this is how it should be

Last night we had our last oriole 2016 meal - and you know by now that we think very highly of this restaurant - it is among the top tier of the Chicago high end dining scene.  And again- everything was absolutely perfect.  Most people are lucky if they have a meal like this once a year - many go through life without ever having experienced this kind of artistry in food even once. Recognizing that fact - Noah and Cara Sandoval and their partner Genie Kwon make sure that this is an experience at the pinnacle of dining.

recently the Chicago Chapter of the Chaine de Rotissuers held a Dinner Amical here and the professional photos show off some of the course so well I am going to start with those- with a shout out to the Chaine photographer- Lorenzo Tassone!  His photos really capture the magic of the Oriole dining experience...

the entrance to the restaurant outside and inside- we only go later in the evening so I am thrilled Lorenzo Tassone captured these great shots in some level of daylight-

you enter through a freight elevator which is a nice way of not disturbing the diners in the dining room - you are greeted in the vestibule - one side of the freight elevator is then opened and you start with a welcome cocktail - last night is was a warm mulled apple drink - perfect for the cold rainy day we had.  Here is a shot of the dining room on into the kitchen which is open for all to see how the food preparation is undertaken course by course..

here are Lorenzo's course photos - most of which we had again last night but there were a few change ups- it has been two weeks...LOL

the amazing cheese course- with raclette melted inside - YUM

  

So there are the professional photos - and now my less than professional ones LOL along with the menu - course by course-

we brought bottles of a 1981 vintage and a 1985 vintage (Noah is 81 and Genie 85 - along with Tory and Eden from the front of the house) after tasting these two to make sure they weren't flawed we sent them back to the kitchen for everyone to enjoy and then drank a 2004 Chassagne-Montrachet La Romanee from Girardin and a 1996 Morey St Denis - Les Ruchots from Arlaud - the red showed particularly well!

(not shown the 1996 Arlaud - Morey St Denis Les Ruchots - forgot LOL) 

because I have a coconut allergy my course was different than Phil's

Phil's caviar course and the next of the white wine courses-

the next section we ate the same things each course - there was one more divergence near the end of the savory courses-

this is the second place we ate differently - they are so genuinely concerned that you LOVE the meal that when (several visits ago) I gave my lamb to Phil they noticed and started to serve me an alternative to the lamb-

so another incredible meal with lovely people- they are on pins and needles awaiting the Michelin Chicago ratings - if it were up to me I would give them two stars! Actually they are probably working at a three star level but I like these people so much I wouldn't want them to have the pressure of three stars- especially in their first year with this new place....

Bon chance! and thank you again Noah, Genie, and Cara  and sommelier Aaron along with Tory, Eden and all the others in the front of the house, who made our meal extra special last night! You guys are celestial no matter how many stars show up when the ratings come out!

UPDATE: 11/2/16 Michelin annonced the Chicago dining awards and Oriole was given TWO STARS!!!! (on the same day the Cubs won the World Series!) It couldn't be more deserved... as I have noted in all of my posts about the four meals we had there this year.... Congratulations Oriole!!!