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

[chefAZ]

I just came back from a stage at Alinea and I must agree with you doc....Chef Achatz is an amazing person. The intensity he puts into everything he does is truly inspiring. I learned a great deal from just watching him......

While I was at Alinea Chef Achatz changed three or four dishes, so he hasn't skipped a beat....It was really great to see that his spirit is strong and he continues to work so hard. My time at Alinea truly changed my life!

Edited September 22, 2007 by chefAZ (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Moderator's Note: Posts concerning The Alinea Book have been split off into their own topic in the Cookbooks & References forum (click here), where you'll find ordering information and discussion. Thanks.

[loremipsum]

We just went for our second visit. As amazing as two years ago.

Pictures on Flickr here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/loremipsum/se...57602300222881/

Cheers!

[biskuit]

We just went for our second visit. As amazing as two years ago.

Pictures on Flickr here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/loremipsum/se...57602300222881/

Cheers!

←

We were there a few nights ago and had a similarly wonderful meal - a lot of the same dishes but several different ones as well (and a lot of very similar photos). I'll post a flickr stream as soon as I can get to it... The wine pairing was outstanding, simply exceptional.

[CalumC]

What kind of prices are we looking at these days? Wish i could hop the pond :-(

[biskuit]

What kind of prices are we looking at these days? Wish i could hop the pond :-(

←

It was $190 per person for the 24 course tour. At roughly $8 a course, it was absolutely worth it. (plus tax and tip)

[biskuit]

You may be sick of seeing photos of Alinea, but I doubt it. Here's a detailed recount of our meal a few nights ago...

Taking “The Tour” at Alinea.

XXX Warning: Many many photos ahead. If you're internet connection is slow, or your stomach empty, you may want to stop now! XXX

Our evening at Alinea was the longest (4 hours and 45 minutes), most expensive (a lot!), and most probably the best meal I’ve ever had on a variety of fronts - creativity, flavor, oh-my-god moments, service, overall experience. The wine pairing was extraordinary, blowing away any other wine/food experience I've ever had.

Alinea is a creative force to be reckoned with. It is an experience that will take you places you’ve never been in ways you never imagined. It is French Laundry + Jean Georges + Element* combined in a harmony of technique, flavor, refinement, and adventure.

(*an Atlanta restaurant known for amazing creativity, sadly now closed)

The evening began with a cab ride out of downtown Chicago, north. To Alinea. No sign outside, just the address: 1723 Halstead

Once you open the unmarked doors, the hallway is built with some perspective trickery, narrowing rapidly to appear longer. Remember Willy Wonka? The actual doorway opens automatically on a side wall as you walk towards the end of the hall.

On the wall in the kitchen, notes from the chef. Musings about whatever culinary matters are filling his mind these days. (click over to flickr and view the large version of these if you want to be let in on some of Chef Grant Achatz’s secrets)

Before being seated, a glimpse into the kitchen: controlled chaos in action.

Then we were taken to the farthest of the upstairs dining rooms (there are three), to a table that was simply spectacular. A banquet against the wall, overlooked by a bevy of flowers in vases, large enough for eight to ten (there were four of us), but perfectly comfortable for four. I’m told this is known as “the rock star” table based on who’s been seated there before, and even though we’re not worthy of that title, they made us feel like royalty all night.

These beauties were placed on our table at the very beginning of the meal and sat a bit silly throughout courses one through twenty. A culinary version of the ship in a bottle?

Cocktail of Paul Laurent Brut, Lillet, Campari, Pineau, and Vya. A nice way to start any meal.

And now for the food. I’ll summarize the setting and the service as simply fabulous and focus on what was delivered to our table. On top of the amazing food, the wine pairing elevates the experience to an even higher plane.

Course 1: DUCK - pumpkin, banana, thai flavors

Duck "tenderloin" with peanuts, chili, butternut squash, a bit of lemongrass. Fabulous flavors working perfectly together. A very nice beginning, all in one bite...

The bowl had to be held so that the fork would stay in place, requiring the diner to take a hand in the serving of the first course.

Course 2: BROOK TROUT - watermelon, kombu, coriander

Wine Pairing: Masumi "Arabashin" Junami Ginjo Namazake, Nagano Prefecture.

A beautiful, delicious and light melding of asian flavors in an addictive sauce, blending savory, salty, sweet and spicy. The cold sake was a perfect complement, similar to a slightly sweeter, fruitier sauvignon blanc.

It was hard to choose between the two excellent butter options. Butter with cracked pepper and goat's milk butter.

Course 3: TOMATO - plum, sherry vinegar, rosemary fragrance

Course 3 began with a pillow being set in front of each dinner, redolent of rosemary. Indeed, each was filled with rosemary essence, which slowly released over time as the plate descended delicately downward.

Wine Pairing: Sommerhauser Olspiel Silvaner Kabinett, A. Steinmann, Franken, 2005

An assortment of tomato, with complementing flavors of sherry vinegar, frozen (liquid nitrogen) plum, olive oil, explorateur cheese, etc. The rosemary fragrance spread slowly in the air. Summery flavors, well complemented by the silvaner, from the east of Germany near Pilsen, Czech Republic.

Course 3: Enjoying the Effects of the "Rosemary Pillow"

Course 4: SARDINE - black olive, sundried tomato, arugula

Fried sardines, stuffed with a delicate cool nicoise olive mousse. A hint of the sea, salt, the crunch of the fry, and the cool smooth spread of the olive mousse all at once. Another one bite wonder.

Course 5: SWEETBREAD - cauliflower, burnt bread, toasted hay

Wine Pairing: Cesari Valpolicella Superiore “Ripasso Bosan”, Veneto, 2004

At 2 o'clock, a slice of cauliflower stem topped with a chestnut. At 5 o'clock and 11 o'clock, braised sweetbreads with caramelized cauliflower slices. All surrounded by morsels of “burnt bread” puree and chestnut puree, and sitting in a wonderful delicate and rich cream chestnut sauce.

This was knock-your-socks-off great, and I've never had a sweetbread dish anywhere near the same league as this. Again, complemented very nicely by the smooth and robust ripasso. WOW.

Course 6: BLACK TRUFFLE - explosion, romaine, parmesan

Served on a spoon in a (literally) bottomless bowl. Another one bite wonder. A wonderful wonder. Indeed, an explosion of truffle-rich “tea” (black tea?) inside the ravioli. One bite that triggers the eyes to close, the body to melt into a sense of happiness and awe. Ah, the humble truffle. Another WOW.

Course 7: BLACKBERRY - tobacco, smoked salt, mint blossom

Tobacco custard topped with blackberry. A calm, simple concoction of blackberry with an aftertaste of sage (that's the tobacco talking).

Course 8: RHUBARB - goat milk, beet, long peppercorn

Wine Pairing: Hackenheimer Kirchberg Scheurebe Spatlese, CW Bernhard, Rheinhessen, 2005

Rhubarb in seven forms. Can you spot them in the lineup?

Cold rhubarb juice and hot beet shot (wow). Crispy rhubarb (nice!). Macerated in gin (yum). Rhubarb mousse with grapefruit cells on bay leaf (sweet!). Rhubarb over goat milk custard with lavender (mmmm). Rhubarb sorbet with pie crust (verrry nice). Green tea foam and rhubarb “gummy” (just gummy!).

The crispy, the gin-macerated, and the sorbet were my favorites. All delicate, delicious, balanced. And the wine, what a wonderful sweet syrupy thing it was (not too sweet, not too syrupy).

Course 9: HUCKLEBERRY - frozen and chewy, lemon, parsley

Frozen huckleberry, indeed it was chewy, topped with a hint of lemon pudding and parsley. Nice flavor, STRANGE texture. Not a favorite, but interesting nonetheless.

Course 10: PINEAPPLE - bacon powder, black pepper

Freeze dried pineapple surrounding bacon powder spiced with black pepper. Quite spicy, a little sweet, very exciting. Presentation was very amusing and unique. One bite wonders never cease.

Our lone non-pork-eater received one with olive oil powder replacing the bacon... (actually, the non-pork-eater was my dad, not pictured!)

Course 11: APPLE CIDER - walnut milk, cinnamon, vegetable ash

A shot, a gulp, a surprising large bon bon sliding out of the glass and into your mouth before exploding like a baby bomb. A crazy burst of flavors wrapped in cocoa butter. CRAZY BOMB.

Course 12: BROOK TROUT ROE - corn, Blis maple syrup

Wine Pairing: Domaine du Viking Vouvray “Tendre”, Loire, 1990

Trout roe literally wrapped in maple syrup (the orange in the middle), delicious kernels of sweet yellow corn floating in the corn foam, a touch of sage adding wisdom to the salty and sweetness. Old and “funky” vouvray matched wits perfectly. Amazing how the flavors pulled at each other and came together. The corn in fact is what made it sing. And then the vouvray turned up the volume.

Course 13: LOBSTER - parsnip, orange, hyacinth vapor

Wine Pairing: Weinbach Pinot Gris “Cuvee Laurence”, Alsace, 2005

Another amazing dish, a truly artful composition in colors, flavors, textures, contrasts, aromas. A milk and honey roll was brought out first, and it came in handy as a foil for the remaining sauce at the bottom of the dish.

Hot hyacinth water was poured over hyacinth flowers in the bottom dish, releasing a rose-like fragrance into the air. Poached lobster melded with orange pate de fruit, fennel pollen, lobster roe, lobster custard, “puffed” lobster curlicues, and a cruch of jicama. WOW yet again. Amazing. A masterpiece. A mighty meeting of many things.

And the pinot gris? What could go better?

Course 14: HONEYDEW - Blis sherry vinegar, mint

Mint tea gelee surrounding honeydew and a “bullseye” of solera sherry vinegar. WOW. What a delicate, perfect, refreshing blend of flavors. A better combination and ratio of these tastes is not possible. Stunningly coherent. One bite wonder #?

Course 15: HOT POTATO - cold potato, black truffle, butter

Hot potato, cold potato. A signature dish. Hot yukon gold potato skewered with black truffle, parmesan, chive and butter, floating over a cold potato soup. One pulls the skewer through the bowl, releasing the hot potato, truffle, and other fine friends into the cool bath of the bowl of soup.

Wow yet again is the simplest descriptor of such a dish. Too bad the photo came out blurry...

Course 16: KUROGE WAGYU - matsutake, cedar branch aroma

Wine Pairing: Chateau La Gaffaliere, Saint-Emilion, 2000

A bowl of cedar branches. Fragrant. Beautiful and green. A metal pin emerging from the middle and a one bite wonder of wagyu beef tenderloin cube below, with a touch of yuzu pudding and mushroom.

I had to hunt through the forest a bit for my beef, but it was worth it. Tender, fatty in a very good way, rich and earthy, and just the right zing of the yuzu citrus to tie it to the green aroma of the cedar.

Course 17: JUNSAI - bonito, soy, mirin

Dashi broth with tender rice-field kelp bubbles that pop in the mouth. Very unusual for a non-Japanese palate, woody, woodsy, salty, fishy and soy. A shot of Japan in a glass.

Course 18: LAMB - in cubism

Wine Pairing: Clarendon Hills “Hickinbotham” Grenache, S. Australia, 2004

Elysian Fields lamb tenderloin, topped with hints of mustard, mint, and other flavors, accompanied by an artists palate of color and flavor, fruits, savories, all swirled together making a perfect abstract sauce for the tender lamb and its crisped fat skin. Decadent.

Smoked paprika croissants were served alongside, again another lovely way to make use of any leftover sauce.

And the wine? A more raspberry liqueur of a wine I have never tasted. You could swear it was framboise or liquid raspberry jam. And, of course, it was perfect for the lamb.

Course 19: TRANSPARENCY - of raspberry, rose petal, yogurt

A crispy weeble wobble of dehydrated raspberry, feathered with yogurt dust, flecked with rose petals. The perfection of the fruit roll up? Quite possibly.

And that grenache raspberry bomb from the prior course worked to perfection again.

This is the “back” where you can't quite see the yogurt dust.

Course 20: FOIE GRAS - spicy cinnamon, apple pate de fruit

A core of pate de foie gras and apple in a spicy cinnamon puff shell. Luckily I made more than one bite out of this one, cracking it open to sample the foie gras on its own, then eating the combination which did amazing things in the mouth. Highly unusual and excellent. I could have popped several of these even at this point in the meal.

Course 21: GUAVA - avocado, brie, key lime juice

Wine Pairing: La Spinetta Moscota d'Asti “Bricco Quaglia”, Piemonte, 2006

Guava “Sponge,” Semifreddo of Avocado and Brie with Basil Ice, Brown Sugar / Rum Capsule with Pine Nut Powder, served with Guava Sauce and Key Lime Juice, adorned with Pine Nut Crispies and Microgreens.

The Semifreddo was the highlight, incredible flavors, and the guava juice was fabulous as an accompaniment. Another explosion on the side, this time brown sugar and rum. The pine nut powder was a bit, well, dry.

The Moscato d'Asti was a fabulous concoction thick with green apple that matched the guava perfectly.

Squeezing the key lime juice into the guava juice.

Course 22: LICORICE CAKE - muscovado sugar, orange, hyssop

Frozen licorice “cake” and muscovado gelee surrounded by spun sugar with a touch of orange confit. Crazy good. Strong black licorice flavor. No fingers needed to eat.

Course 23: CHOCOLATE- passionfruit, lemongrass, soy

Wine Pairing: Abbazia di Novacella Moscato Rosa “Praepositus”, Alto Adige, 2006

Dark chocolate ganache squeezed out onto the plate with soy marshmallow, passionfruit and clementine sticks, and a refreshing lemongrass ice. Very unusual, very interesting, and, again, it simply comes together in ways you would never imagine.

Moscato Rosa, dark chocolate, and citrus go very well together.

Course 24: PUMPKIN - brown sugar, pie dough, burning leaves

The first thing that hits you is the fragrance of burning oak, fall is (literally) in the air. Like incense, intense and full of memories. The oak branch skewers a fried morsel of pumpkin pie and crust, brown sugar on the inside. A fitting fabulous final course. At 1:10 AM.

It was a memorable evening at Alinea. “The Tour” is worthy of all the praise it receives. If you’ve got the time (and, alas, the money), take a trip for yourself into the world of Chef Grant Achatz and his team.

Alinea, by the way, is a form of punctuation that used to be used to separate one line of thought from the next, thus, Alinea = “a new line of thought.”

A few more photos at…

http://flickr.com/photos/kaplanbr/sets/72157602335995096/

Edited October 10, 2007 by biskuit (log)

[The Blissful Glutton]

Looks amazing, B!

The plating on that lamb is just gorgeous.

Thanks for sharing.

[johnnyd]

Simply Stunning.

You're right: there's no such thing as getting tired of tours of Grant's fascinating creations.

[docsconz]

Superb report and photos. You have reminded me that it has been too long since I was last there.

[tammylc]

Really great pictures - thanks!

Alinea is a creative force to be reckoned with. It is an experience that will take you places you’ve never been in ways you never imagined. It is French Laundry + Jean Georges + Element*  combined in a harmony of technique, flavor, refinement, and adventure.

(*an Atlanta restaurant known for amazing creativity, sadly now closed)

That is sad. I was just there a month ago when i was traveling in Atlanta, and had a great meal. I'm very bummed to hear that they've closed.

[yellow truffle]

It seems that there has been some dynamics in the kitchen.

Grant Achatz, Chef & Owner

Jeff Pikus, Chef de Cuisine

Nathan Klingbail, Dave Beran, Greg Baxtrom, Sous Chefs

Not having dined at the restaurant in a while, and reading some of the above posts, I think it time to return again.

[ulterior epicure]

It seems that there has been some dynamics in the kitchen.

Grant Achatz, Chef & Owner

Jeff Pikus, Chef de Cuisine

Nathan Klingbail, Dave Beran, Greg Baxtrom, Sous Chefs

Not having dined at the restaurant in a while, and reading some of the above posts, I think it time to return again.

←

Glad to hear that Nathan has landed on solid ground.

[tsg20]

Here's a review of our recent (October 6) meal at Alinea, mostly written by my wife, but with some additions from me.

For anyone that doesn't want to read the whole saga, here's the summary: food was amazing, several dishes were top tier and stood up well to top UK restaurants (I'm thinking Fat Duck and Gordon Ramsay RHR specifically). However, the service let the food down in ways I couldn't have even imagined. Foodwise, I'd say it deserves either 2 or 3 European Michelin stars (I don't have a lot of faith in the NY system, to be honest), but service was worse that the average 1-star place abroad.

We'd been eagerly anticipating this meal for close to two years—we've been living in London and couldn't squeeze in a visit when we were over on vacations. I'm a vegetarian and love the many options that tasting menus offer up, my husband is an omnivore. We're experienced with fine dining, having eaten at many Michelin-starred restaurants in London (just to give some background on who we are!)

Warning bells went off for me early on. We sat down, didn't have to order since we'd both requested the 'Tour' menu in advance. We discussed the options of wine pairings with the manager in our room, who assured us it wouldn't be a problem that I tend to drink more/more quickly than my husband, who really only wanted a taste of each wine. He said it would be monitored, my glass could be topped up and we'd only be charged what we drank. This sounded like a great system, so we both went for it. Our first drink, a variation of a Kir Royale, arrived about 10 minutes later.

We sipped our drinks, trying to mask our growling stomachs. We'd only eaten a light lunch since our reservation was at 6:15 and we planned on really enjoying all the food. At 6:45 we had not so much as an amuse to curb our hunger. I said that if we got to 7:00 without food,I'd probably be looking at paying for our drink and leaving. First food came at 6:55.

Overall, the food ranged from very good to outstanding (some dishes, such as the black truffle explosion, were as good as anything I've ever eaten), but the service was a severe disappointment. Servers would bring the dish and give a cursory description of its contents before leaving, on occasion doing no more than listing the main ingredients, or in some cases (such as the lamb cubism dish) being unable to list them all even when we asked what something was. Later on in the meal, we were able to hear the same dishes being presented to other customers, and it was clear that the level of description varied wildly from server to server; sometimes they would make discuss the provenance of the beef at length, at others they would simply state that it was wagyu beef. I appreciate that not everyone wants a lengthy discussion of the dish they're being served, but in a restaurant where you don't see a menu before dining I feel that it can make a considerable difference to one's enjoyment of a dish to have some idea of what exactly one is eating.

In addition, one server was actively hostile; she seemed to resent having to be there, and in particular to resent having to pick up cutlery that hadn't been left on the plate (which is not always easy with some of the unusual plates being used); on one occasion she suggested that we could leave our knives on our plates when we were finished “if we wanted to.” This could perhaps have been a joke, but I was unable to detect any humorous intent. Although it’s hard to explain in writing, we were left feeling like scolded children, which seemed distinctly odd. This is of course my subjective opinion, but I have never had such an impression of hostility from a server in a serious restaurant.

However, even without explanations or help from our servers, we were able to enjoy many of the courses. The tomato plate, including sherry vinegar, cheese and even freeze-dried tomato ice cream was playful and delicious and felt very seasonal. I enjoyed the bite of eggplant with olive cream inside, and my husband enjoyed his version which included dried baby sardine. The “old standard” of the “hot potato, cold potato” was amazing and we both were thrilled with this dish. The deep-fried ice cream with smoldering leaves was good both times we ate it (see below). The one concern I had with the food was that it sometimes felt like the kitchen was trying too hard to make the vegetarian option mimic the meat dish—for example in a corn and maple dish, my husband had salmon roe and I had…more corn. I wouldn’t have minded if our dishes were different at all, especially if that gave the kitchen the opportunity to try something different.

The last wine we were served was not to the taste of either of us, so we called the sommelier over to explain that neither of us wished to drink it, and to ask if there was any possibility of an

alternative. To his credit, after a discussion he took it way and came back with something else; but he proceeded to tell us that it was the “only other thing he had open”. Why do this? It gave the impression that all he was prepared to do was to hunt around for ends of bottles, whereas had he simply presented us with something else we would have been impressed at his flexibility.

Finally, at the end of the meal the floor/room manager asked us how we had enjoyed the meal, and we mentioned that one of the servers had done a very good job of describing the last two or three dishes. We were told that he was the new guy, which led to questions about why we thought he was the best server we’d had that evening. We mentioned that some of the servers had been rather perfunctory in their descriptions. At this point he became extremely defensive; he asked us if we were in the industry, as he'd seen us making notes on some of the dishes. We replied (truthfully!) that we were just ordinary diners with poor memories, who liked to be able to look back on meals they'd enjoyed and remember what they'd eaten. At this point he launched into a somewhat extraordinary complaint about people coming in and demanding to know the details of how everything had been cooked, while their food was sitting there going cold, and how absurd it was for us to think that we could mimic the extraordinary cooking that was being done in their kitchen just by asking a few questions. We tried to point out that we hadn't actually asked any questions of the servers, but felt that they could have volunteered more, and that moreover we'd heard him describing some of the dishes at much greater length than our servers had (for example, he gave quite a lot of detail on the wagyu beef to one couple near us). We also were extraordinarily generous in our interactions with this man—I can honestly say that the interaction was started with a compliment, only went into complaints when he asked specific questions, and consistently talked about how great the food is. Once again, he was not prepared to listen, or at least gave the impression of not being prepared to listen.

Some other disappointments: the table next to us, doing the half-tour, got 15 dishes, so we were a little disappointed to only get 23. That table were also offered an additional selection of bread at the end of their savory courses, and we weren't, plus they had other savory courses that we didn’t get and didn’t know not to look forward to-- a dish involving what looked like mushy peas looked great and was not part of our meal. It did seem strange that we wouldn’t get everything on the smaller menu plus more, but probably should have read the menus online to check whether that would be the case.

The end of the meal was also very disappointing; the final dish was the pumpkin fried ice cream with burning leaves, but they failed to set our leaves on fire! It was only when a different server came to take the dish away and asked us what we thought of the effect that it became clear what had happened; they were very apologetic and brought one, this time alight, but it seemed to be an extraordinary lapse - how could the first server not have noticed this? It was also only at this point that we realized that we'd had our last dish (we were anticipating at least 24), which made for a rather flat ending to the meal.

What is most frustrating to me is that several of the dishes have really stuck with me, and I'd love to eat them again; but a lot of the difficulties mentioned above made the whole meal add up to a disappointment. I really feel that some changes to the service would have made the whole meal one of the best I've ever had, and we'd have made an immediate reservation to return as soon as we could afford to; but in comparison to, say, The Fat Duck, where the service was a delight, Alinea simply didn't perform.

[gfron1]

(jaw dropped) Wow...the service is the one thing that many, many of us have raved about in previous posts, so I'm sorry you didn't have the same experience. One thing that I've previously mentioned is that in our room, we saw dishes, explanations and timing vary based on the staff's "read" of the customer. They spent quite a bit of time explaining to us, slowing the service down when we were feeling stuffed (and inebriated), and changing dishes if there was something we didn't absolutely love (every table in our room was different). My point being, its at least a bit possible that they read you incorrectly, which may have accounted for some of your experience. Other observations on your meal have no excuse, but I would certainly not call it the norm. Thanks for sharing it back with us, however.

[Holly Moore]

A year or two late in asking, but are any of the servers from Trio still at Alinea. I had a favorite, which would be a more credible statement if I could remember his name - I think Josh or Jason.

[Darren72]

tsg20 -- thanks for sharing. So sorry about the disappointments, however. I am incredibly glad that you shared your thoughts with the manager (even if they weren't received well).

Cheers.

[NancyH]

My husband and I dined at Alinea on Saturday and we were most impressed with both the food and the service. Edsel drove up from Cleveland Friday just to dine with us (we were doing a longer visit to Chicago).

tsg20 - so sorry to hear that you were disappointed.

[docsconz]

I am shocked and disappointed by the service report above. Outstanding service has always been an exceptional component of a meal at Alinea. Nevertheless, Alinea is a human endeavor and any human endeavor is subject to occasional slips. At least the food was up to usual standards.

I have had less than stellar service at other highly regarded restaurants. Though likely an aberration, when it happens to an individual that is what that individual knows of a place and it is difficult to erase that personal association. Though it has been entirely too long since I have been back to Alinea (a year and a half), I can't imagine that the service could possibly have slipped that much and that the experience described above is anything but an aberration.

[hapacooking]

I had the opportunity to dine at Alinea again about a month ago. This was my 4th experince at Alinea and the food and service was outstanding and delightful as all of my previous visits. I brought a collegue from London with me and he thought it was the best meal he has ever had. He dined at the Fat Duck just prior to coming over the pond.

I am sorry that you had such a bad experince and would have also been disappointed in the service you received. Of course all restaurants have bad days and it sounds like you unfortunately visited Alinea on an off night.

[tsg20]

Thank you for all your kind comments - I was somewhat nervous posting our comments, as I hadn't seen any criticism of the service at Alinea anywhere. I hope that we did catch them on an off night, and I hope that we go back and have a better experience - I guess the difficulty is that right now it feels like there would be a danger of throwing good money after bad, though! I suspect (or again, hope) in time it will be the memory of the food that sticks with me more than the service.

[edsel]

I joined NancyH and her husband Bob at Alinea on Saturday. I'd been wanting to dine at Alinea ever since I first heard about it in the special preview forum. I was a bit concerned that it might not live up to my expectations. I needn't have worried - it was every bit as phenominal as I had imagined it to be.

About two-thirds of our menu was similar or identical to the one posted recently by biskuit. I'll only post pictures of of the dishes that were new. Biskuit's photo skills are better than mine to say the least, but this should at least give an idea of what the dishes looked like.

Tour October 27, 2007

Duck

butternut squash, banana, Thai flavors 

Champagne Cocktail

Paul Laurent Brut, Lillet Blanc, Campari, Pineau, Vya vermouth

Brook Trout

watermelon, kombu, coriander 

Masumi Arabashiri

junmai ginjo namazake

Nagano Prefecture

Yuba (soy milk skin)

shrimp, miso, togarashi 

Beans

many garnishes, pillow of nutmeg air 

J. Hofstätter gewürztraminer 'Kolbenhof'

Alto Adige 2005

Sweetbread

cauliflower, burnt bread, toasted hay

Luis Pato Baga 'Vinhas Velhas'

Beiras, Portugal 2000

Black Truffle Explosion

romaine, parmesan

Beef Heart

fig, long peppercorn, celery root

Robert Biale Stagecoach Vinyards - Bale Block Zinfandel

Napa Valley 2005

Pork Belly

smoked paprika, polenta, pickled vegetables

Roasted Quince

foie gras, candied fennel, sweet spices

Hattenheimer Nussbrunen Riesling Spätlese

Balthazar Ress Rheingau 2005

Huckleberry

frozen and chewy, lemon, parsley

Pineapple

bacon powder, black pepper

Brook Trout Roe

corn, Blis maple syrup

Domaine du Viking Vouvray 'Tendre'

Loire 1990

Apple Cider

walnut milk, cinnamon, vegetable ash

Scallop

parsnip, orange, hyacinth vapor

Albert Mann Tokay Pinot Gris 'Cuvée Albert'

Alsace 2005

Hot Potato Cold Potato

black truffle

Lamb in Cubism

Henschke "Johann's Garden" Grenache

Barossa South Australia 2005

Radish

ginger, pear, tarragon

Transparency of Raspberry

rose petal, yogurt

Guava

avocado, key lime juice, brie

La Spinetta Moscato d’Asti 'Bricco Quaglia'

Piedmont 2006

Licorice Cake

muscovado sugar, orange, hyssop

Chocolate

passionfruit, lemongrass, soy

Abbazia di Novacella Moscato Moscato Rosa 'Praepositus'

Alto Adige 2006

Roasted Pumpkin

brown sugar, burning leaves, pie dough

We started at 8:30 and the Tour lasted until after 1:00 AM. We were told that this is about "average" for doing the full tour. The record is under two hours. Somehow speed-eating doesn't seem quite right in this context...

We were seated in the front dining room upstairs. Most of the parties in the dining room started the Tour at about the same time, give or take thirty minutes. Some who started after us finished sooner, but not by much. A larger group (celebrating a birthday, I believe) was well into their tour when we arrived, but finished just before we did. I think the FOH staff sort of gage just how fast the individual groups want to go and adjust accordingly. It's unfortunate that tsgg20 experienced disappointing service - we were delighted with ours. I felt that driving all the way from Cleveland was well worth the trip.

Remaining pictures on Flickr.

[PauloR]

(...) The Fat Duck, where the service was a delight, Alinea simply didn't perform.

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I went to Alinea, end of July. It was the best meal I had recently, including the dinner at Fat Duck in February, and the lunch at Pierre Gagnaire. The service was outstanding. By Michelin standards, IMHO, it deserves no less than 3 stars.

[ronnie_suburban]

I had the great pleasure to experience Alinea's newest menu last week. Chef Achatz was in the house, intense as ever, after a couple weeks off for treatment. It's been said that 'half of cooking is thinking about cooking' and it was abundantly clear that chef Achatz had had some time to 'think about cooking' during his absence from the restaurant. The meal we enjoyed was the most tightly composed progression I've experienced in my many trips to Alinea. The delicious courses delighted our senses, evoked unforeseen emotions and captured the essence of the season masterfully.

What follows are some images I captured at our meal, with a few comments . . .

Duck . . . butternut squash, banana, Thai flavors

I loved this delectable and complex bite. The duck was intensely flavorful with a satisfying and surprising density. The butternut squash soup in the bowl was luscious and ultra-buttery.

Rainbow Trout . . . cucumber, kombu, coriander

It was unusual that we were already on 'knife and fork' with course #2. It was an exciting indication of the intensity that was to follow.

Yuba . . . shrimp, miso, togarashi

I loved this crispy yuba stick with the succulent shrimp wrapped around it. It's being held in place in its stand by a delicious miso mayonnaise.

Beans . . . many garnishes, pillow of nutmeg air

It's actually navy bean puree, paired with a bunch of delicious accompaniments. The puree was deceptively light and pairing little bites of it with each of the other elements on the plate was great fun; a fantastic tasting game on a plate.

Caramelized Onion Roll

Bread service at Alinea has evolved into something truly distinctive and unique. During our meal, we were served 4 different baked-in-house breads, which were all delicious and successfully highlighted the courses with which they were served.

Sweetbread . . . cauliflower, burnt bread, toasted hay

A great combination of flavors; especially the roasted cauliflower . . . the little black dots are actually dollups of burnt-bread pudding.

Breakfast Radish & Horseradish Knot

This tasty bread had a wonderful, almost bagel-like texture.

Black Truffle Explosion . . . romaine, parmesan

If chef Achatz has a signature dish, this is it. Glorious!

Beef Heart . . . fig, long peppercorn, celery root

Scrumptious beef heart, in deconstructed, Asian-style-salad form.

Pork Belly . . . smoked paprika, polenta, pickled vegetables

Barbecue in a bite. The belly, smoked paprika and tiny nuggets of pickled vegetables arrived in orderly fashion on the palate and their distinctive notes faded slowly, just as they were delivered, one after another. Fantastic!

Roasted Quince . . . foie gras, candied fennel, sweet spices

Here, a 'cover' is crafted from foie gras fat . . .

Warm, roasted-quince juice is poured over the top . . .

After a short while, it begins to melt through the foie fat . . .

and all the elements combine into an intensely rich broth, packed with chunks of foie gras and citrus accents.

Cranberry . . . frozen and chewy, lemon, parsley

Delightful on the palate . . . prepping it for subsequent courses.

Pineapple . . . bacon powder, black pepper

Another bridge bite, introducing crisp pineapple and smokey notes.

Brook Trout Roe . . . corn, Blis maple syrup

The roe and the syrup are both from Blis in Michigan. A fantastic pairing. I loved the way the maple and corn married up and accompanied the roe.

Apple Cider . . . walnut milk, cinnamon, vegetable ash

A variation on a dish that's been around for a while. This time around it was mostly sweet, which I appreciated, given its position in the progression.

Tagliatelle . . . white truffles, parmesano reggiano

White truffles are shaved over the pasta at the table.

White truffles in November. Perfect.

Scallop . . . parsnip, orange, chamomile vapor

Here the outside bowl is filled with hot water, which causes the chamomile vapors to rise. The scallop was perfectly cooked and the savory custard which surrounded it was simply delicious.

Hot Potato, Cold Potato . . . black truffle, butter

Another Achatz signature dish, which never gets old. At its core, it's perfectly distilled comfort food in component form.

Kuroge Wagyu . . . matsutake, cedar branch aroma

Tender wagyu beef capped with a delectable matsutake pudding. I loved the "foraging" aspect of this dish, which required a bit of hunting under the leaves to find the bite.

Red Pepper Bread

Partial Milk and Honey roll on the left; both of these bread pairings were terrific.

Lamb . . . in cubism

Here, delicious and tender lamb in 2 forms sits atop a gorgeous configuration of 9 different sauces. Atop the medallion at the back of the plate, elements of each of the sauces are delicately arranged. It was fun tasting the sauces and trying to identify them, although even with the provided clues, I was only 6/9.

Maytag Blue . . . ginger, pear, tarragon

Delectable cheese "course" which made my mouth tingle.

Transparency . . . of raspberry, rose petal, yogurt

Loved this "essence" of raspberry. The yogurt powder and candied rose petals were wonderful accents.

Guava . . . avocado, brie, key lime juice

Here, Key limes, which served as our 'centerpiece' for most of the meal, are finally incorporated into a course, as they are squeezed over the dessert . . .

Next, Guava soda is also poured onto the plate . . .

It all adds up to a dramatic, delicious and refreshing dessert.

Licorice Cake . . . muscovado sugar, orange, hyssop

The antenna, a service piece which goes all the way back to Trio, is used to deliver this complex and chewy bite.

No, it didn't fall on the carpet!

Chocolate . . . passionfruit, lemongrass, soy

70% chocolate and passionfruit are combined with salty soy, which highlights the chocolate wonderfully.

Pumpkin . . . brown sugar, pie dough, burning leaves

Talk about seasonal . . . elements of pumpkin pie are combined, dipped in batter and deep fried into one delicious bite, which is accompanied by the take-you-back aroma of burning leaves. Awesome!

=R=

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[edsel]

Thanks for posting the pictures, Ronnie. My little point-and-shoot camera can't do justice to the dishes at Alinea.

The meal we enjoyed was the most tightly composed progression I've experienced in my many trips to Alinea.  The delicious courses delighted our senses, evoked unforeseen emotions and captured the essence of the season masterfully.

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The menu we enjoyed a few weeks earlier was very similar, with tweaks here and there (e.g. compressed watermelon rather than cucumber with the trout dish). We were just a bit early in the season to get the white truffle dish, though. Damn that looks good! And as far as I can tell, it's a totally "classic" presentation. What was the sauce? It looks like butter...

Since I've only been there once, I have no frame of reference to compare what I enjoyed with their previous offerings (other than what I've read here, obviously). It's gratifying to know that we experienced them in "most tightly composed" form. I regret never tasting the Hearts of Palm dish or the Flavors of A-1 from the early days, for instance. Still, what we experienced was thrilling - as much performance as meal. Magical stuff.