Lou Malnati’s…yes!

Thanks, Jen!

Thanks, Jody – we had a blast. You are so lucky to have lived there!

Absolutely. While I would definitely take my daughter (I’ve already taken her to the Canadian equivalent), I’d probably wait until she was a little older, mostly so she could appreciate it more. (I was tempted to put an age recommendation on the Alinea mention, but no matter what I put beside it I’ll get an objection, LOL.)

Yup, don’t know if you saw my comment to Christie (above) but Alinea is definitely for an older, well-behaved kid — or none at all! LOL We had lunch at a similar 3 star Michelin restaurant last summer and it was perfect (the chef even came out to meet us), so I could see us trying Alinea within a couple of years. Everyone’s kids are different 🙂

I used to live in Chicago and went to Alinea a few times back when it first opened… I have to say, as well behaved as my kids are, I can’t see going there with my 3.5 year old, and my 22 month old would never last. Depending on if you go 8 course or 12 course, it’s a 2.5-3+ hour dining experience – and in a very quiet, subdued setting.

And given what people are spending (easily $200-500 per person), I would imagine you are right – they most likely would not be thrilled to see a child at the table next to them. We eat out a lot, and my kids are always well-behaved, but not every place is child-appropriate.

Visiting from the Thrifty Thursday blog hop.