[CHI] Alinea – Grant Achatz – Reviews & Discussion (Part 3)

[molto e]

Congratulations Chef G on your James Beard Award!!!!!!

[Fat Guy]

A few random thoughts I had while dining at Alinea last night . . .

I went in with very high expectations, and Alinea exceeded those expectations by an unexpected order of magnitude. That just doesn’t happen very often. Alinea is clearly one of the handful of top restaurants in the world.

A meal at Alinea is a multi-tiered work of art: the individual dishes are beautiful little sculptures in food, the service pieces represent the pinnacle of design, the overall menu is a symphonic composition, the meal experience itself is a piece of performance art. It’s hard to believe there are still people out there who believe food can’t be art – indeed, that’s probably the overwhelming majority position. Yet, a meal at Alinea is so obviously art that the overwhelming majority position is about as credible as any of the most unenlightened majority positions in history.

I knew a lot about Alinea going in, and have read many exhaustive accounts of meals there, whereas the other five people in my group had never heard of Alinea and had no preconceived notions of what to expect. I enjoyed their experiences of the meal even more than I enjoyed my own – I envied their sense of wonder and discovery.

It’s only possible to enjoy Alinea if you give yourself over to the experience – to Alinea’s way of presenting the experience. There’s no other way a restaurant like this can operate.

The dish-by-dish account of a meal at Alinea, while valuable from an information perspective, doesn’t convey the experience. In some ways, to think of an Alinea meal as a series of dishes misses the point. Rather, the meal is one larger composition. I found that every dish worked beautifully within that composition. Did I love every individual dish unequivocally, standing alone, on its own terms? Of course not – show me a restaurant with 26 dishes that one person is going to love, show me a symphony where there are no parts that are better than others. Serious art can be challenging.

All the senses are engaged by Alinea, and particularly noteworthy is the olfactory engagement. The rosemary arrangement in the middle of the table gives the whole area a subtle rosemary aroma, and then later when the rosemary sprigs are added to the hot stone for the lamb dish you get a full-on rosemary blast. The duck is served on a lavender-scented pillow that compresses under the weight of the dish, discharging its aroma. Most art is only for the eyes and ears. Culinary art also engages the senses of touch, smell and taste.

Pardon the awful photos. I’m not sure they contribute anything to the historical record, but here they are anyway.

[docsconz]

It would have been a crime if Chef Achatz did not win this Beard award. As with you Steven, there is no question in my mind that Alinea is amongst a handful of the very best restaurants in the world.

[gfron1]

Like you Steven, we decided to let go to the moment, so we're very happy you took pics - our meals we're very similar. Not much more can be said about the food, but I'll tell you, our sommolier and the rest of the staff are what made the night for us. Every wine was perfectly paired (we did the upgraded wine list). The only not-perfect pairing was the pineapple and bacon lozenge (my term not there's) paired with Philippe Portier Quincy, Loire 2005...not so good together.

And the staff's attention to detail! At one point a customer next to us had to shift a course that was placed in front of him. I heard the server say, "Oh, you're left handed. I'll remember that for the remainder of the evening." After that, no matter which server came out, if the meal had a handed-ness, it was placed appropriately.

We were also taken by the realness and personableness of the staff - not snooty of aloof at all, which made the meal more accessible and fun for us.

[Fat Guy]

The only not-perfect pairing was the pineapple and bacon lozenge (my term not there's) paired with Philippe Portier Quincy, Loire 2005...not so good together.

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Weird choice. We definitely did better than you on that pairing. We were drinking Ogier "Viognier de Rosine" 2004. Very nice marriage.

[melkor]

My recent experience at Alinea was less positive. I found the service and wine program to be fantastic but the food overall lacked... deliciousness. While some of the components of some of the dishes were fantastic others were inedible. Some of the dishes are strikingly beautiful to look at, others are repetitive and hokey. There are only so many courses that can be served on a metal guitar pick. I'm genuinely glad to have eaten at Alinea during my Chicago trip, but I can't say I have any desire to return. Of the 25 courses we were served 24 of them were sweet. I went home hungry and craving something savory.

The table to our right was complaining they were full halfway through the 12 course menu, to our left they were discussing where to stop for pizza on the way home. I was tempted to swing by the Pakistani dive we found on the way home, but my dining companions out voted me.

I'm all for food as art, but there has to be a balance - the bulk of the dishes were far more successful as art than as food. It seems like the kitchen is trying too hard - in the end the ingredients get lost.

[molto e]

My recent experience at Alinea was less positive.  I found the service and wine program to be fantastic but the food overall lacked... deliciousness.  While some of the components of some of the dishes were fantastic others were inedible.  Some of the dishes are strikingly beautiful to look at, others are repetitive and hokey.  There are only so many courses that can be served on a metal guitar pick.  I'm genuinely glad to have eaten at Alinea during my Chicago trip, but I can't say I have any desire to return.  Of the 25 courses we were served 24 of them were sweet.  I went home hungry and craving something savory. 

The table to our right was complaining they were full halfway through the 12 course menu, to our left they were discussing where to stop for pizza on the way home.  I was tempted to swing by the Pakistani dive we found on the way home, but my dining companions out voted me.

I'm all for food as art, but there has to be a balance - the bulk of the dishes were far more successful as art than as food.  It seems like the kitchen is trying too hard - in the end the ingredients get lost.

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Melkor,

Can you give some details on the courses that worked for you and the ones that did not?

Molto E

[melkor]

I'll give this a quick run, I was there a week before Shaw but served much the same menu. I'm leaving out several of the dishes but here's a quick rundown:

Wagyu had good flavor but lacked texture. Monkfish was fantastic - the liver especially. Apple was not to my liking, the celery overwhelmed the rest of the flavors. Duck was good, would have been great without the overly sweet mango. Short rib was OK, the texture of the Guinness gelatin detracted significantly from my enjoyment of the dish. Rhubarb was interesting but not terribly tasty. It's a tough call between the strawberry and sturgeon for the worst dish of the night. One of the three pieces of lamb was delicious, the other two I found too sweet - I really like the presentation. The hot potato, cold potato is interesting and reasonably tasty. Foie was ruined for me by the apple, but otherwise was an excellent example of a foie mousse. The licorice cake is hard for me to judge since I dislike licorice but the presentation leaves something to be desired as it looks like it was dropped on the carpet on the way to the table (or a hairy microphone, as our helpful server pointed out). Chocolate was good, the passion fruit portion of the dish less so.

[molto e]

I'll give this a quick run, I was there a week before Shaw but served much the same menu.  I'm leaving out several of the dishes but here's a quick rundown:

Wagyu had good flavor but lacked texture.  Monkfish was fantastic - the liver especially.  Apple was not to my liking, the celery overwhelmed the rest of the flavors.  Duck was good, would have been great without the overly sweet mango.  Short rib was OK, the texture of the Guinness gelatin detracted significantly from my enjoyment of the dish.  Rhubarb was interesting but not terribly tasty.  It's a tough call between the strawberry and sturgeon for the worst dish of the night.  One of the three pieces of lamb was delicious, the other two I found too sweet - I really like the presentation.  The hot potato, cold potato is interesting and reasonably tasty.  Foie was ruined for me by the apple, but otherwise was an excellent example of a foie mousse.   The licorice cake is hard for me to judge since I dislike licorice but the presentation leaves something to be desired as it looks like it was dropped on the carpet on the way to the table (or a hairy microphone, as our helpful server pointed out).  Chocolate was good, the passion fruit portion of the dish less so.

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Thanks...I have not done the Alinea tour in quite some time

Edited May 9, 2007 by molto e (log)

[mukki]

Of the 25 courses we were served 24 of them were sweet.  I went home hungry and craving something savory. 

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Oh no, I hope this isn't the case. We're eating at Alinea tonight and I just had a very disappointing meal at Blackbird where all 3 meat dishes were way too sweet.

[jesteinf]

I still don't understand how anyone can walk out of Alinea hungry, especially after having the Tour.

mukki - don't worry about it. Go in with an open mind and enjoy. I've loved each and every one of my meals at Alinea.

[docsconz]

I abhor foods and meals that are too sweet. I love Alinea. I have never found that to be a problem there, but then it is almost a year since I was last there. I find it hard to believe that it has changed that much in that time though. Melkor either hit a bad night or we have very different views on the food at Alinea. That happens.

[Fat Guy]

I agree that there are a lot of sweet components to the savory dishes at Alinea. There are also savory components to the sweet dishes. I think it would be accurate to say that, in most dishes, there's an attempt to balance and play with sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy, umami, texture, temperature, etc.

Overall, there's a progression to the meal that's somewhat unusual. The printed menus they distribute have (I'm sure this has been mentioned above) a code that zigs left for more savory dishes and zags right for sweeter dishes. You can see from the example of our menu that there are actually a few points in the meal that represent dessert-type interludes. I enjoyed the back and forth -- I preferred it to an avalanche of desserts at the end.

The menu code also uses larger circles for larger dishes and smaller circles for the one-biters. And the weight of each circle indicates the lightness or heaviness of the dish. Here's the best scan I could come up with:

[melkor]

My menu looks the same, I can take a photo if you'd like. While it's true that the dots zig and zag the kitchen clearly has a different concept of savory than I do. The sweetness of spring peas or fava beans is to my palate a welcome addition to a savory spring dish - ripe pineapple and mango are not; they overwhelm the flavor of what should be the focus of the dish. The sweet palate cleansers that come along every handful of courses aren't in any way objectionable to me - my gripe is purely that the savory dishes are in no way savory. Doc mentions the possibility that I hit an off night; I would doubt that is the case - there were no awkward gaps in pacing, nothing was over or under cooked, nothing was over or under seasoned. My impression after spending several hours at Alinea is that the restaurant succeeds for the most part at presenting a beautiful progression of edible artwork. It fails when it comes to serving dishes so delicious that you wake up the next morning craving more.

[kai-m]

Forgive me if this has been up before, but I have a question regarding the atmosphere/ambience at Aliena: judging from the pictures they have one their website, this restaurant looks stiff as can be and *cold as ice*...not like a place where you are meant to have a joyous dinner.

Especially that picture with the 2 guys in suites and the lady rather looks like a stock broker company with depressive employees in bad mood, than like a place where creative, open minded people work for guests to have a good, relaxed time...

In other words: as much as would like to try the cuisine on my next trip to Chicago, those pictures really could prevent me from doing so...

Or is it just unfortunate pictures?

thanks

best

kai

[ronnie_suburban]

Forgive me if this has been up before, but I have a question regarding the atmosphere/ambience at Aliena: judging from the pictures they have one their website, this restaurant looks stiff as can be and *cold as ice*...not like a place where you are meant to have a joyous dinner.

Especially that picture with the 2 guys in suites and the lady rather looks like a stock broker company with depressive employees in bad mood, than like a place where creative, open minded people work for guests to have a good, relaxed time...

In other words: as much as would like to try the cuisine on my next trip to Chicago, those pictures really could prevent me from doing so...

Or is it just unfortunate pictures?

thanks

best

kai

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You should go back and read some of the 35+ pages of detailed accounts already posted on this thread. Those posts will answer your questions.

=R=

[docsconz]

I concur with Ron. What kai-m described could not be further from my experience. The restaurant is elegant, but quite relaxed and comfortable. It is anything but "stiif" or "cold as ice."

[JCPTX]

I'm heading into Alinea tonight, its the last night of the NRA Show. Our Reservation is at 9:00pm, I will post some pics and the menu if anything is changed from the menu posted on May6th, I was thinking he might do something a bit different for NRA week, we'll see.

Been waiting for this for two years!!!!!

[BryanZ]

Unfortunate pictures!!??? Are you kidding? Those are some of the most fortunate food pictures on the internet. The staff actually knows how to wear a suit that fits properly, which is more than I can say about some three-star Michelin places in NYC. The restaurant is so far from being cold, stiff, or anything like that. Just wait till you eat off the antennae or take the cocoa butter ball in one mouthful (remember to open wide). It's impossible to be cold or stiff under those circumstances.

In other news, I just found out about the NRA show today (the last day). I'm bummed I just missed it. Why isn't there a thread?

[nr706]

Show is still open Tue 'til 5, although I imagine a lot of people will be packing up earlier.

[kai-m]

Wow...sorry...i didn't mean to insult anyone...but I certainly wasn't talking about the food pictures, which are great, but about the pics of the restaurant itself (not the kitchen!!)...which, to me, still don't like a very "warm" place.

These pictures are "cool", but not in a positive sense. So yes, I find them extremely unfortunate. My opinion.

But of course I believe you all that in reality the atmosphere at Alinea is very different.

That's why I asked.

So thanks!

best

kai

[gfron1]

And Kai - when I went a few weeks back I anticipated the coldness that you would expect of a restaurant with Alinea's prices. I went in revering and respectful. By the end (and not just because of the wines), my spouse and I commented on the friendliness of the staff even before the food.

I think you'll determine the tone of the night. I saw parties come in who remained stiff - I think they missed out. We got to know our staff's histories (remember 4 hours). We got to know what courses still make them smile. We got to share our lives with them. I used my bench pillow to relax when I needed to. To me that is exactly why Alinea's staff is top notch - they give you exactly what you want, when you want it. BUT, they also push you to have a new experience in the way that they serve the food.

In this case, don't view the website as anything more than them presenting an image that misaligns with a reality - a theme you will experience throughout the evening.

[mlarue]

I'm wondering about the disconnect between the "coldness" Kai feels from pictures of Alinea and the friendliness and comfortability-factor many others (myself included) felt while at Alinea. One possible reason is simply a personal-taste reaction to contemporary vs. traditional surroundings. Alinea's architecture and decor is contemporary and relatively minimalist which may be seen as cool by some. Yet the color pallette and use of wood (as opposed to sythetic surfaces) gives the room a sophisitiacted but warm feel to me. Similarly, the clothing worn by employees is sleekly styled from a high-end Italian design house. That said, the warmth and charm of all of the employees with whom I interacted was simply outstanding. But that, too, was delivered with a degree of sophistication. Warm but not "folksy". It's tough to describe, but I'd certainly not shy way from trying it -- and not just for the food but for the entire package.

[dagordon]

We had a fantastic meal at Alinea last Thursday, our first time there.

Below are some pictures. I'm hesitant to post these pictures; the dishes were truly visually stunning, but the quality of our pictures is extremely poor. This was our first time figuring out how to use our digital camera with the flash disabled. Turns out it doesn't work so well. Also, the pictures give but a small sample of the dishes that we had, and the sample isn't in any way representative; we took a picture pretty much whenever we remembered to.

As far as the food itself, there's simply too much to say, so I'll not say very much at all. I will say that what impressed us about the meal was that it was thoroughly flavor-driven. (I mean this broadly, to include texture, temperature, etc.) At no point did we feel that the experience of actually eating the food was being assigned secondary importance to looks or to gimmickry of any kind, which is a complaint that we've had at other places that might be thought to be in roughly the same genre as Alinea.

I will offer some complaints. Several dishes struck us as significantly oversalted. The fried monkfish pieces (even when eaten with the other components of the dish); the truffle explosion; the short rib. We were most sad about the truffle explosion, as we'd heard about and had been looking forward to this dish, and the overuse of salt really detracted from it. The ginger on the tuna, which was essentially tuna "jerky", we found way too strong.

Also, the wagyu (which was one of the best bites of anything I've ever had, apparently this was Japanese A5 grade marbling score 12 beef) was served with a cup over it; the cup was lifted when the dish was served, releasing a generous amount of smoke. Unfortunately, this smoked travelled a bit. The table next to us was being served this dish while we were having the duck, which was served over a pillow that slowly released lavender scent; the smoke from that table was a major distraction while eating such a delicate dish. It was surprising to experience this problem in a meal every detail of which was so calculated. Either some kind of ventilation system has to be installed, or the smoke has to go, I think. (Interestingly, I think it was almost entirely diners other than the ones being served the wagyu that experienced the smoke; when we were served this dish the smoke wasn't very noticeable at all almost immediately after it had been released.)

These complaints, while not trivial, didn't, however, substantially detract from an evening that was, as I've said, beyond description. This was more than a meal.

Croquette

Octopus

Duck

Black Truffle

Short Rib

Lamb

Hot Potato

Coconut

Licorice Cake

Caramel

Edited July 3, 2007 by dagordon (log)

[Christopher Haatuft]

I also eat there last thursday, so Ill comment on your comments ;P

Though I tasted the salt in the truffle, I found it to be right on the edge of saltiness. As a one-biter, I thought it was og, but if it had been a soup, it might have been to much. I thought it worked, though. The monkfish, on the other hand, was mayby my favorite dish of the night. I did not find this oversalted the least. Mayby Im not very sensitive to salt?

Oh, and the green apple shot is pure genious!

I do however agree some on the Kobe. I like the idea of encapsulating smoke like they do, but for me, I d rather have the meat "pure". The smoke flavored the meat pretty strongly, something I would not expect someone to do to this quality of meat. I was, of course, out of this world and also one of my favorite courses.

I have to mention that I am very impressed by how well executed the whole meal. The pasing of the courses, the amount, the wines, amount of bread...Everything. The staff was always attentive, and knew most of my questions about the food. But I wonder why they choose to pair the duck with the Gruner Veltliner. I didnt get that, but Im no expert either.