Alinea, Chicago

If you dine at Alinea, don’t bother making any additional plans for the evening. For one thing, you won’t have time: Dinner here consists of either 12 or 26 courses (which run $150 and $225, respectively) and lasts a minimum of three to four hours. A meal at Alinea—named “Best Restaurant in America” by Gourmet—is all the entertainment you’ll need. Chef Grant Achatz has created what is indisputably the most creative dining experience in the city, with dishes such as a tiny goat’s-milk cheesecake with onion cotton candy, served on a pillow filled with lavender air that gradually releases its scent as you eat. If you don’t think of tobacco and bubble gum as food flavors, well, you will after you dine here. And, amazingly, none of it is too weird to be delicious. Make your reservations a minimum of three months in advance, and wear your finest.

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