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I never thought Vettel had it in him, but he docked Arun's one star today, reducing his rating to 3. From today's Tribune Any thoughts? I haven't been to Arun's in a couple years, but has anyone else noticed the slip?

Just wanted to follow up and report that we wound up at Capital Grille. Only 3 of us wound up going in the end, so we were able to get a reservation on short notice. For appetizers, we had the shrimp cocktail, lobster and crab cakes, and Caesar salad. All very good. 2 out of 3 of us had the bone-in rib-eye. It was an excellent, thick cut with just the right amount of fat. I ordered mine medium-rare, but it was a bit overdone towards the outside of the steak. Not a big deal as the rest was cooked perfectly and the meat itself was quite flavorful and juicy. For sides we had mashed potatos and seasonal vegetables. Wine was a 98 Chateau Margeaux Bordeaux (I think, and please excuse the spelling). We skipped dessert and went on to the Ritz for cigars and after-dinner drinks. The highlight of the meal was probably the service. Our waitress, Carolyn, was outstanding. All in all very good. Not outstanding, but very good. -Josh

I think it was actually Phil Vittel. Article here.

Just when I was actually starting to come around on Bruno's reviews... Is Alinea "for everyone"? Is any restaurant? Well, maybe The Cheescake Factory. They have a pretty big menu. I'm sure Pat can find something for everyone there. Four stars! Edited to add: George, spot on with the Birth of a Nation analogy. Great point.

I think the show is technically called "The Next Food Network Star". Of course, you could then argue whether or not they are actually "stars".

So far only the high school cooking teacher/wrestling coach has been voted off. I like this show so far. It's probably the most "positive" reality show on right now. For example, people aren't voted off, each judge picks people to stay. If you aren't picked, then you go home (no catchphrase for being eliminated). I'm looking forward to Batali boot camp next week, although I have no idea what that would possibly involve...marching in clogs?

So my question isn't getting much play, so here's some background. I'm putting together a guy's night out, with dinner at a steakhouse to play a prominent role. I tried (and failed) to get a reservation at the Chop House. I do have a reservation at The Saloon. This is the only steakhouse I've been to in town and I thought it was great. My question is, should I try to get in somewhere else? I exclude Gibson's as I'm not really up for a "scene", I just want an excellent steakhouse experience. Your thoughts?

I think what's interesting (and I don't know if this is a distortion based on the "set-up" of having him yelling at customers), is that no matter how much Ramsey yells at those in the kitchen he will ALWAYS defend them in the face of a rude/complaining customer. The show gets a bit over the top, but I'm still entertained. Say what you will about the man, but the results speak for themselves.

I know we've covered the best steakhouses in the 'burbs, but what is the best steakhouse downtown right now?

At a restaurant with my grandparents when I was maybe 7 (at the oldest), the waiter asked my grandfather what I would be ordering. My grandfather told the waiter to ask me. The waiter then asked me for my order. I ordered steak tartar. It's been all downhill since.

My problem with this dish (and it was my least favorite of the night by far) was that it the taste of grapefruit totally overwhelmed any flavor of broccoli. I could barely taste the broccoli at all... ← My thoughts exactly. The grapefruit was very overwhelming. I'm going back on July 1. If the broccoli is still on the menu I'm going to try to eat it without the grapefruit.

Thanks Nick. Looking forward to the future developments. -Josh

Question for the Alinea team... Are there any plans to further incorporate (or introduce) the "audio spotlight" or the LED lighting system? I had forgotten about them, but I was just re-reading the Food & Wine article that talks about them. I didn't notice either at the restaurant this weekend.

That's absurd. On Friday night our dishes looked almost exactly like YT and JeffJ's pictures. The only notable exception was the bison, but that change in presentation has already been discussed. I love how there is this conspiracy theory that folks from eGullet are somehow getting preferential treatment. At no time did I tell anyone from the restaurant that I had followed the opening on eGullet, and yet (what a shock!), I still had a great meal. Part of what I thought was the beauty of Alinea is that every guest is made to feel as if they are receiving preferential treatment.

Whipped cream. It's a texture thing.

Well, we finally got to Alinea last night and all I can say is "Wow". I'll try not to repeat what has already been said so well by others on this thread. We decided on the 12 course menu, as our reservation wasn't until 8:30 and no one wanted to be there until 2am. Most of the party doesn't eat bacon, so that dish was substituted out. It's hard to pick my favorite item of the night but standouts included: The hearts of palm, especially #5 (with pumpernickel and black truffle) The dungeness crab, whose wine pairing was simply brilliant The bison, in particular the "corned" bison that was served with it The liquid chocolate. I thought all of the desserts were major steps up from Trio. What absolutely blew me away though was what was substituted for the bacon. I had requested that the Artichoke from the Tour be included on our menu since I had heard so much about it. Chef Grant graciously honored the request. Upon eating it, I think I actually shouted "oh my God!". It was that good. I think someone here has already said it, but this item is the "new" truffle explosion. The only dish I wasn't crazy about was the broccoli stem. I thought the stem itself was very good, I'm just not a big grapefruit fan. Everyone else at the table loved it. We got a brief tour of the kitchen after dinner. I don't know much about the inner workings of a restaurant kitchen or being a chef, but I think if I were a chef I would love to cook in a kitchen like the one at Alinea. Clean, spacious, well lit. All in all, just a fantastic meal. It's scary to think how good Alinea is going to be if it's already this good after only 3 weeks. Congrats to Chef Grant and the entire Alinea team! -Josh

Anything involving white truffles. Mmmmm, expensive.

I'll second that on Ventanas. We also had a fabulous meal there.

My girlfriend and I ate at C in July, and we had a fabulous dinner. In fact, we enjoyed our meal at C more than we enjoyed dining at Trotter's in Chicago. Although the menu has a la cart options, we both opted for tasting menus. I had the chef's menu and my girlfriend had the veggie tasting menu. We both had wine pairings. All of the food was fantastic, showcasing some great local ingredients. The wine pairings were also great, and included a fair number of wines from Mexico and Central America. If you can, request to sit outside. The view of the ocean will make your food taste even better. Can't wait to hear about your meal. -Josh

That's my #1 as well. As far as I'm concerned, all plates should be cleared at the same time.

Looking at the new shows that Fox announced for its fall season, I came across this: I was wondering if Bourdain had anything to do with the show. I'd probably be more likely to watch it if he did. But if he did...Fox? Tony, say it ain't so.

First look, not quite a review, from Phil Vettel in today's Chicago Tribune No stars given at this time, but based on this I think we can guess what's coming.

Fantastic quote from Eric Aubriot in today's Chicago Magazine Dish newsletter.

Where did you hear this? I'm pretty sure they only just opened the reservation book for July last week.

Thanks for the report and awesome pics yellow truffle. We're going on the 27th and I can't wait. Our TDF at Trio was also about 4.5 hours. I'm also curious about the 7.5 hour length of your meal.