I went to eat at Alinea tonight.
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Are you crazy? $700 for foam and jelly?
LOL! Your just jealous.
Thanks for the review. Very well done. I actually picked it up , by chance on Grant’s twitter.
He’s sharing.
Thanks Anita! I saw his twitter page, so cool. Have you been there?
I’ll probably never go there in my lifetime, but your review was entertaining, nonetheless.
Thanks!
Syd you came over from vloggerheads! Thanks! It was a great time and even cooler Grant Achatz talked about my site.
If the “tour” costs only $200 apiece as you stated at the beginning, and you didn’t drink, your girlfriend’s cocktails must have been pretty damned expensive to end up with a bill for $700… even with tip.
Hey Dan. On Alinea’s website it says the “tour” is $225. So maybe thats how much the tour is. I had 2 house made sodas a lemon lavender and cherry balsamic and thyme my girlfriend had a glass of champagne, white wine and coffee. The bill was $549 plus tax and I tipped $120 so the bill was $670. Always tip well yall!
did you see that chaf achatz has linked you from his twitter?
K, I did see but thanks for the heads up. Crazy huh?
Interesting account of one of the most interesting restaurants in the world. As you rightly say, it is not about deliciousness in the first place but the overall experience playing with all senses and even your mind…
BTW, I did describe the full tour menu of our May 2008 visit in full detail on my blog for anyone who wants to see how the food actually looks like…
A couple things…
1…to work at alinea in any capacity is incredibly difficult. the amount of organization, focus and dedication required to maintain their level of quality and service is not often found in other industries
2…i had dinner there in october. for myself and my girlfriend the tab was $800 plus gratuity for the tour with wine pairings. WORTH EVERY PENNY. 7 courses from the menu I will never forget because they were amazing.
3…the “chocolate” with “olive powder” course you talk about is one of those 7…and they served it with a pomme de normandy as a wine pairing which was PERFECT.
anyway…yeah.
Good post Peter, Thanks!
I dont understand how anyone could think that $800 plus tip for one meal is worth every penny. And i do understand that its also an experience and not just a meal, but are you out of your mind?
Great Review Jyo. I went about 18 months ago and came away with very similar feelings. The whole thing is about more than just the food. Even just walking into the place, with the crazy star trek door, and the kitchen being right there – and totally silent – was like nothing I’d even done, meal or no-meal. I totally can see why you wouldn’t need to go back. It’s not on my list of must hit restaurants eitehr. But I have to admit I’m curious to see what the place would have in store for me next time.
As a side note, I also got the wine pairings (which were great) and the sommelier was one of the more memorable characters I’ve met in Chicago. Classic! Peter did you have the guy too?
If I could afford it I would go back as much as possible. As far as if I had Peter, I’m not sure. I’m gonna ask Jenny. So what made this guy so memorable? You got me curious.
The sommelier wasn’t named Peter (that I know of) I was asking the commenter above, who got the wine pairings, and is named Peter, if he had gotten the same guy as I did.
aaanyway, The guy was like 50% metro hipster, 25% Jock, and 25% wine nerd, which is a very odd combo. He had that hair that was meticulously messy and gelled in place, big pointy shoes, and a huge knot in his tie, along with a perpetual smirk on his face.
would say funny things right as he was leaving, like “I’m gonna let you guys rock on out to this for a bit”. The best though was when he was pairing a Barolo (I think) with a some bison steak, and made the off handed comment that “Some people would pair this with a Bordeaux, which I of course would never do to you” I laughed a bit, and asked him why he would never do that. His reply was “Well, as we all know, Bordeaux puts the bore in Boooring” and walked away. He was great.
you’re stupid. obviously the only restaurant you’ve worked in is McDonalds. get a life.
some guy did a parody of your review. Achatz posted a link on his twitter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77-jBeve3Gg
Thanks John.
Anon, I wish the only restaurant I worked at was McDonalds. Not sure where the hostility is coming from but relax.
Very nice and thoughtful review. One note — Chef Achatz never yelled anyone on the floor at Trio. I worked there, and spent 18 months at Alinea as well, and he never yelled at anyone on the floor there. He is an incredibly focused and calm individual, and I would be shocked to hear of him ever doing this.