Friday, October 24, 2008
Dinner at The French Laundry, Yountville, CA
Giao had been to the French Laundry a couple times before, and we've been to Per Se together, but Alexis had yet to experience the French Laundry, so this was her first time. Perhaps this wasn't the most economical restaurant choice for a recession, but if the economy gets any worse, perhaps all the nice restaurants will go out of business, so, we thought we'd better go now. Also, in 3 months our baby will be born, so we figured we don't really have a lot of time left to drive up to Napa without extensive childcare preparation. The tasting menu was $240 per person and Giao opted for the $30 supplement for the foie gras as well as a glass of Sauterne to go with it. Alexis was offered a selection of house made sodas and opted for the meyer lemon soda. The sodas were free of charge, when we got the bill.
While the French Laundry is certainly an experience worth having, we did find the menu to be rather tame. Per Se was much more interesting. Also, there are places of the same caliber in the city (like Coi and The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton) that are cheaper and have more dynamic menus. None of this is to say that the meal was not amazing, but having experienced it, I no longer hold the French Laundry on the pedastle that I once did.
Cheesy Gougere
A nice, tasty way to start the meal. Perfectly executed.
Salmon Tartare and Artichoke Coronettes with Creme Fraiche
This is a classic Keller dish and because I can't eat raw fish right now, due to the pregnancy, I was given an equally tasty artichoke version.
Oysters and Pearls
This is a signature dish at the French Laundry. Giao found it to be totally amazing. Oysters and caviar are very decadent.
Radish, Cauliflower and Radish Salad
A subtle, pleasant beginning to a meal. The super-thin slices of the veggies were also beautiful.
Foie Gras Terrine with Quince Relish, Frisee and Spice Bread Puree
The only time we had ever previously seen a bread puree was at Alinea in Chicago. In this preparation, it worked very well as a sauce.
Brioche (served with the foie gras)
3 Types of Salt (served with the foie gras)
Hearts of Peach Palm Salad with Cucumber, Radish and Yuzu-Apple Coulis
Refreshing.
Tuna Tartare with Charred Persimmons and Chestnut Puree
A beautiful dish whose flavors melded together beautifully.
Kahala Filet, Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Broccolini, Lily Bulbs and Ginger Emulsion
The fish was perfectly cooked and the simple flavors of each element created an oddly cohesive dish.
Lobster Tail with Melted Leeks and Beet Sauce
The butter poached lobster was perfectly cooked and very sweet. The sweetness of the beets really complemented the lobster in an unexpected pairing. The leeks provided a nice savory element. This was probably our favorite dish of the night.
Rabbit with Onions, Carrots, Artichoke Puree and Dijon Sauce
The rabbit was tender and not at all gamey. The artichoke puree was so amazingly smooth and really went well with the rabbit.
Lamb with Black Rice, Cauliflower, Golden Raisins, Cilantro Shoots and Curry Sauce
The curry was subtle and let the tender lamb shine. Usually I'm not a fan of fruit with meat, but this was not at all offensive. Black rice is always a nutty, earthy surprise.
Tomme de Berger Cheese with Beans, Chorizo, Piquillo Peppers and Arugula
This was a tasty dish, for sure, but the accompaniments did seem a bit superfluous.
French Toast with Buttermilk Sorbet and Huckleberry Sauce
The buttermilk sorbet was tangy and delicious and I wish it were served without the french toast and with more of the awesome huckleberry sauce.
Sesame Seed and Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Tahini Ganache and Shiso Sorbet
The shiso sorbet was unexpectedly delicious and really rounded out the strong chocolate flavors.
Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts
Decadent in every way.
A variety of petit-fours, above and below. Some hits, some misses, but lots of variety.
More petit-fours...
Ratings:
Food: 3
Decor: 2
Service: 3
The French Laundry
6640 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599
While the French Laundry is certainly an experience worth having, we did find the menu to be rather tame. Per Se was much more interesting. Also, there are places of the same caliber in the city (like Coi and The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton) that are cheaper and have more dynamic menus. None of this is to say that the meal was not amazing, but having experienced it, I no longer hold the French Laundry on the pedastle that I once did.
Cheesy Gougere
A nice, tasty way to start the meal. Perfectly executed.
Salmon Tartare and Artichoke Coronettes with Creme Fraiche
This is a classic Keller dish and because I can't eat raw fish right now, due to the pregnancy, I was given an equally tasty artichoke version.
Oysters and Pearls
This is a signature dish at the French Laundry. Giao found it to be totally amazing. Oysters and caviar are very decadent.
Radish, Cauliflower and Radish Salad
A subtle, pleasant beginning to a meal. The super-thin slices of the veggies were also beautiful.
Foie Gras Terrine with Quince Relish, Frisee and Spice Bread Puree
The only time we had ever previously seen a bread puree was at Alinea in Chicago. In this preparation, it worked very well as a sauce.
Brioche (served with the foie gras)
3 Types of Salt (served with the foie gras)
Hearts of Peach Palm Salad with Cucumber, Radish and Yuzu-Apple Coulis
Refreshing.
Tuna Tartare with Charred Persimmons and Chestnut Puree
A beautiful dish whose flavors melded together beautifully.
Kahala Filet, Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Broccolini, Lily Bulbs and Ginger Emulsion
The fish was perfectly cooked and the simple flavors of each element created an oddly cohesive dish.
Lobster Tail with Melted Leeks and Beet Sauce
The butter poached lobster was perfectly cooked and very sweet. The sweetness of the beets really complemented the lobster in an unexpected pairing. The leeks provided a nice savory element. This was probably our favorite dish of the night.
Rabbit with Onions, Carrots, Artichoke Puree and Dijon Sauce
The rabbit was tender and not at all gamey. The artichoke puree was so amazingly smooth and really went well with the rabbit.
Lamb with Black Rice, Cauliflower, Golden Raisins, Cilantro Shoots and Curry Sauce
The curry was subtle and let the tender lamb shine. Usually I'm not a fan of fruit with meat, but this was not at all offensive. Black rice is always a nutty, earthy surprise.
Tomme de Berger Cheese with Beans, Chorizo, Piquillo Peppers and Arugula
This was a tasty dish, for sure, but the accompaniments did seem a bit superfluous.
French Toast with Buttermilk Sorbet and Huckleberry Sauce
The buttermilk sorbet was tangy and delicious and I wish it were served without the french toast and with more of the awesome huckleberry sauce.
Sesame Seed and Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Tahini Ganache and Shiso Sorbet
The shiso sorbet was unexpectedly delicious and really rounded out the strong chocolate flavors.
Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts
Decadent in every way.
A variety of petit-fours, above and below. Some hits, some misses, but lots of variety.
More petit-fours...
Ratings:
Food: 3
Decor: 2
Service: 3
The French Laundry
6640 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599
Labels: Decor: 2, Food: 3, restaurant, review, service: 3
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Amazing Food and Service at Coi, San Francisco, CA
For our anniversary, we chose to go to Coi, one of our favorite newish places in the city. We had originally made the reservation for our actual anniversary, but Coi called to move the reservation because they had a private party booked for that night. We agreed to move the reservation and when they found out it was our anniversary, they thanked us for being willing to move it and told us they would "take very good care of us". And, take very good care of us they did. When we arrived, they offered us a bottle of champagne, on the house. And since I'm pregnant, I was offered a variety of interesting, non-alcoholic drinks. Then, throughout the meal, we received many free courses. The meal was delicious and we felt very well taken care of. We love this place. The dining room is modern, yet feels like a warm cocoon and the service was immaculate. I think the tasting menu is about $125 per person, and well worth it.
Milk and Honey
This first taste is a molecular gastronomical concoction that pops in your mouth when you eat it, exploding liquid all over your tongue. It did taste very much of warm milk and honey, a flavor combo that made me retreat into childhood.
Grapefruit and Tarragon Foam
This was a simple and very tasty little dish.
Chilled Squash Soup
This soup was so smooth and incredibly flavorful. I usually am not a fan of chilled soups, but this one was delicious. It was subtley flavored with curry-like spices.
Chilled Tomatoes with Cheese Stuffed Puff Pastry
This was a play on tomato soup with grilled cheese, a classic combo. It was tasty, but not special.
Decomposed Gazpacho
This was a very strange dish. The falvors were delicious, but the textures were odd. The black cylinder was gelatin stuffed with was tasted like rice flavored with squid ink.
Bone Marrow
This flavor of this dish was rivaled only by it's beauty. The bone marrow was so utterly smooth and paired so well with the grapes.
Carrot and Artichoke Salad with Carrot Puree
This was simple and full-flavored. I almost forgot it was an entirely vegetarian dish.
Tofu Skin-Spinach Ravioli with Turnip
The chef really likes to use the tofu skins like a pasta, which is innovative and delicious. I was also excited to see pink turnips, which I had never seen before.
Corn Pudding with Chantarelles
This was one of the complimentary courses we received. While neither of us had ordered it, it was better than we thought it would be. Very corny, in a good way.
Fish and Oyster with Apple, Potato and Radish
The fish was well cooked, if a little on the rare side. The apple were and inspired and delicious accompaniment.
Bison with Onion Relish
The bison was rich tasting, despite it's lack of fat content.
Slow Cooked Egg with Farro, Chard and Brown Butter
This was totally delicious. A slow cooked egg is essentially an egg cooked sous-vide, but without the bag. From our own sous-vide experiences, I'd bet the egg was cooked at 150 for about 45 minutes.
Fresh Goat Cheese with Figs
This dish was simple and satisfying. The goat cheese was smooth and firm, but not hard, and less tangy than you would expect.
Melon Soup with White Chocolate Powder (above and below)
This dessert was too cloyingly sweet for us, but it was very pretty.
Chocolate Ganache, Violet Ice Cream, Cocoa Nibs and Macerated Strawberries
This dessert, on the other hand, was oh-so-decadent. The violet ice cream was innovative and was a nice match for the tartness of the strawberries and the bitterness of the chocolate.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles
Whoever's idea it was to toll truffles in crumbled chocolate chip cookies was brilliant. I can't say any more.
Vanilla and Olive Oil Milkshake
This was not bad, but unnecessary. We would have been more than happy to end the meal on the truffles.
Milk and Honey
This first taste is a molecular gastronomical concoction that pops in your mouth when you eat it, exploding liquid all over your tongue. It did taste very much of warm milk and honey, a flavor combo that made me retreat into childhood.
Grapefruit and Tarragon Foam
This was a simple and very tasty little dish.
Chilled Squash Soup
This soup was so smooth and incredibly flavorful. I usually am not a fan of chilled soups, but this one was delicious. It was subtley flavored with curry-like spices.
Chilled Tomatoes with Cheese Stuffed Puff Pastry
This was a play on tomato soup with grilled cheese, a classic combo. It was tasty, but not special.
Decomposed Gazpacho
This was a very strange dish. The falvors were delicious, but the textures were odd. The black cylinder was gelatin stuffed with was tasted like rice flavored with squid ink.
Bone Marrow
This flavor of this dish was rivaled only by it's beauty. The bone marrow was so utterly smooth and paired so well with the grapes.
Carrot and Artichoke Salad with Carrot Puree
This was simple and full-flavored. I almost forgot it was an entirely vegetarian dish.
Tofu Skin-Spinach Ravioli with Turnip
The chef really likes to use the tofu skins like a pasta, which is innovative and delicious. I was also excited to see pink turnips, which I had never seen before.
Corn Pudding with Chantarelles
This was one of the complimentary courses we received. While neither of us had ordered it, it was better than we thought it would be. Very corny, in a good way.
Fish and Oyster with Apple, Potato and Radish
The fish was well cooked, if a little on the rare side. The apple were and inspired and delicious accompaniment.
Bison with Onion Relish
The bison was rich tasting, despite it's lack of fat content.
Slow Cooked Egg with Farro, Chard and Brown Butter
This was totally delicious. A slow cooked egg is essentially an egg cooked sous-vide, but without the bag. From our own sous-vide experiences, I'd bet the egg was cooked at 150 for about 45 minutes.
Fresh Goat Cheese with Figs
This dish was simple and satisfying. The goat cheese was smooth and firm, but not hard, and less tangy than you would expect.
Melon Soup with White Chocolate Powder (above and below)
This dessert was too cloyingly sweet for us, but it was very pretty.
Chocolate Ganache, Violet Ice Cream, Cocoa Nibs and Macerated Strawberries
This dessert, on the other hand, was oh-so-decadent. The violet ice cream was innovative and was a nice match for the tartness of the strawberries and the bitterness of the chocolate.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles
Whoever's idea it was to toll truffles in crumbled chocolate chip cookies was brilliant. I can't say any more.
Vanilla and Olive Oil Milkshake
This was not bad, but unnecessary. We would have been more than happy to end the meal on the truffles.
Labels: decor: 3, Food: 3, nouveau American, restaurant, review, Service: 2
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Alinea: A Perfect Blend of Classic Technique and Molecular Gastronomy
The whole reason for our 24 hour trip to Chicago was to eat at Alinea. We've been hearing about and reading about Chef Grant Achatz and Alinea for a couple of years now, but we never have any reason to be in Chicago so we decided to make a weekend trip out of it. Alinea was all it's cracked up to be and more. The place is beautifully modern, serene and warm all at the same time. When you walk in the big, black door you are funneled into a long hallway that gets smaller as you progress. It sort of feels like you are entering a very modern fun house. At the end of the fun-house hallway, motion sensitive doors open into the restaurant. Before you is a fairly massive glass staircase which you follow up to the main seating area. Once there, the muted walls are peppered with simple, brush-stroke. The dark tables are lacking tablecloths, but don't seems stark and behind a long black velvet banquette in the dining room in which we were sitting was a beautiful lighting/art piece with large tubular opaque glass lights and large tubular vases filled with some sort of produce that looked like small or orange tomatillos and branches. Once food hits your table you are in awe of the specifically designed serving pieces and utensils, made by a local artist for the specific dishes.
The service was pretty close to impeccable, although they are using the team-of-waiters approach that Alexis isn't particularly fond of. All of the waitstaff that we spoke to were very knowledgable about the food and were very nice, yet not at all intrusive. The only 2 flaws, and we're really searching here. 1) Alexis asked for a piece of paper and never got it. Although, to their credit, she did whip out her own piece of paper to take notes on right after she asked for one. 2) We asked the sommeiller to suggest some reasonably priced wines. That means cheap, without wanting to say cheap. However the sommeiller kept suggesting wines in the $100 range despite the fact that the wine list contained a good selection of wines in the $35-$65 range.
The food was amazing, as we hoped it would be. Although there were many interesting molecular gastronomy style techniques used, the food rarely felt gimmicky. There were plenty of flavor combinations we'd never thought of, but which were totally delicious. The food was refined and sophisticated, while playful and whimsical at times. There are 2 options at Alinea, the 12 course tasting menu and the 24 course "tour". Since we flew out to Chicago specifically for this meal, we did the tour. Although 24 courses seems like a lot, many were a single bite and the meal was spread out over 4 hours. We really enjoyed almost all of the savory courses, although we weren't too into the desserts. However, that says nothing about the food, we just aren't really into sweets. One of the things we found quite incredible is that a lot of the dishes, even if only a single bite, contained many, many ingredients, yet nothing was overpowering and all of the ingredients felt necessary. The only thing we found a bit lacking was the temperature of some of the dishes. Because the bites were so small, by the time some of the dishes were in front of us, they were on the cooler side of warm. The "tour" was $195 per person, and well worth the incredible experience and delicious food.
We were asked by the staff to refrain from using the flashes on our cameras so we had to work hard for these pictures in the low-light environment of the restaurant. The pictures, for the most part, are ok, but keep in mind we were working under difficult lighting conditions.
Our Off-Center Piece
This was made by shoving a lime in some clear rubber tubing and then using a blow-torch to shape the tubing around the lime. Playful and fun.
Duck
On the fork is Thai poached duck tenderloin with lemon pudding and red Thai chili and a bunch of other ingredients we didn't get down. It was followed with a few sips of butternut squash soup. As a first bite, this dish really opened up in your mouth once chewed. The soup was very smooth and thick and quite tasty. Giao found it a tad sweet for his tastes.
Brook Trout
This little roll of fish was steamed in lime zest and served with black and white sesame pudding, Japanese barley, tamari macerated watermelon, crispy trout skin, combu and corinader pickled watermelon skin. The dipping sauce was sesame oil and a puree of something we can no longer remember. The flavors in this dish were wonderful, although we found it a bit difficult to get all of the ingredients into a single bite. The combu (seaweed) was wonderfully complex in flavor.
Butter
The yellow butter was a cow's milk butter churned on-site and topped with black salt. The white butter was goat's milk butter, something we'd never had before. It was subtle and gamey all at the same time.
Warm Focaccia Roll
Different small breads were served intermittently throughout the meal and were more like a part of the meal, composed, than a side or an afterthought.
Tomato
This delightful dish was an homage to the tomato. The dish was served on a "rosemary pillow": a pillow filled with rosemary scent upon which the dish was placed, slowly releasing the rosemary aroma as you ate. The dish was composed of cherry tomatoes, hazelnut pudding, frozen plum vinegarette, sherry vinegar balls, and a tangy cheese, among other things.
Sardine
This playful finger food consisted of a crispy fried sardine surrounding a nicoise olive mousse and topped with microgreens. This was a wonderfully inventive use of a sardine and was a fun food to pop in your mouth.
Orange Chicory Rye Bread
Earthy and very tasty with the goat's milk butter.
Sweetbread
This was Alexis' favorite dish of the night. The sweetbreads were creamy and warm on the inside and super-crunchy on the outside. The sweetbreads were accompanied by carmelized, dehydrated cauliflower, which was full of flavor, chestnut puree, burnt bread puree and a toasted hay sauce. We didn't really taste the hay flavor, but this dish was just so amazing, on every level, from flavor to texture.
Black Truffle
This single ravioli was filled with a black truffle broth that exploded in your mouth and topped with a slice of black truffle and a shaving of parmasan. This was similar to a Chinese soup dumpling in execution and the black truffle flavor was pure and intense.
Blackberry
This tiny bite was a plump, ripe blackberry on top of a tabacco custard, with a tiny mint leaf. The tabacco aroma was sweet and intense, like a pack of unsmoked cigarettes, but the custard tasted just of subtle sweetness.
This was a shooter of rhubarb juice with warm beet ball. You are first hit with the tartness of the rhubarb and then a ball (gelatinous on the outside, liquid on the inside) of warm beet goodness explodes in your mouth. Delicious.
Crispy Film of Rhubarb (sort of like a fruit roll up)
Poached Rhubarb (tart and surprisingly crunchy)
Rhubarb Mousse with Grapefruit Granule Served on a Bay Leaf (the fruit flavors melded well, but we couldn't really taste the bay leaf)
Rhubarb with Gelled Goat Milk and Lavendar (this one fell a bit flat as the gelled milk was fairly flavorless)
Frozen Rhubarb Struesel (a bit sweet and cakey)
Rhubarb Gelee with Matcha Green Tea Foam (quite tasty--the bitterness of the tea offset the sweetness of the gelee)
Huckleberry
Frozen huckleberry with lemon pudding. The flavor of this super-frozen, truly beautiful bite was not particularly innovative, but the texture was unlike anything we'd ever had. We popped the whole thing in our mouths in it went from rock-solid frozen to ooey-gooey in a matter of moments.
Pineapple
Freeze dried pineapple with bacon wrapped in a sheet of pineapple. The sheet of pineapple stuck to our teeth, but this single, tiny bite was a highlight of the meal. It was warm and smoky and tart and sweet and just very, very good.
Apple Cider
This shooter was a cinnamon encrusted ball filled with apple cider, in a pool of walnut milk, finished with salt and vegetable ash. This tasted exactly as described and was very interesting.
Brook Trout Roe
The roe was encased in a maple syrup packet and sat in a sweet corn and butter foam, studded with sweet corn. This dish was really wonderful. Who knew that sweet and fishy flavors could come together so brilliantly in a non-Asian dish?
Lobster (above and below)
This dish was another complete sensory experience. The outer bowl was filled with orange peel and hyacinth and hot water was poured into the bowl to release the orange and hyacinth aromas into the air while you are eating the delicious lobster pudding with parsnip puree and chunks of perfect butter-poached lobster. It was topped off with a lobster chip. The dish was playful, decadent and beautifully plated.
Honeydew
This single bite was more like a palate cleanser than a course, and it wasn't our favorite. The flavors of honeydew, mint and sherry vinegar were interestingly paired with a jiggly, jello-like texture.
Hot Potato, Cold Potato
This may just be the most photographed of all of Chef Achatz' dishes and it was beautiful, although much smaller than I expected. To eat, you pull the pin out of the side, releasing a tiny hot potato, a slice of black truffle, a single section of chive and a tiny cube of parmasan into the chilled potato and truffle soup. The you eat it like an oyster out of the half shell. Inventive and delicious.
Waygu
Heated cedar branches surround a single bite of perfect waygu with a yuzu pudding and a matsutake duxelles. We didn't really taste (or see) the duxelles, but this was the first time we've felt like we've had true waygu in it's fatty, delicious and melty grandeur.
Junsai
We learned that junsai is a member of the water lily family and it is strangely slimy and crunchy at the same time. It was served in a very flavorful dashi shooter.
Smoked Paprika Croissant
This was a bit too heavy to be a croissant, but it was hot and tasty.
Lamb in Cubism (above and below)
This very tender, beautifully plated roll of lamb tenderloin and lamb strip loin suffered a bit from being served lukewarm (we assume unintentionally). It was served with a variety of sauces for your own personal mix and match: lemon, saffron, pinenut, date, eggplant, yogurt, mint, dijon and pomegranate. The lamb was topped with a variety of tiny condiments, like chili and mustard seed. This was a brilliant idea, but the lamb was served too cold and that sort of threw the dish off.
Raspberry
This was transparency of raspberry with rose petals and a dusting of dehydrated yogurt. It was served in a rolling metal clip. The rose perfumed the dish and it was fun and inventive.
Foie Gras
Gift from the Chef
As the sale of foie gras is banned in Chicago, this course was a "gift" from the chef, duly noted by our waiter. It was a crunchy cinnamon meringue surrounding foie gras and apple pate de fruit. Eaten in a single bite, the contrast of flavors and textures was amazing.
Guava
This was the first of the dessert courses and it was quite complicated. In the center is a semifreddo of brie and avocado, topped with a lime ice. This was where our "off centerpiece" came into play as the lime juice was squeezed over the lime ice. The puddles are guava soda, which was a bit too sweet for us. In the top left corner is a sugar-shelled piece of brie and around the edge of the plate are crispy bits of pine nut and whole wheat. There is also a guava mousse and another exploding liquid ball, this time, I think it was guava, although there really were a lot of components in this dish. It was not one of our favorites, although the flavors came together better than I would have expected had we simply read a list of ingredients.
Licorice Cake
This playful dish was served on a bouncing needle, making it very difficult to photograph. A piece of frozen licorice spice cake and orange confit were surrounded by spun sugar, creating a cotton candy effect. To eat it, you simply put your mouth around the entire bite. This was Alexis' least favorite dish, most likely because she is not fond of black licorice at all.
Chocolate
This dish was odd and visually unappealing. It was composed of a spicy chocolate ganache, orange confit, soy marshmallows, rice pudding and lemongrass ice. The lemongrass ice was very good, but the rest of the dish was just hard to eat as it resembled, to us, something we'd rather not think about while eating.
Pumpkin
Frozen pumpkin pie puree was tempura battered, deep fried and dusted with a bit of cinnamon and sugar, then served on a branch with burning leaves. This was the best pumpkin pie ever and neither of us like pumpkin pie. The idea was interesting and it was executed perfectly. The only thing we would have changed would have been to omit the final sugar dusting, as we found it a bit too sweet.
The service was pretty close to impeccable, although they are using the team-of-waiters approach that Alexis isn't particularly fond of. All of the waitstaff that we spoke to were very knowledgable about the food and were very nice, yet not at all intrusive. The only 2 flaws, and we're really searching here. 1) Alexis asked for a piece of paper and never got it. Although, to their credit, she did whip out her own piece of paper to take notes on right after she asked for one. 2) We asked the sommeiller to suggest some reasonably priced wines. That means cheap, without wanting to say cheap. However the sommeiller kept suggesting wines in the $100 range despite the fact that the wine list contained a good selection of wines in the $35-$65 range.
The food was amazing, as we hoped it would be. Although there were many interesting molecular gastronomy style techniques used, the food rarely felt gimmicky. There were plenty of flavor combinations we'd never thought of, but which were totally delicious. The food was refined and sophisticated, while playful and whimsical at times. There are 2 options at Alinea, the 12 course tasting menu and the 24 course "tour". Since we flew out to Chicago specifically for this meal, we did the tour. Although 24 courses seems like a lot, many were a single bite and the meal was spread out over 4 hours. We really enjoyed almost all of the savory courses, although we weren't too into the desserts. However, that says nothing about the food, we just aren't really into sweets. One of the things we found quite incredible is that a lot of the dishes, even if only a single bite, contained many, many ingredients, yet nothing was overpowering and all of the ingredients felt necessary. The only thing we found a bit lacking was the temperature of some of the dishes. Because the bites were so small, by the time some of the dishes were in front of us, they were on the cooler side of warm. The "tour" was $195 per person, and well worth the incredible experience and delicious food.
We were asked by the staff to refrain from using the flashes on our cameras so we had to work hard for these pictures in the low-light environment of the restaurant. The pictures, for the most part, are ok, but keep in mind we were working under difficult lighting conditions.
Our Off-Center Piece
This was made by shoving a lime in some clear rubber tubing and then using a blow-torch to shape the tubing around the lime. Playful and fun.
DuckOn the fork is Thai poached duck tenderloin with lemon pudding and red Thai chili and a bunch of other ingredients we didn't get down. It was followed with a few sips of butternut squash soup. As a first bite, this dish really opened up in your mouth once chewed. The soup was very smooth and thick and quite tasty. Giao found it a tad sweet for his tastes.
Brook Trout
This little roll of fish was steamed in lime zest and served with black and white sesame pudding, Japanese barley, tamari macerated watermelon, crispy trout skin, combu and corinader pickled watermelon skin. The dipping sauce was sesame oil and a puree of something we can no longer remember. The flavors in this dish were wonderful, although we found it a bit difficult to get all of the ingredients into a single bite. The combu (seaweed) was wonderfully complex in flavor.
Butter
The yellow butter was a cow's milk butter churned on-site and topped with black salt. The white butter was goat's milk butter, something we'd never had before. It was subtle and gamey all at the same time.
Warm Focaccia Roll
Different small breads were served intermittently throughout the meal and were more like a part of the meal, composed, than a side or an afterthought.
Tomato
This delightful dish was an homage to the tomato. The dish was served on a "rosemary pillow": a pillow filled with rosemary scent upon which the dish was placed, slowly releasing the rosemary aroma as you ate. The dish was composed of cherry tomatoes, hazelnut pudding, frozen plum vinegarette, sherry vinegar balls, and a tangy cheese, among other things.
Sardine
This playful finger food consisted of a crispy fried sardine surrounding a nicoise olive mousse and topped with microgreens. This was a wonderfully inventive use of a sardine and was a fun food to pop in your mouth.
Orange Chicory Rye Bread
Earthy and very tasty with the goat's milk butter.
Sweetbread
This was Alexis' favorite dish of the night. The sweetbreads were creamy and warm on the inside and super-crunchy on the outside. The sweetbreads were accompanied by carmelized, dehydrated cauliflower, which was full of flavor, chestnut puree, burnt bread puree and a toasted hay sauce. We didn't really taste the hay flavor, but this dish was just so amazing, on every level, from flavor to texture.
Black Truffle
This single ravioli was filled with a black truffle broth that exploded in your mouth and topped with a slice of black truffle and a shaving of parmasan. This was similar to a Chinese soup dumpling in execution and the black truffle flavor was pure and intense.
Blackberry
This tiny bite was a plump, ripe blackberry on top of a tabacco custard, with a tiny mint leaf. The tabacco aroma was sweet and intense, like a pack of unsmoked cigarettes, but the custard tasted just of subtle sweetness.
The next 3 pictures are of a single dish that was 7 preparations of rhubarb:
This was a shooter of rhubarb juice with warm beet ball. You are first hit with the tartness of the rhubarb and then a ball (gelatinous on the outside, liquid on the inside) of warm beet goodness explodes in your mouth. Delicious.
Crispy Film of Rhubarb (sort of like a fruit roll up)
Poached Rhubarb (tart and surprisingly crunchy)
Rhubarb Mousse with Grapefruit Granule Served on a Bay Leaf (the fruit flavors melded well, but we couldn't really taste the bay leaf)
Rhubarb with Gelled Goat Milk and Lavendar (this one fell a bit flat as the gelled milk was fairly flavorless)
Frozen Rhubarb Struesel (a bit sweet and cakey)
Rhubarb Gelee with Matcha Green Tea Foam (quite tasty--the bitterness of the tea offset the sweetness of the gelee)
Huckleberry
Frozen huckleberry with lemon pudding. The flavor of this super-frozen, truly beautiful bite was not particularly innovative, but the texture was unlike anything we'd ever had. We popped the whole thing in our mouths in it went from rock-solid frozen to ooey-gooey in a matter of moments.
Pineapple
Freeze dried pineapple with bacon wrapped in a sheet of pineapple. The sheet of pineapple stuck to our teeth, but this single, tiny bite was a highlight of the meal. It was warm and smoky and tart and sweet and just very, very good.
Apple Cider
This shooter was a cinnamon encrusted ball filled with apple cider, in a pool of walnut milk, finished with salt and vegetable ash. This tasted exactly as described and was very interesting.
Brook Trout Roe
The roe was encased in a maple syrup packet and sat in a sweet corn and butter foam, studded with sweet corn. This dish was really wonderful. Who knew that sweet and fishy flavors could come together so brilliantly in a non-Asian dish?
Lobster (above and below)
This dish was another complete sensory experience. The outer bowl was filled with orange peel and hyacinth and hot water was poured into the bowl to release the orange and hyacinth aromas into the air while you are eating the delicious lobster pudding with parsnip puree and chunks of perfect butter-poached lobster. It was topped off with a lobster chip. The dish was playful, decadent and beautifully plated.
Honeydew
This single bite was more like a palate cleanser than a course, and it wasn't our favorite. The flavors of honeydew, mint and sherry vinegar were interestingly paired with a jiggly, jello-like texture.
Hot Potato, Cold Potato
This may just be the most photographed of all of Chef Achatz' dishes and it was beautiful, although much smaller than I expected. To eat, you pull the pin out of the side, releasing a tiny hot potato, a slice of black truffle, a single section of chive and a tiny cube of parmasan into the chilled potato and truffle soup. The you eat it like an oyster out of the half shell. Inventive and delicious.
Waygu
Heated cedar branches surround a single bite of perfect waygu with a yuzu pudding and a matsutake duxelles. We didn't really taste (or see) the duxelles, but this was the first time we've felt like we've had true waygu in it's fatty, delicious and melty grandeur.
Junsai
We learned that junsai is a member of the water lily family and it is strangely slimy and crunchy at the same time. It was served in a very flavorful dashi shooter.
Smoked Paprika Croissant
This was a bit too heavy to be a croissant, but it was hot and tasty.
Lamb in Cubism (above and below)
This very tender, beautifully plated roll of lamb tenderloin and lamb strip loin suffered a bit from being served lukewarm (we assume unintentionally). It was served with a variety of sauces for your own personal mix and match: lemon, saffron, pinenut, date, eggplant, yogurt, mint, dijon and pomegranate. The lamb was topped with a variety of tiny condiments, like chili and mustard seed. This was a brilliant idea, but the lamb was served too cold and that sort of threw the dish off.
Raspberry
This was transparency of raspberry with rose petals and a dusting of dehydrated yogurt. It was served in a rolling metal clip. The rose perfumed the dish and it was fun and inventive.
Foie Gras
Gift from the Chef
As the sale of foie gras is banned in Chicago, this course was a "gift" from the chef, duly noted by our waiter. It was a crunchy cinnamon meringue surrounding foie gras and apple pate de fruit. Eaten in a single bite, the contrast of flavors and textures was amazing.
Guava
This was the first of the dessert courses and it was quite complicated. In the center is a semifreddo of brie and avocado, topped with a lime ice. This was where our "off centerpiece" came into play as the lime juice was squeezed over the lime ice. The puddles are guava soda, which was a bit too sweet for us. In the top left corner is a sugar-shelled piece of brie and around the edge of the plate are crispy bits of pine nut and whole wheat. There is also a guava mousse and another exploding liquid ball, this time, I think it was guava, although there really were a lot of components in this dish. It was not one of our favorites, although the flavors came together better than I would have expected had we simply read a list of ingredients.
Licorice Cake
This playful dish was served on a bouncing needle, making it very difficult to photograph. A piece of frozen licorice spice cake and orange confit were surrounded by spun sugar, creating a cotton candy effect. To eat it, you simply put your mouth around the entire bite. This was Alexis' least favorite dish, most likely because she is not fond of black licorice at all.
Chocolate
This dish was odd and visually unappealing. It was composed of a spicy chocolate ganache, orange confit, soy marshmallows, rice pudding and lemongrass ice. The lemongrass ice was very good, but the rest of the dish was just hard to eat as it resembled, to us, something we'd rather not think about while eating.
Pumpkin
Frozen pumpkin pie puree was tempura battered, deep fried and dusted with a bit of cinnamon and sugar, then served on a branch with burning leaves. This was the best pumpkin pie ever and neither of us like pumpkin pie. The idea was interesting and it was executed perfectly. The only thing we would have changed would have been to omit the final sugar dusting, as we found it a bit too sweet.
Alinea Restaurant
1723 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60614
Ratings:
Food: 3
Decor: 3
Service: 2
Website
Health Code Violations
1723 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60614
Ratings:
Food: 3
Decor: 3
Service: 2
Website
Health Code Violations
Labels: decor: 3, Food: 3, molecular gastronomy, restaurant, review, Service: 2
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