Eating, drinking geek
An investigation of local restaurants that serve up nerdiness with food
Erica Gannett
It doesn't feel right, does it?
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Hungry geeks across the city armed with physics degrees and Klingon dictionaries, feel shame no longer. With the impending debut of the West Loop’s Madpoison Ultra Lounge—“the world’s first interactive iBar” according to its website—those with a passion for both science and inebriation have one more place that will expand both bellies and brains. Decider put on its pocket protector and taped-up glasses to take a closer look at eating establishments that nerd it up.
Madpoison UltraLounge
This is one of the few places in the city that’s just as cool as it sounds: Patrons concoct their own drink of choice using a computerized database of more than 60,000 recipes and order it through a large touchscreen, ominously called the “Poison Generator.” Due to its absolutely massive drink menu, Madpoison will be the only place in town to find drinks that feature off-the-wall ingredients like blackcurrant squash (which, when paired with Beefeater gin and White Lightening cider makes a substance called a Cheapo Student Bevvy) or little-known brands like Boodles gin. (The bar is slated to open soon.) Patrons are also given tabletop computers to bump their jukebox selections up in the queue by bidding on it eBay-style using their credit card. Patrons can also use the computers to send IMs to surrounding tables. Yay?
Geek factor: Lukewarm at best. While replacing humanoid bartenders with virtual ones is undoubtedly a clear step in embracing our impending robot overlords, the establishment does little more for those looking to geek out than offer a ridiculously large drink selection and a digital spin-the-bottle. Madpoison still attracts a crowd that’s more drink than dork-minded, but it’s nice to have machines fighting d-bags at the bar rather than doing it personally.
Moto
Where most see an ordinary meal, Head Chef Homaru Cantu sees a complex system of interacting molecules to manipulate to his liking. Moto is one of the city’s two molecular gastronomy restaurants (Alinea being the other), and Cantu spends just as much time thinking about the chemistry and thermodynamics of his menu as he does the actual food. “We pride ourselves on creating a menu that requires a little bit of scientific know-how to pull off,” Cantu says. “Right now I really like our Cuban cigar. It’s a Cuban pork sandwich made to look like a cigar. It even has an edible wrapper and red bell pepper puree on the end to make it look lit.” Hey, there’s a reason Anthony Bourdain came here instead of Alinea on a recent episode of No Reservations, right?
Geek factor: The force is strong in Moto. From the restaurant’s on-site Class IV laser, an instrument usually reserved for surgery that Cantu uses to cut and sometimes caramelize food just as precisely, to the Cantu-invented food replicator—a printer that creates the restaurant’s edible menus by printing food-flavored ink onto edible paper—Moto is a wonderland for foodies and lab groupies alike.
Café Scientifique at The Map Room
Those who prefer their science a little on the inebriated side can find the perfect combo of smarts and shots at this free informal lecture series. Held at the Map Room every three months, scientists in topics like gender biology, atomic bombs, and, uh, flying snakes give a brief introduction to their field of expertise, then spend 90 minutes fielding audience questions over drinks. “There are a lot of people that love science, but aren’t interested in traditional places to see it,” says Café Organizer Randy Landsberg. “This is totally informal and there’s a lot of audience participation, which is unlike what you would get in a lecture hall or museum.”
Geek factor: Strong, but not impenetrable. While the discussion topics are undoubtedly geeky, Café Scientifique is still held in a great bar (it has more than 200 kinds of beer after all) and attracts just as many non-geeks as it does dorks.
