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Which is how it should be done. A former employer of mine insisted on taking any reservation from any concierge at any time, even if it inconvenienced the local regulars. I thought that was stupid and told them so. What good is it to make a good impression on an out of town visitor that may never come back to your restaurant again?? It's nice that all their friends and colleagues back in Dubuque heard about their lovely meal in Philly, but so what?? Where's the utility to the restaurant? Every guest and reservation is important, but if it's about preferential treatment, then the locals should definitely be getting it. ← Perhaps it wasn't the specific diner he was concerned about, but the local concierge whose recommendation and business flow he wanted to continue to attract.

I do not believe that the propriety of a customer photographing food or anything else in a restaurant is really the issue here. That has been debated elsewhere ad nauseum. The question is not even whether a restaurant has the right to ban photography from its premises. The quality of the photos are I believe irrelevant. The crux of this matter is clearly how the situation was handled by the restaurant and particularly the chef. We have only heard one side of the story, but given the apparent history of the chef it is a compelling one and inexcusable.

Oh? You know - I've been pretty reserved about this. I travel more than a fair amount. And eat a fair amount. And I could not even presume to name the best restaurant in the state where I live and travel a lot (Florida) - much less the US - much less the world. Let's see - in the last couple of years - I've been to and eaten in New York - Texas - California - Illinois - Georgia - Washington - Oregon - Louisiana - Arizona - several provinces in Canada - London. We generally travel a lot more but we took care of my father-in-law in a nursing home here for 3 years before he died a while ago. So we didn't travel as much as usual - and stuck pretty close to home. Have never been to the far east - but we are going this spring. We've had high brow meals - low brow meals - some bad - some good - some fabulous. But it would be silly on my part to name any of the places I've eaten the best - because eating at dozens out of the hundreds or perhaps thousands of best restaurants in the world over the course of several decades doesn't qualify me to make those judgments. Perhaps your experience is more comprehensive than mine (although I seriously doubt that 19 year old Bryan Z's is). So let's see. I've never been to Alinea. Have you ever been to the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead when Menard was in the Dining Room (he's now the chef at L'Osier in Tokyo) - or Chez Panisse? Just off the top of my head - those are the 2 best meals I've had in the US lately. Although I thought our meals at Gordon Ramsay and Tom Aikens in London were better. Ever been to those places? Note that I've been to Per Se - and I didn't think it was as good as the other places I mentioned. And I'm sure that if I listed all the places I've eaten at - I could get into some spirited arguments about my opinions of them with other people who've dined at those places. And - quite frankly - I think that nothing can hold a candle to 3 star French cooking in France in its heyday (which has since passed). I'm not saying that Alinea isn't perhaps a very good or excellent restaurant. I just think that most people here who are singing its praises are more than a bit over the top (especially when it comes to comparing it with other places that are out there - most of which they've never been to). Robyn ← Robyn, if you read my post, I did not call Alinea the best restaurant in the US or the world. You took a portion of my statement and quoted it out of context. The full statement is this: I have not been to every great restaurant, although I have been to many. There are others in the US and the world to match it and there may be others in the world that exceed it, but the only one that I have experienced to this effect is El Bulli. While my experience is not totally comprehensive I have dined at many if not most of the top haute cuisine restaurants in the US and quite a few in Europe and elsewhere - enough to have a reasonable sample to base my assertion on. If you noticed my statement was not absolute, simply a strong opinion. Please do not portray it for more than it is.

Not a bad collection at all, but top ten based on what? You could certainly do much worse than tasting any of these, although I also imagine that you could do better than some at similar price points for similar wines.

Awesome menu! The only thing that I can imagine better than how the food looked is how it must have tasted. I wish I was there! Thanks for sharing the pics. What was in the water bath set at 40 degrees C?

Have you been? Alinea is far more than hocus-pocus. It is great food presented extremely well in a very fine atmosphere. It also has a lot of humor, which is something I think a lot of people do not understand. You are correct, though Robyn, a lot of people share that opinion - mostly those who haven't been. The same is true for El Bulli. Of course there are those who have been who fel that it isn't worth the hype. If people are not into having an open mind with the food that is served they will not like either place. if people are into creativity and willing to explore with an open mind, it is my strong opinion that they will love either restaurant. As for the criticism that people leave Alinea hungry - tell that to my wife (this is not directed at you, Robyn). She would beg to differ and has almost kept me from the tour because there is so much food. Besides these restaurants are not about quantity. they are all about quality and creativity and leaving feeling comfortable and not super-saturated. ← Doubt I'd ever have a problem leaving hungry. I don't like to eat massive (or even somewhat large) amounts of food at a single seating. I can't even make it through a 10 course "tiny bites" tasting menu. I've never been to Alinea - and probably won't be there soon (Chicago simply isn't on my radar travel screen right now). And even if I get to Chicago next year (2007) - don't know that I'd go. There are a lot of different food philosophies and sensibilities these days. And I am much more on the Chez Panisse side of things these days than the Alinea side. Food that speaks for itself - without "gimmicks" Like Bryan Z said - "thought the air pillow with the "Duck" was a little bit gimmicky, but I'm a gimmicky kind of guy". I am not a gimmicky kind of guy. I don't think I'd use the phrase that Mariana used - hocus pocus - ever in the context of a restaurant - but I kind of cringe when I read about dishes in various restaurants that are supposed to be puns - as opposed to delicious food. Fat lot of good it does for a foreign traveler when a chef is trying to make puns - especially in a different language (we are going to Japan in a few months and I just hope my husband and I will wind up ordering something other than the tax and tip ). BTW - I don't mean to imply that one POV is right and the other wrong. There are simply people with different preferences - even when they don't have bad colds. It's not a big deal. There are all kinds of people with all kinds of tastes - and hopefully there will be restaurants to satisfy all of them. I am not fond of cultural relativism - but I reserve big deal judgment calls for big deal things (which in my opinion doesn't include restaurants). Robyn ← Robyn, I do not disagree with you at all that "there are all kinds of people with all kinds of tastes" nor do I expect everyone to flip out over Alinea. You may or may not like it. The reason I asked the question that I did is that most of the people who appear to be heavily criticizing this restaurant haven't been themselves and don't really have a clue as to what it is all about. The food is undoubtedly novel and fun and yes there are some cute gimmicks and puns. The important point, though is that while all those things, the food is also delicious and provocative. Some people don't like to be provoked when it comes to food and would rather have things the way they are used to. There is nothing wrong with that and this is simply not the restaurant for those people. But for those that do enjoy the intellectual and artistic aspects of food in addition to the gustatory pleasures of taste and texture and wish to do so in an elegant but comfortable environment, there is IMO no place better in the US and perhaps the world.

I think that therre is a huge difference between what happened to me at Per Se and what has been described here. While I was being discreet at Per Se, they did ask nicely and I nicely complied. They did not threaten me in any way or try to make me give up the photos that I had already taken. They simply asked. I have no problem with that even though I would have preferred to continue photographing. I would have had a huge problem with Chef greenwood's approach.

I love saffron. I used it several times over the weekend You could either add the pistils directly to what you are making or you can grind them. I don't see any problem with what you did by adding it to the milk. Saffron is not bitter. It has a wonderful floral taste that is aromatic and slightly sweet. I particularly like it with seafood. I used it with a butter braised lobster on NYE and with scrambled eggs along with tarragon on New Year's morning.

As one who likes to take restaurant photos of food and kitchens I generally ask if the restaurant minds unless I already know they don't mind, although I must admit I have not asked on every occassion. The only time I started photographing and was asked to stop was at Per Se shortly after it re-opened (No, I was not using flash). They did ask in a nice way and I complied without a problem. They did later let me take photos in the kitchen, though. I have had restaurants refuse to let me take photos when i have asked - most recently at Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn when I asked if I could photograph the making of the pizzas and the oven. They had no problem with my taking photos of our own pizza, however. I respect a restaurant/chef's desire to not have photos of their work published or taken, but this is a new low. My own personal preference is to patronize places that cater to my artistic needs (folly or not that they are) in addition to my gastronomic needs.

Wow! This is a great example of not being able to tell a book by its cover. Looking at the menu at the top of the post, I thought, "ok, but a NYE menu?" The following photos sure proved that wrong. I am intrigued by his sushi fusion of east and west.

Bryan, was the pine flavor as pronounced as the juniper at Alinea? You said it was subtle. Do you have a preference for one dish or another? Very nice report.

Very well said. Any dishes particularly appealing?

I can't wait to see the pictures and live vicariously!

Nice pics, Jason. I will ahve to get back therre and try a few different things next time I am in Ridgewood.

An impressive list. Didn't see Ducasse's name, perhaps because he couldn't be pigeon-holed into one location. There were a number of venerable names as well.

I have had some excellent meals there in the past, but I haven't been in quite some time. I have been receiving a lot of promotional materiel from them re: wine dinners and the like. I love the space, although it is a bit cold feeling (not in temperature). I would go to some of these events as I have in the past if they coincided with my schedule. Alas they do not and there are too many other restaurants in NYC that I would like to visit when I am there.

John, Thank you for the information (as always) and the link. This provides additional incentive to improve my French (in hiatus since my visit to paris). It seems to me that this movement is a necessary one for France to hope to continue its pre-eminence in the food arts. It is not acceptable for the culinary firmament there to stick its collective head in the sand and rest on past glories when much of the rest of the world has caught up in technique and even surpassed it in terms of creativity. Bon chance to them. I like the concept and what this is likely to mean to our collective palates.

I was on this trip in 2004 and it was fantastic. Your itenirary was significantly different from ours and very interesting as well. I would have loved to have been there. I'm looking forward to a visit to Mexico with Michael and Co. this spring. Welcome to eGullet! I would love to read more about your trip especially the Catalunya part now that you shared this.

John, who are some of these chefs and do they seem to share a particular style?

I had a seafood shipment for NYE arrive from Browne Trading Co. today including a pound of these sweet morsels. I made gambas al ajillo from Penelope Casa's Tapas book with these - awesome. I will try to post photos later.

Have you been? Alinea is far more than hocus-pocus. It is great food presented extremely well in a very fine atmosphere. It also has a lot of humor, which is something I think a lot of people do not understand. You are correct, though Robyn, a lot of people share that opinion - mostly those who haven't been. The same is true for El Bulli. Of course there are those who have been who fel that it isn't worth the hype. If people are not into having an open mind with the food that is served they will not like either place. if people are into creativity and willing to explore with an open mind, it is my strong opinion that they will love either restaurant. As for the criticism that people leave Alinea hungry - tell that to my wife (this is not directed at you, Robyn). She would beg to differ and has almost kept me from the tour because there is so much food. Besides these restaurants are not about quantity. they are all about quality and creativity and leaving feeling comfortable and not super-saturated.

U.E. the feeling is mutual. I will look forward to your take on this restaurant next time you go. Reading the beansbeans blogspot take on Alinea linked to by sneakeater just goes to show how different people can have different takes on a similar experience. Her read was obviously totally different than mine as I sense her culinary interests are. I don't believe one is any less or more valid than the other, but the difference is interesting, nevertheless. I do think it helps to dine at Alinea with the proper spirit and frame of mind.

Still does. Not any more. It's now a gym for children or some similar type of yuppie place. (That's what I meant about that neighborhood's changing.) A tragic loss. PS -- Sorry I got Ferdinando's name wrong. ← Excellent mozzarella can be had at Esposito's on Court Street. They also have the best Italian sausages and bracioles in the area and perhaps the City.

Mikey, see this thread on avant-garde cuisine for a discussion of the history and influences within the avant-garde, hypermodern or molecular gastronomy movements. By all accounts Gagnaire, Blumenthal and others are major figures in this area. For the purpose of this discussion, even though it is not in New York, Gagnaire was my most disappointing meal of 2005. Despite that, I am not sure that I would say he is overrated as his skill and talent shone through. I just didn't like a lot of what he came up with.

It is nice though when one goes in with absurdly high expectations and they are exceeded. Rare, but great when it happens. El Bulli, Alinea and yes, WD-50 were like that for me.