Chicago Dine and Dash

Alinea, Avec (no representative picture), Intelligentsia, Hot Doug's, and North Pond. Luckily the Cleveland Clinic is at the top of their game for angioplasty. This post could be very long. I'll try to keep it short. All pictures except for the above one are stolen from the places' websites.

Alinea: The finest dining experience of my life that I have no interest in repeating. We did the tour with wine tasting. 24 courses, give or take, with about 11 wines. The wines were amazing. The food, taste wise, was hit or miss. The subtleties of iceberg lettuce compressed with cucumber juice was lost on me. It tasted like iceberg lettuce. A lilac soup with warm but rare seafood was a bit off for me too. I love warm seafood. I love raw seafood. I don't love warm, raw seafood (or melon posing as seafood). Also, pillows filled with scented air. I'm all for aromatherapy, but really? And why the hell is my bacon on a wire. One of the super professional servers even had trouble getting that thing to balance right.

The Wagyu beef dish was straightforward (except for the powdered A1) and fantastic. The Pigeonneau, an appropriately named tart with squab and foie, amongst other things, was one of the best things I've eaten in my life. Also, there was a soft shell crab dish that was fantastic. Same with frozen pound cake.

The different breads (with two perfect butters) and post-dinner espresso were also really good. But, just so you know, the raspberry transparency (think flattened jolly rancher) smelled eerily like urinal cake. Maybe it was intentional, the similarities were uncanny.

Despite all that, the space and the service were amazing. The total experience can't be beat. But for tasty avant garde cuisine, I think the food at minibar tastes better. And I still really want to eat this guy's food.

Avec: For Clevelanders, think Flying Fig meets Bar Cento with a bit of Lolita thrown in, kind of. Some of the best food I've ever eaten at 1/10 of the price of the aforementioned Chicago spot. Great, friendly service, funky wine list, and plate after plate of stellar, unfussy seeming food. The brussels sprout salad with brown butter vinaigrette and a salt cod dish will stay with me for a while. Great, simple desserts. Intelligentsia coffee.

Intelligentsia: Speaking of . . . . 3 Clovers at one location--I hadn't even seen one before. The brewed coffee is so subtle that it took a few sips for me to start to really appreciate how great it was. I'm not giving up my filtered cup, but still . . . . The espresso didn't require any deep thought. It was perfect. Water, sparkling or still, was offered alongside. Perfect. And, like nearly ever other place visited in Chicago, no pretenses. I am not cool, and that was just fine over there. Over here sometimes I feel it necessary to put on a few temporary tattoos in order to get the good service at coffee shops (not at all of them, just some others).

Hot Doug's: Two hours of waiting in line for encased meats. I've had better Italian sausage, but the Polish and bacon wrapped dogs were fantastic. Yes, three hot dogs (and that was pre-Avec). Shared the duck fat fries too. Have to say we do those better over here, although I like their thinner cut, they just weren't that crisp. In their defense we were there right before closing. Great service again. Would gladly stand in line to go back. Next time though, I think I'd bring a six pack.

North Pond: For brunch. Not inexpensive, but very good. They do a cured arctic char that's ridiculously good, and really know how to cook fish. Portions are definitely of the Midwestern variety, and the simple menu manages to offer some great options. More good coffee. Great views and dessert too. No complaints. Would go back.

So it was a pretty good trip. Even managed to take in some culture. Now back to the grind . . . .