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Chicago Michelin Guide - Page 4

post #46 of 56
11/25/10 at 1:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChicagoMediaMan-27 View Post
My girlfriend and I treated ourselves to Alinea not all that long ago for our 1 year anniversary. Yes, it was good, but I left wanting just a little bit more for what I paid. The food was good, but I was just expecting a little bit better for what I paid. Just my take. The service was phenomenal. Was at Bonsoiree several years ago when it first opened and was very impressed. Paramount Room is a big sleeper on that list. It looks like a drungy bar, but the food is really good. And you can't go wrong with hopleaf.
If you're looking for more, you probably won't get it anywhere... to be perfectly honest. $250 or whatever is actually a pretty fair price for the food you get there. I also happen to think that their wine pairings are beyond compare. It's the only place I've never had almost anything to complain about... except for that white asparagus in cold creme soup thing.. jesus I hated that. But that's one out of what.. over 200 courses I've had there?
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post #47 of 56
1/22/11 at 7:28pm
Ate ate Sepia last night.

The food was pretty good but the service was really slow...must have been far better when the Michelin crew showed up

We are talking 20 minutes for a drink order to come back from the bar and some really long waits before/between courses. I didn't have dessert but ordered a coffee after the desert order had gone in...it came slowly and yet I was completely done nursing it before the dessert showed up (and the extent of dessert ordered was along the lines of some chocolate cake for one person and a few assorted scoops of ice cream for others...not exactly something that takes prep).

Maybe it was because we were enough people to trigger automatic gratuity but that's really not a fair excuse for poor service. The house was reasonably full but there were some pretty large sets of tables that were empty (someone mentioned that those are always held empty for large reservations or something, but either way...the place wasn't at capacity and there didn't appear to be people waiting around for tables at the bar).
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post #48 of 56
1/23/11 at 12:12am
Laurent Gras is not at L2O anymore.
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post #49 of 56
1/23/11 at 12:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SirSuturesALot View Post
Laurent Gras is not at L2O anymore.
He wasn't there when the Guide got printed or released, either.
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post #50 of 56
1/23/11 at 2:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gladhands View Post
::dismissive wank:: Michelin places too much stock in shit other than the food. I couldn't care less how beautiful the space is or how professional the waitstaff. My favorite (one) starred restaurant on that list doesn't even have waitiers, but for my money kicks the living shit out of Trotter's.

Yes, Schwa is the best meal for the money in the city by far. best meal for the money I have ever had. And, bite for bite, is just a hair shy (and only a hair) of places like Alinea, Per Se, etc.
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post #51 of 56
1/24/11 at 4:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYT
But the other three star winner, L2O, raised eyebrows because its chef, Laurent Gras, left several weeks ago. Usually, when a chef leaves a restaurant, Michelin removes its stars if they do not have time to do a re-rereview before publication. In the case of L2O, there wasn't time to change anything because the books were finished.

FYI
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post #52 of 56
1/24/11 at 8:45am
L2O, while a nice, clean, tasty place is not at the 3 star level. Alinea is a solid step above and L2O has been inconsistent since its opening, sometimes dazzling and sometimes merely satisfying. It would be a solid two star in New York. (before you go nuts, I have lived in NY and Chicago and prefer dining in Chicago) Eating well in Chicago at the high end comes down to Alinea and Schwa. Noone else is close. And those two places are as good as the top two places in any city in this country.
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post #53 of 56
1/24/11 at 11:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nmprisons View Post
L2O, while a nice, clean, tasty place is not at the 3 star level. Alinea is a solid step above and L2O has been inconsistent since its opening, sometimes dazzling and sometimes merely satisfying. It would be a solid two star in New York. (before you go nuts, I have lived in NY and Chicago and prefer dining in Chicago)

Eating well in Chicago at the high end comes down to Alinea and Schwa. Noone else is close. And those two places are as good as the top two places in any city in this country.

Schwa is the one where getting a reservation is a fluke, right? I get it, kinda. But its annoying. I really enjoyed Les Nomades and was surprised it didn't make the list.
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post #54 of 56
1/24/11 at 12:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fashion_newbie View Post
Schwa is the one where getting a reservation is a fluke, right? I get it, kinda. But its annoying. I really enjoyed Les Nomades and was surprised it didn't make the list.

It isn't as hard anymore. Schwa did a big remodel and actually hired someone to work a phone once in a while. I think they're even on opentable now but not sure.
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post #55 of 56
1/24/11 at 2:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwilkinson View Post
It isn't as hard anymore. Schwa did a big remodel and actually hired someone to work a phone once in a while. I think they're even on opentable now but not sure.

Hmm, was looking for a reservation in early March. Was going to go back to TRU but maybe I'll try calling Schwa. Did they expand their dining room size?
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post #56 of 56
1/24/11 at 11:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nmprisons View Post
L2O, while a nice, clean, tasty place is not at the 3 star level. Alinea is a solid step above and L2O has been inconsistent since its opening, sometimes dazzling and sometimes merely satisfying. It would be a solid two star in New York. (before you go nuts, I have lived in NY and Chicago and prefer dining in Chicago) Eating well in Chicago at the high end comes down to Alinea and Schwa. Noone else is close. And those two places are as good as the top two places in any city in this country.
It's moot, because Gras is gone, but I enjoyed my meal at L20 significantly more than I like Le Bernardin.
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