Chicago Michelin 2-Star | Alinea | Just Here for the Fun 🍽️✨

In the best way possible—this was an incredibly fun dinner! The restaurant is hidden inside a dark, seemingly-abandoned building that looks ready for demolition. If you’re not paying close attention to the address, you’d completely miss it. The meal kicked off with a molecular gastronomy twist: Chicago hot dog-flavored jelly 🧪🌭 One of the main courses featured Japanese wagyu paired with strawberry sauce—unexpected but fascinating 🍓🥩 And the grand finale? Dessert painted right on the table 🎨🍫 For birthdays, they serve a liquid cake meant to be sipped like wine 🍷🎂 The ingredients were absolutely top-tier, and the wine list was impressively detailed—down to the specific valley of origin. As a self-proclaimed wine novice, I was thoroughly impressed and ended up ordering a little of everything 😄 Each course came in a “just a few bites” portion—my partner joked that they were “feeding us like beggars” 😂 But honestly? As someone who came for the experience (and let’s be real, to flex a little), I wasn’t complaining. Three hours and many small courses later… we actually left feeling full! I’d even joked to Yan beforehand: “If we’re still hungry after this, we’re hitting up that McDonald’s on campus for burgers.” Turns out, no backup burgers needed 🍔❌ #Alinea #MichelinStar #ChicagoFineDining #MolecularGastronomy #UniqueDining #FoodAsArt