Guide to Chicago Tasting Menus

You might have noticed that I enjoy fine dining, from the blog posts showing galleries of Fancy Food to the fedi live threads for Atelier visit #823.

I've written up a guide on how to get started with tasting menus here in Chicago. I'll start with a tier list for places I've gone (and are still open), and then write a bunch of stuff about how this generally works. The guide will conclude with my suggestions on how to get started, if this seems like a hobby that would interest you.

Rankings

This is my ranking¹. Each tier is ordered arbitrarily, so Aliena and Kasama are equivilent rankings, even though Alinia is listed first. The one exception is for Atelier in tier 1 -- they get the first slot because they're the best restaurant in Chicago.

The "stars" column refers to how many Michelin stars the resturant has been awarded². One star means it's an exceptional restaurant. Three stars means it's going to be a transcendent experience, which will ruin all other food for you forevermore.

Restaurant	Stars	Price	Tier
Atelier	1	Mid	1
Oriole	2	High	1
Ever3	2	High	1
Alinea	3	High	2
Kasama	1	High	2
Aviary4	n/a	Low	3
Boka	1	Low	3
Elske	1	Low	3
Kumiko	n/a	Low	3
Kyōten	n/a	High	3
Jeong	n/a	Low	3
Maple & Ash5	n/a	Mid	3
Temporis	1	Mid	3
Indienne	1	Low	4
Omakase Yume	1	Mid	4
Omakase Room @ Sushi-san	n/a	High	4
Kōmo	n/a	Low	4
Mako	1	Mid	4
Proxi6	n/a	Low	5
Oceanique	n/a	Low	5
Kuni's	n/a	Low	5
Next	1	Mid	5
Maman Zari	n/a	Low	5
Sushi Suite 202	n/a	Low	5
Esmé	1	Mid	6
North Pond	n/a	Low	6
Smythe	3	High	6

There are a couple more big names that aren't here because I haven't visited yet -- Schwa remains on my todo list, for example.

Getting Started

So I gave a huge ranking list at the start of the post. That might be overwhelming if you want to get started with Chicago fine dining: that's a lot of options and a bunch of data.

Reading reviews is frequently unhelpful: the best tasting menus are hyper-seasonal. Think farm-to-table, except they actually mean it: if it rained too much and the tomatos aren't any good, the menu reflects that. This renders what somebody said about the tomato dish last week on Yelp useless.

You will see ingredients that you've never heard of. There may be things you don't normally like. Treat it as an adventure: you're exploring the frontiers of food.

Maybe you normally hate brussels sprouts -- but give the chef's a chance. It might blow your mind. Or, you might still hate brussels sprouts. Give it to your partner, and know that there are a dozen more courses coming.

Level One

If you want to ease yourself into this, I recommend starting with Elske, Boka, Proxi, or Sepia.

The first two, Elske and Boka, are "normal" restaurants with optional tasting menus. They're affordable and approachable. Elske's menu is fairly static, so you can read reviews and know what to expect. Boka's is seasonal, but they really know what they're doing. Just avoid the non-alcoholic pairing here, it was kind of crap.

Proxi and Sepia⁷ are pre fixe menus, so you get some amount of forewarning and choice. These might be a more comfortable starting point -- but really, if you want an adventure, Elske or Boka will serve you better.

Level Two

From there, step up to the full experience with Atelier, Temporis, or Kumiko.

Atelier and Temporis are quintessential tasting menu experiences, both with top-notch pairing options. They'll be hyper-seasonal. Also, oddly enough, both of these restaurants are temporarily closed due to damage. But they'll be back in a few weeks.

Kumiko is a little different: it's a "dining bar" that operates as a normal restaurant, but also has a tasting menu. I'm putting it here because it' a really fucking good tasting menu at an affordable price.

The Middle Bits

If you've made it through those and you feel like you're getting value for your money, you can branch out now. Try whatever you like.

Everything is interesting. Try to get in at Kasama, they're really something special. I went around the time they got their star, so booking was hard -- but it's probably easier now.

Omakase is good too, if you like sushi. The pairings can get really interesting: you only get to see sake at japanese places⁸, and that's a whole new Thing for the somm to play with.

Grand Slam

If you really like this stuff, you'll eventually want to go to Alinea.

For a long time, they were Chicago's only 3-star resturant. They were joined by Smyth in 2023 -- but Alinea remains on a whole different level as everything else.

At Alinea, you will have field trips. The dining room will be reconfigured multiple times. You'll be given mysterious furniture that turns out to be food later on. You'll watch the chefs at work; the chefs will watch you at eating. The meal is a spectacle unlike anything else you can find in Chicago.

It's also hella expensive and difficult to book. Especially for two people. I found it a little easier to get a table for four -- two-tops got snapped up the very second they were posted on Tock.

Format

If you've never done a tasting menu before, you might be worried about dress codes or knowing what fork to use.

This section of the post may seem ridiculous -- I'm going to explain what going to a restaurant is like -- but maybe it'll dispel any anxiety that this is somehow going to require more from you than eating out anywhere else does.

Let me reassure you: the restaurant absolutely does not give a shit about your attire. You are paying them a lot of money, and consequently, you are welcome to turn up in your rattiest jeans and scrungiest t-shirt. The whole "business casual required to enter the dining room" nonsense is the province of ultra-mid restaurants putting on airs.

That said: you're out for a really fuckin' expensive meal. Dressing up is appropriate and will make you feel even fancier. So if you're about to hit Alinea, break out your tux. Fancy dress is fun!

One exception is scents: don't put on any perfume or cologne. A major component of taste comes from smell, right? So if you smell like an axe, it's gunna detract from the experience. And if you've slathered yourself in axe ... you may bother other diners, and that will run you into trouble.

You do not need to worry about cutlery etiquitte either. They will give you exactly the correct fork, spoon, and/or knife for each course. When they clear your plate, they will clear the cutlery and give you new, next-dish-appropriate utensils. The experience is designed not to make you feel like an idiot, since that would discourage you from coming back.

But, the general structure here is:

1. You purchase a reservation on Tock⁹, usually for the full price of the meal.

   You may opt for add-ons like beverage pairings or supplemental caviar/truffle courses at this point.

   Usually, you can defer those decisions until you're being seated. So if you have questions around whose driving or whatever, then wine can be a game-time decision.

2. You arrive on time, and they seat you.

3. They try (once) to sell you a beverage pairing and any supplemental courses, or they confirm your choices if you prepurchased those.

4. You might get a "welcome" cocktail / champagne pour, if they're feeling generous (this is free)

5. You sit there and wait for them to begin bringing you food.

   From this point on, the only decision you need to make is whether you want coffee with dessert. Courses & wine will flow, the servers will tell you what every inscrutable dish is, and the somm will give you a run-down on why the wine is cool.

6. At the end, you will receive a copy of the menu.

   They may give you a box with a breakfast treat for the next morning. These aren't leftovers -- it's a whole extra course. It might be a simple candy, or an entire cake.

   If you prepaid for everything, they will say you are all set. You just get up and leave at this point. There is no expectation of tipping; you've already paid a 20% service charge when you booked.

   Otherwise, you get a cheque like normal, and should tip (or not tip, if there's a built-in gratuity) per the Normal Rules of Society.

Every restaurant is different -- for example, Ever has you stop in their ingredient gallery, and Boka lets you decide to do a tasting menu when you arrive -- but this is generally how it works. It's easy: once you've started the tasting menu process, all you have to do is go with the flow.

On Beverages

Most restaurants will offer several tiers of beverage pairings. This is usually wine, but sometimes can be cocktails, beer, or other things they've concocted. The pairing is calibrated for the food, and you'll usually get one pour of wine for every one or two¹⁰ courses.

Whether the pairing is worth it really depends on the sommelier. Finding wines to pair with whatever the kitchen is cooking up, which can change week-to-week, is hard.

When pairings are done well, you'll be able to tell. They pour the wine: give it a taste. Think about it. Then, have a bite of the food. Taste your wine again. Is the wine completely different? Is it highlighting something from the food you didn't notice before? "Yes" means they've had a success -- you're experiencing some Fine Dining Magic!