Alinea. Perfection.

Alas, I finally had the amazing opportunity to dine at Alinea on my brithday-America’s leading restaurant, located right here in Lincoln Park Chicago! Chef and owner Grant Achatz is absolutely stunning with his gastronomic explosions! I cannot begin to describe all the emotions that took place in this divine, 3 hour meal. From the service, to the personal sommelier, as well as the pastry chef who presented one of the desserts on the actual tabletop-completed the story. Each course was in perfect order, paired with the perfect wine, and excitement followed every second.

Michael Ruhlman (contributer or Alinea’s book says it best)- “What makes Alinea so distinctive? And what are we to make of it’s controversial food: the outrageous pairings, the extraordinary manipulations of texture, presentations that veer from ingenious to surreal, service pieces that make some diners squirm, ingredients that range from familiar vegetables and meats to Ultra-TEx 3 and xanthum gum, and techniques that include encapsulation and pillows of scented air?”

These photos are not even close to describe my evening at Alinea…

this was our table piece, before we ate it...but we had no idea!

pork belly...curry, cucumber, lime

we assembled the metal pieces that held the spring roll sheet-which had edible flowers

everything fit perfectly in this one roll. it was absolutely amazing!!!

for this course, they cleared our table, and place a silicone sheet...

a chef comes out and creates this beautiful dessert right on the table!!!

the chocolate in the glass viles forms into solid pudding...

frozen dark chocolate crumbles...

the final product-'chocolate, coconut, menthol, hyssop'

it was like a painting-to beautiful to eat!!!

this was my birthday dessert, i missed the photo shot right before this shot. it started with a solid dark chocolate ball, before they poured the hot cream that opened it

our last course-' bubble gum, long pepper, hibiscus, creme fraiche' you had to suck it to get all the flavors immersed in your mouth!

i didn't know what to expect when i saw this juniper in a bowl...

'goose stuffing, prune, juniper aroma all in one bite!'

'duck foie gras, chestnut, mace, orange'

'thai banana, beer, mustard, pecans'

'eggnog, pedro ximenez, benedictine, buffalo trace'

'hay-burnt sugar, coffee, huckleberry on a nutmeg scented pillow'...the pillow deflated, releasing the aromas while you ate this course. unbelievable, who thinks of this???

signed by the whole kitchen staff...

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