Alinea

Review Highlights

Alexander visits Alinea, the three-Michelin-starred Chicago institution that has become a global bucket-list destination since chef Grant Achatz opened it in 2005. Seated at a shared gallery table in Lincoln Park, he puts his wine pairing in the hands of the sommelier and prepares for an experience where nothing is quite what it seems — flames erupt from the table, food hangs from the ceiling, and every course doubles as theatre. The question framing his visit: does the magic support the food, or does it steal the spotlight?

• ·Puff pastry with asparagus, morel mushroom and nasturtium pollen, plus squab cooked on hanging skewers over flames above the table — the fiery opening act; the squab is "smokey, and literally melts in your mouth"
• ·Socarrat — caramelized bombo rice with saffron, rabbit leg and sofrito aioli, served in the kitchen with a Michigan apple cider and Spanish brandy cocktail; "no joke, this is insanely good... real cooking with genuine flavors"
• ·Golden Osetra caviar on mezcal crema, pineapple julep and finger lime — served on a plate that mimics the shape of a cupped hand holding caviar; "the pineapple comes through just in the right amount and fits so well to the caviar. Absolutely brilliant dish"
• ·Arctic char fillet marinated in bourbon and maple syrup, charred — "first it hits with complete sweetness. Almost too much. But then suddenly a nice, gentle bitterness arrives, and balances it out. This is a really clever dish"
• ·Patagonian fossil excavation — empanada filled with roasted red prawn, edible brioche and sesame "soil," plus a fried corn fritter, served with a toolkit for digging; "it's creative, it's exciting and definitely unusual... the flavors are there too"
• ·Black Truffle Explosion — a single ravioli filled with truffle that bursts in the mouth, Achatz's signature dish dating back to his French Laundry days; "I guess there never was such a pleasant explosion like this"
• ·The Painting — blueberry snow, white chocolate mousse, dark chocolate ice cream, and playful cake bites painted directly onto the table; "the flavors are there, it's beautiful, and it's a show that only adds to the experience"
• ·Edible helium balloon — green apple and taffy flavored, filled with helium that changes your voice as you eat it; "a brilliant closure that made us smile like little children"

Alexander sums up Alinea with one word: "clever." It's playful, surprising, and exciting, and keeps you interested throughout — without sacrificing the flavors for the theatrics. The service is "immaculate, perfect," and the atmosphere is great. Foodwise, he notes it's not always a three-star experience in terms of complexity and sharpness, and the wine glasses could use an upgrade. This isn't a regular-rotation restaurant — "it's an experience, and regularity would ruin it" — but he understands completely why it's a bucket-list destination for so many. Total: $201 (wine pairing only; the meal was comped). He left a generous tip.

About

Alinea is a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, opened in 2005 by Chef Grant Achatz and widely credited with bringing molecular gastronomy to the forefront of American fine dining. Achatz — a veteran of The French Laundry and El Bulli — created a restaurant where the theatrical and the culinary are inseparable: dishes arrive via flaming skewers, edible balloons, and table-sized edible paintings. Alinea earned three Michelin stars in 2010, the guide's first year in Chicago, and has retained them ever since, while holding a consistent presence on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Famously, Achatz battled stage 4 tongue cancer in 2007, losing his sense of taste entirely and continuing to cook by memory and intuition until he was declared cancer-free later that same year.