Chicago was not on our short list, or even our long list of travel destinations. We were invited to celebrate a birthday of a dear friend, with the purpose of going to the restaurant, Alinea. After watching the Netflix documentary, Chef’s Table and learning more about the chef of the restaurant, Grant Achatz, we were sold!

We still thought of Chicago as being a bigger Dallas but there are a few things we saw that set it apart:

1. The architecture-exciting, right?! Everyone we talked to, told us to take an architecture river tour and we were glad we did. You not only get to see the many different styles that you are not accustomed to seeing but you see how those styles changed over time. Chicago has a rich history compared to some of the other cities we traveled to.
2. The water-Chicago has the Chicago River that runs through downtown and the city backs up to Lake Michigan. Both unique but Lake Michigan was amazing. I was surprised at 1) how massive the lake was and 2) just how blue the water is. Getting a bird’s eye view of the lake made it even more impressive.
3. The food-we mostly went with some of the areas more touristy spots but they also offered a spin on food that we are not exposed to in Texas. If we were there longer we would have liked to have ventured out of the box a bit more. We were there really for one meal, the rest was fluff. Which brings me to my last point.
4. Alinea-this was our first time in a 3 star Michelin restaurant and I now get the hype surrounding them. It is almost as much about the experience as it is about the food…….almost. It is still about the food and it did not disappoint. I ate things that I have never eaten before and I am pretty sure I still don’t know what I ate, but it was all amazing. Even with a couple of dishes taking me back to my childhood. It was truly an experience I will never forget.

свернуть