Went there yesterday with great expectations . Turned out to be a disappointment
Service was excellent , people very friendly , chique environment . Presentations were beautiful , sometimes spectacular but highly irrelevant .
But you go there for the food … and this kitchen incorporates all the vices of the modern cuisine : " cuisine acide " , foams , too many flavors in 1 dish , bizarre combinations , and worse of all ; truffle oil . they have fantastic ingredients but ruin it by adding bizarre flavors .
The wine list was not up to a 3-star standard ( not even one for that maner ) . I tried a Littorai Chardonnay ( Heitz ) that was no good . The white wines are served at room temperature , which I cannot understand . The wines by the glass that the sommelier proposed were excellent , especially the dessert wines .
Overall , this restaurant is in the top-50 of the world’s best … and I know this list is a joke , but still .
To each their own I guess. I have eaten at Alinea many times and have eaten at other 3 stars in Europe. While Alinea is certainly less traditional I have had some of the best meals of my life there. I don’t see your comment on the Chardonnay as a direct reflection of the list overall.
The choices of the winelist were limited to mostly young wines . No big deal but when you go to a so called top restaurant , you expect a large selection , at least I do . ( I should have gone with the paired wines … the ones I got were excellent ( a Greek Chardonnay , a Madeira etc. ).
I don’t want to start another comparison with European 3-stars . This " cuisine acide trend " happens also in France for example . I just don’t understand why you put lemon on a delicious piece of crab or fish , so that it becomes acidic and tart .
This technical style of coocking is becoming less and less popular ( to my relief ) .
I don’t know how long you will be in town, but I’d be happy to recommend restaurants in Chicago if you give an idea of what you are looking for. Additionally, there are many threads on Chicago restaurants.
Thanks Corey . I love Chicago, what a beautiful city . Went to the art Institute this morning , stunning . My meetings start now , so little time left . But would you recommend Cru as a good restaurant ?
I went to Cru not long ago and sat outside. I think it’s a slightly above-average restaurant, but I think that there are many places that are better. Are you looking for a place for dinner? Any preferred cuisines/level of dining?
In the same area as Cru are many restaurants that I like better than Cru. Some that I’ve enjoyed include Cafe Des Architects (French), Tru (modern American – very expensive), RL (classic American), Balsan (American/French. If you go here, check out Bernard’s Bar, which is right next to the restaurant), Shanghai Terrace (Chinese), etc. If you’re willing to expand your geographic area a bit, there are of course even more options.
Also, Chicago has many restaurants that are BYOB (free corkage) and corkage (you pay a fee) is available at many other places. I’m not sure how important this is to you, but I often like to BYO as I agree that many wine lists have little aged wine to choose from.
Finally, I love the Art Institute too – it is my favorite place in the city.
Herwig, go to L20 and let Matt Kirkley do his thing; this will take you back to the *** level emotionally (they lost their third star but they are at that level IMHO). Let me know when you go.
As for Alinea, yes, Grant Achatz was highly influenced by his time at El Bulli…they can work wonders in the laboratory but, “so what?” This is not the type of food that appeals to me. To my disappointment, EMP in NYC has gone slightly in this direction (only slightly) but it is not to my style. Its technical, not emotional, cuisine. Changes art into science and I do not go to a *** restaurant for science.
I’ve heard complaints about the wine there often, but I have to say that when I went I looked up the wines on cellartracker and all but two of the offerings had 90+ averages. I went with the paired wines.
As for the food, I enjoyed it amazingly even though I wouldn’t often choose that style of food for my meal out. I do find these restaurants fun (albeit infrequent) diversions though.
Well everyone has their own style I guess. It’s true that the wine program doesn’t compare to the old masters in Europe but then they haven’t had decades to build it. I will say the wines there are very well priced. A few years ago we had the 05 Mugnier Musigny for $600.
I will also add that I’m normally a fan of more classic cuisine but Grant really works with classic combinations that he reinterprets or presents in whimsical presentations.
I really enjoy the whimsy. I like food that makes me smile. I like using my hands. And I think the execution is close to flawless (even though I understand why folks expecting classical 3* dining at a restaurant at his price point would find Alinea challenging).
Dinner tomorrow to celebrate the 21st anniversary of our engagement (and the 521st anniversary of Columbus “discovering” the New World).
Psyched (although I would really have liked the opportunity to review their wine list in advance. The “too difficult to keep current” excuse is lame)
George , thank you for sending that article about this guy who visited every 3-star in the world . I can agree with many things he believes ( i.e. Germany really has solid 3-star restaurants , while in Asia this is not always so ) . And Robuchon was/is one of the greatest chefs ever .
But then again , there are always differences of opinion . We really disliked el Calandre and his risotto was one of the worst dishes we ever had ( 10 people around the table , most returned the dish half finished ) .
The author of that article and I agree on one thing: My best meal of my life was at Jamin when Robuchon was in the kitchen cooking. That was my best restaurant experience, ever.
I thought dinner at Alinea was excellent last evening - best menu in a while IMNSHO. Lots of familiar dishes during the last half of the meal (with twists, of course), but lots of new things in the early courses. The flavors were uniformly intense and pure, and many of the combinations, compelling.
And, for the first time in may experience, I thought that the “entry level” wine parings were generally very good and worth it.
Came across this quote from Herwig, looking to see if any comments had been made on Le Calandre on this board. We ate there for the first time this past weekend. We loved it, and very much liked the risotto - I assume it was the same or a similar variation, as saffron risotto is a signature dish there - though it wasn’t our number one dish of the evening.
So I couldn’t agree more that “there are always differences of opinion.”
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