A La Card Chicago Restaurant Deck

I bought the à la card chicago deck of cards at OneofaKind Chicago show this past December. It’s been the best $30 I’ve spent all year and I only regret not having mentioned it here earlier. The à la card chicago is a 52 card deck, each card a $10 coupon valid at the 52 chef-driven, owner-operated restaurants in Chicago. The à la card peeps explain it best:

We’ve basically created a consortium of 52 Chicago restaurants–and not just any restaurants, but the best in the city. The restaurants span 25 different neighborhoods, various cuisines and price points, but they have a couple things in common–killer food and great passion that oozes from the chef/owners of these non-corporate gems.

Supporting the ingenuity and good ol’ heart & soul of independent business!

As an avid follower of independent businesses I could not resist. And, now that we’ve tried six of the restaurants listed in the deck (Veerasway, Mana Food Bar, Tizi Melloul, Blue13, Naha, HB Home Bistro), I’m ready to declare that I now blindly trust any of the à la card recommendations. Our experience thus far has been that fabulous.

In the manner of the Entertainment Book, the “à la card chicago” deck is only valid for the calendar year. But don’t despair. You still have 40 weeks to take full advantage of this. You only need to use the cards three times just to break even. Piece of cake. And that could be literal.

Might I suggest that this is the perfect gift idea for the foodie in your realm, the couple or the uncle who has everything or for someone like me, the person that is new to Chicago and wants to explore. This got us to discover some great neighborhoods in which the restaurants were located. We enjoyed every moment.

Next, I think that we’ll try the infamous Hot Doug’s and Sushi Wabi. I’ll let you know.

You can buy the deck directly on the à la card Chicago website or at one of these retail locations.