The Alinea Experience

The day finally came two Wednesdays ago to eat at Alinea and truly celebrate our 5 year anniversary. Since I wrote my last post, it moved to the #7 spot in the world and was the #1 restaurant in North America. Not too shabby. I knew that there would be over 20 courses and I became nervous that I would get too full to finish it all. Plus, I was intimidated by the sheer allure of eating at such a renowned restaurant.

We were lucky enough to arrive in Chicago with time to spare to have a beer with one of our good friends. At the time, I think a beer was good to settle my nerves although it may have come back to bite me in the alcohol consumption category. As we were leaving the bar, the sky in the West might as well have been nighttime and it started to rain. We were 3 blocks from our hotel and all I could think about was that I would get drenched and look like a drowned rat at dinner. Luckily the true downpour held off until we got into the hotel lobby. Then…the tornado sirens went off. You have got to be kidding me! Come hell or high water or in this case, tornadoes, I wasn’t about to let a little funnel cloud ruin my night. Again, luck kicked in and by the time we got to Alinea, the rain had stopped and the sun was fighting to come out again. And I think I looked pretty good in my dress with DRY hair. :)

So, on to what you’re really here to read about. (If you think you are ever going to eat at Alinea, you may not want to continue. There is something about not knowing what to expect that adds to your adventure and I’d hate to give away secrets or tell you too much that would rob you of the full experience. The menu changes seasonally but I think they reuse some themes and creative presentations.) Aside from a small valet sign, there is no Alinea signage on the building. There’s a big, heavy, windowless door and we entered into a dark hallway. Oddly, it sort of looked like a Willy Wonka hallway because it appeared to get very small towards the end. Anyway, we walked until suddenly a sliding glass door opened along the side and we stepped into the restaurant. A hostess immediately came up to us and told us that while we were waiting for our table, we could watch the kitchen in action. There was a large glass wall so we could see right in. Probably 25 or more chefs and I could only see 1 woman. It was pretty cool.

They took us upstairs to our table which was in a room of about 7 other tables. In the center was a serving station (for lack of a better word) that all of the servers used as a sort of home base. Picture a large, dark, wooden cabinet with a vase of flowers on top. This was where all of our servers stayed for the night except when retrieving trays of food and serving the tables. All of our utensils came from this cabinet between each course and all food was ultimately delivered to this area first before being delivered to us. We never knew which server we would get and they all seemed to be referencing a list of some sort. I’m guessing this was their way of tracking which course each table was on and what wine they were drinking. They were all wearing sharp tailored suits and were extremely attentive. One server noticed near the beginning of the night that Bill is left handed and apologized profusely while changing his table setting to accommodate. (Bill is used to the right hand setting and really could have cared less but really, who notices that type of thing??) He must have communicated this back to the other servers because all of them were up to speed when they would come by with an entrée. Overall, I was extremely impressed with how well everything was organized and the ease at which our courses were served.

After we were seated we were offered all sorts of different water – we chose tap. They also brought what they called our table decoration (which of course we didn’t take a picture of. We’ll just have to go back….) and instructed us not to eat it. It was 2 sets of chop sticks that held rice paper with mint and cilantro leaves and marigold petals infused in them. The sommelier, who was also one of the many servers, came by to discuss our beverage options. They had a full wine pour pairing, 2/3 wine pour or we could order by the glass/bottle. We chose the 2/3 pour and were quickly given two glasses of Szigeti ‘Cuvée Prestige’ sparkling wine that was infused with iQhilika African chili, elderflower from Austria and Peychaud’s bitters, followed by our first course of the night.

And my fingers are tired from typing so I think I’ll stop here.

Just kidding! I do want to say that the pictures are definitely not high quality, pretty dark and sometimes blurry. They were taken on Bill’s cell phone because we were embarrassed to take pictures and were trying to be as discreet as possible. We felt like total nerds and I’m sure the servers talked about us in disgust. I’m also sure that I will not describe the food in a way to give it full justice and I know for a fact I did not get to write down every ingredient. There’s only so many times you can ask the server to repeat himself. You’ll just have to trust me that it was as amazing as you would expect and then some. So on to the food.

At 7:30pm, Course 1 – English Pea: iberico, sherry, honeydew

This was an English pea soup that had been frozen in nitrogen and then left to thaw in the refrigerator to give it an ice cream like consistency. It contained iberico ham, honeydew melon, chewy olive oil, basil gelée and a sherry sphere (burst in your mouth when eaten). Although strangely similar in texture, as I stated at dinner, this was not your mama’s dippin’ dots.

Course 2 – Lobster: lychee, gruyere, vanilla fragrance

This was fried, breaded lobster on a vanilla bean. It had ginger and water chestnut and smelled similar to cotton candy but was very salty. Our directions from the server was to eat it all in one bite, using the vanilla bean as a utensil only.

Course 3 – Chao Tom: sugar cane, shrimp, mint

This picture contains the next two courses. Chao Tom is the item on the right and was served to us on a nail. We were told to eat it all in one bite and to chew on the sugar cane but not swallow.

Course 4 – Yuba: shrimp, miso, togarashi

This is the tall item on the left. The “utensil” is yuba – soy milk that was boiled. The protein that rises to the top is skimmed off, rolled and then fried. It was surprisingly sweet and really tasty. Shrimp and onion was sliced length wise and rolled around the yuba and served with togarashi (Japanese chili powder) and a miso mayo. This was one of our favorite courses.

Course 5 –Distillation of thai flavors.

No picture, just imagine a small, narrow glass filled with water. It was really a very refreshing shot of distilled hot pepper (Capsaicin removed), fish oil and we can’t remember if it was mint or basil. It reminded us of cucumber water.

Wine #2: Abbazia di Novacella Kerner, Valle Isarco, Alto Adige 2008 (dry white)

Course 6 – Pork Belly: curry, cucumber, lime

And introduce our table settings. We were served a glass plate with numerous accoutrements and were told to pick it up and set it in the middle of the table. This revealed a wooden plate with metal prongs. The prongs fit together to make a stand onto which the server draped the rice paper that had been delivered to our table when we first sat down. He placed pork belly with coconut curry on top. Our instructions were to use as many of or as little of the ingredients in front of us to make our own spring roll. From lower right to left the ingredients on the glass plate are black lava salt, cucumber spheres, fried garlic, mango with hot curry powder, lime, young coconut, red onions, red bell pepper puree. Upper left to right – toasted cashews, herb salad and lime vinaigrette with sesame seeds. Who would be silly not to use everything?? Apparently the diner next to us. Fool! The chef put them on the plate so we used them all and WOW. This was definitely one of our favorite courses. Extremely flavorful and had many different layers of taste.

Wine #3: Lucien Albrecht Pinot Gris ‘Cuvée Cecile’, Alsace 2007

Course 7 – King Crab: rhubarb, lilac, fennel

This was king crab 3 ways. The first presentation was cold king crab mousse over chervil gelée, with fresh chervil, rhubarb and lilac. We were instructed to lift off the dome to reveal the second presentation (we did not realize the dish was multi-layered until told to remove it).

The second plate was 3 bites of crab. One with red bell pepper and bean sprouts, another with avocado with rhubarb and toasted almonds and the third with fennel and lemon/ginger vinaigrette.

Removing this plate revealed presentation number 3 which was anise soup with sweet and sour cipollini onions, fennel and crab.

Course 8 – Octopus: red wine, lavender, fava bean

We were handed this bowl with the fork balancing on it with the strict instructions not to set it down because it would tip over. On the fork was a small piece of octopus, dehydrated smoked sausage, feta cheese, red pepper flake, orange, lavender, green garlic and a red wine gastrique (a thick sauce produced by a reduction of vinegar or wine, sugar, and usually fruit). After eating the forked bite we moved on to the bowl which was fava bean soup and lavender foam. A note about the foams – they had excellent structure and major scent and flavor. Many times foams deflate, leaving behind a meaningless puddle or do not favorably represent whatever flavor they are infused with but Chef Achatz has them down.

Wine #4: Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2005

Course 9 – Lamb: reflection of elysian fields farm

Lamb on a rosemary skewer (totally stealing this to do at home – it gave off a serious, rich aroma), granola, berries, popcorn soup, caul fat, polenta and crispy green onions.

Course 10 – Hot Potato: cold potato, black truffle, butter

Definitely one of the coolest and most delicious dishes of the night. This dish messed with your mind and sensations. We were given the small bowl and told to remove the pin, letting the ingredients fall into the soup and to shoot it. On the pin was a cube of butter, parmesan cheese, chive and a potato sphere covered with truffle. When you hear “soup” you assume it will be hot, right? Not here. The soup was cold and the potato sphere was hot and we were NOT expecting that – it really messed with our heads but the sensation made the dish. The soup was delicious and the truffle added a nice depth to the dish that lingered after you were done. We actually found this recipe online this past weekend and tried to recreate it for our friends.

Wine #5 (and what would be my last): Vinhos Barbeito/Rare Wine Co. ‘Charleston Sercial’ Reserve Madeira (a rich dessert wine). Due to already nursing a hangover headache, I told the sommelier that I had to stop. Bill kept on a-drinkin’.

Course 11 – Malt: English toffee, night stalker stout, blueberry

Dessert already! This picture contains the next 3 courses. This item is in the middle and was malt ice cream, blueberry sorbet, stout, toffee and thyme.

Course 12 – Bacon: butterscotch, apple, thyme

This is the item on the left that is hard to see. It was bacon that was threaded onto a metal wire and had butterscotch drizzled onto it. It was very smoky.

Course 13 – Nutella: bread, banana, chocolate

The item on the right was nutella, bread, banana and chocolate freeze dried into a little crunchy ball.

Course 14 – Corn: crunchy, sweet, salty

This was a tiny pedestal with a small grouping of fried corn kernels with honey and thyme. We poured them into our mouth and were hit by a rich butter flavor. I closed my eyes on this one. It was basically the best caramel corn we’ve ever eaten. Such amazing flavor in such a little dish.

Wine #6: L. Aubry Fils Brut, Jouy-les-Reims (champagne)

Course 15 – Surf Clam: celery, Tabasco, oyster cracker

This course was pretty cool and a perfect example of a deconstructed traditional dish. This was New England Clam Chowder custard, thyme foam, Tabasco spheres, bay leaf gel and crushed oyster crackers. It was a tad salty but when all mixed on your fork, it had all of the elements of what you traditionally think of when eating the chowder.

Course 16 – Oxalis Pod: whipped sorrel, honey, salt

This one is hard to see in the picture. It looked like a meringue cookie – you know, those white crunchy puff “cookies” around the holidays? All I can say about this one is that it tasted like green tea.

Wine #7: Nicodemi Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy 2008

Course 17 – Salad: ranch dressing, soup, powdered

This one made us laugh. The first part was pieces of salad sticking out of the plate that were dusted in ranch dressing powder.

We were instructed to lift the top plate off which revealed cold potato and leek soup that also had the ranch dressing powder.

Course 18 – Sardine: horseradish, arugula flower, tomato

We were told not to use our hands on this course and to just bite the food off of the skewer. It was a sardine, fried bread, thyme, arugula flower, tomato and capers.

Wine #8: Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie, N. Rhône 2004

Course 19 – Squab: charred strawberries, lettuce, birch log

Yes, that’s a birch log that is being used as a plate. This was amazingly tender squab with strawberry powder, strawberry chips, blackened strawberries, strawberry jam, hazelnut powder and burnt frisée lettuce. This dish had a lot of different textures and flavors and was very, very good.

Course 20 – Black Truffle: explosion, romaine, parmesan

This was basically a ravioli with a piece of romaine lettuce and parmesan cheese on top. We were instructed that we had to take this all in one bite otherwise it would cause a mess. Oh my good Lord in Heaven. The “mess” was hot liquid black truffle. Need I say more?

Wine #9 (that was served to everyone – including me – for course 21): Anima Negra ‘Àn’, Mallorca, Spain 2005

Course 21 – Tournedo: á la persane

This dish is not Chef Achatz's creation. He’s barrowing it to see how he can modernize it and make it his own. It was a Persian filet of Australian wagyu beef, cherry tomato, fried bananas, an Anaheim pepper stuffed with rice and fried, all with a veal sauce.

Course 22 – Lemon Soda: one bite

We were unable to get a picture of this because the server handed it to us and said to pop it in our mouths and he stood there and watched us because he had course 23 with him too. Picture those new fangled dish washer plastic packs that melt in your wash to release the detergent. (Sorry, this is the only comparison I could think of.) Now picture it the size of a Chiclet with white powder inside. It melted in our mouths to release the lemon flavored powder.

Wine #10: Elio Perrone ‘Bigarò’, Piemonte 2009

Course 23 – Transparency: of raspberry, yogurt

This picture covers the next 2 courses. The transparency is kind of hard to see on the right. Imagine a really thin, crunchy fruit roll-up that melts on your tongue.

Course 24 – Bubble Gum: long pepper, hibiscus, crème fraiche

This is the test tube looking thing and we were told to suck everything out in one fell swoop. I don’t think either of us were able to do that. Starting with the pink at the bottom this was hibiscus gelée with fruit, crème fraiche and tapioca in bubble gum stock. It reminded Bill of bubble tea.

Wine #11: De Bortoli ‘Noble One’, New South Wales, Australia 2006

Course 25 – Earl Grey: lemon, pine nut, caramelized white chocolate

This was a fun dish. It was Earl Grey tea shortbread cookie, lemon curd spheres, caramelized white chocolate noodle, honey, pine nut brittle and sauce. Here’s the best part. It was served on top of a pillow that was infused with Earl Grey cream air. The pillow had little holes poked it in so the weight of the plate slowly pushed the scented air out so you smelled it while you were eating. Awesome.

Wine #12 (thank God I stopped when I did!): Ferreira 'Duque de Braganca' 20 Year Tawny

Course 26 – Chocolate: coconut, menthol, hyssop

Okay, before I even go into this one let me tell you that the surprise on this was ruined by seeing other tables get it. It did not, however, keep me from sitting mouth agape in awe of what I was seeing. The servers covered our table in a gray rubber mat and brought out ingredients already prepped.

Other tables had multiple servers come out to do this next part but I think since we were just a table for two, we just got one guy. He didn’t say much other than hello and naming the ingredients as he used them. I thought he looked a little tired and it was apparent he had been working really hard in the kitchen.

He proceeded to place two bottomless glasses on the table and fill them with hot chocolate sauce (these were later raised so the sauce spilled out into a circle). He continued to decorate our table top with coconut mousse, chewy coconut, coconut sauce, menthol sauce, crystallized menthol, mint and chocolate crumbles. Another server delivered a large steaming block of dark chocolate mousse that had been frozen in nitrogen. This was set in the middle of the table and hacked at until it broke into many pieces.

Amazing. We said thank you and the chef walked away. Bill leaned over and said, “do you know who that was? That was Grant Achatz!” I couldn’t believe it. Here was the master himself and I had no idea. He had not served the dessert to other tables in our room so we just weren’t expecting that. A server told us that he likes to do it as often as he can provided he’s not too busy in the kitchen. 

The dessert was delicious although the menthol was a little strong and no, we were unable to finish it but we did order decaf coffee before calling it a night around 11:45. When we left, there were still many tables full that were only part way into their courses. I can’t even imagine how late they were there and on a Wednesday night no less.

The courses were served relatively quickly at first but slowed down as we progressed. I’d say the longest wait we had in between courses was maybe 10-15 minutes which wasn’t bad at all. Just a few downsides to the night. The first of which was unavoidable – we were able to see ahead into our future courses just by looking around at other tables. It would have been a much different experience to be surprised by what we were about to get, especially when it came to the pillows and dessert. We actually mentioned this to a server and he said that Chef Achatz agrees and is thinking of doing what some restaurants in Japan do which is to create personal dining pods so your senses are cut off from those around you. Another bummer was the one-bite courses. When you have no idea what you’re about to eat, it’s flavor and texture profile, sensations, etc, only getting one bite is a big downer. By the time you even start to process what you just ate, it’s over. Having one more bite would cement every thought that went flying through your mind on the first one. We felt we were trying to quickly grasp at whatever it was we just ate but it was gone so fast that we didn’t get the full experience of the dish. I don’t want to make it sound like I’m complaining because we had an absolutely amazing night with phenomenal food.

I’ve been asked by many people if we’d do it again……I think we would. There wasn't one course where we said, Oh my God this is the best thing I've ever eaten, but on the whole when you look back at all of the courses combined and the sheer genius of it all, it was definitely one of the best meals we've ever had.  It was very expensive but we went in knowing that and were very prepared but it would be hard to justify it again without something to celebrate. We did think it would have been very fun to dine there with friends (it’s not really a romantic place). We’ve always been fans of dining at restaurants with prix fixe menus (in fact, I have a blog entry drafted on just that) so I think it would be fun to explore other restaurants (especially Grant Achatz's new restaurant) before going back to Alinea. So after all my worrying, I’m proud to say that I was able to eat every course (even if I did have to bail on the wine) and am really excited that we were able to experience such a fun food adventure.