cariño was imaginative, refreshing, new, and damn good. I generally don't associate Mexican food with fine dining, but Cariño pulls it off. The aguachile, huitlacoche ravioli, and lamb really hit it out of the park. I would love to experience the taco omakase next time.
Elske was another restaurant that I booked just because it was available but I wasn't really excited. I found the meal to be perfect for fall weather and the dishes extremely comforting. I really enjoyed my experience here.
Atsumeru was a place I had on my list since it was first announced. I loved the concept of Nordic Japanese and had never experienced something like that before so it was a must go for me. That being said, I went a few days after they opened so there were still a few miscues and the place was empty. I'm talking 3 people for a set time dinner service. That being said, the food was great but I left feeling it was missing something, like it was incomplete. I still had a great time and I hope Atsumeru takes off because it has potential to be great.
Next and Alinea…where to start? I think its important to note that I dined at Next for their space menu. It was fun, imaginative, and different. Its what I imagine Alinea was when it first opened. Next also had a few dishes that I did not care for, but I appreciated the effort and willingness to step outside the box. I found the restaurant interior to be gimmicky as well. But, I appreciated Next more than Alinea even though Alinea's food was significantly better in my opinion. Alinea just felt stale and stagnant, playing it safe almost like a museum preserving the legacy of Grant Achatz, not growing or evolving. Alinea also wasnt leaps and bounds above Sepia or Cariño in my opinion and compared to other 3-star restaurants I have dined at, it wasn't even in the same league. I am glad I went but I don't think I will ever dine at Alinea again unless someone else is paying.
Anyways, these are my thoughts and I don't expect anyone to agree with me. Sometimes the least expected is most enjoyable.
by LVHeadBartender
12 Comments
Have you tried Oriole
Sounds like a great trip but you missed Smyth which is better than all of these
One of my friends came to visit me in Chicago and rated our breakfast McDonald’s above alinea so I know what you mean 🤣. Oriole was tops though, hope you come back!
Sepia and Carino are my two favorites too. Sepia had a dish that tasted like….i can’t even explain it it just tripped a deeply buried memory. If “home” had a flavor it was that dish. Never had such a visceral food experience. Every course was that good.
Carino we went for counter tacos and it was incredible.
Love to see the Cariño love. I still dream of that ravioli 😍
Picture 1: “Cosmic Geometry” at Next. Duck pelmini, sour cream, dill.
Picture 2: “Ocean & Earth” at Alinea. Australian Wagyu, matsutake, pine nut, Japanese eggplant, kombu, yuzu, soy.
Picture 3: Caviar course at Sepia.
Picture 4: Caviar course at Atsumeru. Caviar, sunshine, hazelnut, mead.
Picture 5: Tacos Dorados, Empanada, Tostada at Cariño.
Picture 6: Roasted lamb tenderloin with leeks and escarole at Elske.
Alinea is genuinely one of the worst meals i’ve ever had (considering cost). Next can be good and bad depending on the menu.
I agree that its like a stale museum. Like every other course the waiter was talking about how proud they were of something that had been on the menu since opening day. I was pissed i paid $1k to eat a tiny piece of hot potato with potato soup that was chilled lol. Hot potato cold potato is not cute. And popcorn was a course. And eggplant cut to look like fish. And the truffle explosion that you can get fairly priced next door. And their super bitter weird chicken. And mushroom flavored rootbeer. And our 19-yr-old paint dessert was banana flavored ew. Each course is like a couple bites and they were mostly so bad we didnt finish them. Wildly disappointing.
Interesting takes, thanks. Totally agree on Sepia. Boka is also worth considering imo. Also going to echo the consensus re: Oriole it would have been at the top of my list in expectations when I did this a few years ago and it was top in delivery.
I’m visiting Chicago next June and this helps me immensely choosing my destinations. Thanks!
Did you get the long-form menu at Sepia or the four-course version? Really think Sepia is super underrated and consistent.
It’s interesting that your “looking forward to” and “ended up enjoying most” rankings are almost flipped perfectly. I think it is important to note the role of expectations and how they play into things.
I’m not doubting your experience at all, just am always interested in the psychological aspect of these things. Have found it’s so important (for me) to actively manage my own expectations and taper them down, and to really have no expectations, when going to a fine dining restaurant.
Carino is the way. Omakase is great and the omakase is one of the best value starred meals you’ll find.