Alinea — Restaurant in Chicago

The food was great but the magic is gone. Having waited a ridiculously long time to dine here, my expectations were sky high but unfortunately this place fell short of those. Felt like the kitchen was testing courses instead of the refined experience you’d expect with 3-stars.

There were flashes of just incredible brilliance that really highlighted what this place must have been at its pinnacle but also more than a few head scratching decisions.

The first dish was exceptional- incredible golden osetra caviar with caper flavoured gelatin, foam that tasted exactly like toasted brioche, cream that was unmistakably chives and shallots.

From there, things were uneven. The “trampoline” was a bouillabaisse with spherified rouille that did not so much as bounce but rather sank into the potato paper quite sadly. The soup was overseasoned- heavy on shellfish flavour with big bites of turbot but was very salty. The accompanying Hokkaido scallop was fresh but the tomato and pepper chutney underneath was far more flavourful and memorable than the scallop itself.

The Australian prawns- though impressive in size and presentation, were overcooked and rubbery by the time we plucked them out of the kombu. The furikake and white miso was great but could not save the hard, flavourless prawn.

The next course came as a set of 4 dishes: a grilled cobia collar, silken tofu, candy cap mushrooms, and uni rice. The cobia collar and uni were phenomenal. The candy cap mushroom dish however had a sickeningly strong taste of pine and almost herbal medicinal flavour that overpowered all else, and had an discomforting mix of sweetness and savouriness that included a hot mango chunk that just did not work for me. Similarly the silken tofu also unsuccessfully mixed the sweetness of a sugar glaze on top with the savouriness of tofu and sesame underneath but instead of being complex, these favours were just confusing.

The kitchen course was also a letdown. While it was very theatrical to walk into the kitchen, the dish itself- a grilled raclette served on grilled parsnip on birch along with fried parsnip- was also over seasoned- salty to the point of greatly overpowering any other subtle flavours including the smokiness. The accompanying cocktail- a whiskey sour with herbs en Provence was more memorable.

The change in dining room afterwards was very neat, although we were served two glasses of wine that shortly after, were wordlessly taken away without any acknowledgement. I suspect this was an error as we had not ordered those but it would have been nice to acknowledge this instead of saying nothing and just removing the glasses right in front of us.

The real show stopper for me was the squab dish. It was spectacular, one of the best plates I’ve had perhaps anywhere, certainly in recent memory. Perfectly cooked medium rare squab with a beautiful crust, wonderfully balanced sauce, and delightfully light pickled, dehydrated vegetables.

A few smaller dishes in between were memorable but by the time the last savoury course rolled around, we were bursting at the seams. This was A5 Japanese wagyu with an American wagyu flower, topped with a rich truffle cream sauce and pickled truffle slices. Though this dish was delicious, it was far too rich, esp. so late into dinner and could have been balanced with something acidic or some vegetables.

The desserts were amazing, especially the toffee balloon but instead of the “banana split” being plated on the table cloth as we’d seen before, it was done on a plastic yellow board, taking away much of the theatricality.

While service was cordial and friendly, we had a lot of difficulty hearing the explanation for dishes when many waiters were talking at once and our waiter’s descriptions were significantly abbreviated compared to that for the tables next to us. This really bothered us since we didn’t learn as much about each dish and its conception as we really wanted.

We wish we could have come here in its hay day but while it was a fun experience, in no way can it still justify the...

This is the 4th time I’ve dined at Alinea. The first time back in may of 2009 blew my mind so much so I applied and ended up moving from florida to Chicago to work there. The second time was in Oct 2009, Third When Alinea did their pop up in Miami considering it is only an hour or so away from my house I decided to go and was pleasantly surprised and excited by the new menu and seeing some of the signature dishes again. Then on my most recent visit Thursday April 22 2021 for their reopening menu I was disappointed by the lack of surprise and menu flow and portions. Please don’t misunderstand still delicious, however dining at Ever the night before, and Boka the following night and SMYTH on Saturday that same week. I was surprised at how much more I enjoyed the experience at Ever and SMYTH. Compared to a restaurant that 12 years ago drove me to move across the country and leave my family and home state. Maybe after the remodel, the reopening after COVID-19 and the running of the other restaurants and bar, plus the different Executive chef and influence of him changed the direction and execution of the meal. I felt from the moment you walked in to the moment you left everything was muted compared to previous experiences. The entrance from an artistic visual depth perception mind game, to a hostess stand. The room used to have subtle lighting and vases above the banquets to now lights shining down somewhat uncomfortably according to my wife. The menu was high quality ingredients but this time was the first time nothing surprised me completely blowing me away. The first time I was there the opening course was Caviar with traditional garnishes texture less. And the toasted brioche foam, (tasted like buttery brioche air) and all the flavors of egg yolk, red onion, lemon, dill, cream fraiche. Blew my mind and expectations. This menu a scallop course with olives and blood orange vinaigrette, it was presented in beautifully blown glass scallop shell, and was interesting how you didn’t know exactly what was underneath this golden covering. But was tasty not mind blowing. The Arctic Char dish would have been surprising that the bottom of the glass pedestal had a lemongrass gelée with the roe underneath, but this being posted all over Instagram ruined the surprise. The 14 day fermented cabbage with truffle and cheese sauce sliced on the prosciutto slicer was delicious but, just table side slicing wasn’t to exciting seemed a little overkill for the end result. The one dish that really stood out both in flavor and texture was the cauliflower with curds and black curry sauce. This was the most complex flavored and textured dish of the evening that I keep thinking back on. To go back in the future to the first two menus I had there was 25-28 courses and yes there was a shellfish dish on the first menu with honeydew and mace. Which I didn’t like ( but I am not a huge melon fan nor shellfish fan!) But to expect so many courses to all be winners is ridiculous. Everyone has different likes and dislikes as well as palates. Also Toby who I worked with who also had the same menu I had the Shellfish and melon course was his favorite. So that being said this time there was a Hawaiian block of courses with venison poke, venison with Haupia, and black garlic crepe covered venison chop with pineapple, and coconut burrata with “lava rock” sponge cake and tropical fruits. And honestly both my wife and I were not into any of the flavors on these courses. Which kind of surprised me because I’m in love with game meats! At the beginning they bring out and light on fire a centerpiece with a little le creuset pot that barely warmed the coconut burrata which was a little anticlimactic! I’m hoping that the focus on elements of surprise and flavor come back to the forefront, and the portion size become smaller and more enticing with each bite and courses! I don’t discourage anyone from experiencing Alinea, however I hope some of the magic comes back that blew my mind all...

Mr. Joy and I pulled the trigger on making a reservation at Alinea, and anticipated an amazing meal for nearly two months. We arrived at the rather unassuming, nondescript grey building, and walked through the double doors, were greeted by the friendly hosts, and led upstairs to our Salon seats. The dinner immediately began with some mentally stimulating theatrics. We sat down in front of an inconspicuous fruit bowl, which then was set off with dried ice, and released a misty fog on the table. We were also given a crossword puzzle with words that revealed hints about the menu.

White | asparagus, jamon, basil: Excellent! I would never even be able to fathom that white asparagus could become the texture of fluffy sponge cake and something akin to sorbet. The jamon and basil powder acted as a savory seasoning.

Kaeng | scallop, mustard, chili: Great! Thai curry scallop noodles were topped with more crunchy, skinny noodles.

Glow | lemongrass: Excellent! Two glowing test tubes containing fruity tea shooters with micro flowers and jellies capping both ends of the tubes. This was a perfectly refreshing accompaniment to the spicy, creamy noodles.

Ink | octopus, scallion, black lime: Good! Chewy black octopus tentacles with crunchy ends was presented on a smooth black rock.

Stem | morel, oxalis, goat butter: Good! Spongey cube of morel mushroom with a smattering of oxalis leaves next to a pool of goat butter.

Tail | pork, trumpet royale, huckleberry: Good! Chewy slices of trumpet mushrooms, huckleberry jelly, and minced pork

Branch | maitake, acorn: Ok! Meaty maitake mushrroms atop puffed acorn chips

Tea | matsutake, lemon, thyme: As if this trio of mushrooms doesn't satisfy a mushroom craving, it comes full circle with mushroom tea.

At this point they led a group of us into the kitchen for a brief tour accompanied with snacks and drinks.

charred tortilla with chicken tinga, Oaxaca cheese, avocado, mole: Good! Crunchy little taco pocket with tiny dollops of avocado and mole and micro flowers

spicy margarita - red bell pepper shaved ice Good! Refreshing with a mild bite. They also prepared a virgin mocktail for one of the pregnant ladies of the group.

Rossini | wagyu, frites, foie gras: Great! Throughout the meal, there was a tiny crockpot cooking up some beef over a flame. Perhaps this part of the meal was a nod to Rossini, to signify the apex of the meal, or it is to refer to the food being cooked in a Rossini pan. When we returned to our seats, they finished off the beef in a pan of rosemary, garlic cloves, and olive oil. The juicy tender bite of wagyu was plated next to veal reduction and accompaniment of seasonings. I appreciated the flavoring options, but there was probably too many options for the bite size piece of wagyu. Ear | wood ear, truffle: Great! Also accompanied with crunchy wood ear mushrooms, black truffle puree, and pomme frite puree

Transition | yam delice, apricot: Great! Even more surprising, there was a yam cooking beneath the flaming crockpot, hidden throughout the entire meal. Our server plated the creamy sweet potato with whipped goat cream and nuts.

Wood | hoja santa, tamarind, chocolate: Ok! The smoky wood on the table was meant to give off herbal aromatics. The crisp hoja santa leaf atop more creamy, nutty dessert.

Corn | popped, caramel, liquid: Ok! A whimsical, sweet and salty near-end

Balloon | helium, green apple: Great! What a delightful way to eat green apple candy in the form of a toy. The helium sure changed Mr. Joy's voice into a comically high one, but it didn't make much difference for my voice.

The meal sure impressed straight out the gate with the asparagus dish that tasted more like a dessert, and the curry scallop noodles, which I never would have guessed was made from an animal byproduct. Some dishes were interesting to try, but weren't very exciting. My favorites would have to be the melt in your mouth wagyu beef, and the spicy margarita, and the balloon, because how could I...