nick.kokonas

it is not my position that anything illegal took place. As Chef Cantu said, it would not be possible to police -- nor could we even define the borders. Nor, in my opinion, is it even desirable. IP protection for a process with wide consumer applications is a different matter. Nonetheless, I do think that there are times when an invisible line is crossed... it just feels wrong. Everyone's moral compass is different, but sometimes it is obvious. I very much understand that this has no legal meaning. In writing, unless a novel is exceptionally successful (like the da vinci code right now), there is no other penalty other than the consternation of your peers. In academia it is largely the same. It seems the same here too. The difference here as well is that it is not a technique or a tool adopted or a recipe that was followed or a presentation copied. It was all of the above. I should add that Chef G received a lengthy apology from Chef Wickens. In Alinea's book, this incident is closed.

as for the miso black cod, arpege egg, numerous keller dishes, etc... those are usually but one of many dishes on a menu. Creating a menu comprised primarily of nearly exact copies of dishes from just one or two restaurants and presenting the ideas as your own crosses the line in my book. I can name several restaurants that have dishes inspired by dishes at Alinea... but they do not define the restaurant or the chef. I don't have a problem with that -- that would fall under the "flattery" part of this topic.

There are a host of issues here: legal, ethical, economic, and personal integrity among them. The stagiere tradition is long held, and by welcoming chefs into his kitchen at Alinea, Chef Achatz honors that tradition. The idea is to freely share information with others to promote the art and craft of cooking -- and move cuisine forward. Visiting chefs learn technique, and then go home to apply these ideas to their own style of cuisine. The problem in this case is, for Alinea, not an economic one or a legal one. I don't personally believe that we have anything to gain economically, nor do I think we have any sort of legal case. Even if we had one, we would not pursue it. What is at stake is another issue. A chef at Alinea said to me a few days ago, "The thing that bothers me the most, is that if a diner went to Interlude first and then dined at Alinea, that diner would think that we were copying him." There is here a matter of intent and degree -- both gray areas. We have all seen the Arpege Egg at numerous restaurants, and usually it is credited. I don't mind that, it is a great dish. A few weeks ago, however, I had the arpege egg at a restaurant and the waiter told me it was the chef's "signature dish". Wow. I raised an eyebrow and the meal was sort of over before it began. As Fat Guy said, it would have cost nothing to call this an Arpege egg... and it would have enhanced not diminished the meal. We can only assume that most diners will not, however, know the difference. And that is the problem. In this case, numerous dishes were copied more or less verbatim from several US restaurants. There were only pictures of a few (and there are 3 more pictured examples not shown here), but others were described identically -- 17 in all that I counted. And the intent was clearly to show these completed ideas as his own.... for enjoyment, profit, and the accolades from the press. Seeing how hard Chef G and the team at Alinea work to create these produced a very visceral response from me personally. Interestingly, it is only because of the internet that this issue came to light. One can imagine a time not so long ago where this could have progressed undiscovered indefinitely. And perhaps that is why the "rules" seem to be changing a bit. It would, however, be a loss for the industry if such a violation of unwritten ethical guidelines endangered the "open source" nature of the industry and the stage tradition. I for one don't believe it will -- if anything, the freedom of information presented on the internet will tend to have the opposite effect...

while I agree with Chef Cantu's sentiment that everyone should just get along, it is easy to do with him... he has eaten at Alinea, visited the kitchen... no big deal. Next time I went to Moto, I didn't see Achatz' food on the table, I saw Cantu's. Same with every other chef. I agree there is no IP case here... in my mind there is something greater... intellectual integrity.

the theoretical discussion is interesting, and the points are for the most part correct. but in this case a picture is worth the proverbial words... hopefully Interlude will allow us to post them.

Well that is exactly the point. There is in fact another chef who is trying to do that... a few in fact. It is exceptionally difficult to do. That is why there are folks on here pointing out to you who those chefs are... And as for it being a few notes... to wit: The "tour" on the Interlude website either current or over the past 2 weeks (just changed tonight, no pictures on there now -- different menu... hmmm) "Very Similar" to Alinea -- 12 dishes Freeze Dried Pina Colada -- On eGullet Here Oct 18 2004 Chocolate Ganache Helix Tobacco with Blackberry Skate with "traditional" flavors Cucumber with aromatics HOP in Five Sections (Daikon substituted, but same exact fillings) Caviar with Oyster Cream in Chervil Squab with Foie, Licorice, and Grilled Watermelon (what are the odds of that!) Liquid Center Chocolate with Rice and Peanut (same plating too) Squab with smoking cinnamon (same exact candle service piece) Eucalyptus Yogurt with Apricot and Thyme (in an an exact same tube) Dry Aged Beef, Braised Pistachios, hot spiced Jelly (ours was also bison -- same unique treatment of the potatoes) Also similar are the phrasings: "too many garnishes to list", "tour", and "mostly traditional flavors". I note 2 dishes that I personally have seen at WD-50 (they can comment better than I), at least 2 from Moto (ditto -- donut soup being one), and one from MiniBar (deconstructed glass of wine). Total of 17 dishes, without really thinking too hard. If it were one dish -- well that's an honor. I have seen Alain Passard's Egg and Keller's Cornets at many restaurants... often in homage to the chef's who created them. I am not a chef... and perhaps different rules apply here. But in any other profession or business -- from writing to computing to academia -- this would raise a flag...

The tradition of welcoming stages into the kitchen is long held. The idea is that chefs can learn from one another, grow, and move the art forward. Chef Achatz has both benefited from this tradition, and now welcomes chefs from all over the world into Alinea's kitchen. I would at this point like to formally ask Chef Robin if I can post the pictures of the following interlude dishes: daikon in five sections, Caviar, chocolate ganache, yoghurt, and squab. Thank you.

Why? Why wouldn't it be a restaurant where we offered tasting menus simular to what we do at Alinea ...but dishes of the past? Why do people want to make this cuisine "more approachable" Isn't that one aspect of what makes it special ..... it's un-approachability? Why turn it into a sushi concept of ordering it "by the peice" or large verions of the same food in an ala carte setting? Would it be the same? ← does ordering a great piece of toro nigiri (or 5!) make it less special because it is more approachable? I don't think so. In a tasting menu it makes sense to have an integrated whole that is composed and balanced -- and certainly a tasting menu could be available. But why not have the tapas/sushi bar of black truffle explosions etc.? Hell, I am at Alinea most days and I don't get to eat them!

I'll save Grant the time on this one. Alinea's policy is that guests can use cameras so long as they are not interfering with the dining pleasure of other guests. Practically, that means that we forbid the use of flash. Some have complained that good pictures cannot be taken without flash, but there is ample evidence on this website and others to the contrary. Disable flash and snap away. We would hope that the public can tell the difference between a poorly executed photo and a poorly executed dish -- so I don't think Chef is too worried about "bad pictures" as I have heard others complain. And as for "ripping off" the creativity -- Alinea has operated almost from day one to be as "open source" as possible. We don't see the harm in letting others know what is going on here.... and in fact encourage review of the menus and dishes, as well as the interior design, etc. We have a few ideas to bring this idea to the next level -- and hopefully we begin to realize those this year. We did see that thread about the threatened lawsuit. Personally, I think it is absurd -- but I don't know the whole story and whether or not the guest was "difficult" in the dining room. In other words, I think it is crazy to sue over the photos, but my guess is that there must be extenuating circumstances. You would be amazed at how irate some people can get when you ask to refrain from flash photography. Still, a lawsuit over food photos taken by a guest seems downright silly.

Very nice! So . . . what's the minimum quantity on the anti-plates? Do I have to order a full pallet? =R= ← By end of Q2, we will have the anti-plates, pedestals, cork presenter, sugar tongs (not pictured), and perhaps one or two other items available for retail purchase in reasonable quantities (groups of 5 or 6 of the anti-plates and pedestals, 1's of the cork presenter and tongs). Currently, we are only taking orders for restaurant sized quantities -- minimum of 30-50 per item. Judging by the number of items that find their way inexplicably into diners' purses and pockets, there seems to be a demand for those cork presenters!

After a great number of inquiries from both diners and other restaurants and hotels, we have re-launched Martin Kastner's company Crucial Detail. Currently, the serviceware in Alinea is only available in commercial quantities, but we will be offering some items for individual purchase in the near future. You can see the new Crucial Detail website here.

Grand entrance, I think not, but thanx anyway. I think it was Nick who made a grand entrance, as he was a diner that evening, although he was working the floor throughout the evening. Actually it was a 6.25 hour experience. No anticipation building, just working on getting them up to par. As you know, I just don't upload the images, I do a little bit of post production work. ← I deny making a grand entrance -- though I did say hi to a few tables of friends. Now the exit, that is what I am a bit more worried about! Grand it was not... but the celebration that preceded it certainly was. Thanks to the eGullet community for all of your comments, rants, raves, pans, suggestions, inquiries, pictures and discussions in 2005. By far the most gratifying aspect of working on Alinea with Grant has been to see the reactions of the diners to everything we worked on and all of the creations Grant and the kitchen staff have sent to the dining room. I look forward to seeing you in 2006.

Have you been to the Palace Grill on Madison near the stadium? Greeks -- my dad's cousins -- and lots of attitude (and fun). To me the quintessential diner and a Chicago classic... all of the old pols eat there, and even Gorbachov when he was doing his Perestroika tour. Say hi to George.

I am curious to know where people would want to go beyond chicagoland. As fortunate as Chicago is to have many, many excellent places, my dreams run to places near and far -- some very far away... a new thread needed, or can we post em in here Ron? happy holidays.

This is way outside my area of expertise, and perhaps this restaurant is a bit too much geared for the American palate, but I found Tiffin to be the best of that genre in the city... at least in terms of freshness and preperation of the food. I cannot comment on authenticity, but the meal was very enjoyable with some pointed flavors.

some information including current menus can be found here more to come...

It is a pretty safe bet that you will not see a cheese cart ever wheeling its way around the Alinea dining room. That is not to say that you will not eat cheese... you may. But such a presentation would not fit well with the rest of the meal at Alinea. Mignardise are more vague. Thus far, the last course of the evening is what Alinea considers a "composed" course... a few bites of a sweet/savory to end the meal. Again, not the equivalent of a traditional chocolate and cookie platter or the like. However, beginning as soon as next week, you will be taking home a wonderful packaged good that is part of your meal... we expect this to be seasonal, and perhaps fleeting.

that is really too bad to hear. I live very close-by there, and was pretty much praying that whoever moved into the space would make it something good.... it has been doomed for the last several years. The area needs a seriously good bistro. Hopefully they work out the kinks... I will try it in a few weeks and report.

Alinea received our first shipment of both white and black truffles this past Thursday. On the menu on Saturday was a real surprise... the 2005 update of an old ChefG classic... but with white truffles this time. I expect we will have these available for the next 6-8 weeks.

I had the pleasure of visiting the recently opened Schwa last night. In my mind, it is the modern, Chicago answer to Paris' chef-owned tiny bistros... though the food is anything but bistro-like. Chef-Proprieter Michael Carlson along with Sous Chef Nathan Klingbail pretty much do everything. They cook, present food, clear dishes, and do so with both manic energy and calm professionalism. One waitress and one dishwasher are in constant action as well. Schwa is tiny -- 26 or so seats in one small room. The kitchen is very visible from the dining room. It is BYOW and currently does not have plans for a liquor license. Be aware of this, and bring some wine since this is food worthy of a wine accompaniment. We put ourselves in the chef's hands and had a wonderful tasting. Both Chefs worked with Chef Achatz at Trio, and some influence is apparent... but the style is a departure from Trio and there is definitely an acccent of upscale Italian flavorings in many of the dishes. For example, an exceptionally flavorful quail egg ravioli with brown butter, ricotta, and parmegiano was simply presented (though anything but simply made) and perfectly flavored. Also done as well as any ultra-fine dining Italian restaurant was a lemon, artichoke, and shrimp risotto. A proscuitto consomme was clear and rich in flavor, with both fresh and dehydrated prosciutto. The heirloom tomato salad featured rich tomatoes, all peeled except the green zebra, with a zesty tomato sorbet. All in all, this was a very, very fine meal, well above many well known restaurants. Be aware that what you come to Schwa for is food, not atmosphere. The room is pleasant, but small and nothing is terribly luxurious. It is because of this that I make the comparison to a cramped Parisian bistro -- a recent meal at L' Epi Dupin was jostled from my memory midway through this meal. At the same time, these contrasts are what often are called "charm", and because the cooking is so solid, one cannot help but think that Schwa will be a hard seat to come by in the near future. Hats off to Chef Carlson and his "team".

The audio spotlight was invented and manufactured by Holosonics. Their website may be found here. Remember the "cone of silence" from some movie? Well this is the exact opposite, a "cone" of sound that can be "beamed" directionally to one or a few people without the sound leaking to others. The sound can also be bounced off of a wall or floor to make the listener believe the sound is originating at the bounced point. Dr. Pompei, the inventor, was very kind to us in helping us understand the technology and allowing us to test the speakers for use at Alinea. Unfortunately, for what we wanted to accomplish, our physical space had to many hard surfaces -- lots of granite, glass, steel, and wood. So the sound would bounce around a bit too much and leak to areas that were not intended to have sound. We may yet utilize the audio spotlight and in fact the building is wired for the speakers. But as of now the spotlight is not being used at Alinea.

There is a nice article Here written by John Mariani about the history and job of being the NYT restaurant critic.

The milkweed pod is perfectly safe to eat. There is a bitter tasting cousin that should not be eaten... ours are not that variety. For a non-scientific overview of milkweed there is a nice link here. Hardly an authoritative overview of milkweed, but you get the idea.

The chefs use a small paring knife and carefully peel the grape much as one would peel a raw tomato -- though the grapes are not, of course, blanched or anything. It is time consuming and difficult, and some do fall off of the stem, rendering them useless. It is an interesting exercise to eat two grapes, one peeled, one not, from the same vine and taste the difference.

It is not a new policy. Enforcing the policy is difficult at times... some patrons simply ignore requests to refrain from using a flash, or don't know how to disable it. At that point it is up to the dining room staff to use their best judgement in handling the situation, and judging the seriousness of the disruption to other patrons..