Moto - respectable post-Alinea meal

After tackling Alinea, I had hoped to stay home for the rest of the month and reminisce about the most expensive dinner I’ve had so far. But my aunt called me and mentioned she’ll be visiting Chicago a week after my Alinea reservation. So, off to Moto I go. I had my reservations about Moto. I had previously tried their sister restaurant iNG and thought it was entertaining but not quite as sophisticated as other fine dining establishments in town. Was it a good idea to attempt a place like Moto so soon after my dream meal?

It was a rainy day, and traffic was horrendous, so I arrived late for the dinner. Fortunately I was able to find a free spot nearby, though I’m sure those evil parking meters will eventually eat up this little slice of heaven too. In that regard, perhaps it is wise to visit all the fancy, 4 hour-long tasting menu places while there’s still free parking.

Alinea - meal of a lifetime

Alinea. Michelin 3 stars. Best restaurant in US according to Gourmet magazine. 7^th best restaurant worldwide according to UK’s Restaurant magazine. Grant Achatz, the 38 year old chef-owner, has worked with numerous famous chefs, including my idol Thomas Keller. Achatz is also the recipient of many major culinary awards. With so many accolades, of course I had to put Alinea on my bucket list. Though I have to admit: it’s pretty far down the list because I didn’t think I’d find an occasion special enough to justify such a big (read: expensive) meal this soon.

But ever since Alinea announced they are starting to adopt the same ticketing system as their sister restaurant Next, I started panicking. For those that don’t know, the ticketing system allows patrons to buy prepaid tickets to tables of 2, 4 or 6 online, which includes price of the dinner, tax and 20% gratuity. This replaces the traditional reservation system and according to the Alinea team, allows more people to grab that elusive reservation (rather than the lucky few who not only are rich enough to eat at Alinea, but are apparently free enough to get through the ever-busy phone line). It also means less last minute cancellations because most people wouldn’t just throw couple hundred dollars down the drain. Win win, right? Well, not so much. I’ve been trying to get Next tickets ever since they opened last year. So far, nilch, nada, none. The problem is, tickets are so popular they sell out within minutes of announcing on Facebook. And since I have a real job and can’t be on FB 24/7, I never find out until it’s too late. So when it just so happens I was on FB when they announced they are starting to offer Alinea tickets for Oct/Nov, I pounced. So this year, I have an early birthday present for myself.