The epitome of our food adventures has thusfar been a restaurant located nowhere near our house. We had to travel to Chicago for it. While we dined on local fare (Hot Doug's) and delved into some of the finer celebrity chef food (ala Rick Bayliss' Frontera Grill), nothing could come close to our paramount food experience to date: Alinea. Allow me to put this in perspective.
Alinea over the last several years has teetered between 6th and 7th Best Restaurant in the World. It is the 2nd best on the North American Continent, placing behind the giant Per Se (Mecca) in NYC. It is a 3 Michelin star restaurant. Reservations are currently out two months. It is a hugely intimidating place. And it was AWESOME.
Apart from being the clear Medina for foodies everywhere, Alinea was one of the coolest experiences in my life. Imagine this: you walk into a dimly lit hall til it seems you've reached a dead end, and then suddenly a sliding door to your left that you never even noticed opens. Behind it lies an elegant and modern space, with friendly and well dressed staff. You're seated, and you have a choice: regular wine pairings or reserved wine pairings. There are no menus. When you confirmed your reservations, they ensured you weren't allergic or opposed to certain things. And then the food begins. Small bites, each telling a story. The sommelier tells you the story of every wine from every vineyard poured. All of them, reserve or regular. And each bite has a wine. You interact with your food. There are literal explosions of flavor from a liquid filled pasta, or scents of hay as you dine on fall harvest foods. The best dish we had was lentils. I'm going to let that sink it for just a minute, because I hate lentils. It rocked my world. It changed my entire perspective on food. It ignited the foodie in both my wife and myself. We looked across the table at each other having just taken a bite of the best tasting dish we had ever had, and it was lentils. I can't express how amazing and frustrating that is.
To cap it all off, they said told us dessert would be presented table-side. What they meant was "on the table." They spread a mat over our table and the chef wheels a cart over and begins to paint your table as if it's a canvas. He makes quarter sized creme-brulee using a chemical reaction right in front of you. He dribbles chocolate sauces in Art Deco patterns and interviews another sauce of apricot. He pours liquid nitrogen over some areas and they are miraculously transformed into ice cream. He bows, casually wheels his cart away and allows you to scrape the table clean. And then you realize: it was the executive chef, the owner, Grant Achatz that just put on a chef performance in front of you.
If you're ever in the Chicago area, if you've come in to a large amount of cash that you wish to spend on something that will forever stick in your memory, if you want one of the best experiences in your life, book a reservation with Alinea. It is the standard by which you will forever judge your food journeys.
Alinea over the last several years has teetered between 6th and 7th Best Restaurant in the World. It is the 2nd best on the North American Continent, placing behind the giant Per Se (Mecca) in NYC. It is a 3 Michelin star restaurant. Reservations are currently out two months. It is a hugely intimidating place. And it was AWESOME.
Apart from being the clear Medina for foodies everywhere, Alinea was one of the coolest experiences in my life. Imagine this: you walk into a dimly lit hall til it seems you've reached a dead end, and then suddenly a sliding door to your left that you never even noticed opens. Behind it lies an elegant and modern space, with friendly and well dressed staff. You're seated, and you have a choice: regular wine pairings or reserved wine pairings. There are no menus. When you confirmed your reservations, they ensured you weren't allergic or opposed to certain things. And then the food begins. Small bites, each telling a story. The sommelier tells you the story of every wine from every vineyard poured. All of them, reserve or regular. And each bite has a wine. You interact with your food. There are literal explosions of flavor from a liquid filled pasta, or scents of hay as you dine on fall harvest foods. The best dish we had was lentils. I'm going to let that sink it for just a minute, because I hate lentils. It rocked my world. It changed my entire perspective on food. It ignited the foodie in both my wife and myself. We looked across the table at each other having just taken a bite of the best tasting dish we had ever had, and it was lentils. I can't express how amazing and frustrating that is.
To cap it all off, they said told us dessert would be presented table-side. What they meant was "on the table." They spread a mat over our table and the chef wheels a cart over and begins to paint your table as if it's a canvas. He makes quarter sized creme-brulee using a chemical reaction right in front of you. He dribbles chocolate sauces in Art Deco patterns and interviews another sauce of apricot. He pours liquid nitrogen over some areas and they are miraculously transformed into ice cream. He bows, casually wheels his cart away and allows you to scrape the table clean. And then you realize: it was the executive chef, the owner, Grant Achatz that just put on a chef performance in front of you.
If you're ever in the Chicago area, if you've come in to a large amount of cash that you wish to spend on something that will forever stick in your memory, if you want one of the best experiences in your life, book a reservation with Alinea. It is the standard by which you will forever judge your food journeys.
Menu: ★★★★★
I'm unsure whether the absence of a menu should be zero stars or 5 stars, even on my own rating scale. But I'll just go with what I thought.
Food: ★★★★★
Unbelievable. Mind blowing. Surprising. Tricky. Delicious. Satisfying. Beautiful. Artistic. Inspired. Divine.
Atmosphere: ★★★★★
Elegant. New. Pleasing. Relaxed but formal. Quiet.
Service: ★★★★★
Flawless. Like a ballet. Friendly. At ease.