Unique dining Experiences

I am planning to go out to a nice meal later this month, and am looking for ideas/tiebreakers.

My criteria is a unique dining experience with top-notch food. Price is not necessarily a consideration, however I'd want to ensure the meal will be worth it. For example, I tried Katsu once and came away quite disappointed by the price compared to the amount of food/quality. Had to immediately get a slice of pizza after.

My main debate is between Acadia (heard only great things) and 42 Grams (seems more casual and intimate), but I'd be open to other considerations, especially a popup dinner.

Have been to Elizabeth, Next, and Alinea before, and felt that Next was the most playful/inventive, while Elizabeth had a nice casual vibe and was really authentic in their cooking.

I'd book Elizabeth again, but would rather try something new this time...

If you haven't been to El Ideas, I'd put that at the top of the list.

If by "end of the month" you mean May, seats at 42 grams may be tough to snag unless you're ok with a weeknight or dining solo. But it was a wonderful meal. A lot more expensive than El though. And personally, I prefer the more laid back vibe at El.

I agree with boudreaulicious . I had read about El Ideas, but had never been. A few years ago, my husband surprised me for my birthday. Phillip Foss and his team added to the fun evening. The experience was memorable and unique.

Of the restaurants that you mentioned, Acadia seems the least 'unique' to me. I had a very good dinner there last spring (which I wrote about here), but I wouldn't describe it as a unique dining experience. While not stuffy at all, it was a fairly traditional fine dining experience. In terms of a unique experience, El Ideas is far closer to an Elizabeth-type experience.

Another vote for El Ideas; one of my favorite venues in the city. Extremely unique, memorable dining experience with fantastic, highly creative food. Dinner party like vibe and lots of interaction with the chefs (they serve much of the food, present the dishes and you can hang out in the kitchen between courses, observing and mingling with them). If you do have a large appetite, you may leave a bit hungry - while not a small meal by any means, it definitely emphasizes quality over quantity. While expensive, the BYO aspect helps keep the overall price lower than most venues of this caliber.

Agree that Acadia is not what I would consider unique; excellent, beautifully plated food - but not all that different than other fine dining venues. 42 Grams I love the food (some of the most interesting and best tasting food I've ever seen), but just not as big a fan of the vibe at 42 Grams versus El Ideas - El is a more leisurely experience and just has a more fun, energetic, playful vibe. Overall quantity of food was also a bit less at 42 Grams than is typical at El Ideas.

I agree with some other posts above: El Ideas owns the category because of its ultra-casual vibe and its focus on interactivity. But Elizabeth is right up there with it. Both have really great food but Elizabeth's uniqueness is more about its cuisine than the overall dining experience, though it's hardly cookie-cutter to eat there. I think you'd do quite well to plunk down at either place.

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Here is how I would rank our restaurants offering non-traditional and/or unique experiences, based on the sheer deliciousness of the food (with 1 = best):

1. Alinea (1.0)
2. 42 Grams
3. North Pond
4. Oriole
5. Grace
6. Elizabeth
7. El Ideas

Here is how I would rank them based on the fun and uniqueness of the experience:

1. Alinea (1.0)
2. 42 Grams
3. North Pond
4. Oriole
5. El Ideas
6. Elizabeth
7. Grace

Aside from Alinea, which is in a class of its own and is reconcepting, I think 42 Grams is knocking it out of the park right now. 42 Grams would be my top pick, by far. It's really amazing, and so much fun. I'd go back in a heartbeat. North Pond and Oriole are also thoroughly excellent, and may be easier to book; they're also great choices if you're uncomfortable with the tickets-in-advance concept. I included North Pond with the assumption that you would consider a great setting (in the middle of the park) and a great view to qualify as a "unique dining experience", despite a fairly traditional dining format. When making your reservation at North Pond, request seating in the front room with the full-length windows, facing the pond and the skyline. I can only guess that the lack of mention of Oriole is simply because few have been to it yet - it deserves consideration with all of these.

I did not include Acadia because I don't consider it to be non-traditional. FWIW, I've been there twice, loved it the first time when I ordered a la carte, not so much the second when I had the tasting menu. I also did not include Next because it's so different from one menu to another.

Well, opinions are . . . opinions . . . and we all have our preferences. For me, having been to all of the above, 42 Grams and it's not even a close call. But I also get those suggesting El Ideas. They're both casual fine dining, but they're very different experiences and not knowing you, I have no idea which you would prefer. And Acadia is fantastic too but yes, far more traditional fine dining. El Ideas, 42 Grams, Elizabeth -- a totally different category and a type of restaurant seen far less outside Chicago. So if you really want to find out which one floats your boat, pick one this time, one another time . . . though you should also know that based upon my visit to 42 Grams a couple of weeks ago, it's possible they may be going away from being BYO (though probably not until at least next year) and that would likely affect future pricing.

I loved the food at 42 g but didn't find the overall dining experience there particularly unique or enjoyable - other than the fact that the whole meal took less than 2 hours, which was unique and enjoyable. That's practically unheard of in the current tasting-menu universe and I really appreciated it.

From a 2016 perspective, Alinea 1.0 was not particularly unique (not the case when it set its course). Ditto for Grace. Both are undoubtedly world-class but fall solidly in the contemporary/modernist fine-dining category. This is probably due as much to others coming to imitate them over time as anything else but still, it is what it is. From what we've seen in preview mode, Alinea 2.0 looks like it will recast itself quite differently, so stay tuned.

Oriole: I loved the food and the service was stellar. It's also a small, intimate space but the dining experience itself? I didn't find it particularly unique. But I am eager to eat there again because it was great.

I'm not bashing Grace, Oriole or Alinea (where I've eaten over 20 times) because they are each spectacular in their own ways. But the dining experience at all 3 follows a pretty set script. It happens to be one that I have enjoyed immensely over the years but in my opinion it's places like El Ideas and (to a lesser degree) Elizabeth, that truly take the dining experience outside the conventional paradigm.

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No mention of Goosefoot? Especially since the recent reconcept, I think it belongs in the conversation.

Interesting thread; lots of outstanding venues being named, but seems like everyone has differing opinions as to what constitutes "unique." Oriole and Grace (along with El Ideas) comprise my personal trio of favorite Chicago restaurants - however Oriole and Grace, as spectacular as they are, are not what come to my mind when the primary category is unique. Goosefoot is another venue I adore; while I find it a bit more unique than Grace and Oriole, I would not put it in the same category as venues such as 42 Grams, El Ideas and Elizabeth where the meal is so much more than just the food itself and where you likely will eat ingredients and/or preparations you have never had (or possibly even heard of) before.

The Midwestern omakase at Arbor restaurant (not yet mentioned in this thread) would be another venue I'd lump in the unique category. The food is not quite as top notch as some other venues listed, but is generally quite good - and is the most filling and among the least expensive of the venues already mentioned.

Unique to me is El Ideas, Schwa, Purple Pig, Fat Rice, Parachute... something that you truly haven't had before.

Obviously, what is a "unique dining experience" can vary from person to person, and might include the food, the atmosphere, the presentation, the setting, some combination of all of these, etc. In this case, the OP is a longtime LTHer with plenty of experience, looking for suggestions, and thus probably familiar (at least by reputation) with most if not all of them. All of the ideas and places presented here should help the OP make a decision. Let us know where you wind up!

Thanks everyone for the advice!

I ended up booking a meal at El Ideas. Compared to other options, it was a mix of affordability and interactivity.

A little background on my choice/perspective...

To me, a unique dining experience goes beyond the food. It's how the chef + waiters/waitresses involve and, to an extent, educate you throughout the meal. Simply sitting back and being doted upon is nice, however when I drop hundreds of dollars on a restaurant, I want to be actively engaged.

The most memorable meals are those in which I play with my food, or when each meal adds to the overall experience.

I've never forgotten the 50 garnishes of lamb at Alinea, or the slew of tricks throughout a blurry, yet memorable meal at Next. And then at Elizabeth I arrived in a dragon costume for their Game of Thrones series, relishing in its "home kitchen" environment.

Some of my favorite restaurants are equally about the equilibrium of food and their environment: Red Hot Ranch is a no-fuss, perfect hot dog in a no-frills setting. Birchwood Kitchen had a welcoming air and served honest food.

My concern about El Ideas was that it tows the line on gimmicks vs quality of food, however these posts have me really excited to eat there.

Thanks again for the replies. I'm excited to see what other people have to say!

Great choice; from what you are describing, I think you will really enjoy El Ideas. I have been several times and overall generally love at least 80% of the courses on any given night with a couple dishes that are just OK or an occasional miss. Chef Foss is one of the most creative chefs; the menu changes over at El Ideas faster than any other Chicago fine dining venue - with such creativity and rapid turnover of dishes you get a lot of awesome dishes, but the occasional experiment that doesn't work or needs tweaking. However every meal there has featured far, far more hits than misses. Regarding gimmicks, I'd say overall there is more of a genuine, authentic vibe at El - they use some modernist techniques, but never over the top. I actually find it significantly less gimmicky than Alinea and such a warmer place - the chefs are so personable and humble and greatly enhance the dining experience. The one front-of-the-house staff (Bill) is among the best in the business as well.

Look forward to hearing your report and hoping you love El as much as I do.