Lunch

[Alkie]

So I'm in Chicago this week because my wife wanted my kid to see it (for some reason).

I'm, as usual, working from the hotel room all day while they go to museums, parks, shop, and eat good food.   I get my cold leftover pizza from Monday night.

Our fridge in the hotel is crazy cold; freezing in fact.   So I pull the pizza out an hour ago to put it on the counter to thaw so I can have some for lunch.

Starving, I go to open the box just now and grab a big ol' slice of spicy garlic deep dish.   When the slice moves.

A german roach (not one of them water roaches from Houston) runs up the side of the slice and starts eating with me standing there.

For some reason, I'm not as hungry anymore.   And I may be cured of pizza.

Also, the roach was wearing a Cubs cap.  Backwards.

[BudGirl]

what hotel are you staying? 

[Alkie]

what hotel are you staying? 

Hotel Raffaello on Delaware.   Everything else had been great here.

[BizidyDizidy]

I turned down a last minute alinea reservation this week - if I had known you were there couldve hooked you up.

[Alkie]

I turned down a last minute alinea reservation this week - if I had known you were there couldve hooked you up.

SHIT.

We're doing Moto (no, not because it's on TV) tomorrow night.  I'm very excited.

[BizidyDizidy]

Homaro Cantu is one seriously weird dude - see this thread (he is inventolux):

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/35595-moto-restaurant-chicago/page__st__300__p__1686736__fromsearch__1&#entry1686736

Moto supposed to be good though; we were looking at taking a food trip up to Chicago before the baby comes, but couldn't get an Alinea spot that worked.

[austro]

I turned down a last minute alinea reservation this week - if I had known you were there couldve hooked you up.

A friend ate there about a month ago. Said it was the most amazing dining experience he'd ever had.

[Alkie]

A friend ate there about a month ago. Said it was the most amazing dining experience he'd ever had.

I've heard that from multiple sources.   We have our kid with us this time, so I doubt we'd have gone even with a coveted reservation (we'll take her to One Star places, but not Three Star places; that's just rude to the other people even if she's well behaved) but I'd fly back with my wife just to eat there.

[Savage]

I've heard that from multiple sources.   We have our kid with us this time, so I doubt we'd have gone even with a coveted reservation (we'll take her to One Star places, but not Three Star places; that's just rude to the other people even if she's well behaved) but I'd fly back with my wife just to eat there.

Alinea is absolutely worth a trip - my chef brother flew in from DC when we got reservations just for the one meal.  Everything was spot on and just so well thought out.  Crazy attention to detail like noticing that we came in a cab so they had one waiting for us to leave and that my brother's girlfriend was left handed so setting her food in a different configuration.     

And the softest toilet paper I've ever encountered. 

[BizidyDizidy]

Just booked an Alinea reservation for late september - very excited.

[Alkie]

Just booked an Alinea reservation for late september - very excited.

Oooh.  I expect a full review.

[BizidyDizidy]

Spent the whole day making reservations - Alinea, Topolo, Blackbird, Publican - counting the days now.

Where did you get your deep dish - having a hard time finding a good discussion because all the real pizza snobs turn up their nose at it.

[Alkie]

Spent the whole day making reservations - Alinea, Topolo, Blackbird, Publican - counting the days now.

Where did you get your deep dish - having a hard time finding a good discussion because all the real pizza snobs turn up their nose at it.

Only had it at two places.   Pizano's, which was eh, ok.   And Anthony's which was much better.  Hardly enough places to make a solid recommendation.   I'd eat Anthony's again, though.

[Savage]

Spent the whole day making reservations - Alinea, Topolo, Blackbird, Publican - counting the days now.

Where did you get your deep dish - having a hard time finding a good discussion because all the real pizza snobs turn up their nose at it.

I prefer Geno's East to Giardanos.  Have never tried Lou Malnati's which is the other one that gets recommended.  I find the whole sausage disk creepy. 

We did Spiaggia a few weeks ago and I enjoyed the balsamic progression tasting menu if you're searching for another meal.  The pigs foot at topo is the most ridiculously tender and flavorful piece of meat I've ever eaten - enjoy!

[BizidyDizidy]

Drop whatever you are doing and go eat at Alinea now. Last night's dinner was easily the best meal my wife and I have ever had (and we've had a few meals).

[subnuclear]

Drop whatever you are doing and go eat at Alinea now. Last night's dinner was easily the best meal my wife and I have ever had (and we've had a few meals).

Right now?  I just had breakfast!  And what do I tell my boss?

[Guinness]

Drop whatever you are doing and go eat at Alinea now. Last night's dinner was easily the best meal my wife and I have ever had (and we've had a few meals).

So what did you have?

[BizidyDizidy]

About 20 courses, none of which are really describable. Sorry, you're just going to have to go.

[chuck]

Drop whatever you are doing and go eat at Alinea now. Last night's dinner was easily the best meal my wife and I have ever had (and we've had a few meals).

Do they pair the various courses with wine flights or did you order by the bottle or what?

edit - You would have been the only one drinking I suppose so maybe you would have forgone the wine altogether. But I would like a sense of what most diners do there.

[BizidyDizidy]

Do they pair the various courses with wine flights or did you order by the bottle or what?

edit - You would have been the only one drinking I suppose so maybe you would have forgone the wine altogether. But I would like a sense of what most diners do there.

You can do a pairing (which I did) or order by the bottle. With just me drinking I did the pairing; if it was both of us I usually prefer to order a bottle or two (or 1.5 or whatever).

[HudsonHawk]

You can do a pairing (which I did) or order by the bottle. With just me drinking I did the pairing; if it was both of us I usually prefer to order a bottle or two (or 1.5 or whatever).

The Mrs. and I almost always order by the bottle, and it's rare that it's just one bottle.

[BizidyDizidy]

The Mrs. and I almost always order by the bottle, and it's rare that it's just one bottle.

I agree with that in general. For 20 very weird courses (e.g. pheasant, walnut, and grape, speared on a burning oak leave, tempura fried), there is some benefit to letting them pair wines to each course, since 1) they have a much better idea what will go and 2) there aren't many bottles that will work great with everything. I myself don't know what goes best with oak leaf smoke.

[Andyzipp]

The Mrs. and I almost always order by the bottle, and it's rare that it's just one bottle.

That's not surprising.  She knows what you look like when she's sober.

[HudsonHawk]

That's not surprising.  She knows what you look like when she's sober.

I have to get her liquored up for lots of things.  Marriage was one of them.

[HudsonHawk]

I agree with that in general. For 20 very weird courses (e.g. pheasant, walnut, and grape, speared on a burning oak leave, tempura fried), there is some benefit to letting them pair wines to each course, since 1) they have a much better idea what will go and 2) there aren't many bottles that will work great with everything. I myself don't know what goes best with oak leaf smoke.

Boone's Farm. Goes.  With.  Everything.

[Ron Brand]

Boone's Farm. Goes.  With.  Everything.

I know red goes with meat and white goes with fish. I thought that blue kind went with everything.

[Ron Brand]

Boone's Farm. Goes.  With.  Everything.

And it makes a dandy paint remover too.

[Guinness]

About 20 courses, none of which are really describable. Sorry, you're just going to have to go.

Sounds...pretentious...

actually, you're going to go all sweater-tied-around-your-neck-and-boat-shoes, yet you don't choose your own wine?

[hostros7]

And it makes a dandy paint panty remover too.

FIF Roethlisberger

[Ron Brand]

The last time I had Boone's Farm was in high school, and the only "flavor" I remember was Strawberry Hill. Times have changed, for there are now several different varieties: Tropical, Wild Island, Snow Creek Berry, Mountain Berry, Pink Grapefruit, Kiwi Strawberry, Strawberry Hill, Watermelon, Strawberry Margarita, Strawberry Daiquiri, Wild Cherry, Green Apple, Apple Blossom, Pina Colada, Fuzzy Navel, Mango Grove, Orange Pineapple, Orange Hurricane and Blue Hawaiian.

There's even a Fan Club, with "Flavor Reviews."

[BizidyDizidy]

The mango grove has great fruit on the nose, but the structure is a little too tannic for me. Give it 15-25 years in the cellar to integrate and it should be a tour de force.

[HudsonHawk]

The mango grove has great fruit on the nose, but the structure is a little too tannic for me. Give it 15-25 years in the cellar to integrate and it should be a tour de force.

Nothing like 30 year old Boone's Farm.  It's like drinking butter.

[Ron Brand]

The mango grove has great fruit on the nose, but the structure is a little too tannic for me. Give it 15-25 years in the cellar to integrate and it should be a tour de force.

From the Fan Club:

Mango Grove

Fuzzy Navel move over! Mango Grove is quite possibly the new hotness. Featuring fine-grained mangoes, with a long, powerful finish of mango and groviness, this is the perfect drink for any classy occasion.

Alcohol Content: 4%
Rating: 93 points

I'm guessing it tastes more like vaguely fruit-addled varnish aged in a Hai Karate bottle.

[Ty in Tampa]

Bum wine

[Alkie]

About 20 courses, none of which are really describable. Sorry, you're just going to have to go.

You're the worst food reviewer ever.

Get a goddamn copy of the chef's menu you ate and tell me what the fuck you had with descriptions.   Why did we send you there?

[Alkie]

Sounds...pretentious...

actually, you're going to go all sweater-tied-around-your-neck-and-boat-shoes, yet you don't choose your own wine?

About a month ago, we ate at Per Se finally.   We ordered the chef's tasting menu with pairings and the Smelly-A had the audacity to ask me what kind of wines I'd like that night.   Listen, Frenchy; if I'm coming in to your restaurant and agreeing to spend $275 on the wine pairings alone, I expect you to look deep into my fucking soul and tell me what pairs best with the oyster and tapioca flan.   If I wanted to tell YOU what I wanted to drink tonight, I'd be at Chili's.

[chuck]

About a month ago, we ate at Per Se finally.   We ordered the chef's tasting menu with pairings and the Smelly-A had the audacity to ask me what kind of wines I'd like that night.   Listen, Frenchy; if I'm coming in to your restaurant and agreeing to spend $275 on the wine pairings alone, I expect you to look deep into my fucking soul and tell me what pairs best with the oyster and tapioca flan.   If I wanted to tell YOU what I wanted to drink tonight, I'd be at Chili's.

Hats off to that.

[BizidyDizidy]

You're the worst food reviewer ever.

Get a goddamn copy of the chef's menu you ate and tell me what the fuck you had with descriptions.   Why did we send you there?

I have a menu - if someone tells me how to post pictures, no problem. Otherwise, maybe you should friend my wife on facebook. My understanding is that it's almost impossible to spread VD that way.

[HudsonHawk]

I have a menu - if someone tells me how to post pictures, no problem. Otherwise, maybe you should friend my wife on facebook. My understanding is that it's almost impossible to spread VD that way.

You can't post pictures.  You can email them to each other.

[JimR]

That's not surprising.  She knows what you look like when she's sober.

i hope this post wins an award if there is still such an award.

[MusicMan]

i hope this post wins an award if there is still such an award.

There is a small queue of nominations back to approximately June.

[JimR]

There is a small queue of nominations back to approximately June.

speak to the Man In Charge.

[MusicMan]

speak to the Man In Charge.

I figured he reported to you.  But my kids are young enough for me to maintain such illusions.

[JimR]

I figured he reported to you.  But my kids are young enough for me to maintain such illusions.

My God, man. are you crazy?