yellow truffle

7. BLACK TRUFFLE explosion, romaine, parmesan

6. MONKFISH banana, onion, lime

5. APPLE horseradish, celery

4. BONITO candied and dried

3. CHANTERELLE carrot, curry, ham

2. OCTOPUS shiso, papaya, toasted soy

1. CROQUETTE smoked steelhead roe, several garnishes

CENTERPIECE sprig of rosemary

Yeah, I did not take photos of the meal.No, I kid. John, can you imagine me at Alinea without taking any pics.

Thanx, yes. Yeah, I was a little surprised. I was ready to spend upwards of 8 hours at the restaurant. How disappointing. If Alinea is around when I turn 40... John, if you get here for 50, I am sure that there are a few locals that will sure make it memorable. Yeah, I did not take photos of the meal.

Ron, the Heartland forum will not be the same without you at the helm. As HMFIC of the Alinea project, you have generated some wonderful articles that is integral to each of the threads. Your kindness and generosity will surely be missed. Good luck, sir. Here is looking at you kid.

Thanx to Ron for posting the image of the menu. For those with worsening eyes (like myself), following is the text version of the food and wine menu... CROQUETTE smoked steelhead roe, several garnishes OCTOPUS shiso, papaya, toasted soy CHANTERELLE carrot, curry, ham BONITO candied and dried APPLE horseradish, celery MONKFISH banana, onion, lime BLACK TRUFFLE explosion, romaine, parmesan DUCK mango, yogurt, pillow of juniper air POMELO champagne, tarragon SHORT RIB Guinness, peanut, fried broccoli YUZU frozen and chewy BACON butterscotch, apple, thyme BLUEBERRY 5 complementary flavors PERSIMMON brioche, mace, grapefruit LICORICE CAKE muscovado sugar, orange, anise HIBISCUS tripod KING CRAB vinegar, aromatics, rice MORELS puffed smoked paprika EGG YOLK asparagus, lemon, butter HALIBUT shellfish, waterchestnut, hyacinth vapor SKATE caper, lemon, and brown butter powders PINEAPPLE bacon powder, black pepper LAMB date, mastic, rosemary aroma HOT POTATO cold potato, black truffle, butter VENISON encased in savory granola TRANSPARENCY manchego, peppers, garlic CHESTNUT Blis maple syrup FOIE GRAS spicy cinnamon, apple pâte de fruit ORANGE olive oil, green olive, almond COCONUT saffron, kiwi, cornmeal CHOCOLATE passionfruit, kaffir lime leaf, soy BIRTHDAY chocolate ball, liquid buttercream, cake CARAMEL meyer lemon, cinnamon perfume NIGHTCAP pear, pedro ximénez, tequila añejo Chartogne-Taillet "Cuvée Ste-Anne" Brut with Pineau des Charentes Frecciarossa Pinot Nero Bianco "Sillery," Oltrepo Pavese, Italy 2005 Vincent Dancer Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "Tête du Clos" 2004 Rudi Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd "Kollmutz," Wachau, Austria 2001 Paolo Bea Montefalco Rosso Riserva "Pipparello," Umbria 2001 Marcel Deiss Gewurztraminer "Heimbourg," Alsace 2003 A.R. Lenoble "Rosé Millésimé" Brut, Damery 2000 Josmeyer Pinot Auxerrois "H," Alsace 1998 Andre Perret "Coteaux de Chery" Condrieu, N. Rhône 2004 Vega Sicilia "Valbuena 5," Ribera del Duero 2000 Disnókó Tokaji Aszú "6 Puttonyos," Hungary 1997 Cantine del Notaio "L'Autentica," Basilicata, Italy 2004 Hans Tschida Chardonnay "Schilfwein," Neusiedlersee, Austria 2000

34 on 34, was indeed a very memorable event. This was probably one of the best meals that I had at Alinea, thus far. Everything was spot on that evening. The hospitality and professionalism of the front-of-house staff was key to starting off the evening. There was even a surprise table-side appearance by chefg asking if "we were ready."Now when someone asks this question, I tend to fear for the worse. I thought that we were going to be bombarded with a "shock and awe" degustation that would leave us humbled midway through the experience. The kitchen made it known who was boss, by making the third course a heavy savory dish of chanterelle purée. Then throttled down so that we could get through the evening. It was almost as if they knew we would be extremely hungry at the beginning, and satisfied our initial hunger. And yes there was a retrospective of Trio dishes, such as the Mountain Huckleberry Soda, Tripod Hibiscus and Manchego Textures. Along with some totally new dishes, there were also a revival of some old Alinea favorites (20 months does seem like a long time ago). At 34 is when we threw our hands up. The kitchen had timed everything perfectly. The food portions and the wine pours were just right for us to get through the evening comfortably. It is this kind overall thought to the diners experience that makes the grade in my book. There is no need to ask if, "we have room for dessert." They already know this. The creativity and generosity of chefg and his staff was a warm welcome to beginning 34.

YT, Happy B'Day...anyway, back to my youth I seem to remember Maurice Lenell (pinwheel cookies ) doing tours at their factory on Harlem Maurice Lenell Molto E Eliot Thanx for the bDay wishes. It would be if the Maurice Lenell factory did tours, as I have always loved their products.

Eli's Cheesecake World 6701 West Forest Preserve Drive (Chicago, IL 60634) (773) 308-7000 The bakery tour is open Monday-Friday, by reservation. A walk-in tour without reservations is available on Monday-Friday at 1:00. Long Grove Confectionery 333 Lexington Drive (Buffalo Grove, IL 60047) (888) 459-3100 Monday-Thursday, from 9:00-1:00. Reservations and $2 admission are required. Great American Popcorn Company 311 South Main Street (Galena, IL 61036) (877) 777-5676 Nothing is mentioned on the their site, but Factory Tours suggests that you call in advance so as to get a specially made batch of caramel corn. Jelly Belly Center 10100 Jelly Belly Lane (Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158) (866) 868-7522 The warehouse tour is open Monday-Sunday from 9:00-4:00. Goose Island Clybourn Brewery Tours 1800 North Clybourn (Chicago, IL 60614) (312) 915-0071 At a cost $5 for a factory tour and a tasting of six beers, this is might be a nice way to spend a couple of hours on a weekend. Hours are not posted on their site and they recommend that you call ahead to check the schedule. Sprecher Brewery 701 West Glendale Avenue (Glendale, WI 53209) (414) 964-2739 This tour requires reservations and has a small admission fee, which I believe goes to children's charities. Year round, the factory and museum tour are offered on Fridays at 4:00 and Saturdays at 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00. During Memorial Day and Labor Day they make available certain weekdays as an option. best to check the site and call. Lakefront Brewery 1872 North Commerce Street (Milwaukee, WI 53212) (414) 372-8800 At $5 per entry, this sounds like another tour to check out while in the area of Milwaukee. They do not require reservations. Intelligentsia Coffee 1850 West Fulton Street (Chicago, IL 60612) (888) 945-9786 ext 63 The roasting works tour are being conducted twice daily, on the first Saturday on the month. There is an admission fee of $7, kids come in free. Oberweis Dairy 951 Ice Cream Drive (North Aurora, IL 60542) (630) 801-6100 This tour requires a minimum of 10 people and are held on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:00. There is a nominal cost, but with the cup of their classic vanilla ice cream, I think that nullifies it.

Tours should not be the limited to factories. And Chicago Chocolate Tours tries to make good on this. Now I have not been or heard too much about this, but it sounds promising. And for those that go in search of factory tours, check out the Factory Tours website. They encompass all the states of the union and are not limited to things food.

I was reading the March issue of Where Chicago magazine and they had a side bar article on food-related Chicago-area factory tours. I, for one, enjoy factory tours. It's a hands on entertainment with free samples at the end. You just can't beat it for "a something different to do today" activity. I think it is time to make a list and discuss food related tours in the Chicago-land area. What food related (factory) tours have you been on?

As mid May is two months away, I think you will have a good chance of getting a table on the weekend. Although you may have try a couple times, it is pretty easy to get through to talk to someone to make a reservation. If the date and time that you wish to make your reservation is already booked, you go on a list where you get contacted if someone cancels. IMHO, pretty easy and painless.Note to self: May is the anniversary month for the restaurant. If it ends up like last year, they may do something special, although I have not officially heard anything as of yet.

Note to self: This Sunday at 2:30 (CST), WYCC (Chicago's local channel 20, (the website has incorrect information regarding the channel for Chicago, so check your local listing)) will be airing Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie. In this episode, "Avant Garde A La Carte," chef Louisa Chu will be visiting with chefs Homaru Cantu and Grant Achatz.

Note to self: This Sunday at 2:30 (CST), WYCC (Chicago's local channel 20, (the website has incorrect information regarding the channel for Chicago, so check your local listing)) will be airing Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie. In this episode, "Avant Garde A La Carte," chef Louisa Chu will be visiting with chefs Homaru Cantu and Grant Achatz.

I love the balance between "fine dining" and "fast food." Great work. Avenues?

I found the post that I had made on LTH a year ago.

I second the Spacca Napoli rec by Josh. They are open for lunch and you will find less busy there at that time. In the summer, when the wait is long, you will find the owner bringing out a sampling of their appetizers as snacks while you wait. Pizza D.O.C. has gone downhill since it was CP'd (check please). The center used to come out right, but now it gets a little soggy. Perhaps something to do with it sitting on the counter a little too long before making it too our table. Candlelight is great for a far north Chicago joint. They have a two-for-Tuesday special. Order two pizzas for the price of one - dining in only, I believe. Pizanos in the river north and downtown locations are also tasty. Basically it is a Lou Malnati's thick crust pizza, made thin. Caponie's on Harlem (and around Addison) makes it even thinner than Candlelight. Just plain good thin crust for the west side of Chicago. Used to go there a lot before Pizzeria D.O.C. and Spacca Napoli. Anyone have a locations for the South Side? ------------ Spacca Napoli 1769 West Sunnyside Chicago, IL 60640 773 878 2420 Pizza D.O.C. 2251 West Lawrence Avenue Chicago, IL 60625 773 784 8777 Candlelight Restaurant 7452 North Western Avenue Chicago, IL 60636 773 465 0087 Pizano's Pizza and Pasta 864 North State Street Chicago, IL 60610 312 751 1766 Caponies Trattoria 3350 N. Harlem Chicago, IL 60634 773 804 9024

here's a funny little story... A guy goes into Moto to have one (maybe two) cocktails prior to his Alinea experience. After enjoying his two, and getting ready to go, he is coerced into trying the rest of the fancy concoctions on the menu since his last visit. Fourty-five minutes later he stumbles into Alinea with 4-5 cocktails under his belt. As the evening progresses, he consumes all the food, but for some reason cannot fully down the wines in a reasonable amount of time. By the end of the service there is an array of unfinished wines (see pic below) that went to waste. He makes it home and gets up fine late the next day. Same guy decides that this time it will be different. This time he is going to go to Boka and have exactly one vodka martini. But since he arrived late for the pre-dinner cocktails, he has to down the beverage in quick-time so as to not be too late for their dinner at Alinea. Of course that little bit of alcohol in an empty stomach just ruins what could have a perfect experience. morale of the story... Try not to have any cocktails prior to Alinea. In your preparation for this meal, you more than likely will have had a light lunch and no snack, why then would have a cocktail prior to the this event.

What does a writer, a chef and a theatre company have in common? ... On March 4th, Michael Ruhlman and Grant Achatz will be having a discussion at the Steppenwolf Theatre. I wonder if the format of the event will allow for audience participation. Thanx to Chicago Reader's Martha Bayne for the heads up.