Lactic Solar Dust

Its my experience that in the more demanding restaurants cooks take advantage of the rare moment of peace that they have before service starts. Also, if they do not eat they lack the energy that is needed to perform under such strenous conditions.

Chef Achatz and the entire Alinea team are in a very opportunistic position: they have a vision of where they want their cuisine and overall dining experience to be and at the same Chef Achatz has already been accepted into the mainstream through his accomplishments at Trio. We can correlate this to the Beatles back in the 1960's. The Beatles became very popular through their songs "I want to hold your hand" and "Yesterday", but in 1967 they wanted to do something drastically different. The Beatles used their cemented place in the mainstream and created Sgt. Peppers - a very different record than they ever have created up to that point. If the Beatles had not already ascertained their reputation through their earlier work and just started making music in the style of Sgt. Peppers they may not have been adored as much as they were. I feel the Beatles story relates to what Alinea is attempting to do. Their vision is a bold one - to push the envelope of a dining experience that has been the same for a very long time. Their work is going to be advant-garde, it's going to be different, and it is going to force people to think in ways that they have never done before. Also, from a locality standpoint I believe that it is going to be one of only two restaurants attempting this kind of culinary evolution in Chicago- Moto being the other. I think Alinea is going turn out to be a restaurant that is going to lead a culinary revolution in the United States and I also believe that their work is going to be widely admired by critics and diners. The critics have already a taste - no pund intended - of Chef Achatz's vision ( a taste that they totally loved showed by all of the recognition that Trio achieved under his reign).

Take three very ripe beefsteak tomatoes and first blanch them in very salted water, shock them in icewater, peel them, seed them, and dice them. In a sauce pan sweat one diced shallot with two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, add a crushed garlic clove, deglaze with a 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar and a turn of redwine, add the diced tomatoes, and add a sprig of thyme. Season with S&P, turn the heat on high, and reduce the tomatoes until their is no moisture whatsoever, stirring often. Let this mixture cool completely. Remove the thyme and add a tablespoon of the mixture in a bowl. Add three tablespoons of olive oil and one diced chili. The dressing goes good with goatcheese.

It is interesting to see what chefs like Grant Achatz, Homaro Cantu, and perhaps Graham Elliot Bowles starting next month (although I only have knowledge of his cuisine through articles and his website) are able to do in a city like Chicago. These chefs are doing more than just running a restaurant, cooking exciting dishes, and trying to make a name for themselves, but they are seriously writing a new chapter in culinary history. Let me be clear, it is not just them trying to do such a thing in the global landscape, but they are the only ones stepping out and thinking outside of the box in Chicago. Yes, there is Charlie Trotter, Rick Tramonto, Sandro Gamba, Paul Kahan, and a slew of other very talented and innovative chefs, but they are not....well......to blatantly put it - WEIRD! Trotter is king, don't get me wrong, the impact that he has not only made in this city, but in the world is tremendous. However, he is now a member of the old gaurd. What Grant Achatz and Homaro Cantu are doing is something ahead of our time, but to many the future is now. And what is truly more amazing is that they are pulling this off in Chicago. I am 26 years old and I have lived in Chicago my entire life. I understand the culture, the societal structure, what people like and don't like. Chicagoans are not the type that like things to be different. They fully expect that each morning when they wake up, they will wash up, dress, go to work, earn their pay, come home, wind down, and do it all over again each week day. When the weekend comes, they will do whatever they like, and they will be prepared to start the work week again. Chicagoans like to have things to stay the same. How long as Daley been mayor, again? So, to have chefs like Achatz and Cantu and do this very wierd, but exciting cuisine in Chicago and pull it off is a feat in itself. Cuisine and food to me is more than just something to satisfy my hunger and pay my bills. It is something that I measure my memories by and it is also a way of life. Cuisine can be transcending. It can become more than merely food stuffs, It can be pushed to new limits, stretched, broken, and brought back together again. It has no limits. So, the reason for my post is to state my respect and admiration for these new breed of chefs. I am excited by their vision and I will enjoy the ride.

Chicago is quickly accumulating its fair share of young, talented, and progessive chefs. With Grant Achatz, the chef at Moto, and ChefGEB mixed with the old gaurd dining in Chicago is going to be very fun. Any chance that the chef from WD-50 or the Fat Duck could come to the Windy City?

I would have to agree that Jean George's is in a serious decline as well. I think that it might have to do with the chef spreading himself too thin and not being there to make sure everything is to his standards. However, maybe his standards are not as high as they once were and is more concerned with making money. After all, that is why one would open so many places and they are all cash cows. I think with some of the super star chefs back in the day are forgetting why the got into the buisness in the first place and have become distracted by the press and the dollar signs. Maybe.

I do not know if you will be in Evanston on Friday afternoon, but Trio serves a killer lunch for an afordable price only on Fridays from 12 to 1 or 1 to 2 in the afternoon. Trio Restaurant