Best Place for a Tasting Menu Newcomer?

My friend and I have come across some bonus/Christmas money and can't think of anything more that we'd like to do with it than try our first tasting menu.

We have enjoyed good food and drink for a while but haven't been able to afford a decent tasting menu experience yet. We are both adventurous eaters, and we are willing to spend up to $350 per person, including tip and wine pairing. For that kind of money we would like something mind-blowing both in taste and concept.

Any and all recommendations are appreciated!

How about Elizabeth? Should be right in your wheelhouse!

What I'm about to say isn't fair, but I'd add a little to your budget and go to Alinea. There's a reason why it's considered one of the greatest restaurants in the world. On Alinea's website, the cost for two Sunday tickets is 623.22, which includes tax and tip. If you get get a bottle of wine ($150ish), instead of the wine pairings the cost is within striking distance of your budget.

I agree with both.

Elizabeth is an awesome restaurant and it's a great experience to be had that's within your budget. However, Elizabeth is something of a new comer and they are still refining their experience. They offer intimacy you could never get at a more established restaurant and a unique perspective that is a lot of fun. I feel like some of their impact would be lost on someone who is experiencing fine dining for the first time.

Alinea, on the other hand, is well established as Chicago's premiere fine-dining restaurant. What it lacks in freshness it more than makes up for in execution and excellence. For my money I'd rather visit Elizabeth, but for a rare treat, Alinea seems a better option.

I'd split the difference and go to El Ideas. It's only about $200/pp so you can take however much additional you'd like to spend over to Perman Wines on Washington and Halsted and have them select the wines to match for you. Even if you go completely nuts, you likely won't spend an additional $300 and you'll have the best of both worlds--a master class tasting menu with the intimate, non-rote, relaxed atmosphere that you'll probably enjoy more. Tip--spend $75-100 of the extra on the car service--it's definitely worth it!

Some good suggestions so far. I will throw in my two cents as well as throw a few more names in the mix:

Elizabeth: Great option; casual fine dining. Comfortable environment for someone new to tasting menus; very relaxed, friendly atmosphere with no stuffiness and some outstanding food as well as beautiful plating, whimsy, and unique dishes/ingredients. The chef/owner is a wonderful person and has a great staff.

Alinea: A bit over your stated price range and IMHO not the best option. While up until recently Alinea has been Chicago's clear cut #1 restaurant, I feel as though recently they have been slipping. Chef Achatz has been spending considerably less time in house and he and his partner have been focused on expanding their empire and boosting profits rather than putting the customer first and trying to continue to keep improving Alinea. I am hoping this is a temporary step backwards and not a sign of Alinea being past her prime. I have dined here five times and my first four were among my best meals ever, but my last was disappointing; fast pace (was in and out in just over two hours versus approximately four hours during previous visits), subpar service with some amateur mistakes and lack of attentiveness, and a lack of innovation compared to prior meals. It also can be a bit intimidating of an environment for a first tasting menu experience and is not nearly as relaxed or friendly as Elizabeth. Still an amazing restaurant, but no longer the clear cut best and with the reduction in courses and service and increased cost it is arguably a poor value (if you add wine pairings the cheaper pairing is $150 per/person before tax/tip - so dinner for one with the lesser pairing comes to approximately $500 - though you can save some money by doing a bottle or some wines by the glass).

El Ideas: Very fun, lively atmosphere - kind of like being at a dinner party. You can hang out in the kitchen between courses. The food is as amazing and creative as any fine dining venue, but the atmosphere is totally relaxed. There is only one server; the chefs bring out and present the courses. Might not be the type of experience you are seeking (if you want a more traditional fine dining meal), but worth looking into. Keep in mind they do very limited substitutions, so not a good option if either of you have significant dietary restrictions.

Grace: In my opinion Grace will be challenging Alinea for the #1 spot in the next year or so; personally I think they may have already eclipsed Alinea but it will take a little time for this to become widely regarded. Nice blend of traditional and modern fine dining but stellar, personalized service that makes the experience relaxing. Some of the best tasting food you will ever taste and beautiful, creative plating. Stunning. comfortable dining room. With a wine paring it will come to about $380, so just a tad over your price point.

Moto: Somewhat similar style of food as Alinea (known for molecular gastronomy) but the current executive chef (Richie Farina) has moved them a bit away from this and has focused on making the food outstanding while still retaining some of the whimsical, scientific experience Moto was known for (of late they generally only use molecular gastronomy if it enhances the food rather than just for show). The pastry chef (Claire Crenshaw) who came over from Tru really elevated their desserts. Great staff. More affordable than Alinea (about $300 with pairings) and while Alinea I feel is slipping, Moto is ascending.

Goosefoot: This is worthy of being a top choice, but has become the hardest reservation in Chicago - so you will likely have to work hard for it if you want to diner here (they are on Open Table, but reservations get snagged as quick as they are released, so you have to get lucky and be looking shortly after someone cancels). The food is fine dining at is best (my choice for best tasting food in Chicago) but the atmosphere is very laid back and far more casual than venues such a Grace or Alinea. Service is friendly, but not as polished as at Grace and Alinea. My only complaint about Goosefoot is how seldom the menu changes significantly, but since this would be your first time it would be a non issue. Nice relaxing environment for a first time tasting menu. Like El Ideas they are BYOB, so at $135 plus tax/tip well within your price range.

Senza: Similar to Goosefoot in terms of fine dining but a relaxed environment and very friendly staff, but not as polished as Grace, Alinea. They do have wine program (and some great cocktails too). The executive chef came over from Schwa and one can see the influence of Schwa in his dishes (not a good choice if you like a sweet component to your savories; like Schwa there is a lot of mixing of sweet and savory - thought not to the same extreme). Also a very comfortable locale for a first time tasting menu experience; unlike Goosefoot reservations are easy (they also are on Open Table). Not as well known as other fine dining venues (despite their recent Michelin star) but all my meals here have been terrific. While they are gluten free; if you were not told this you would never know (their bread and pasta here are among the best I have had anywhere).

Sixteen, Tru and L2O are also all great venues, but their longest menus with pairings would be a bit over your stated price point and also I do not think they are the best atmosphere for a first time fine dining experience (and at Sixteen I have experienced some consistency issues in both food and service). Schwa would be within your price point, but their tendency to cancel reservations and short notice as well as their crazy, wild ambiance would likely not be a good choice for a first tasting menu experience; when Schwa is on it is among the best food anywhere - but definitely a wildcard in terms of what you will experience on any given night.

Gonzo70 wrote:Alinea: A bit over your stated price range and IMHO not the best option. While up until recently Alinea has been Chicago's clear cut #1 restaurant, I feel as though recently they have been slipping. Chef Achatz has been spending considerably less time in house and he and his partner have been focused on expanding their empire and boosting profits rather than putting the customer first and trying to continue to keep improving Alinea. I am hoping this is a temporary step backwards and not a sign of Alinea being past her prime. I have dined here five times and my first four were among my best meals ever, but my last was disappointing; fast pace (was in and out in just over two hours versus approximately four hours during previous visits), subpar service with some amateur mistakes and lack of attentiveness, and a lack of innovation compared to prior meals.

I dined at Alinea again earlier this month and my experience was quite the opposite from yours; in fact, I consider it the best dinner in my entire life. While I won't go into details (so as not to spoil the fun), our dinner, which did not include the optional truffle course, took over four hours without any feelings of slow service; the pacing was perfect. And Chef Achatz was not only in the house, but was part of the tableside preparation of one of the dessert courses, at our own table and at others around us.

Dinner at Alinea is not only a restaurant dinner, but an experience in presentation, and one that most folks will likely remember for the rest of their lives. We are privileged to have one of the world's great restaurants here in town. I can't think of a better place to try out a tasting menu for the first time. Just realize that it's a unique experience, so don't expect others you try subsequently to be at all similar.

I also greatly enjoyed my dinner at Grace earlier this year; it is the epitome of fine food and service. My dinner at TRU last year was also excellent. But if I had to choose only one high-end meal, it would be at Alinea.

Great suggestions so far.

To the OP, here's a bit of advice I eluded to earlier: If you aren't a wine enthusiast I highly recommend skipping wine pairings. I used to feel obligated ordering pairings for "the full tasting menu experience" but eventually I realized I was throwing away a lot of money on something I didn't really appreciate. Worst of all sometimes the wine made me a little too boozey and it detracted from my food experience. Now I just give the sommelier price range for a bottle or I order a couple of glasses during the meal.

But if you love wine than by all means go for it and budget accordingly.

Given your parameters, I'd recommend Grace. As another poster stated, it may be ~$30/person over your price point, but it checks all the other boxes. A friend of mine recently took his fiancee there for an engagement celebration, and it was their first tasting menu experience. They were blown away, and each said it was far and away the best meal of their lives.

I've recently been disappointed with Alinea, much like Gonzo.

If you're looking for something a bit more adventurous (and quite a bit cheaper), I'd recommend Schwa. Probably my favorite overall tasting menu experience in the city. Some posters will complain about the reservation process, but I've been 5 times in the last 3 years and never had a cancellation or much of an issue getting through to make the reservation. I typically call in the early afternoon, if that helps.

PopcornMegaphone wrote:Great suggestions so far.

To the OP, here's a bit of advice I eluded to earlier: If you aren't a wine enthusiast I highly recommend skipping wine pairings. I used to feel obligated ordering pairings for "the full tasting menu experience" but eventually I realized I was throwing away a lot of money on something I didn't really appreciate. Worst of all sometimes the wine made me a little too boozey and it detracted from my food experience. Now I just give the sommelier price range for a bottle or I order a couple of glasses during the meal.

But if you love wine than by all means go for it and budget accordingly.

To avoid taste-blurring booziness, I'd recommend half-pours: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=36631

Many places are happy to accommodate because, you know, they want you to taste and enjoy the food the chefs worked hard to make right.

I recommend Alinea. I don't disagree with Gonzo that Alinea has slipped a little bit since the days when Grant was fully in charge, but Alinea is still such an iconic restaurant, and I would certainly prefer a 2014 Alinea meal to Grace, Tru, or even L20 (which would be my second choice). Alinea is without doubt the finest high-end restaurant in Chicago, even if there are now a few other restaurants nationally that can compete. The other restaurants named are very good, but Alinea is on a different level, and if this is your first time at Alinea, you won't be able to compare it to Alinea 2008. In terms of service, decor, and the theory of cuisine, nothing can compete.

Elizabeth is another possibility at a different price point. This is another unique restaurant, where a weeknight dinner might run $65/person (weekends are much more expensive for the same food). Iliana Regan is the only chef besides Grant Achatz in Chicago who I can say as a unique vision of what should be on the plate. It is much more informal than the other choices, but worthwhile.

Moto (but also iNG, Moto's little sibling) connects you to the heyday of Molecular Cuisine. It was a terribly exciting moment, but the food is no longer so cutting edge. The best of molecular cuisine has been incorporated into Progressive Modernist cuisine. But Moto and iNG are still iconic.

I admire Goosefoot and Grace - very talented chefs - but both operate (successfully) within the canons of modernist cuisine. El Ideas is a fun place to dine, but I found my meal less compelling in strictly culinary terms (a few dishes were terrific).

And let us not forget Schwa with its mercurial, brilliant, eccentric, rock'n'rolling chef, Michael Carlson. I haven't been at Graham Elliott since the early days when it was less ambitious than it is now, but GEB certainly knows how to cook!

GAF wrote:I haven't been at Graham Elliott since the early days when it was less ambitious than it is now, but GEB certainly knows how to cook!

I thought Graham Elliott was closing after tomorrow night.

It is interesting that Open Table is accepting reservations for Graham Elliot for February, and GE's phone line suggests no indication of closure, despite GEB's announcement. Perhaps it is a case of Seller's Remorse.

The first tasting menu I ever had was Moto and it remains a very favored experience - I think it continues to stand up.

Schwa is IMO the ultimate - so personal, so comfortable yet amazing - for me, best meal ever. It is not however the hyper refined experience of an Alinea etc so consider i you're looking for fine dining or something more unique.

I have eaten at Goosefoot (4 times), Alinea (1 time), EL Ideas (1 time), Schwa (3 times), Elizabeth (1 time) and would have to agree with Gonzo that Goosefoot is a worthy top choice. Definitely one of my favorite restaurant in Chicago. Schwa is a fun time and very laid back but sometimes the food can be inconsistent.

Let us know what you pick and your thoughts on the dinner.

I think I will have to check out Moto, Grace and L20 based on Gonzo's suggestions. Thanks Gonzo!

I think I've had every tasting menu listed above, with the exception of Grace (hope to fit that one in soon). And I can certainly see why anyone would support any of these choices and I doubt any would disappoint. But one other possibility you may wish to consider, and which hasn't been mentioned, is an Outstanding in the Field dinner this summer. Between cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, the meal, the farm tour, the escape from the city . . . I'll take that over any of the tasting menus listed above. And OITF partners with great chefs (the two dinners I've been to have featured Tory Miller and Stephanie Izard), and the chefs really go all out for these dinners. You may feel differently not having undergone tasting menu overload, but I'm not sure I'd feel any differently even if I had never enjoyed an elaborate tasting menu. The OITF dinners are just so unique and fantastic.

Here's a link to a thread about these dinners, and here's a link to OITF's site.

If you do choose this option, just realize that tickets for the most popular dinners sell out within hours of going on sale.