Whenever we meet up with them, it\u2019s like no time has passed at all. Since we move so often, we\u2019re lucky to have friends all over the world. I feel so fortunate that our time in San Diego introduced us to these wonderful friends, who are really more like family.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll be recapping some of the adventures, including where we stayed + all about Hamilton<\/em> in the am, but for now, let\u2019s talk about the food.<\/p>\n Oh, the food.<\/p>\n In Chicago, there\u2019s an awesome restaurant every 20 feet or so. I could stay there for 2 weeks, go all out for every meal, and not even begin to touch all of the best dining possibilities. While we depended on your amazing suggestions + online reviews to make restaurant decisions, going into the trip, we knew there was one place we had<\/em>\u00a0to go: Alinea.\u200b<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The Pilot and I are huge fans of Chef\u2019s Table<\/em>\u00a0on Netflix -it\u2019s one of the few shows we both like- and when we saw the episode featuring Alinea and Chef Grant Achatz, we knew we had to go at one point or another. When we decided on a trip to Chicago with Betsy and Jeremy, Betsy was ready to place our reservations exactly two months in advance, because they sell out quickly. (I was knocked out on painkillers from my surgery, so there was no way I could\/should have made reservations haha.) We got the LAST reservation of the weekend, for 9:15pm on Thursday night. It was an exciting thing to look forward to, and the perfect way to celebrate our first night in Chicago together.<\/p>\n We got dressed and ready to go,\u00a0and then grabbed a cab to the slightly-hidden destination.<\/p>\n (dress is here<\/a> and tassel earrings are here<\/a>)<\/p>\n Alinea is a smaller restaurant, and only seats 16 people at a time in the main dining room. There are three experiences to choose from: The Kitchen Table, The Gallery, and The Salon. It was a 16-course meal, and we had no idea what to expect. I figured that they would be messing with us the entire time, by serving dishes that look like one thing but taste like another. I didn\u2019t know how much we\u2019d be surprised during the meal, and how incredibly flavorful and different each course would be. It was the dining experience of a lifetime, and by far, one of my most memorable meal experiences.<\/p>\n When we were led into the dining room, the scene was ethereal, with a long white table, candles, soft tulle, and small metal flowers. Potted flowers hung from the ceiling.<\/p>\n They filled glasses of champagne for everyone, and dinner officially began.<\/p>\n Our first course was a mix of different small bites: chamomile meringue flower petals that were placed on top of the metal flowers that adorned the tables, Japanese cheesecake, and a cold, creamy melon drink poured into a tiny china teacup. It was kind of like ice cream? I can’t even begin to explain, it was INSANE! We were all enjoying the small bites, and one of the servers told us that they always water the flowers for each meal. They began to pour a liquid into the potted flowers that hung over the table, and before we knew it, dry ice fog began spilling out with a powerful rose scent. It brought an entirely different layer to the course and gave the bites a sweet floral flavor.<\/p>\n We headed into the kitchen for the next course and enjoyed a romaine bite with avocado, coriander flowers, and lime.<\/p>\n We also had cocktails that were mixed using this machine.<\/p>\n There are only 30 in the world! I wish I could remember what was in said cocktail, but it was fruity, slightly sweet, and boozy. <\u2014 all you really need.<\/p>\n We were all feeling pretty happy by the point we headed back into the fine dining room, and saw that it was an entirely different room. The long table was gone and it was separated into 4-seater tables, the art and ceiling coverings were completely different.<\/p>\n I won\u2019t go through each course in detail -it was a 3-hour meal!- but snapped some quite pics of the food, which was exquisitely plated.<\/p>\n The menu:<\/p>\n I ate everything, and looooooved it, minus the veal. The Pilot was happy to take it off my hands.<\/p>\n The hamachi with rosemary, kombu and sea salt was DIVINE.<\/p>\n Potato salad! A potato had been buried in salt and roasted on our table the entire time. It was previously cooked sous vide in butter for 12 hours. Our server turned it into a potato salad with cr\u00e8me fra\u00eeche, truffle butter, and chives. (I could have curled up and lived in that potato salad.)<\/p>\n A soup with dehydrated langostino -it was SO savory and satisfying- served with nori rolls, with a cashew-potato mixture inside.<\/p>\n The invisible Butterfinger. They placed a glass bowl on each setting that had an empty Butterfinger wrapper inside. At the top of each bowl was a clear gel. The gel tasted JUST LIKE A BUTTERFINGER bar. It was pure magic, I tell ya.<\/p>\n The famous dessert course -painted and splattered onto fiberglass at each table- and the concord grape sugar balloons.<\/p>\n It was so much more than I was expecting, and while I knew the food would be plated gorgeously and be presented in a way that would completely mystify us, I didn\u2019t expect it to taste as good as it did? I mean, it is a Michelin Star Restaurant, so it makes sense.\u00a0Alinea took cuisine to an entirely different level, by completely intriguing all of our senses, experimenting with different textures, sights, sounds, scents (the Denver campfire smoke was incredible), and flavor profiles during the course of the meal. If you have the chance to go, I highly, highly recommend it. I\u2019d love to go back in a few years, try Chef Grant\u2019s restaurant called Next, and see how much the Alinea menu has changed.<\/p>\n While it was a lot of food, I found that it wasn\u2019t heavy at all. We were totally full when we left, but not in a miserable way.<\/p>\n In other words, we had no problem eating our way through Chicago for the rest of the weekend. \ud83d\ude09\u00a0The menu has probably changed a bit now, I hear they’re serving things like arctic char roe with carrot and coconut curry. Droooool!<\/p>\n The chocolate old-fashioned donut was the best I\u2019ve had in my life. The candied maple bacon looked pretty cool. Maple syrup AND bacon on a fluffy donut? Say less.<\/p>\n We enjoyed cheese board, chips, and dip before the boys headed to a cigar bar, and Betsy and I got blowouts at Drybar. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n My good friend Mara, whom I met in the early blog days of yore, invited us to join her fam for brunch. I\u2019d been dying to meet her sweet little girl, who would be BFFs with P, and also try out her sister\u2019s restaurant. Her sis Leigh was the pastry chef, and she surprised us with the most delectable desserts I\u2019ve had in a long time. Everything was gorgeous, and a unique combination of flavors and textures. There was a little bit of crunch in each offering. (She told me that \u201ccrunch\u201d is her favorite flavor.)<\/p>\n The croissants were buttery and fresh, the chocolate desserts were super dreamy, and my absolute favorite was the apple tart. It tasted like fall on a dish. We spent a lot of time catching up with Mara and her family, in between moaning with happiness hahah, and I\u2019m so glad we got the chance to see all of them!<\/p>\n We also managed to eat \u201creal\u201d breakfast in there, too. When you\u2019re in Chicago, you RALLY.<\/p>\n There are quite a few popular Chicago pizza options, and locals are super passionate about pizza recommendations. We decided to hit up Lou Malnati\u2019s for deep dish before Hamilton, <\/em>and the gluten-free thin-crust pizza gave me life. The crust was buttery and crisp, and the tomato sauce was beautifully simple. I love when tomato sauces aren\u2019t loaded down with a ton of spices. I will dream about this pizza from now on, but the good news is that they ship! So when a craving strikes\u2026 there ya go.<\/p>\n As you can tell, we ate a lot of sweet treats and decadent food while we were there. By the time Saturday rolled around, we didn\u2019t think we could handle another huge meal. Instead, we caught an Uber over to Heritage, and enjoyed our own little tasting menu of caviar, cocktails, and snacks (curly fries, a caviar panna cotta, and a crudit\u00e9s platter). These guys also have a wine-pairing menu that I’d love to come back and try again.<\/p>\n While the food was really good, the standout was the cocktail. The mixologist made me a lavender creation that was super smooth, not too sweet, and infused with lavender syrup + fresh herbs.<\/p>\n In addition to the more planned sit-down meals, you know we also enjoyed some Chicago classics. We brought home bags of Garrett\u2019s popcorn, which are almost gone, and the Pilot enjoyed a Chicago hot dog while we people-watched in Lincoln Park. It was a delicious trip, indeed.<\/p>\n With all of this food talk, it\u2019s breakfast time in our house. I\u2019ll be back soon to share some of our adventures!<\/p>\n Have you been to Chicago? If so, where\u2019s your favorite spot? Do you have a Chicago bucket list?<\/strong><\/p>\n Are there any particular restaurants or chef\u2019s restaurants you want to visit?<\/strong><\/p>\n Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today and I\u2019ll see you on Instagram<\/a>, and in the am.<\/p>\n xo<\/p>\n Gina<\/p>\n Looking for a workout? Here ya go!<\/a><\/p>\n The post Chicago eats: Alinea review + menu details<\/a> appeared first on The Fitnessista<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 Hi friends! How are you? Hope you\u2019re having a happy Monday! I\u2019d love to hear about your weekend and what you were up to! Today, I\u2019m sharing a very exciting Alinea review! In 2017, we took an AMAZING trip to Chicago to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We met up with our friends Betsy and\u2026![\"Hamilton](\"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/hamilton-in-chicago.jpg\" "\\"Hamilton")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nChicago Eats: Alinea Review + Menu Details<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nAlinea Chicago Booking\u200b<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nAlinea Restaurant Chicago Menu\u200b<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nSome of my very favorites:<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nWhen we left, we couldn\u2019t stop talking about the meal.<\/h4>\n
Some More Highlights<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Donuts at Do-Rite.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nBeers and snacks at Centennial<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nBrunch at Nico Osteria<\/strong>– Now permanently closed \ud83d\ude41<\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nPizza at Lou Malnati\u2019s<\/a>. <\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nCaviar and cocktails at Heritage<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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