My Night at Alinea - Eating at a Michelin Starred Restaurant
I’ve always imagined to a really amazing restaurant and having the meal of my life, and I definitely did that at Alinea. There are 145 Michelin starred restaurants in the world, 13 of which are in the United States. I decided on Alinea because I saw their amazing experimental dishes and their famous painted dessert. This wasn’t only a meal, but a theatrical experience. They offer two “showings” a night at 6pm and 9pm.
“A concept founded by Chef Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas, Alinea has been globally praised for its molecular gastronomy techniques and innovative approach to modernist cuisine, pushing boundaries in a multi-sensory dining experience. It is 1 of only 13 restaurants in the U.S. to earn the coveted Michelin 3-Star rating.”
Alinea offers three different level of dining: The Salon, The Gallery, and The Chef’s Table. The Chef’s table is the most expensive and exclusive hosting 6 guests per showing each night. The Gallery is the “signature” experience where dishes are brought in to all diners at the same time and the painted dessert happens for everyone at once; there are up to 16 people at The Gallery each showing. The Salon is allows for people to make reservations at staggered times and go at their own pace. It has less courses than the other tiers. Obviously, I wanted the classic experience, and got a reservation for The Gallery
I was staying downtown, so I hopped onto the L to go to the Lincoln Park neighborhood where Alinea is. The building has no signage on it to let passersby know there’s a restaurant there - essentially, you’re only going in if you know why you’re there. No one is going to randomly wander in to this restaurant for a meal. Chitchatting with the hostess revealed that she had family in Ocala - small world! Another server was from Orlando, so we talked about Florida things.
When it was time for the meal, the whole group was escorted into a room with a long table with 8 chairs on each side and a short wooden section between us. There was also something that looked like a clothesline with carrots hanging from it and above that an arch with what looked like some type of cookie on it. Servers went around to speak to each group, the woman across the table stated that she didn’t drink, so they inquired further and told her that they would replace the rose toast with some sparking apple cider for her and then in another course there is an alcoholic beverage that they would make alcohol free.
Speaking of alcohol - I didn’t order any wine pairings. You are able to get a wine pairing along with the meal, of course, they have different tiers of those as well. In researching online, I knew that there would be a LOT of wine and some people end up downing their glasses at the end of the course because whose going to spend hundreds of dollars on wine an not drink it? Each course had its own pairing and they weren’t stingy with their pours. I wanted to experience the meal with a clear head and not walk away drunk out of my mind and forgetting all of the delicious food I ate.
When everyone was seated and ready, the lights went down and the experience started. The chef in front of everyone started adding ingredients to a saucepan and cooked it. He used a flame to light the section between the two tables, which started to cook the carrots. The servers came around and gave us the “soup” from what the chef had made and took the carrots down from where they had cooked. We were invited to get up out of our seats and get the “english muffin” from the wavy thing up top.
COMMUNAL | STRAWBERRY, TOMATO, ENGLISH MUFFIN
Underneath the dome was a salad with watermelon radishes, the bowl held a strawberry. tomato, and cashew milk soup, and the english muffin had strawberry in the center. Also, if you look at the rose directly in front of the place setting, there is a candied strawberry (I think?). It was on the rose and held with a pretty bumblebee pin. Biting into it, it didn’t have the texture of a strawberry, but there was so much information presented that night, I can’t remember exactly what was said about it.
After finishing that course, we were ushered into the kitchen where I took several pictures. We got to see the chefs working around us in the kitchen with previews of the dishes that were to come. We were served a strange looking dish with a gelatin on top as well as a mixed drink and some amaaaaazing popcorn. For as much popcorn as they made in their popcorn poppers, I would have loved to have gone home with an entire bag of it.
KING CRAB YELLOW ON MELLOW | CORNBREAD, TABASCO, CELERIES, POPCORN BLOODY MARY
After the trip to the kitchen, we headed back into the dining room, which had been transformed from the “communal” table to separate tables for each group. At that point, each table was offered either sparkling or still water for the evening - of course I went with sparkling water! At this time, I started to feel the inside of my lips puff up a little. There was some yellow peppers in the last dish (I’m allergic to peppers), so I figured I was having a mild reaction, but by the end of the evening it was gone. Just an observation.
The next course to come out was a caviar course. Whereas everyone got one item I ended up getting the “special” course. The other people in the restaurant received the cups below, but I was told to hold out my hand and was given a gorgeous glass bowl in my hands made by Ignite Glass Studios. Inside was some caviar and I believe some type of custard underneath? Not 100% sure, but it was delicious! The description below is what I believe everyone else got and not the “special dish” I got.
OSTERA | SWEET CORN, HONEY, OLOROSO, CANTALOUPE, SMOKED YOLK, CHAMOMILE, MUSSELS
The next course was my absolute favorite one of the entire evening. The server who came out said it was the first of two “one bite” courses. The instructions were to put the entire bite into my mouth and make sure my lips were fully sealed before biting down onto it. HOLY COW. The absolute burst of flavor from this dish was intense. It was beautifully tasting liquid inside and I couldn’t fathom on how something could be so amazing.
EXPLOSION | BLACK TRUFFLE, ROMAINE PARMESAN
I’ve never been a huge fan of black truffle, but I feel like I’ve basically only had the standard “black truffle fries” which didn’t really taste all that good. Even two and a half weeks later in writing this, I can still taste the amazingness of this dish. Incredible!
Net up came an interesting, time-sensitive course! We were presented with small shell type bowls with pins sticking through them holding on to a potato and other items. The instructions were to pull the pin and then get all of the items into our mouths quickly. There was a delightful contrast in temperatures between the potato and the soup/liquid in the mini bowl. It was absolutely scrumptious.
HOT POTATO | COLD POTATO, BLACK TRUFFLE, PARMESAN
I forgot to mention that while(?) the Explosion course was being set, a doily with a dish was also set on the table. The dish was glass and had a metal lid with a fish on the top of it. I inspected it a lot and was trying to figure out what it was. I believe it was during Hot Potato that the dish was opened and you could see what was inside. The server came over to ask if I had any guesses on what was inside of the dish. I figured the fish on top of the lid was a red herring (ha) and that it wasn’t actually fish. I guessed that it was slices of mushroom and not fish; it turned out to be eggplant and a take on a traditional spring dish of anchovies on toast.
AUBERDINES | EGGPLANT, RYE, BUTTER AND HERBS
In bringing the next course, a very strange bird ended up on the table. The server said his name was Henry and it is best not to look him in the eyes, lol. Scoping him out, there seemed to be a couple of rolls and maybe a glass of…something? It ended up being chilled bergamot tea. The chicken had a weird hole in the top, later (after the chicken course, I believe) the servers came by and put some incense in there that had the same scent as the flavors we would be experiencing.
The next dishes that came out were super interesting! The first was another custom blown glass piece from Ignite Glass Studio that was made to look like a sea urchin. And it also contained a sea urchin. The other dish had a crumbly coil that I believe was made with spiny lobster. This dish was unbelievably flavorful. Soooo good. There was so much that was explained during these dishes that it was difficult to remember all of the descriptions. My brain could not hold that much information while it was being blown away by amazing food.
HONEY MANGO | MANGO, HOLLAND PORK BELLY, SPINY LOBSTER, UNI, MACADAMIA
Next up was a chicken course. Again, because there was so much information given to us, I cannot for the life of me remember what the gelatin lace doily on top was flavored with, but it was placed on top of an amazing chicken breast with some kind of sauce. In another dish was my second favorite dish of the entire evening. It was a chicken thigh that was just heavenly. I wanted to lick the bowl after I ate it.
BLACMANGE | POULET, ALMOND, FERNET, FIORI DI SICILIA
The next course probably had the only thing I didn’t like of the entire evening. It was a lamb dish with peas on the side. I don’t know what was in/with the peas, but it was bitter and just…not good. I did really enjoy the lamb. They had also put out some kind of weird log looking thing. I had no idea what it would be used for. Obviously, it wasn’t just decoration, it couldn’t be. It ended up being a log of black olive that was grated over top of the lamb dish.
I really did like the lamb. I think it was rhubarb on the side? Gosh, I wish I could remember everything that was in this dish. It clearly went in one ear and out the other, but it was very tasty.
LAMB | NICOISE OLIVE, BLOOD ORANGE, EUCALYPTUS
So I did not get a photo of the next dish because it was a time sensitive one. They came out with a dish that was “smoking” because it was eucalyptus leaves that had been hit with nitrogen to freeze them. They shook the leaves and it revealed a cream colored orb that we were to grab very quickly, seal our lips, and eat. They told everyone to be gentle, but several people managed to break theirs, so there were additional dishes brought out. It was yet another explosion of flavor in my mouth. This time olive brine with a chewy orange center, and I think the orb was a white chocolate or something of the sort? I loved it.
EUCALYPTUS | OLIVE BRINE, CHEWY ORANGE
The next two dishes were brought out together and were the beginning of the dessert phase of the meal. The two dishes were meant to be throwbacks to childhood. The first was tube that the server said to “draw on.” With some joking that we were suppose to suck on the tube, the server told us that the “S word” was not to be used. Sucking on the tube gave the flavor of bubble gum, and I think it was tapioca pearls at the end that gave it a chewy consistency for the best bubble gum effect.
BUBBLEGUM | THAI LONG PEPPERCORN, HIBISCUS, CREME FRAICHE
The next dessert brought more black truffle to the table. Also, I will say that up until this meal, I did not have a favorable opinion towards black truffle. Mostly because I had only had it in the context of artificially flavored things and it just tasted gross to me. I will say that I am 100% a black truffle fan.
The ice cream inside of the small mug was a black truffle ice cream, with house made rootbeer, with a “cherruffle” - aka a cherry with a slice of black truffle on it. I was also introduced to a fun invention called a spraw. Everyone has heard of a spork, but what about a spoon/straw combo, and an effective one at that? Enter the spraw. I love rootbeer floats, and this was such a fun tasting one!
FLOTTEUR VACHE NOIRE | BLACK TRUFFLE ICE CREAM, ROOT BEER, CHERRUFFLE
The next dessert is the one I was looking forward to the most, the painted ice cream! I didn’t catch the very beginning of it, but I will tell you that it was awesome. The music started and a very choreographed sequence of presenting and making the dessert started. There were these black panels above us the whole time, and the servers brought out a bunch of step ladders. They got up onto the ladders and placed each of the panels on one of the tables. Then the magic started!
I started with a few pics before fully switching to video, and then kind of held my phone to the side so I could watch it myself. I had to edit the videos together, so apologies on that, but it was an incredible performance and I wanted to fully enjoy it.
PAINT | LAVENDER, EARL GREY, TARRAGON
As the painting was finishing up, a bunch of balloons came out. We were warned they were very sticky, but another table still managed to accidentally get them stuck together. The balloons were taffy filled with helium with green apple fruit leather as the string. It was fun and silly and whimsical.
BALLOON | HELIUM, GREEN APPLE, TAFFY
After the balloon, I tried to eat as much of the painted dessert as I could. The earl grey tea ice cream was amazing, the lemon “snow” was absolutely delectable. I wanted to eat every last amazing bite, but I was just so, so full from the entire meal.
It was a one in a lifetime experience that I won’t forget. I savored every bite, enjoyed the atmosphere, and the presentation was out of this world. As a final parting gift, guests are presented with an envelope and a copy of the menu with the courses they experienced.
