I’m already not loving Chicago, as this is the first time I’ve heard that term. What it means is that there is a human on the other end of the phone line telling you there’s no way you can get a table for two at this restaurant with several weeks notice. Then there’s the online option which tells you that you might have an opportunity for a table next May, on a Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
And then there’s Grant Achatz, did I say a** hole? He sells pre-paid tix for dinner and you have to reserve in advance to get notice of tix becoming available and be e-mailed to pay for the opportunity.
Hey, it’s food, dudes. I say that also to Ms. Izard of Girl and the Goat, which has a months-long waiting list. We all need food every day. Ms. Izard graced these pages after she won Top Chef. Now I can’t get into Topolobampo, Charlie Trotter’s, Girl and the Goat, or anything else I’ve researched since we got our plane tix for our first view of Chicago, the city we may call home someday. It’s good to know we’re welcome, even to perhaps live in 850 sf with no closets, laundry or garage for $4K per month. Thanks, windy city! I hate that I wrote an entire paper on you in fifth grade quoting Sandburg.
I guess it’s down to Chicago dogs and deep dish pies. Forget the fancy dining. We’ll stay in a 4.5 star hotel and eat hot dogs. Hey, the hotel is $81 per night. Can’t argue with that. As for the race for the top dining experience and its quest to keep people away, go for it. In this economy your guests are probably lighting their cubans with hundred-dollar bills. Cheers, Dee
Cooking with Dee 