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Alinea

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Chicago_Dave
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
3
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8
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Editor Pick

Amazing Meal, Amazing Experience

  • June 12, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by artslover from Calgary, Alberta
Amazing Meal, Amazing Experience

Alinea sits in a small two story building. Much like Charlie Trotter’s a short distance away, Alinea does not advertise its presence openly. A valet and a small sandwich board stating "Alinea" are the only indications near a double door set back from the street.

Upon opening the wide double doors, you enter a hallway that narrows to create a false sense of perspective. At the end of the hall is a kinetic sculpture that you can hear as the wind from the door moves it. Just before reaching the sculpture a wide door on the left automatically opens and there is the restaurant.

The lobby area is small and darkly coloured; the brilliantly lit kitchen behind all-glass doors sits to the right as you enter and numerous chefs hunch over stainless steel counters painstakingly preparing plates for the patrons. Across from the door, a glass and metal staircase heads up to the second level where three of the four dining rooms are located. Staff buzzes in and out of the space. My initial impression was that we diners might be outnumbered by the staff.

We were ushered upstairs to a two-top table in a room with four other tables by a server in a well fitted grey suit. This is the only middle room in the space. The light in the room was primarily through visually hot canister lights in the ceiling supplemented by indirect lights behind the service area and the bench seating area that backlit large glass tubes of green branches. There were four other groups of diners in the room with us but the noise level was very subdued, rather in keeping with the lighting and minimalist decor.

We were offered a wine list and water was poured as the server confirmed we were doing the 12 course chef’s tasting menu. We mused about starting with an aperitif but were advised that the food started right away and we could start with either the champagne cocktail or eau de vie recommended as pairings for the first course. While the wine list was very impressive, we opted for the wine pairing and started with the champagne cocktail, but after inquiring about the eau de vie also sampled an aquavit. We had barely taken a sip of our drinks when the first course arrived.

No table cloth is on the dark wood table. Instead little pillows on plates were set before us with the needed cutlery for each dish set out before the food itself arrived. As well, an asymmetrical vessel was set on the table and described as our centerpiece to be used later for one of the dishes. We were told we could peek inside or wait for the surprise later. We chose not to peek but as our meal progressed, we noticed frost forming on the bottom.

The dishes for the various courses are unique to the restaurant. Chef Grant Achatz partnered with an architect to design and make unique dishware for the restaurant. Each dish, some of which are far from traditional plates, is uniquely suited to the course it serves. The butterscotch bacon was hanging from a wire set into a rocker – makes you want to play with your food.

Many of courses came with bread pairings and two butters, goat and cow with black lava salt. I did not manage to finish all of any of the breads and had collected five different breads by the end of the savoury part of the meal.

Each course and each pairing was explained in detail covering the overall theme of the dish and the individual items; the wine area and producer was described as well as the thinking behind the pairing. For some courses, explanation was also given for the best way to eat the dish, like taking the yoghurt and pomegranate shot all in one gulp.

We received a detailed menu including the wines at the end of the meal. The photo for each dish as well as its description is needed to give any kind of idea about the course since the visual presentation was as unique as the flavours. The layout design of menu has a specific meaning: larger bubbles mean larger portions; darker bubbles signify more intensely flavored dishes; and the farther the bubbles are from the left edge of the menu, the sweeter the course.

The overall experience was amazing. Service was unbelievable. I seemed to be frequently dripping sauce and crumbs but no sooner was a plate removed than my mess was also wiped up. When we were debating the best description of a sake, a nearby server offered what were the usual descriptions given to describe the bouquet. Comments were often amusing and congenial.

The only downside was how full I was getting towards the end. I watched some of the diners who were having the 24 course menu and noticed they were getting the same dishes we were as well as others. They looked to be getting the same sizes. I have no idea how they could have eaten twice as much food as we had. Our meal took over two and a half hours. I was glad for the early reservation because it gave us plenty of time to digest before going to bed.

The 12 course menu was each $125, the wine pairing $115. Compared to Charlie Trotter’s bill of $700, it was less than we expected. We’re already thinking of returning to Chicago just to go to Alinea again.

From journal Four days of Chicago delights

Alinea

  • January 8, 2008
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Michael Green from New York, New York
Best Food Science
With 12 and 24 course tasting menus as the only options in chef Grant Achatz’s secretive, dark restaurant, Alinea is not a “quick bite” sort of place. Expect food to be frozen, fried, gelled, foamed, immersed, and ionized—in other words, altogether redesigned to the point of being unrecognizable. Wonder what I’m talking about? The “transparency,” a first-dessert course, is a series of translucent candied chards of raspberry, rose petal, and yogurt. Sound weird? A little, but absolutely delicious!
www.alinea-restaurant.com

From journal Chicago: From Top to Bottom

Editor Pick

Alinea

  • February 27, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Chicago_Dave from Chicago, Illinois
Alinea

Alinea takes food that you may (or may not) be familiar with, and prepares/ presents it in an unexpected manner.

There are two menu options: the "tasting" menu ($125) features twelve courses, while the "tour" menu ($175) has twenty-six (yes that is 26) courses. The tasting menu is a subset of the tour. A wine pairing is about two-thirds the cost of the food... options to "upgrade" certain glasses or select different options based on your preferences makes it a bit difficult to give an exact price.

The restaurant called a few days before our reservation, to confirm our choice of menu... selecting the "tour" holds the table for the evening, as they plan on four to four and a half hours for the meal. As it turns out, we took just over five hours to complete dinner. We also selected the wine pairing; in all, we had twelve (yes, 12) different wines. Phew!

Besides taste, Alinea seeks to involve the other four senses of sight, hearing, touch, and smell in the meal.

Of the 26 courses, some were referred to as "one bite" courses, designed to be eaten in a single bite. These items provided the most "how did they think of this" moments. In some cases, the servers would suggest the best way to eat the course. For example, the very first course (both menus) is the "hot potato." This single bite course is two pieces of potato (one hot, one cold), with black truffle, served on a thin steel pin, which rested on a small saucer with a
parmesan cheese-based sauce. You pull the pin, which drops the potatoes and truffle into the sauce, then "slurp" the entire contents, like eating an oyster. A cube of applewood ice-cream (tour) arrives suspended at the end of a thin, foot long "antennae," which is placed on your table... in this "hands-free" course, you simply pull the food from the antennae.

A (tour) one-bite course of seared lamb was served covered in a bed of baked eucalyptus leaves. When you pick up the lamb, the eucalyptus releases its unique aroma. A "full" course of duck (duck breast, cornbread made with duck fat, and foie gras) with quince is served on a pillow filled with "mace" scented air. The pillow slowly deflates as you eat, releasing the aroma. "Mace" is not pepper spray (that would be interesting), but is a cooking spice derived from nutmeg.

The creativity, and uniqueness, of Alinea will surely appeal to those who follow dining with the effort and energy other people expend on sports or music. Although sports and music are great diversions, we need food to survive... so why not try something like this once?

Their website is www.alinea-restaurant.com. Martin Kastner designs some of the unique serviceware at Alinea, which is now available for purchase at www.crucialdetail.com.

From journal Chicago Dining

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