[CHI] Alinea – Grant Achatz – Reviews & Discussion (Part 2)

[noambenami]

Good luck, Alex - the desserts I've had at WD-50 were a disappointment. I'm sure you'll fix that: The desserts I've had at Alinea were very memorable, and that is the highest compliment I can give a dish.

[Lateralus]

I am looking forward to eating Alex's desserts one last time @ Alinea tonight.

[ronnie_suburban]

I am looking forward to eating Alex's desserts one last time @ Alinea tonight.

←

Me too. And I'm definitely going to miss his work very much.

=R=

[Alex]

Here's a very nice report at megnut.com.

[ronnie_suburban]

Here's a very nice report at megnut.com.

←

Thanks, Alex, for the link.

Here's an excerpt from the piece:

With Alinea, chef Achatz is doing what Thomas Keller no longer has the liberty to do, what all the big name chefs lose the freedom to do when they achieve a certain level of fame and notoriety. You go the Laundry or Daniel expecting a certain meal, and that leaves their chefs very little room for the innovation that Achatz can pursue with Alinea. He has one restaurant and he's in its kitchen full time. But it's always this way: the apprentice learns from the best, and then rises up to take his master's place. It's simply how the cycle progresses. One day, a new young chef will rise and displace Grant Achatz. But for now he's on top, creating the most exciting food in the United States at Alinea.

=R=

[ronnie_suburban]

Had another awesome meal at Alinea this past weekend and happily, got to try a few new items which are still evolving their way onto what will become the Summer menu.

I really enjoyed the newly-minted Bison dish which, aroma-wise, was quite satisfying even before I had a chance to taste it. Tender nuggets of bison resided under a pile of ultra-thin toasted pumpernickel shavings, grated gruyere and pickled ramps. Alongside was a special condiment -- pumpernickel and onion salt -- which could be applied to the dish at the diner's discretion. This was absolutely delicious.

I loved the Tomato dish too. It featured small red and yellow roasted tomatoes, a delicate and crispy length of fried bread with licorice and basil. The tomatoes were sweet and lightly caramelized and were a natural fit with the fried bread and the licorice and basil accents. This dish was summery and delicious.

Another new favorite of mine was the Langoustine with litchi, Vacherin and ginger. This was an ample 'one-biter' in which the individual elements combined into a potent and synergized combination. The tender langoustine, crunchy litchi and pungent Vacherin -- combined with the savory and aromatic accents -- had me wishing for more. It was absolutely delectable.

The new Corn course was another wonder. This combined savory-sweet custards of corn and coconut which were somehow fused together into a 1-bite cube then topped with beautiful and meticulously-placed accents of cayenne pepper and lime. I loved the initial flavors and the long, long finish too. It was great to experience the corn and coconut in this completely new light. Very cool.

I also thought the new Zucchini course was great too. It was served on the antenna -- micro bites of zucchini cake, goat cheese and angelica -- taken in one, hands-free bite. Again the combination of flavors was terrific and rich. I loved the way those flavors continued to work together as the bite faded away slowly on my palate.

The Squab with wild Oxalis pods (which had been caramelized) strawberry (sauce and berry), long peppercorn was also terrific. This dish featured perfectly cooked, rare breast along with leg meat and confit. The oxalis pods, which are foraged by hand, were uniquely crunchy and tasty. Again, the elements here combined into something much greater on the palate than the sum of its parts. I'll have another, please!

The Cream Cheese course -- a small puck of cream cheese custard filled with tart and aromatic guava puree and accented with tamarind (sauce and dried chips), black sesame seeds and cachaca rock candy -- was sensational. The tartness of the fruit played perfectly with the creaminess of the custard. The tiny bits of rock candy were crunchy and delicious little gems which provided a wonderful textural contrast to the custard. Wow!

Of course, several items with which I was already familiar also appeared on the menu, in their continually evolving forms. Hot Potato, Cold Potato is, for me, approaching Black Truffle Exlplosion territory. Although, we were informed that it won't be on much longer. 2 dishes which I've had a few times -- Dungeoness Crab and Spring Peas -- had been merged into one. The blanket of sauce covering the succulent bites of crab was no longer vanilla or passion fruit. This time it was made from the peas. And fresh peas -- perfectly taut/tender spring peas -- were just another transcendant element of the dish. Yuzu and lavender accents sent this new combined incarnation completely over the top.

As is always the case at Alinea, Joe Catterson's wine pairings were inspired and glorious. I have tasted and enjoyed more wines which I would have never even had the chance to try because of the work Mr. Catterson does, and for this I am truly grateful. He has an amazing knack for creating pairings that bring out the best in the food and the grape. That's no easy task with a 20+ course menu which is constantly changing. The service was immaculate. Bradley, Craig and the entire crew made us feel so welcome. They're knowledgable and friendly without ever being pretentious or intimidating.

I just cannot believe that Alan Richman recently referred to Alinea's food as safe. One of my companions theorized that what he actually meant by that is that the dishes are unquestionably delicious. To be unsafe would, perhaps, be to create combinations that do not necessarily work on a flavor level. Of course, Chef Grant's food is, for all its innovation and artistic presentation, safely delicious. If the food doesn't work on flavor level, it never finds its way onto the menu. I suppose that in that sense, Alinea doesn't represent much of a risk. But Chef G's certainly up on the highwire. The fact that he's mastered it -- and resides there so comfortably -- doesn't make what he does less risky. It does the opposite, in fact, and makes what he's accomplishing all the more amazing.

=R=

[docsconz]

I just cannot believe that Alan Richman recently referred to Alinea's food as safe.  One of my companions theorized that what he actually meant by that is that the dishes are unquestionably delicious.  To be unsafe would, perhaps, be to create combinations that do not necessarily work on a flavor level.  Of course, Chef Grant's food is, for all its innovation and artistic presentation, safely delicious.  If the food doesn't work on flavor level, it never finds its way onto the menu.  I suppose that in that sense, Alinea doesn't represent much of a risk.  But Chef G's certainly up on the highwire.  The fact that he's mastered it -- and resides there so comfortably -- doesn't make what he does less risky.  It does the opposite, in fact, and makes what he's accomplishing all the more amazing.

=R=

←

Being the one that said that, I can't imagine his statement having any other meaning. It couldn't be that he considers the combinations of ingredients, flavors and presentations as well-worn classics, because they most certainly do not fit into that category. Chef Achatz's food is not mother's cooking, but it is comforting and , yes, delicious.. I had the tremendous good fortune to dine at Alinea Sunday night with Ronnie and Yellow Truffle. The meal was everything Ron said and maybe more. My personal favorite was the langoustine, a truly extraordinary dish! I will post photos from the meal in a little while. I imagine YT may as well as we had dueling cameras. I better get mine up though before his blow them away!

[docsconz]

We had dinner at Alinea this past Sunday night. I am happy to report that I found it as wonderful as ever in every respect. I find it particularly amazing that Chef Achatz and his crew continue to turn over the menu with fabulous new creations. I arrived early for our reservation. Chef G was kind enough to allow me to take a few photos of the kitchen in action. I will share them here:

Food photos to follow.

[yellow truffle]

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.

Of course, several items with which I was already familiar also appeared on the menu, in their continually evolving forms. Hot Potato, Cold Potato is, for me, approaching Black Truffle Exlplosion territory. Although, we were informed that it won't be on much longer.

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>

As is always the case at Alinea, Joe Catterson's wine pairings were inspired and glorious. I have tasted and enjoyed more wines which I would have never even had the chance to try because of the work Mr. Catterson does, and for this I am truly grateful. He has an amazing knack for creating pairings that bring out the best in the food and the grape. That's no easy task with a 20+ course menu which is constantly changing.

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.

Chef Achatz's food is not mother's cooking, but it is comforting and, yes, delicious.

Said just like a New Yorker, who comes to Chicago just for the food.

My personal favorite was the langoustine, a truly extraordinary dish!

I second that. And since none of you called it, a vote for the meringue with the liquid mango in the center.

I will post photos from the meal in a little while. I imagine YT may as well as we had dueling cameras. I better get mine up though before his blow them away!

[docsconz]

...and now for the food! I got presentable photos for all but one course. Unfortunately, the zucchini cake with goat cheese and angelica didn't quite make it, although the dish was a good one.

HOT POTATO, cold potato, black truffle, parmesan What can I say? This dish is one of the greats. It is simply decadent. If this were the first dish served at most restaurants (as if it could be!) the rest of the meal would be unable to match it and would seem like a major let-down. Fortunately this is Alinea and Grant Achatz and crew do not know how to let down. We drank Krug Grand Cuvee Brut with this. A little bubbly never hurts with a dish as rich as this.

SHERRY VINEGAR, sassafras, a variation on an earlier mango presentation, provided a nice segue from the potato. The depth, transition of flavors and their duration on the palate were noteworthy. The dining photographer's challenge is to photograph and eat the dish before it melts

TOMATO, fried bread, licorice, basil has the simple look and taste of an Italian classic. The flavors are pure and wonderful with great balance. The sweetness of the roasted tomatoes played well off the fried bread and the herbs. The licorice was quite subtle and should not put off those with an aversion to the flavor.

Naiades 2004, verdejo from Rueda was the wonderful accompaniment to this dish.

CRAB, peas, yuzu, lavender I apologize for the self-indulgence of so many photos of this dish, but I just love the colors and the presentation...almost as much as eating the dish. As Ronnie said in a post above, this is another variation of an earlier dish and a magnificent one at that.

The crab was paired with an unusual white offering from Quintarelli the Blanco Secco "Ca' del Merlo" Veneto 2004. Lovely. I would like to echo YT's sentiments on Joe catterson and his wine program. It is simply outstanding. The dishes that Chef Achatz sends out can be difficult to pair, but Joe and his crew have in my experience always done so in a truly synergistic fashion.

LANGOUSTINE, litchi, vacherin, ginger Who says seafood and cheese don't work together? This dish exploded in my mouth with all sorts of wonderful flavor. It was rich, complex and had surprising textural contrasts. This was one of the best dishes I have had in a while and I have been fortunate enough to have eaten very well of late. Particularly amazing given that this is one of Chef Achatz's new dishes that he tried out on us. Wow!

R. Lopez de Heredia "Vina Gronia", Rioja 1995, another excellent match.

CORN, coconut, cayenne, lime Another winner, this had a magnificent blend of flavors and silken texture.

LAMB, akudjura, nicoise olive, eucalyptus veil A dish of mystery hidden as it was under the eucalyptus leaves, the one bite left a desire for more.

BISON, gruyere, pumpernickel, ramps This dish reminded me a little of Wylie Dufresne's famous Pickled beef tongue, fried mayonnaise, onion streusel dish, as it was aso a unique approach to familiar flavors. While Wylie's dish may or may not have been an inspiration, the look, mouthfeel and ultimately taste of the dish was all Grant's. This was served with another Spanish wine, Bodega Mustiguillo "Finca Terrazo", El terrerazo, Spain 2003. By this time I gave up trying to photograph the evanescent wine bottles.

SWEET POTATO, bourbon, cinnamon fragrance. Talk about "comfort food", this is the epitome. The flavor was surprisingly complex with a wonderful mouthfeel. Sublime.

VERJUS, lemon thyme, beet A wonderfully refreshing treat, this not to sweet dish had a beautiful surprise of beet encased in what I can only imagine as a sodiumalginate/calcium chloride concoction. This was a perfect element at this point of the meal. Dashe Late Harvest Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley 2005 was a lovely accompaniment.

ZUCCHINI, goat cheese, angelica, followed. This sweetside dish was a small skewered piece of bright green zucchini-cake with goat cheese as a flavor and textural component and a hint of angelica. While I liked this dish, I didn't love it.

SPRUCE, walnut, grapefruit was another dish that I only liked. Maybe by this point my palate was getting a litle fatigued. I found the bitter aftertaste of the grapefruit to linger a little too long for my taste.

YOGURT, juniper mango did manage to arouse my palate once again. This item that appeared to be a simple meringue held a surprisingly soft center of fabulous flavor and texture - a great bite.

PORCINI, caramelized dairy, bacon, cherry Another new dish, I can see its great potential, but I felt that it needed a bit more tuning before it achieves the greatness it seems destined for. It worked best when all the components were mixed together, otherwise some individual elements were unpleasantly salty. I felt this to be the dish furthest from its final iteration of the evening. It was served with Mas d'en Compte, Porrera, Priorat 2004.

ASPARAGUS, egg yolk drops another fine dish was served with a wine varietal that was new to me, Pinot Auxerrois from Albert Mann, Alsace 2004.

LOBSTER puffed and seasoned with pollen. Tasty, reminiscent of Shrimp toast.

HALIBUT, vanilla, artichoke, pillow of orange air Although a startlingly beautiful dish this was perhaps the one dish of the evening that I did not enjoy eating. I felt it had too much of a good thing with the orange air that overpowered the rest of the dish. The Raymond Usseglio "Roussanne Pur" CdeP 2004 was delicious.

KOBE BEEF, honeydew, cucumber, lime rocks This dish showed excellent balance between the various elements. It was paired with Hopler Zweigeit, Burgenland, Austria 2002 an unusual red wine from Austria.

FOIE GRAS, hibiscus, licorice, blueberry soda. This dish was simply marvellous. The foie gras located on the fork with its accompaniments was eaten first in one bite then washed down with the blueberry soda in the cup below. It was novel combining the unctuousness of foie gras with combinations that and style that were new to me. The ostensible reason i came out to Chicago was to sample foie gras from some of Chicago's finest chefs for perhaps the final time for the foreseeable future. This dish nor the othe foie preparations I had elsewhere in Chicago did not disappoint.

SQUAB, strawberry, oxalis pods, long peppercorn. The squab was prepared and included in a few different ways including breast, leg confit and crisped skin. The star of the dish was probably the caramelized oxalis pods that were both sweet and wonderfully tart. This was well-paired with Cote-Rotie "Les Grandes Places" Jean-Michel Gerin, N. Rhone 2001.

CREAM CHEESE, guava, black sesame, tamarind It looked like it would be chocolate, but it wasn't. What it was was spectacularly delicious. Paired with Chateau de la Genaiserie, Coteaux-du-Lyon "Tetueres", Loire 2003.

CHOCOLATE, elderflower, umeboshi, green tea Great flavors alone and combined. Nicely paired with Kracher Zweigelt Rose Nr. 1 "Nouvelle Vague", Neusiedlersee 1998.

COFFEE, mint, buckwheat, passionfruit Another great presentation and combination. This was served with Toro Albala "Don PX" 1971 Gran Reserva, Montilla-Moriles

PEANUT, five other flavors A nice send-off to a fine meal. The morsels were picked off by mouth one by one from the skewers.

There is no doubt in my mind that Chef Stupack will flourish at WD-50 as he has at Alinea. The question is what will happen to dessert at Alinea? Who will take the helm? Will Chef Achatz wear both hats or will he bring someone else in? I also have no doubt that Chef Achatz can successfully wear both hats, although as hard a worker as he is, I can't imagine where he would find the additional time for this. I would also have to think that Alinea would be a dream job for an aspiring or established pastry chef with a bent for creativity and exploration.

Not having been to Alinea since early December, reading Alan Richman's article in which he called Chef Achatz's cooking "safe" (?) and being aware of personnel movement, I have to admit I harbored a little concern that perhaps Alinea was losing its edge. I need not have worried. This meal was as wonderful as any I have had there and the entire experience was coordinated smooth as clockwork. Despite some turnover of personnel, all the faces I knew are still there and performing as well as ever. Alinea remains my favorite restaurant in the US. I am happy that Chef Stupack, if he has to leave Alinea will be moving to one of my other favorites, WD-50 and that Sam Mason will be opening, what I am sure will be one of the very best places for creative desserts anywhere.

[molto e]

Doc,

Some beautiful photos and what looked to be an outstanding meal. There is no doubt in my mind that Chef G is one of the finest toques in the country.

Molto E

[The Little Blue House]

Doc,

Were those the "regular" wine pairings?

BTW Has anyone noticed recently the number of views this topic has gotten?

Edited June 16, 2006 by The Little Blue House (log)

[Lateralus]

Bison was an amazing dish. Ate there on Sunday as well. Thank you to everyone @ Alinea. Amazing......

[BryanZ]

Oh man.

[docsconz]

Doc,

Were those the "regular" wine pairings?

BTW Has anyone noticed recently the number of views this topic has gotten?

←

We ordered the "upgrade" or "premium" pairings. I get there infrequently so when I do, I splurge. They do as fine a job pairing wines as anywhere I have ever eaten. The experience is a true team effort.

[Nathan]

I will be in Chicago the last weekend of July and would like to eat at Alinea. Does anyone know if they can make any accomodation for a solo diner...is it possible to have a tasting menu in this fashion? eat at the bar or whichever?

although I'll be seeing some of my Chicago friends, none of them would be interested in eating there.

[docsconz]

I will be in Chicago the last weekend of July and would like to eat at Alinea.  Does anyone know if they can make any accomodation for a solo diner...is it possible to have a tasting menu in this fashion?  eat at the bar or whichever?

although I'll be seeing some of my Chicago friends, none of them would be interested in eating there.

←

I have a good friend who quite happily dined there on her own. It shouldn't be a problem.

[Nathan]

thanks! I'll call them this week.

(I don't know of any NY 4-star that would do it)

[FabulousFoodBabe]

I'm breathless. We have a table the evening of 7/29. I've ordered "The Tour."

[Nathan]

I have a res for the Tour on Friday the 28th.

guess I'll see what they can do for a wine pairing.

can't wait.

[Sneakeater]

(I don't know of any NY 4-star that would do it)

←

I'd be astonished if you couldn't eat at Le Bernadin alone.

[bmj]

Nathan,

I'm sure every 4 star NYC would do a single. I work at one of them and we constantly VIP single diners. Why wouldn't you be allowed to dine alone?

[Lateralus]

I work at GILT in NYC. I have never seen so many single diners. At least one every night.....always VIP!!!! Nathan, you will have an amazing experience!!!

Edited June 23, 2006 by Lateralus (log)

[Nathan]

you think they would?

would Per Se? JG?

for example, Babbo's not a 4-star but they won't serve a solo diner the tasting menu....

(I guess this is kind of off-topic though)

[tammylc]

you think they would?

would Per Se?  JG? 

for example, Babbo's not a 4-star but they won't serve a solo diner the tasting menu....

(I guess this is kind of off-topic though)

←

Read the Per Se and JG threads right here on eGullet, and I'm sure you'll find reports from solo diners. I have a friend who frequently dines at 4 star/Michelin starred restaurants all over the world, usually alone, with never a problem at all. I think Babbo is the exception, not the rule!