We came here for my 30th birthday (on a couple's t...

We came here for my 30th birthday (on a couple's trip to Chicago). It was an entire experience and we loved every minute of it. The booze is where it can really get tricky, and I felt a little bit like we were trying to be tricked into a more expensive bottle, which we navigated out of, but I can overlook that because of how fabulous the experience was otherwise. Will I eat here again? Probably not- because we don't live locally and venture to Chicago infrequently enough that I would want to try something else- but I would *definitely* try another restaurant under the Alinea umbrella, and I feel privileged to have been able to experience this place.