Some people have life bucket lists, and for me… I have a restaurant bucket list. I keep it in a file on my computer broken down by city so that each time I read about a place that sounds amazing I jot it down so it will not be forgotten. More recently I noticed the city that was racking up the most restaurants on the list was Chicago—I spend a lot of time in New York so I get to cross things off my bucket list regularly, but I rarely get out to the lovely Windy City so when a work opportunity presented itself I decided I was going to find a way to mix in some pleasure on this trip. Immediately it was time to make a call to Alinea to see if we could get ourselves on the wait list– after all it is the best restaurant in the United States and I knew there was a limited shot that we would actually be able to get in. My fellow EatMore DrinkMore blogger Chad was able to get to Alinea earlier this year and between his rave review and the fascination I have with chef and managing partner Grant Achatz I was determined to make this meal happen during my visit to Chicago. And luckily the food gods decided to bless me and my friend with a reservation on Wednesday, November 9th… and now a week later I have finally had the chance to reflect on my amazing meal and feel prepared to share my thoughts.
Alinea Interior. Photo by Lara Kastner www.larakastner.com
My overall takeaway from Alinea was that the food is transformative, innovative, and spectacular while playing to all senses and the overall experience is divine—not stuffy or snobby, but lively, fun, interactive, and playful. I had unfair expectations that it would be quiet and unfriendly but one of the waiters explained to me that they are all encouraged to be themselves, and to make diners feel welcome and comfortable. My friend and I made friends with the couple at the table next to us, and we asked lots of questions to many of the staff members who were all incredibly professional and knowledgeable as well as friendly and nice people to talk to. It is clear that the staff at Alinea is carefully chosen, and they work together as a tight-knit team to provide an incredible experience for the guests.
As we were seated there was a large pumpkin in the center of the table which appeared to be decoration, but we were wrong as the pumpkin was lifted to reveal two small spoons of pumpkin bread with curry, sage, and coconut which would act as our amuse bouche. My friend Sara and I delicately lifted our spoons, clinked them against each other to “cheers” as we took our first bite and said out loud “let the games begin”.
I would love to highlight a few of the standout dishes from the menu tour which consisted of approximately 20 courses of which I will admit I ate every bite and appreciated all of the thought and effort that went into each plate.
- Yuba: One of the earlier courses in the evening was beautifully presented and included a stick made of fried yuba (tofu skin made from soybeans) and then wrapped in shrimp with miso and togarashi. There was a wonderful orange flavored sauce at the bottom of the stick which I continued to use as a dip until my entire fried yuba was gone.
Yuba with shrimp. Photo courtesy of www.andrewzimmern.com
- Hot Potato-Cold Potato: This was my favorite course of the evening and apparently one of Grant Achatz’s most famous dishes. A small wax bowl is handed to each diner and filled with a cold potato soup made with truffle and heavy cream. There is a pin sticking through the wax bowl and suspending a piece of hot potato, parmesan, chive, and truffle. The waiter instructed us to carefully pull the pin out from the wax bowl causing the hot ingredients to drop into the cold soup and then swallowing the dish with all of the components at once creating a hot and cold symphony of flavors. This was the creamiest and most wonderful bite of food I have ever had. It was perfection.
Hot Potato-Cold Potato course at Alinea. Photo by Lara Kastner www.larakastner.com
- Black Truffle: Our waiter simply referred to this couse as “the explosion” and he was right. A small ravioli-like pocket is placed on the dish and we were intructed to put the entire piece of pasta into our mouth, seal our lips tight, and then bite down to let the dish explode with all of its juices into our mouths. Wow is all you can really say about this one– the bite was filled with truffle, romaine, and parmesan and was simply mind blowing.
Black truffle explosion at Alinea
- Dark Chocolate: This is the dessert course that can be found gracing the pages and video reels of YouTube. I had seen different variations of this before online but nothing even comes close to the actual in-person experience. Chef Grant Achatz or his Chef de Cuisine take a moment to leave the kitchen and come visit each table for a lively dessert course that is not to be forgotten. The staff began by covering our table in a cloth and then the chef began to “decorate” the tablecloth with his spoon and three sauces: butternut squash, ligonberry, and beer stout. He created different sized dots in a line, swoopy swirls, and other interesting designs that looked pretty as the sauces had distinct colors of yellow, deep red, and brown. Then two large spheres made of dark chocolate were placed in the center of the table, a pitcher of liquid nitrogen was poured into the spheres creating a dust cloud of smoke, and finally the spheres were smashed on the table revealing freeze dried pumpkin ice cream, pretzels, cotton candy, and delicious goodies. From there it is a game of dragging your spoon around the table, dipping it in the sauces, and eating as much as you can of this wonderfulmess that is sitting in front of you.
Dark chocolate dessert finale at Alinea. Photo courtesy of http://myriadmuses.blogspot.com/
After three lovely and well-paced hours of eating course after course, the evening had come to an end. We spent a good portion of time chatting with the staff, asking how long it took to prep for each meal, and they even allowed us to stand in the kitchen and peek as the 15+ person staff moved fast but deliberately around the kitchen.
Alinea is so deserving of its myriad of accolades including Michelin Guide stars and its James Beard award nominations. The food and the experience exceeded all of my expectations and presented me with one of the best meals of my life. I have lived in Italy, I have dined at Le Bernardin and many of the top ranked restaurants around the country but Alinea really takes the cake for best all around experience. What a wonderful memory to have and I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to dine at this world-class restaurant while visiting Chicago. If you find yourself in Chicago and are able to make the splurge for a special occasion, I know you will treasure the meal for the foreseeable future.
Alinea Restaurant
1723 North Halsted
Chicago, Illinois 60614
www.alinea-restaurant.com
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by Chad on November 23, 2011
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