'Just be here at eight-fifteen', said the female voice on the other end. And so we were. The entrance is unmarked for Alinea located in the charming Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park-Old Town, and we nearly walked right on by it, focusing more on bearing our weight against the wicked wind.
As we moved towards the door a young lady with an iPad stepped out to greet us. She confirmed our seating and directed us to enter and enjoy this seriously magical place. We stepped into a dimly lit hallway, the floor lined with squishy moss. Our eyes were wide investigating the plethora of hanging flowers set in narrow glass vases. They beckoned us to 'follow the yellow brick road'. Alinea would be no place like another.
Hidden within the center carpels of select blossoms were small cones of cotton candy. The airy candy was zesty, fruity and sweet. There was even a hint of cilantro for me. Maybe it was mango? My senses were on high alert. It felt like we'd walked through the forest of Oz or had traipsed through the story's vast poppy fields.
The spell was broken when a sliding door revealed the buzzing, bright kitchen. Alinea's troops were hard at work, moving in cadence about unique kitchen tools - a helium tank, a dry ice bin and slender glass test tubes. Their focus was obvious. Oh we oh, ohhhhh oh - we were in for something special.
Each creative delivery made us more and more excited for what would come next. Dining at Alinea is interactive and engaging; there's inventive thought given to every single detail.
And this hyper attention to detail is conveyed beautifully in Christian Seel's video showcasing the trail-blazing restaurant. The Alinea dining experience is extreme, surprising and drives impatient anticipation like a child. Are we there yet? Are we there? Are we?
In one of my favorite courses, Chef Grant Achatz and his team paid homage to the Classical Elements: Earth, Air, Water, Fire, which were developed by Empedocles and expanded by Aristotle. Playing with various types of fresh seafood, the single course was delivered in canon, each just as spectacular as its lead.
See the sushi floating in a clear glass cylinder filled with water, ice and fresh flowers in Seel's dramatic clip (:35).
We poached small bits of fish filet in boiling water (:39) and crunched on a crayfish head that had been deep fried and placed on the edge of a similar glass cylinder (:50).
My enthusiasm increased greatly while experiencing food in this thoughtful 'natural way'. It reminded me of Michael Pollin's book Cooked. The Achatz Army really impressed me when we seared a large scallop on a piping hot stone (1:04). It sizzled and smoked. And I thought fondue and raclette were fun!
In the Alinea video and at the top of the photo below, you can see slender white dishes featuring an assortment of rich duck prepared in five different ways - one seared, another more like paté.
The ultimate treat in this 'Infinity' course was the ability to combine the well-prepared duck options in any creative fashion. A gorgeous glass tray offered more than fifty dollops of this and that - a pistachio cream, blackberry sauce, a green olive slice, and some powdery white stuff (I didn't expect it to crumble the way it did. It was lighter than chalk and minty.)
There was traditional ground mustard, a gelatin like canned Thanksgiving cranberries, a fruit rind, a flower, current chutney, a green sauce that looked like wasabi and tasted like tea, and white cream.
We were told to take a piece of duck and match it with 2-3 of anything on the glass. At first we were strategic in our selections, almost afraid to create a poor combination. But that wasn't possible. With each bite our senses worked intensely to tell us what we'd concocted. The course was exciting and mysterious. I thoroughly enjoyed the seduction of the unknown, leaving our taste buds to search and unleash familiar flavors from our memory bank.
And just when we thought invention could be taken no further, and that our excitement with the Alinea show had reached its pinnacle, we were each given a floating, edible balloon (1:09).
The balloon was made of taffy, filled with helium and attached to a long metal needle. The string was taffy too. If I'd thought of the similarity then, we could have used the helium to make silly Wizard of Oz voices. Instead we announced our own names with high pitched flare - wah wah wah.
Alinea is one of The World's 50 Best Restaurants listed by San Peligrino and Acqua Panna. It has been reviewed by numerous magazines and industry experts. Tickets, similar to a play or sporting event, must be purchased in advance. It's a wholly enlightening experience and worthwhile surrendering to the adventure that we will not soon forget. I had no preconception and was so pleased to be surprised by the culinary magic.
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