Magical Dining Adventure at Alinea in Chicago

'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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Tru Delight in Chicago

Stepping inside the unobtrusive vestibule of Tru—in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago between the lake and Michigan Avenue, north of the river—felt more unassuming and quiet than we had expected. From the entrance we eagerly peered into the connecting room of simple white walls enhanced by art with pops of color that lured us further in to explore. It appeared to be like an art museum's latest contemporary exhibit hall more than it did a four-star fine-dining restaurant. I was wholly intrigued.




The collection of art is impressive boasting a matte royal blue statue from French Nouveau Realism great Yves Klein (Venus Bleue, 1961, pigment on plaster). Klein patented International Klein Blue, this pigment mixed with a special agent that maintains the color's intensity across mediums—canvas, paper, wood, plaster, glass. He believed that monochrome 'represents the idea of absolute unity in perfect serenity' and that this vibrant blue hue, specifically, 'awakens spiritual energy'. Klein is often attributed to being a leader of performance art, for example, painting models in his signature color and having them roll their bodies on canvas to one monotone of music—boom, a new creative outlet was born.




Another piece, a mirror-box lined with red neon tube lights, creates an infinite look to the reflection, as if we could reach our arm through and down a never-ending hallway.



For a moment there was no one around us but the walls and the art.




It was serene, and humbling—and for the emotion it withdrew, demanded acknowledgement and respect. The time gave us an Inception second to respond to our surroundings and wishfully anticipate what might come next in our progressive French dining experience.




The main dining room is simple and elegant, with tall walls white as snow lined with floor length flowing curtains. As the room expanded over the course of our experience, the gorgeous, various shaped wine glasses created a frame around an Andy Warhol piece of Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn reversal series, 1979.1986, synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen on canvas).

The artistry seamlessly continues throughout the Chef's Collection of nine whimsical courses that delight and inspire. Executive chef Anthony Martin has led the kitchen solely at Tru since 2010, working as chef de cuisine previously and earning stripes at Las Vegas resorts Wynn and MGM. Young at thirty years old, he earned the honor of being named Chef of the Year 2010 by the Chicago Tribune.




Martin created 'caviar' with smoked sturgeon made into a mousse by mixing wine, spices and gelatin. When extracted into a syringe, the mousse easily releases into a cold oil bath turning it into tiny pellets that closely resemble luxurious fish eggs frequently shared with chilled vodka in Russia.

The caviar was light and tasty and combined well with the richness of the avocado spread it rested on in a tin jar. Further, the jar was perched on a pile of coarse sea salt. Unlike real caviar, the mousse pellets lacked the burst when we bite-in. You can watch Martin explain his creative process on YouTube. He initially made the video for a Dinner Party earlier in the year.







Elegantly put together in a large, clean white bowl, stacked atop two layers of plain white plates, the golden yellow of the squash soup brightened the table. The soup was creamed with small cubes of al dente squash drizzled with bright hints of alba white truffle. Beside the cup was a burgundy harvest garnish that foiled the leaf shaped Parmesan crackers resting on a stack of white linens. The terroir of the rich mushroom was emboldened with each sip of the Guiberteau Chenin Blanc with zesty citrus notes.




Foi gras was served beautifully seared, surrounded by a ring of round droplets so that from a distance the dish looks almost planetary in a white abyss. Every bite was buttery, flavorful and light.








In 2006 the City of Chicago banned foi gras, which is fattened duck liver enhanced by force feeding the animals. The inclusion of foi on menus has been a point of controversy in the culinary world for some time. Tru and Spiaggia mimicked the delicacy in two different ways shortly after the ban (which has since been lifted) impressing the Tribune's food critic Phil Vettel. Even though the dish was tasty, it will probably be my last time for foi.












The grand finale of Tru's culinary performance was a dessert of vanilla parfait, compressed pineapple and banana. The fruits rested on a square mirror clutched in a small white monkey's hands. The delivery was bold. It was fresh—and we shared a wonderful laugh about it. The finale gave us one final dig into a world of food just as unique as our exhibit-like surroundings.
Tru proved to be a wonderful culinary adventure. Each course was paired with wine from all over the world - California, Greece and France to name a few. It was exciting to try wines with varied terroir that boldened every dish. All together the experience was stretching; it expanded my concept of dining, food, art and performance, surely a Warhol-approved evening.








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South Africa's Wine Country

The sandstone mountains are strong and poised, forming a vivid omnipresent backdrop to South Africa's wine region. They surround you from near and afar in the Stellenbosch area where traditional Cape Dutch style buildings display simple and ornate gables over the entrances that developed in the second half of the eighteenth century (1700s).





Vibrant white clouds can be found lingering on the tops of the geologic tips. Much like whipping cream adding the finishing touch to a favorite sundae, they settle hungrily on these geologic points when heavily filled with moisture. Even when a cloud's light as the air its shadow casts clearly over these ridges seducing our light and dark eyes to openly stare.






La Motte is a chic, comfortable wine estate in the Franschhoek Valley managed by Hanneli Rupert, the daughter of the well-known South African business gagillionaire Dr Anton. The outside dining room is only just covered by a taught tarp like a circus tent allowing any breeze to filter through. Wooden tables are dressed up with shiny silverware and clean, sharp wine glasses.



Down the wooden stairs there's a nice sized grassy patch with picnic tables, a giant chess game and easel for the children to play while the adults sip casually on the well-padded furniture frames. Just on the far side of the knoll is a small art museum featuring works by landscape expert artist Pierneef. Hanneli is one of South Africa’s leading mezzo-sopranos. The winery hosts guests for her monthly musical performance.





Fine, casual and culture is what comes to mind when I recall my time at La Motte. The winery has just enough of each to make it a place for anyone to relax and enjoy the immaculate surroundings.





The charmingly European, Cape Dutch style is said to have stemmed from the gables found in Amsterdam, yet recent research points that the architecture more closely resembles the buildings found north of the Red Light city on the River Zaan. It was along this river that many ships for the Dutch East India Company were built often using more lumber in the structures from the excess found in ship building supply.


Zevenwacht Winery calls one of the oldest and most traditional Cape Dutch structures home. Built in 1800, the gable reflects fondly in the small pond a few hundred feet down the easy grass slope.


Zevenwacht was a special treat. As an organized networking event just over one hundred of us visited this heritage site together. Once there we divided up into teams of six to ten or so at large round, black-linen clothed tables where we became the 'Mad Chemists' mixing a special blend of Syrah, Cabernet, Merlot and Pinotage.


In the waning summer sun, we baked a bit along with our bottles of red, trying terribly to shield our concoction with shadows as we vied to come out on top. This would not be an easy feat considering much of our entire group is severely well-traveled and travel well, sharing many a great celebratory bottles with international clientele, friends and family from France to Argentina, Australia and Italy, California, even China and now down at the tip of Africa.


In the end, our group's wine was not the one to liven the winemaker's palate. Still it was great fun to enjoy the luxurious surroundings together. You can watch a video of the winning group here. As the sun started to set on our day in Africa's most well-known wine region, we bid adieu to the warm breeze soothing our skin in anticipation of our next encounter with this wondrous earthly place.





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