Cocktails in Chicago

[jende]

Anyone have suggestions for a place to have a cocktail before dinner at Alinea?

[jesteinf]

I don't have any suggestions other than you might want to hold off on that drink until after Alinea.

[ronnie_suburban]

I don't have any suggestions other than you might want to hold off on that drink until after Alinea.

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LOL! Very true

I usually just stop in at Boka, one door north of Alinea, if I have time to kill before dining at Alinea. They make a mean club soda!

=R=

[jende]

I don't have any suggestions other than you might want to hold off on that drink until after Alinea.

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LOL! Very true

I usually just stop in at Boka, one door north of Alinea, if I have time to kill before dining at Alinea. They make a mean club soda!

=R=

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Ha! Good point. I'll pop into Boka, though, if we're feeling saucy!

[nick.kokonas]

here's a funny little story...

a couple comes into Alinea at about 7:45 for a 9 PM reservation to see if they can get a table early. We are full up and they can tell we really are so they go next door to Boka for a few drinks -- which is what we usually recommend as we love Boka. They come back at 9:00 ready for dinner -- and I mean they really need food at this point!

Halfway through the meal and the wines the lady-half of the couple is falling asleep or just plain falling. They cut their meal a tad short and get a cab out of there. The servers note on the reservation that they arrived drunk, got drunker, and left.

The next day we get an email from the gentleman asking for a refund as his wife got "sick" when she got home -- clearly from some sort of food poisoning. hah!

Morale of the story -- take it easy before the wine begins to flow. We are generous with our pours and always give more if it means finishing a pairing with a course.

But if you have to have a drink beforehand go to Boka... so that we can check out the size of your bar-tab before we email you back!

[jende]

here's a funny little story...

a couple comes into Alinea at about 7:45 for a 9 PM reservation to see if they can get a table early.  We are full up and they can tell we really are so they go next door to Boka for a few drinks -- which is what we usually recommend as we love Boka.  They come back at 9:00 ready for dinner -- and I mean they really need food at this point!

Halfway through the meal and the wines the lady-half of the couple is falling asleep or just plain falling.  They cut their meal a tad short and get a cab out of there.  The servers note on the reservation that they arrived drunk, got drunker, and left.

The next day we get an email from the gentleman asking for a refund as his wife got "sick" when she got home -- clearly from some sort of food poisoning.  hah!

Morale of the story -- take it easy before the wine begins to flow.  We are generous with our pours and always give more if it means finishing a pairing with a course. 

But if you have to have a drink beforehand go to Boka... so that we can check out the size of your bar-tab before we email you back!

←

My friend and I have been looking forward to this meal for months, so we should probably play it straight! Nick, what is your position with Alinea?

[yellow truffle]

here's a funny little story...

A guy goes into Moto to have one (maybe two) cocktails prior to his Alinea experience. After enjoying his two, and getting ready to go, he is coerced into trying the rest of the fancy concoctions on the menu since his last visit. Fourty-five minutes later he stumbles into Alinea with 4-5 cocktails under his belt. As the evening progresses, he consumes all the food, but for some reason cannot fully down the wines in a reasonable amount of time. By the end of the service there is an array of unfinished wines (see pic below) that went to waste. He makes it home and gets up fine late the next day.

Same guy decides that this time it will be different. This time he is going to go to Boka and have exactly one vodka martini. But since he arrived late for the pre-dinner cocktails, he has to down the beverage in quick-time so as to not be too late for their dinner at Alinea. Of course that little bit of alcohol in an empty stomach just ruins what could have a perfect experience.

morale of the story...

Try not to have any cocktails prior to Alinea. In your preparation for this meal, you more than likely will have had a light lunch and no snack, why then would have a cocktail prior to the this event.

[nick.kokonas]

and to think that the Alinea staff just thought you were a lightweight !

[Alex]

here's a funny little story...

a couple comes into Alinea at about 7:45 for a 9 PM reservation to see if they can get a table early.  We are full up and they can tell we really are so they go next door to Boka for a few drinks -- which is what we usually recommend as we love Boka.  They come back at 9:00 ready for dinner -- and I mean they really need food at this point!

Halfway through the meal and the wines the lady-half of the couple is falling asleep or just plain falling.  They cut their meal a tad short and get a cab out of there.  The servers note on the reservation that they arrived drunk, got drunker, and left.

The next day we get an email from the gentleman asking for a refund as his wife got "sick" when she got home -- clearly from some sort of food poisoning.  hah!

Morale of the story -- take it easy before the wine begins to flow.  We are generous with our pours and always give more if it means finishing a pairing with a course. 

But if you have to have a drink beforehand go to Boka... so that we can check out the size of your bar-tab before we email you back!

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My friend and I have been looking forward to this meal for months, so we should probably play it straight! Nick, what is your position with Alinea?

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The answer to your question is here.