yellow truffle

Come on now. Let's keep not get off topic here. Which brings up an interesting question. If Chicago-land chef _____, in restaurant _____ were to create a hamburger, what would it be? Discuss...

Carl's Jr. has announced the Philly Cheesesteak Burger Now I find this interesting. Big company, with a big advertising budget, markets a new product and brands it to a city (or region) that closely shares its fare. Another model is to take a simple (usually) ethnic dish, deconstruct it, and reconstruct it using local ingredients, then brand it. Sushi restaurants and the California Pizza Kitchen come to mind. Ohh smack. Someone decided to do some research and found a gem. Yeah I know about Solly's Grille and Mazos, but not the big baby. Thanx for the heads up. The thing that I like about those two restaurants is that their burgers deviate from the recipe of a normal burger, that it actually stands out. Whereas the concept of the big baby burger, IMHO, is just a size increase. If we use the model above, then there is nothing Chicago about the burger, unless Chicago is still known as the "Monsters of the Midway." Go Bears!

We have the Chicago-style hot dog and pizza, but no hamburger. Why is this? Shouldn't Chicago have its own style of burgers? Being once the slaughter-house capital of the midwest, you would think that we should have created our own standard. Yeah sure, everybody has there Favorite Burger in Chicagoland, but they all vary in ingredients/condiments and cooking styles. Is there a commonality in the burgers from from the south side to the north side? "Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! No fries, chips. No Coke. Pepsi." Does every tourist that come to Chicago that end up at the Billy Goat think that this is what Chicago burgers are all about? Maybe Chicago just doesn't care for burgers like it does some of its other foods. Perhaps we should just let others define what the Chicago burger should be. The Chicago Hamburger Company, a Phoenix restaurant, servers up sliders the come with mustard, ketchup, pickles, and onions. Was there a slider phenomenon in Chicago that I was unaware of? FWIW: GreaseFreak has done a photographic survey of burgers in Chicagoland.

This past Sunday (January 21st) Edward Lifson of Hello Beautiful (an arts, architecture and culture radio program on NPR) interviewed Martin Kastner. The short 8 minute piece gave some background on some of the wares used at Alinea, as well his process for coming up with solutions for problems that Chef Achatz presents. Listen to the mp3 (you have to download the whole segment of 50 minutes, 29 MB). In addition, Michael Nagrant wrote a long piece for New City Chicago, that focuses on the professional relationship with Chef Achatz and Mr. Kastner. The piece, "Cutting Edge: How Alinea invents new ways to serve food," is more about the process behind the scenes and focuses specifically on the latest MCA event. Innovation of cuisine is not a closed door environment. I, for one, am glad that Mr. Kastner is involved with the Alinea team, for without him things may come out of the kitchen looking (and possibly tasting) a little different.

I will agree with one thing that Pollack said, "it's the end of an era." I am shocked that the Dining Editor (is he a critique as well) of Chicago Magazine just figured it out. nsxtasy was right in deciphering the type of restaurant that Quince is. Upon my recent dining experience at Quince, I noticed the crowd's demeanor was livelier than what would have been at a restaurant of this caliber. I found the atmosphere, food and price of Quince to be more approachable than its previous tenant. When people go in with expectations that don't fit the basic concept, they will surely be disappointed. Note to self, Quince is not Trio or Trio Atelier. Not to go too off topic, but I agree with George that Dish is starting to sound more like a "self-righteous gossip column," rather than an information source.

At least a couple of years old. And when it first aired, it was packed for a few weeks. These days I find that there are more people ordering veggie stuff, where did that come from (I have not seen the Check Please episode). For lunch the sandwiches or burritos should be sufficient. For hungry appetites get one of their dinner plates. Note that the owners and operators are the same people and live only two blocks away. Steak torta and oatmeal shake for me.

Oh man. Was it exactly the same as it was from the olden days. Rookie mistake. 5 hours for 31 courses - you guys were flying. Mr. Perlow, you have got to throttle it down to the yellow truffle pace to survive that barrage (I think that's why the kitchen does not get me over the normal count of courses).

Damn it. I wish I could have been there. Wines? Full summer menu?

The Sunday meal at Alinea was another amazing and memorable experience. John, Ron and I were able to have a little peak into what the summer menu holds in store. From what was had, I am sure to go back when the menu change over has occurred - if not just to see the new centerpiece. This is what I dislike about tasting menus and Alinea's concept. I cannot have enough of a certain dish, and now we will probably never see the Hot Potato ever again. <cough>retro night<cough> Not only is Joe the GM and FOH manager, but as the head sommelier he and his staff has come up with some amazing flavors. Alinea's wine service, if I may humbly say, is just as impressive as the food. Said just like a New Yorker, who comes to Chicago just for the food. I second that. And since none of you called it, a vote for the meringue with the liquid mango in the center.

Kiki's is closed on Sunday.

Now you do. 2nd City No More

Bar Louie is the first bar mentioned. Come on, doesn't Evanston have some more interesting bars than that. Although not a restaurant or a bar, stop by Bennison's (one block south of Chef's Station) in the morning (they open at 6) and have a plain croissant. IMHO, Chicago's best (coffee is, ehh).

I don't want to speak for Mr. Kokonas and he may want to elaborate but there is a tremendous amount of information about Alinea and how it came to be here. =R= ← To add to more history regarding Nick's initial involvement with Alinea, check out Ruhlman's new book, The Reach of a Chef. The chapter entitled' "Edge Cuisine" is all about Chef Achatz. A nice and easy read that will give you a concise history of Grant's career in the food industry. ← Yes, there is tons of great stuff about Alinea, Grant and Nick in Reach. I just posted a 'review' here. It's a fantastic read all the way around. =R= ← Ron, it was your review that made me make this posting.

I don't want to speak for Mr. Kokonas and he may want to elaborate but there is a tremendous amount of information about Alinea and how it came to be here. =R= ← To add to more history regarding Nick's initial involvement with Alinea, check out Ruhlman's new book, The Reach of a Chef. The chapter entitled' "Edge Cuisine" is all about Chef Achatz. A nice and easy read that will give you a concise history of Grant's career in the food industry.

Very interested. Care to wet our appetite with a little background.

1. If I'm not mistaken, the anniversary menu was around 17 courses? So, that's around 7 or 8 courses less than the usual Tour... so, given that pacing, would you say that a full tour would normally take around 6 1/2 hours, give or take a few? That has been my experience at both of my (full) Tour seatings. 2. Did you take pictures? I did on both of my visits. However, somehow, I don't think that it made that much of a difference in terms of pacing... honestly. ← 1. As seen in anniversary menu listed up-thread, there were 22 courses for the anniversary week dinners. Shy of average 26, the FOH and kitchen were spot on when it came to getting plates onto our table. At no point in our dinner did we ever wonder when we getting the next course. The lag time was negligible. 22 vs 26: If you look at what has been left out, it is the small bites, intermezzos, palate cleansers, etc., all of which should not take that long to prepare or consume - even by the slowest of diners (me), but your mileage will vary. 2. Of course pictures were taken.

To add another note on timing... My experiences at Alinea have been long. The last time (anniversary dinner) was five minutes shy of seven hours. I say experience because that is the total time inside the restaurant. The actual time it took to serve (and eat) the 22 courses was five and a quarter hours. This may seem long to most, but I was fine with it, especially since I am usually the last person to finish a dish at our table (read: I eat really slow). I have seen other diners come and leave in under 4 hours, and that's for the standard 26+ courses. The staff is extremely attentive to diners and once your are done, clean-up occurs and they inform the FOH expeditor, who calls out the next item to prepare. Things that extend your experience at the restaurant are guests with small bladders and those needing a nicotine fix every 30 minutes. Once someone leaves the table, someone has to inform the expeditor, who in turn informs the kitchen which dish needs to stop (or slow down) being prepared. I believe this is known as the "up" calls.

There is no bar at Alinea True, but there is a bar next door at Boka. Great meeting place before your meal at Alinea. Although, I would suggest a little temperance in your beverage selection - especially if you are having wine pairings with your meal. Even though there is no bar, they do serve some house cocktails - Alto Adige Moscato Rosa with Crème de Cassis and Champagne with Quady Vya Vermouth are a couple that I have had, but as part of the wine pairings. They have some hard liquors, but I think mostly digestifs. I think their apertif selection might be light compared to next door.

Looking at the DBP's menu, I would note be surprised that many of the items there now, will be there 6 months from now. The daily specials may be where the chef can introduce new flavors. CH on the other hand seems to treat their menu a little more lively. Things change fairly often (weather it be primary/secondary ingredient/garnish or whatever), to the point where the menu on the web does not match pdf download and what is actually being served at the restaurant (as what happened on one occasion I had lunch there). I still look at the way DBP does steak, i.e. get a good piece of meat, age it in house and throw it on the grill (lettuce let our diners choose the how it's cooked and what sauce to drown it with). Whereas the meats at CH are really a product of the restaurant, the chef and his ideas. On a note of similarity, both places are open for breakfast. ---------- David Burke's Primehouse (owned by the B.R. Guest Restaurants group) 616 North Rush at Ontario Chicago, IL 60611 312 660 6000 David Burke's personal website.

After reading the title, it sounded like another steak house and I did not want to click on this tread. But after reading the posts, I find it interesting, for a steakhouse. A nice alternative. BTW, I love the special at Molto E's Primehouse.

Ever since Moto opened up the front cafe/bar area, they have been serving some amazing cocktails, which gets updated regularly. The earlier concoctions were very tasty, using the finest simple and traditional ingredients, and presented in a martini glass. Now they are pushing their philosophy from the kitchen to beverages made at the front-of-house and allowing diners to have them as starters (you can also just have cocktails and stay in the front). A few of the cooking implements and serviceware have made it to the bar area, where the drinks are prepared table (bar) side. A few items are really great and some others require, an acquired taste - Mustard Martini (part of martini made four ways). This direction follows the aesthetic of Moto and I admire chef pushing the boundaries.

Recent article in today's NYT, Two Parts Vodka, a Twist of Science (by Peter Meehan). Perhaps you should apply for a trade or a service mark.

What award? Has he recently won anything that has any merit in the industry? Take a look at the list of James Beard Award 2006 and 2005 (and maybe even earlier) nominees. Charlie Tortter's name does not appear anywhere as "chef," but it does come up as "host," for the TV show "The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter".

Scanning through the James Beard 2006 nominees, all the Chicago reps currently have foie on their menu. Going back to 2005, same thing as well, with the exception of Mexican cuisine master Chef Bayless. Interesting correlation between these chefs and those in the industry that have been opposed to this ban. I wonder how much (if any) foie plays an integral part on these chef's menus. How do you compensate for the loss of this rare ingredient? Some chefs here are breaking the mold and preparing foie in so many creative (non-traditional) directions. Will we see a reduction of Chicago chefs represented at next year's jBread nominations? Probably not, but I sure will miss the creativity being done here right now. <sidebar> Slightly off topic, but has there been a Battle Foie Gras on Iron Chef? I stand corrected. There is another Chicago representative on the list. Charlie Trotter himself. But note the title given to him. They refer to him as a "host," for the PBS television show, "The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter."

Although it is not the actual bill, NYT states: Psst, call it liver. I won't tell, promise.