Wife is taking me out for my birthday next week and won’t tell me where. The only clues she gave me were:

-It’s a four word name

-Last letter of the restaurant is R

-The food is “technically American”

The only thing I can think of is Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar but she said that’s not it. Please help

https://www.thekitchen.com/location/the-kitchen-bistros-austin/

https://www.thekitchen.com/location/the-kitchen-bistros-boulder/

https://www.thekitchen.com/location/the-kitchen-bistros-chicago/

https://www.thekitchen.com/location/the-kitchen-bistros-denver/

I thought this would make more sense on this sub, as supposed to that one because not all the subscribers over there live here obviously

but let’s have some fun imagining what their 3 to 4 course meal would cost.

Lots of places have lunch specials / lunch menu. For sure Asian restaurants, diners, and more. What are some of your favorite lunch special places to check out. I’m open to location (city or burbs) & any kind of food. Many thanks. 🙂

I’m taking my husband there for a birthday ‘snack shopping spree’ this weekend.

What are your favorite things to buy, and what’s delicious at the food court?

I went for the "The Past - Alinea Year 1" tasting menu at Next and was excited to see how it compared to my recent kitchen table experience at Alinea. I left somewhat disappointed. 7.5/10 overall.

Note: I went during the menu's debut week, so it will likely undergo some refinement later. I hope it does, anyway.

Food - 7.5. Perhaps ironically, I felt this was a quintessential example of the top Alinea criticism - style over substance. I'd give the food a 7 on its own, but felt the creative, multisensory presentation justified a small boost, although I found this significantly less successful than at its namesake. The courses were hit-or-miss for me, with a few bold standouts (hot potato, explosion, lobster, lamb neck), one I found inedible (frog legs - though the rest of my party seemed fine with it), and plenty of others that were just fine. I was expecting more than fine from an Alinea-inspired menu comprised of some of their greatest hits. The interactive presentation of some dishes made them challenging to eat - and not in a fun, pushing-the-limits-of-fine-dining way, but just plain awkward in my opinion. (And for anyone wondering, the only repetitive dishes between my Alinea and Next visits this week were hot potato and explosion.)

Drinks - 4. I didn't love Next's non-alcoholic pairing when I tried it previously, but I decided to give it another go. Regrettably, I liked it even less this time. The textures were generally pleasant (with the exception of one glass featuring rice milk and pine), but I found too many of the drinks cloyingly sweet or overpowering. I didn't feel that they paired particularly well with the food. On a positive note, I really enjoyed the complimentary beverage they offered us at the start of the evening - it was crisp and bubbly and I really should have just stuck to that.

Service - 9. Service was professional yet warm, with several members of the staff happy to engage with our table and answer our (sometimes silly) questions about the unique tableware and tools. The course descriptions were thorough and provided helpful context about their importance to Chef Achatz. We had an especially wonderful sommelier who presented multiple pairings simultaneously with grace. As this was the very first week of this brand new menu with some intricate tableside setup required, the staff was clearly still getting used to some of the finer details, but that didn't bother me personally.

Ambiance - 8. The lighting this time was much brighter, which I appreciated. I think the closeness of the tables diminished some of the delight of the presentations - it was simply too easy to glance over and spoil the surprise of the upcoming courses. Aside from that, everything was clean and comfortable enough.

Would I go again? Despite not being thrilled this time around, yes, I still plan to return for their next menu ("The Present - Tribute to Massimo Bottura") because it sounds intriguing and will be an entirely different concept.

Note: The bill includes an automatic 20% service charge (including gratuity). This is clearly indicated on the receipt, although there's still room to provide additional tip if desired.

Broccoli stem - wild steelhead roe, bitter orange, brioche

Hearts of palm - in three sections

Shrimp - plum, meyer lemon, vanilla bean

Lobster - carrot, coconut, curry

Tomato - pumpernickel, provolone, thyme

Pork belly - peanut, pickled vegetables, basil seeds

Hot potato - cold potato, parmesan, butter

Frog legs - wild mushrooms, lettuces, evergreen aroma

Lamb neck - prunes, coffee, pillow of star anise aroma

Explosion - black truffle, parmesan, romaine

Matsutake - mastic, pine nuts, sherry vinegar

Spiral - chocolate ganache, avocado, licorice

The Past - Alinea Year 1 tasting menu & non-alcoholic pairing (January 2025)

Restaurant interior prior to service

hi y’all, my friends from boston are visiting chicago in march, and they want to go to a michelin restaurant since boston doesn’t have any of those. i’m looking at kasama for their diner option (the one where u have to have a reservation). do u have any other recommendations? i’ve tried sepia before, and i think it wasn’t good.

Flavors were vanilla, biscoff, and cassis sorbet. Maybe the best vanilla ice cream I’ve ever had.

I’m gonna be stopping by the City for the Auto show in my birthday. It’s February 13th. Im hoping to go out to dinner afterwords. What’s the best Sushi restaurant that’s not too far?

I’m not sure if it’s always like this but me and a friend went to perilla fare Thursday for restaurant week and they only gave us one portion but charged us for both restaurant week prices. For example, when picking kimchi fried rice and garlic rice, they told us garlic rice was reserved for those with food allergies and we only got one kimchi fried rice for both of us. That was for all the choices, we only got one portion for all of them. Are they always like this or did we get scammed?

Last post i saw on this was from a few years ago. Looking for a good spot to grab oysters with a group any recomendations?

I love me a good Reuben. Who’s got the best one in the city?

Hey Chicago Food sleuths. I used to work on goose island and would stop at art’s for breakfast and sometimes a chili dog. Nothing special but I enjoyed that it existed. I know there was a fire and I assumed that the property would be swallowed up by the Lincoln Yards development. But No! I now drive by to pick up my son in old town and it looks ready to reopen soon. Does anyone know the story? Is it the same owners? Why did it take so long to reopen? Is it going to be the same vibe? Looks refreshed. Feel like it’s been 3 years since it closed.

Going tonight for a birthday dinner. Usually I’m a ribeye guy, but open to recommendations if you think they do something particularly well. Thanks in advance, everyone!

I have 7 family members, ages 21-60, visiting me during St. Patrick’s weekend (pls pray for me). Right now, our plan is to go watch the river dying (pray for me x2) and then get lunch nearby. I would define “nearby” as anything in a 30 minute walk. River North is in the title but also open to Streeterville, West Loop, and possibly Old Town.

The group has some picky eaters in it. Think basically American food and pizza. I would say most ethnic foods are a no go. Everyone in my group is 21+, but we’re looking for more a sit at a table, eat, drink place than a full bar where you’re fighting to get anything ordered. I’m well aware a lot of places do ticketed events, and were open to those depending on pricing or just a good old fashion reservation. As long as the 8 of us can sit at a table, we’ll be happy.

I’m a Logan Square girl and rarely go downtown, let alone to get American food or pizza, so any recommendations would be incredibly appreciated.

Preferably in bridgeview/cicero areas

What fine dining spot doesn’t deserve all the love? In contrast, which one deserves all its accolades?

Personally, I think Galit is up there with the best of the best.

Got my own Espresso Machine and have been trying out local beans! My favorite so far has been Blue Bottle Coffee.

Was thinking of trying Dark Matter next - any recommendations/favorites?

Big thanks for our community for the rec of Charcoal Flame in Morton Grove. Yummy!

First time for Greek gyros rather than “Greek” gyros. Pork is this one vs lamb & beef. Tender, juicy, delicious. Comes with Greek potatoes, veggies, soup (or salad), and pita. 2 or 3 meals depending on how hungry you are.

Yum.

I love chubby cattle & Paris baguette!!!!!!

What do you all love?? And what do you recommend from there?

I used to buy them frozen years ago from Tony’s, but haven’t seen them in quite sometime. It’s an ingredient I love working with, but sadly it doesn’t seem to anywhere I shop. If someone knows where I can find frog legs I would be most appreciative. Thanks.

Hello all! Seeking advice on somewhere special (while also not breaking the bank) to take my mom for her birthday in February. She usually doesn’t celebrate it, but I want to make it special for her and plan a day in the city with an activity + good food (so suggestions for a restaurant but also an amazing mom + daughter activity would be good!)

She likes seafood/mariscos. She is not a lover of sushi, her stance is always “I can make this better at home” anytime we are at a Mexican restaurant (side note: she definitely can). I just want her to try new things and experience more. Bonus points if the place is aesthetically pleasing, she would LOVE taking pictures there and posting it for her Facebook family members to see.

Any suggestions are very much appreciated! Thanks.

Hey! Exactly what title says. Looking for seafood enchiladas preferably in a cream sauce. My go to was edgewater Mexican cafe but they’re closing down🥲🥲 any recommendations please! I’m in the uptown neighborhood so hoping to stay in the Northern Chicago region. Bonus points if they are on a delivery app