Anyone from Chicago familiar with the fine dining scene??

The husband and I are taking a trip to Chicago next year and are planning 7 days of eating. We are both professional chefs and are looking for the best meals possible. This is our list as of now, but we would like to know if we picked the best restaurants?

Alinea
http://www.alinea-restaurant.com/index.html

L2O
http://www.l2orestaurant.com/

Schwa
http://www.schwarestaurant.com/

TRU
http://www.trurestaurant.com/node/131

Moto
http://www.motorestaurant.com/

Blackbird

http://www.blackbirdrestaurant.com/

We will be cooking for friends on the 7th night :)

Thanks in advance!

I lived in Chicago for a little while.  I say skip the fancy.  Go for Portillo's and Lou Malnati's.

Original Post by katesorad:

I lived in Chicago for a little while.  I say skip the fancy.  Go for Portillo's and Lou Malnati's.

The restaurants are the only reason we're going. My parents bought us the trip, so as chefs, we want to go all out food wise. Thanks though!

Why would you go on a vacation just to eat at fancy restaurants?  Fancy restaurants do not equal culture!  Chicago has amazing pizza and Portillo's is an incredibly place to go.  I don't eat meat, but at Portillo's I get a bun with a pickle and ketchup/mustard and it's INCREDIBLE.  Their fries are AMAZING.

If you go to a city like Chicago, sure, fine dining can be fun, but don't do it every night.  Seriously.  That would be like going to Italy and only eating at fancy restaurants with French food.  Come on.  Live a little!  Eat a deep dish pizza that makes you feel like you're going to die when you're done eating it.  As long as you don't eat this food daily, it's the best way to live!

We're chefs. To us, fine dining is living. I didn't say we weren't going to do other stuff, but we're pretty serious about food, and Chicago is one of the country's best cities for fine dining. I don't know what you do, so I can't relate it to your profession, but say you were a wine maker and you got a paid trip to France, you would go to the best wineries you could find. It's about passion for what we do, and respect for those who do it the best.

I'm not sure why I feel judged for planning my own vacation...

It's not that I'm judging you.  All I'm saying is that Chicago does have some of the best food that I have ever eaten, and not all of that food was in a fancy restaurant.  Knock yourself out and eat those fancy dinners, but I really think that you should also try some of the other cultural stuff that Chicago has to offer.

Profession has nothing to do with it.  I am studying to be a court reporter myself (I obviously don't go on vacation to visit different court houses..), but my dad owned two fancy restaurants in the past, both of which were in Chicago.  He built them from scratch (obviously other than the buildings) and found incredible chefs and helped create incredible menus.  However, my dad appreciates both fine dining as well as cultural dining.

I honestly just don't know why you aren't more open minded.  I like fancy restaurants just as much as the next person.. but Chicago is KNOWN for its pizza and Italian beef and freaking hot dogs.  So go eat one alfdkjasf.

Maybe I should have mentioned that we've been to Chicago before and feasted on the pizza and hot dogs. I'm not sure what being opened minded has to do with it. We appreciate any food as long as it's done the best it can be done. We live off the small indepent cheap restaurants here in DC. And Chipotle because it's amazing.

Caitlin - sorry the responses haven't been great to say the least.  I haven't been to Chicago since age 17, so I can't be of any help, but just wanted to say that I hope you go and have a fabulous time eating whatever/wherever you like!  When I go on vacation, I like to eat at nicer places too and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that (and I am DEFINITELY not a chef).  Plus, there's always lunch if you want to throw some cheaper places in there.

Kate - why wouldn't they go on a vacation just to eat at fancy restaurants?  OP clearly stated that was their goal, so not sure why you felt the need to attack that idea.

Original Post by awestendorf:

Kate - why wouldn't they go on a vacation just to eat at fancy restaurants?  OP clearly stated that was their goal, so not sure why you felt the need to attack that idea.

Maybe I'm just more open-minded than others.  I went to Vegas last year to go party.. and I ended up doing a lot of family oriented stuff as well.

O-p-e-n m-i-n-d-e-d.

Original Post by katesorad:

I lived in Chicago for a little while.  I say skip the fancy.  Go for Portillo's and Lou Malnati's.

Kate, that didn't answer the OP's question. she asked a specific question. I understand that you are trying to give her some ideas but it is her decision not yours. 

Caiteliz014, sorry. I have never been to Chicago so I can't help you but I know there are people here from Chicago and they will be able to help you.

I did a quick search and here is what I've found

http://gochicago.about.com/od/chicagorestaura ntseats/tp/top_restaurants.htm

also, I have always found Zagat very useful.here is the website. check it out. it will give you an idea about the ratings in addition to customers reviews.

 http://www.zagat.com/chicago

Good luck. Enjoy the trip.

I just think that it's kind of sad that somebody is so set up going to high end restaurants.  My parents are very, very wealthy and they frequent hole in the wall Mexican places that you can get a huge feast for $5

Original Post by katesorad:

I just think that it's kind of sad that somebody is so set up going to high end restaurants.  My parents are very, very wealthy and they frequent hole in the wall Mexican places that you can get a huge feast for $5

so what?:))

I have a few friends from Chicago and my husband has family there.  I'll have to ask about some good places and post again.  I think it sounds like a fantastic way to spend vacation!  I am jealous. 

Original Post by katesorad:

I just think that it's kind of sad that somebody is so set up going to high end restaurants.  My parents are very, very wealthy and they frequent hole in the wall Mexican places that you can get a huge feast for $5

How are you any more open-minded?  The OP stated they've done the hole-in-the-wall places too.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to go to nice places.  Get off your high horse and maybe provide some helpful information since you lived there.

hahaha this thread is funny.

you ask a simple question and the next thing you know someone is telling you that your not open minded.

I love it.

Caiteliz that sounds freaking awesome. A whole trip planned for fine dining is right on! Both of my brothers are professional chefs, so when I go to visit them I get like 9 course meals and can barely walk afterward. I'm super jealous of you, when I vacation I try to find the best places possible to eat to. To me, the food is a HUGE part of the experience.

Hey thanks everyone! We are really looking forward to this trip. We don't make a lot of money, and my parents (who are not very, very rich) are being so nice in paying for it. We never had a honeymoon, so this is kind of it for us!

As far as for being O-p-e-n m-i-n-d-e-d, we are pretty much as open minded as it gets. We're buddhists for crying out loud, having an open mind is the entire reason for our practice :-P We don't sit and stare at walls for nothin :)

"I just think that it's kind of sad that somebody is so set up going to high end restaurants.  My parents are very, very wealthy and they frequent hole in the wall Mexican places that you can get a huge feast for $5"

Our favorite restaraunt where we live is this super cheap family-run Afghan place. We go in there so much, they know our names, where we work, even how many pounds I've lost! I know it's not always about how expensive a place is, it's about good quality food made from good quality people. But that doesn't mean we're not going to enjoy the hell out of our fancy pants dinners in Chicago!

For really fine dining, I highly recommend Spiaggia.  It is an Italian restaurant, but it is extremely nice.  When I went it was because my parents had bought me and my new husband a gift certificate (we had to go to Chicago immediately after our courthouse wedding to get stuff done at the Italian consulate in Chicago).

Here is the website:

http://www.spiaggiarestaurant.com/

Original Post by kbella24:

For really fine dining, I highly recommend Spiaggia.  It is an Italian restaurant, but it is extremely nice.  When I went it was because my parents had bought me and my new husband a gift certificate (we had to go to Chicago immediately after our courthouse wedding to get stuff done at the Italian consulate in Chicago).

Here is the website:

http://www.spiaggiarestaurant.com/

Wow, that does look really good! Thanks. Good Italian food=love.

Original Post by caiteliz014:

Original Post by kbella24:

For really fine dining, I highly recommend Spiaggia.  It is an Italian restaurant, but it is extremely nice.  When I went it was because my parents had bought me and my new husband a gift certificate (we had to go to Chicago immediately after our courthouse wedding to get stuff done at the Italian consulate in Chicago).

Here is the website:

http://www.spiaggiarestaurant.com/

Wow, that does look really good! Thanks. Good Italian food=love.

If you end up going, I HIGHLY recommend the antipasto with the three different mushrooms (if they still have it).  I forget what kind of mushrooms, but there is one of each, and each one is "cooked" in a different way. One is raw, another is pickled, and another is grilled or something.  Each one is served with a bit of Italian burrata.  DELICIOUS!  I also had gnocchi with truffle sauce....truffles are too delicious for their own good. 

I used to live about 90 minutes from Chicago, and I suggest you try one of Rick Bayless's restaurants. He started with Frontera in Chicago. He has made a serious name for himself with his high-end gormet Mexican cuisine. Here's a link to his restaurant Frontera.

I haven't eaten there, but I want to go there very much. Rick has been featured several seasons on Top Chef and he won Top Chef Masters.

By the way, I would love to go to a city and eat at the finest restaurants every night as a feature of my vacation.

You could go to McDonald's.  Maybe you'll get lucky and katesorad will give you a hot deal on a value meal.