i live in the building right next to alta. alta is definitely a nice building from the outside and you can't beat the area. after a month of living here i'm still enjoying the chocolate smells and the short walk to work is my favorite thing about this neighborhood. another short walk to randolph and you get a wide variety of food choices.... not so much bars

Commuting sucks, you made the right choice. No point in wasting hours of your week if it can be avoided.

I went to Avec last night. All of the restaurants the group owns really knows how to add bacon to things. bacon. I don't really care for wine so the huge wine list didn't excite me that much. I had a Bourgogne Des Flanders Brown Ale and it was OMG OMG OMG good.

Moved to chicago a month ago and I love the city. Thanks for all the tips in this thread, they are awesome and I've got a pretty long to do list now.

How many of you guys are going to be at WSOP circuit?
http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-tour...ircuit-chicago

Any rock climbers here or recommendations for where to go in Chicago? I'm right near the wall at the LPAC but it is super overpriced (I guess this is only true if you are climbing pretty seriously but it isn't bad if you go once or twice)

I have friends who climb at FFC Old Town and love it.

The gym out in naperville is worth the drive. They used to have good route setters. The tall-ass wall at Lakeshore was ok, but I never really got off on it...just a long long slog to the top. Also, if you can get an in with (I think it was called) the sweatshop (but my memory sucks this morning), you're good. Sort of a bouldering co-op. You'll need to meet someone who knows someone, though.

Vertical Endeavors out in the burbs is, afaik, the best climbing in the Chicagoland area. Bit of a trip, though.

just booked alinea for early december
any tips?
pretty pumped

NH -

Take a cab. There's valet, but in terms of general stress level and ability to drink whatever you want, cab ftw.

Don't be that guy who takes pictures of everything.

At alinea, Next, and Aviary, the service is pretty uneven. Be prepared to set the tone with the various people working your table in terms of how much conversation and detail you'd like to have about the food and drinks.

You'll get conflicting reports of whether or not the paired beverages are worth it. Usually you can find out what the pairings are before going and what people think. Personally I've been more impressed with any Next/alinea pairings that are not strictly wine than those that have been, and I think that's the majority opinion.

Other than that, the food is pretty fantastic, so don't worry about that. If you arrive a little bit early you can take some time to look in the kitchen as there's a glass wall.

Have fun.

Disagree with this. Most people only go to Alinea once and it's a big deal for them. If taking pictures helps you remember all the awesome dishes and intricacies of the experience, go nuts. Not saying you have to of course, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

I've never met anyone who has complained about other people taking pictures while at Alinea, so doubt that it would really matters what you do to others

Don't be that guy but be with someone who is -- best of both worlds! Also, don't use a flash.

Agreed with all of cit's things with these 2 comments:

1) I think taking some photos is definitely fine (every few courses, your group). Pretty torn on doing it for every course cause it is cool for completeness but really annoying.

2) What do you mean by uneven? Setting the tone is a VERY good point and so true. You have to be doubly careful of who you go with cause an obnoxious person will cause the waitstaff to be just as annoying.

Agreed no flash. Agreed it's a special occasion for most people. Agreed that it's totally fine to take a few pictures. Just a huge number of people going to places like alinea these days are taking pictures of *every* course. Frequently not pictures that include the guests themselves, just the food. If you want a good picture of the food, someone else on the internet has already taken a picture of that exact course with some 20 MP camera and whatever and is a better photographer than you anyway, so just get theirs. If you're looking for shots with your party in them, I can't think of a reason you'd need one for every course. Also my original comment was less about bothering other patrons than remembering to enjoy your food in that moment instead of saving the image of it for posterity. Dishes come out of the kitchen timed to be eaten when served and explained. With many dishes, specifically those featuring hot/cold contrasts, that minute you spend fiddling with your camera to make sure you got a good shot alters the food, the pacing, and usually your enjoyment of actually being there eating that food at that time.

With respect to service... I mean, a few times I've just had outright poor service at alinea and Next. On both my trips to Next, a waiter has knocked over a mostly full beverage bottle at my table. On the latter, the waitress dropped the bottle of beer we were talking about (which had been on my table) and which I had explained is one of my favorite beers (Hitachino White Nest ftw). She didn't even appear to consider replacing the bottle. On the other trip to Next, it was clear that the people seated at the tables on either side of me were industry. They got exceptional service - friendly, thorough, and informative. I hardly got explanations of many dishes without specifically asking about them.

At alinea, specifically the wine service can be pretty silly. Getting explained that a particular beverage was put in barrel, on to a ship, and then sailed across the equator twice for some reason is kind of cool to know, but not if it totally replaces things like tasting notes. People who express genuine interest in the wines and learning about what they are drinking (or eating) shouldn't ever be met with eye rolling.

Similarly, however, my experiences at alinea have either had me receiving pretty mediocre service or stuffy service that in general doesn't match the vibe of the place or witnessing those at tables near me getting the same. It's pretty unacceptable for two tables next to each other to get wildly different explanations of the dishes, wines, etc. Idk, I've heard generally the same from many people with respect to all of their places. I'd like to think i'm not obnoxious and a pretty seasoned high-end restaurant goer, as are my usual guests. I don't think it's acceptable when you're spending $1000 a couple for the waitstaff to be annoying to you even if you're mildly obnoxious to them, though, as I said, I don't think that applies to me.

Improvised Shakespeare at the iO theater.

http://chicago.ioimprov.com/io/shows/14

The best.

I was in town for a concert, randomly discovered Margie's Candies, an old fashioned candy/ice cream parlor that looks like it has been there forever. (okay, 80+ years according to wikipedia). I went with the hot fudge banana split, fantastic.

There is a new grocery store by the Aqua buildings called Marianos.

Vvvv sick place. Prices are very good as well. I think I like it better than Whole Foods.

Going to Sepia on Friday. V excited!

Went to Davanti Enoteca on Taylor Street (Italian-tapas style). Liked the ravioli and squid. Nice wine selection. Passed by Three Aces on the way there. Outdoor area looked really nice.

These have been popping up in the burbs the past few years. One opened recently in Roscoe Village. Great stuff. Definitely a Whole Foods vibe, but cheaper.

+2. Was at the one in roscoe village the other day. I didn't know what to expect and that sums it up perfectly

Can someone give a rundown of good clubs in the city for Saturday night bottle service. Anything without a jersey shore feel will do. Thanks,

oh snap mittens is in town? and I'm busy? fml
I'm new here so no suggestions

The tandoori marinated sturgeon at Sepia was OMG good. If I had to use something as an example of a perfect dish, it would be that. Tandoori marinated sturgeon with tzatziki sauce? BRILLIANT! I'm going to be dreaming about it for months to come.

I just saw your earlier post and was going to recommend this dish to you. The chicken fried quail is also excellent.

My new favorite place is Boardroom. Studio Paris is also new and vv good as well.

Cuvee, Underground and Sub51 are all good.

next childhood starting soon

Been said a million times in this thread but I really enjoyed The Violet Hour. The cocktails were fantastic. I dont really drink cocktails often so it was pretty eye opening how much goes into it and how enjoyable they were. I also know one of the bartenders there so I'm sure that didn't hurt the experience.

Also international film festival is still going on and I'd recommend checking it out while you can. I went down to AMC in streeterville and caught a film yesterday and I'm going to try to make at least one more (it ends Oct 20th). The term "international film festival" gave me the impression that it would be shown in special screening rooms, hard to get tickets...etc but tickets were $11 or $12 I think and just shown in a normal movie theater. I wish I'd gone to more screenings over the past week.