Alinea Review in the Sun-Times

[gmi3804]

The ALINEA REVIEW was published in this morning's Sun-Times. It received 3-1/2 stars.

Although star ratings are subjective, I feel that it's somewhat insulting to a restaurant which hits all the four-star bulls' eyes to be demoted a half star because the reviewer feels the experience may be "too much" for some. Should not objectivity have its place in a review, with an aside with regards to personal preference? I abhor some things that Birth of a Nation says but still regard it as the cinematic masterpiece it is and deserves to be.

[smorris291]

Reading the review, I wish there was more rationale for the 3.5 stars...I think you're right on the money, George, but with a restaurant this notable, I'd like to have it spelled out exactly what separates this from a 4 star experience.

The review is also interesting for it's eGullet info...yellow truffle is famous!

[TJHarris]

I certainly don't understant the basis for the missing half star from the text. Also, should we be insulted by his "culinary challenged" remark?

[ronnie_suburban]

From your description, I could tell, without even clicking on the link, that the review was by Pat Bruno. It's often the case with Bruno that the stars don't seem to match up with the review itself; something seems to get lost in the translation. As such, Bruno's reviews can end up playing like proclomations rather than reviews. In short, Bruno is wholly dismissable. Factual errors (it's e.g. egullet.org not egullet.com) don't add much to the credibility, either.

There's a certain Ellsworth Toohey quality in reviewing a restaurant with the is it for everyone? perspective. In the end, that's an irrelevant issue for me. No one expects Alinea -- or the other great restaurants of the world -- to be for everyone. The best reviews gauge the given restaurant on its own merits, relative to the reviewer's lifetime of experience. How Alinea may be perceived by the general public may be important to the Sun-Times but not to me or most serious diners, I'd imagine.

And are we "culinary" challenged or culinarily challenged? You decide.

=R=

[elfin]

"www.egullet.com--a Web site for the culinary challenged..." Huh?

The e-gullet posts reporting on each aspect of the dining experience provided me a visual I can savor until I actually experience the real McCoy.

[yellow truffle]

"www.egullet.com--a Web site for the  culinary challenged..." Huh?

The e-gullet posts reporting on each aspect of the dining experience provided me a visual I can savor until I actually experience the real McCoy.

And one crazed person, a foodista.

WTF is a foodista?

[jesteinf]

Just when I was actually starting to come around on Bruno's reviews...

Is Alinea "for everyone"? Is any restaurant? Well, maybe The Cheescake Factory. They have a pretty big menu. I'm sure Pat can find something for everyone there. Four stars!

Edited to add: George, spot on with the Birth of a Nation analogy. Great point.

Edited June 10, 2005 by jesteinf (log)

[nr706]

And are we "culinary" challenged or culinarily challenged?  You decide.

=R=

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It would appear that Mr. Bruno is the one who's culinarily challenged.

[FoodMan]

Yes, the remark about "a Web site for the culinary challenged " is pretty stupid and narrow-minded. We have more culinary knowledge than Bruni (oops, Bruno ) can ever come close to acquiring...and we are better writers.

I also ask, WTF is a foodista? Why is he writing for the Sun?

Elie

[bilrus]

Do any legitimate restaurant critics base their review on one meal in the first month a restaurant is open?

As for the number of stars - I think it matches up pretty well with what was in the text. He thought the food was excellent but is not the type of food that would wear well with repeated eating. And he felt that the tour would be "too much" of a good thing. Those points sound like enough ofa reason to deduct a half star.

Of course not everyone would agree.

[SobaAddict70]

I wonder what Mr. Bruno (any relation to Frank? ) would have thought of El Bulli.

Soba

[ronnie_suburban]

Already, some hedging from Bruno:

An original idea: In today's review of Alinea, I stated that what Chef Achatz is doing at Alinea is "not original." Let me qualify that. What Achatz is doing is original in the sense of ingredients used, flavor combinations employed and presentation. . .

=R=

[Brad Ballinger]

I confess to not knowing much about the restaurant prior to reading the Sun Times review and then quickly clicking through some posts on this site, but reviews like Bruno's bother me whenever I see them.

The reveiw, it could be argued, appears to be more about the reviewer than the reader -- an oversight the journalistically challenged might make. I only hope that he personally achieved whatever cathartic release he was aiming for. It would've been a better piece of journalism if it started with the paragraph that begins "Achatz is definitely on a mission."

Culinary Challenged -- I'd like to think of this as a compliment one of two ways: 1) as in a web site for the culinary challenged, it could mean "if you find yourself culinary challenged, go to eGullet for help," or 2) if being culinary challenged means not being as "evolved," "enlightened," or maybe just plain jaded, as Bruno, then sign me up.

Foodista -- Yes, it's meant as a pejorative. It refers to someone who is fanatic, more militantly than rabidly, about the topic of food, and is a self-appointed authority on the subject.

Both terms occur before the acutal review, in the part of the piece that distracts from more than enhances the review of the experience.

Perhaps the deduction of half a star was because he just couldn't see aligning himself with the foodistas of the world.

[ronnie_suburban]

I confess to not knowing much about the restaurant prior to reading the Sun Times review and then quickly clicking through some posts on this site, but reviews like Bruno's bother me whenever I see them.

The reveiw, it could be argued, appears to be more about the reviewer than the reader -- an oversight the journalistically challenged might make.  I only hope that he personally achieved whatever cathartic release he was aiming for.  It would've been a better piece of journalism if it started with the paragraph that begins "Achatz is definitely on a mission."

Culinary Challenged -- I'd like to think of this as a compliment one of two ways: 1) as in a web site for the culinary challenged, it could mean "if you find yourself culinary challenged, go to eGullet for help," or 2) if being culinary challenged means not being as "evolved," "enlightened," or maybe just plain jaded, as Bruno, then sign me up.

Foodista -- Yes, it's meant as a pejorative.  It refers to someone who is fanatic, more militantly than rabidly, about the topic of food, and is a self-appointed authority on the subject.

Both terms occur before the acutal review, in the part of the piece that distracts from more than enhances the review of the experience.

Perhaps the deduction of half a star was because he just couldn't see aligning himself with the foodistas of the world.

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Good points, Brad. And I like your closing theory.

=R=

[elfin]

In regard to the 'food for the masses' rationale, I see no reason not to give a restaurant 4 stars if the place is worthy but may not be accessible (price) or even liked by a segment of the population. For example some folks simply do not like raw fish. Is that a reason not to give 4 stars to a stellar sushi restaurant?

Was it Bruno who commented in the paper (a day or two ago) that the valet at Alinea was trying to get $30 for a premium parking spot in front of the place when the valet fee was only $10? The critic called Chef A. who was unaware of the situation and promptly put the kibosh on the scam.

[jesteinf]

Was it Bruno who commented in the paper (a day or two ago) that the valet at Alinea was trying to get $30 for a premium parking spot in front of the place when the valet fee was only $10?  The critic called  Chef A.  who was unaware of the situation and promptly put the kibosh on the scam.

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I think it was actually Phil Vittel. Article here.

But I couldn't wait to call chef/owner Grant Achatz later to ask about the two-tier parking fee. He was astonished.

"Oh, God, you're kidding me," Achatz said. "That's clearly ridiculous. They're not supposed to be doing that. We're going to have a conversation."

[ChristyMarie]

Honestly I read that review this morning, had a chuckle, and dismissed it. I don't think the reviewer was looking at the restaurant in an objective manner and perhaps had a bit of a chip on his shoulder going into the experience which altered his perception of the meal.

I did mention to a friend that far from being "One crazed person actually charted his meal of 28 courses and posted it on the Internet," he's a saint who blessed us all with the first glimpse of the final presentation of the cuisine, and for that we are

all eternally grateful.

And I intend to thoroughly enjoy my meal there tomorrow evening!

Edited June 10, 2005 by ChristyMarie (log)

[ronnie_suburban]

Honestly I read that review this morning, had a chuckle, and dismissed it.  I don't think the reviewer was looking at the restaurant in an objective manner and perhaps had a bit of a chip on his shoulder going into the experience which altered his perception of the meal. 

I did mention to a friend that far from being "One crazed person actually charted his meal of 28 courses and posted it on the Internet," he's a saint who blessed us all with the first glimpse of the final presentation of the cuisine, and for that we are

all eternally grateful. 

And I intend to thoroughly enjoy my meal there tomorrow evening!

←

Yes, Yellow Truffle (aka Anthony) and his post were a great gift to those who were interested in a "first look" at Alinea. It appears to be a case of professional jealously on the part of Bruno, who was outdone by an "amateur."

Have a great time tomorrow night. I can't wait to read all about it.

=R=

[JimInLoganSquare]

Sheesh! What a hack job -- at least until he got down to business and offered some real opinions and insights into the food. Here's what I posted on another site.

JiLS

[ronnie_suburban]

Sheesh!  What a hack job -- at least until he got down to business and offered some real opinions and insights into the food.  Here's what I posted on another site.

JiLS

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LOL! I really appreciate your take on the review, JiLS. Perhaps it truly is a bit of self-hatred on the part of the reviewer. It is curious that a significant portion of the Alinea review (first several paragraphs) is actually a review of eGullet.org.

Oh well, at least he maintained his "street cred."

=R=

[nr706]

LOL!  I really appreciate your take on the review, JiLS.  Perhaps it truly is a bit of self-hatred on the part of the reviewer.  It is curious that a significant portion of the Alinea review (first several paragraphs) is actually a review of eGullet.org.

That's strange - I thought the first part of the review was about egullet.com ...

[ronnie_suburban]

LOL!  I really appreciate your take on the review, JiLS.  Perhaps it truly is a bit of self-hatred on the part of the reviewer.  It is curious that a significant portion of the Alinea review (first several paragraphs) is actually a review of eGullet.org.

That's strange - I thought the first part of the review was about egullet.com ...

←

Of course. I stand corrected

=R=

[Holly Moore]

Do any legitimate restaurant critics base their review on one meal in the first month a restaurant is open?

As for the number of stars - I think it matches up pretty well with what was in the text.  He thought the food was excellent but is not the type of food that would wear well with repeated eating.  And he felt that the tour would be "too much" of a good thing.  Those points sound like enough ofa reason to deduct a half star. 

Of course not everyone would agree.

←

A single reviewing meal, even 12 courses, is bush league - expected more from a restaurant critic for a weekly shopper having no budget to cover the cost of the restaurant meal.

Writing about Alinea and not ordering the Tour de Force is pure laziness. Worse, especially when Grant Achatz is doing the cooking, it demonstrates a troubling and disappointing lack of curiosity from a restaurant reviewer for a major, urban daily.

Bruno's inability to appreciate the unique insight that "The Alinea Project" provides to restaurant professionals and restaurant diners alike (and most likely, along the way, to Grant, himself), shows a writer trapped in the 20th Century where there was a comfortable distance between writer and reader and where the chef and the diner had no editorial voice.

One wonders what cost Alinea that half a star. A lapse Bruno neglected to mention in the review or his sense that three and one half stars would draw more attention to Pat Bruno than four stars.

Edited June 11, 2005 by Holly Moore (log)

[glossyp]

As a relative newcomer to eGullet, I have to admit that my first impression was that there were a bunch of somewhat crazed people running loose here working themselves into assorted feeding frenzies. And, even though I've been cheerfully swilling eGullet kool-aid for a while now and I certainly won't stop, I think Bruno's description of us eGulleters was perfectly understandable whether we like it or not (just because they say we're crazy doesn't mean we're not). I also think the very nature of the entire Alinea project forum and related threads was legitimate fodder for his review of the restaurant - it set the stage for the description of a unique restaurant, dining experience and food which he apparently really enjoyed. Interesting sidenote is that if one were only to read the "In a Bite" sidebar, it leaves a completely positive impression.

[docsconz]

One wonders what cost Alinea that half a star.  A lapse Bruno neglected to mention in the review or a sense that three and one half stars would draw more attention to Pat Bruno than four stars.

←

You have a point here. Would this review be discussed here if he gave it 4*? Actually, it probably would simply for the mention and discussion of eGullet.