Countdown to Alinea

In less than a month, I'll be in Chicago for a day to attend business meetings but the highlight of the trip is my dinner at Alinea. I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for this dinner since it will be something different from what I'm use to and it's more of a performance than just eating food. I opted for the 12-course tasting menu compared to the 24-course tour. I would like to include the wine pairing but I have to drive to Waukegan after dinner and I hate to get pulled over or lost during the 45 minute drive.

In the meantime, I've been reading reviews of what to expect like, how to find the place, photography rules, what water to order, etc. I found some more food porn on Alinea on YouTube. Dang, I'm excited!