sitter cancelled. couple took baby to $200 plus fancy pre.pay nonrefundable restaurant.

[frazzled]

13. You indeed can "exchange" tickets at Alinea (if someone wants them)

There are always people wanting to get a table at this restaurant: it's not just the top restaurant in Chicago; it's been considered the top restaurant in the United States for a number of years. It's got 3 Michelin stars and has been on the list of the world's top restaurants for seven years (I believe it was first one year.) People actually fly here just to eat at it. (Not something I would ever do, but hey.) And you'll spend more than the $210 to $265 for the meal, unless you drink just water. The wine pairings will drive the price up a lot more.

You buy your tickets in advance, and no, they are not refundable, and you can't change to another night. What you can do is go on the Alinea Facebook page and offer your tickets for sale. They'll likely get snatched up in less than 30 minutes, possibly less than 3 minutes. Then you log into your account on the Alinea site (which is how you bought the "tickets" in the first place) and transfer your tickets to the purchaser, so they have the official names. https://www.alinearestaurant.com/website/faq

I would never want to spend this kind of swag on a meal, and I don't even like this kind of food-as-theater concept (though we did splurge to eat at Achatz's other restaurant, Next, when it first opened: we bought "tickets" for our anniversary for a seven-course meal called Paris 1906; it cost $85 per person, which is more than we've ever spent, and it was actually a bargain. A truly memorable meal.)

I don't think it's confirmed that the people's sitter cancelled. It's just what everyone is assuming happened, or what the couple "said" happened. Maybe they just wanted to bring their baby. I think it's nuts, especially for the baby, who should be in bed at that hour. I would have been furious myself if I'd been a customer that night.

I am a firm believer that people need to just deal with babies on airplanes or anywhere else. I love them, and yeah, sometimes they cry. But they have as much right to fly as anyone else: people need to get places, and sometimes they have children. But I draw the line at concerts, where people have come to listen, or crazy fancy restaurants, for which patrons may have saved up for for an entire year to celebrate some special occasion. Leave 'em home.

But here's my favorite comment on L'Affaire Bébé: "Don't Ban Babies: Put Them on the Menu." That should keep indulgent parents away!