Nate_the_great

Luckily I follow Grant Achatz on twitter and signed up for ticket notification on the first day of the Next announcement last May. I was in the first batch of people so I received my email yesterday around 2pm and was able to login and casually browse for a table with no issues. Will be dining there on the 24th of April but I'm guessing I'm one of the few people who had absolutely no issues with their new system. It sounds like it was only hassle-free for the first few people to login because I hear it became quite hectic and error-ridden after the first hour or so. Wish I would have booked another table yesterday for coworkers or friend since they're already sold out of the initial wave of tables. For those still wanting to have a chance at the Paris 1906 menu, however, sounds like they will add capacity as time goes on and they also hold 1 table a night for walk-ins.

Has anyone been to Cibo Matto at the Wit hotel yet? I hear it's supposed to be good but have yet to go I'm going to Spiaggia this weekend so it'll be interesting to compare the different takes on Italian (if they do differ). I'm a little nervous about Spiaggia after hearing some less than enthusiastic reviews but hopefully we'll be doing the tasting which I've heard generally positive reviews of as well as the black truffle gnocchi. At the same time I think experiences at even the top restaurants are more personal and hit or miss opinions that you would expect so who knows. I've seen amazing reviews of Tru and had a memorable but not awe-inspiring food experience. Some have complained of sporadic service issues there and my friend found it to be pretentious and uncomfortable (she didn't like how particular their table routines were, etc. but I barely noticed them except when I was supposed to), and I probably had some of the most polished and impeccable service on my visit. There was also a particular wine pairing that still stands out to me even today and the Sommelier was kind enough to tell me the cheapest places to find it in the area and wrote down all of the information. I agree with others that the beef tartare with the gold leaf covered egg was amazing but I was not in love with the lobster tagliatelle I ordered. The prime beef ribeye was amazing however and maybe I would have a much higher opinion had that been my entree. It was an amazing dinner but I just don't think I had that euphoric moment where I felt like I'd never experienced a dish that good before which is something I normally expect from a restaurant of that caliber.

did anyone visit the graham elliot food stand at Lollapalooza? I tried the lobster corn dog with lemon aoli which was amazing but the best part was meeting the man himself who was actually there cooking at his own stand - one of the most down to earth chef's I've ever met!

Unfortunate indeed - one of my favorite restaurants in Columbus - usually one of the places I went whenever I visited my parents there. The city was lucky to have such a prestigious chef at the helm of a restaurant but I wonder if there are enough people there to appreciate it (although there certainly seems to be a growing appreciation for good food in Columbus). Makes me appreciate that I now live in Chicago though as there's no shortage of amazing restaurants here.

Great, thanks! The quince reservation won't work out since they only had 10 pm on Saturday and that's a bit late for going out after but I will be going to Aqua Friday and Ame on Saturday so I'm very excited. It's kind of ironic that these will be the culinary highlights of my fall considering I live in Chicago but I haven't had time with school, etc. going on to try anywhere new here so I guess it requires flying across the country to do that!

Sorry if this has been addressed many times before but I'm going to San Francisco to visit a friend in a week and wanted to hear how Aqua is? Do you need reservations far in advance? Also, I'll be there two nights and was thinking quince would be a great second place - any other suggestions? I'm new to this forum so forgive my ignorance of previous threads pertaining to this subject!

Interesting stuff! I'm looking for good places to explore this fall - I'm a junior at Northwestern and now that I'm halfway through I'm realizing how little I have explored this great city. What is the environment at the restaurant like though? Some of my friends are certainly up for fine dining but don't necessarily have the money or interest (or palate for that matter) for a place like alinea. Is it dressy/up-scale or trendy and what is the price range? My friends probably don't want to blow $200 on a meal but if they're willing to spend over $120 at Japonais (and without drinks!) I don't see why that or more for better cuisine is too much to ask.