Alinea

I first heard about Alinea about 9 years ago when I was out at a volunteer event.  I happened to meet a girl who was a waitress at this new restaurant that had gotten a huge amount of preopening buzz and had just opened.   I had seen a little about it but I really wasn't familiar.  The girl said that the chef had come from a place called Trio in Evanston which I had heard of, and had heard very good things.  I had not gone there but it was on my short list.  I did eventually make it to Trio, but by the that time, there was a different chef.  It was still very good but it wasn't the chef that opened Alinea.  After talking, I decided to investigate and discovered that this was a very high end restaurant that served degustation menus featuring what became known as Molecular Gastronomy.  Coming here was going to be an event that had to be planned for.  Due to circumstances, it took me 9 years to eventually get here.  It could have been sooner but they initiated a ticketing system that made it very difficult for an odd numbered party to go (You have to buy tickets for all seats at a particular table).  I find it difficult to ask a friend to spend the amount of money necessary to go to a restaurant like this so it was difficult to make a reservation/buy tickets.  Eventually though, a friend asked me if I would be interested in going and I said of course.  The restaurant is located in a modern looking charcoal colored 2-flat in Lincoln Park.  There is no sign, but there was a guy standing outside in front of the enormous door.  He opened the door and I entered into a hallway with dim purple lighting that tapered in width as you walked into the building.  I walked back and didn't see anything so I was a little confused until an automatic sliding double door opened in one wall.  I walked through to a host's station where I was greeted.  I noticed the kitchen to my right (further into the building), a staircase in front of me, and a dining room to my right.  As I was telling them who I was, my dining partner came out of a waiting area and we were seated in the small, ground floor dining room which contained 5 two tops.  There are also three dining rooms upstairs for a total of about 60 seats.  We were seated at a corner which was great because it gave me a great view of the room and allowed me to see the action without turning my head.  I was seated against the wall at a dark banquette that had a yellow throw pillow.  Our table was dark, as were the other tables, there was a grey carpet on the floor and the walls seemed to be grey as well with several small modern art paintings for decoration.  The lighting was hidden in the walls and seemed a bit dim, but was sufficient, for the most part, for photography without a flash.  Above all of the tables was a Rhubarb Stem.  It seemed a little odd, but we assumed there was a point to it and that it would come into play later in the evening.  We started out with some water and some Rose' Champagne before our first course came out.  We were presented with a couple of what looked like a couple of goblets with the stem mostly removed.  It would roll on its base if the side was pushed.  Inside was a light, tart, and savory treat.  It consisted of Banana Puree on the bottom which was topped with some Arctic Char Roe, Ginger, and ultimately with Passionfruit Foam.  It was fresh, flavorful, and a great start.

The next course came out in large covered crocks that looked vaguely like coral and had steam coming out of them.  When the server removed the covers, we saw a lot more steam with a large scallop shell in the center of the crock.  When we opened the scallop shell, we were supposed to see that Ceviche had been prepared inside the shell.  There was so much steam in my crock though, that it was difficult to see anything until I blew it away.  The steam was from some dry ice and water under the seaweed that the scallop shell was resting on.  When I finally was able to see it though, it was an attractive visual.  There was Roe, Seaweed, Scallop, a fish of some sort, and Red Onion that I could identify.  The menu that we received at the end of the meal featured Citrus Aroma which came from the Lemon Juice in which the ceviche was prepared, and Thirteen Textures.  With the wide variety of ingredients, there were a variety of textures, but I didn't stop to count them.  I did like the intense sour flavor and the variety of ingredients used, which provided the different textures, though.

The next course visually was a relatively standard fine dining presentation although there were some surprises.  The dish featured Lobster which was fresh and perfectly cooked.  The lobster was set in Carrot Puree on opposite sides of the plate.  Around the plate, were various other accompaniments for the lobster.  At the top of the plate there was a small pile of what looked like roe but what was actually Grapefruit.  Also on the plate was Melon, Cauliflower, Earl Grey Tea, and Coconut, and in the center of the plate was a Lobster Puree.  This was very good and was a lot of fun trying the various accompaniments.

At this point, they brought out a piece of slate with some logs stacked for burning, set it in the middle of our table, and lit it.

They then brought out our next course which seemed to have nothing to do with the fire.  It was an Asian-Inspired Salad with Ebi (shrimp), Celtuce (Stem Lettuce), Sea Beans, Grapes, Wasabi, Carmalized Miso, and Yuzu.  It was a small dish, but it was very flavorful with flavors of brine, shrimp, and Wasabi, with a little sweetness from the Yuzu and Grapes.  It also had a lot of fresh crunch.

After this dish, the server came and put the fire out and removed it to a serving tray he set beside the table.  He then opened a couple of logs, which turned out to contain a slice of very marbled Wagyu Beef  and a Parsnip.  These were presented on a charred log which was used as a plate which also had a Black Trumpet Mushroom covering a Parsnip Puree, and a Kombu (Edible Kelp) Puree.  This was very savory from the beef, the mushroom, and the kelp, with the parsnip providing a moderating element.  The Wagyu was very tender and the parsnip root was very crunchy.  It was a very creative and surprising dish that was also very good.

Our next dish was a very simple palate cleanser.  Frequently, I have seen sorbets used as palate cleansers because they are simple and the tartness does the job.  This dish, while not a sorbet, did fall into the simple and tart category.  It was served in a clear glass dish and consisted of Lily Bulbs, Rambutan (an Asian fruit similar to Lychee), and a Distillation of Caviar Lime (Finger Lime cells distilled).  Palate cleansers aren't meant to be much abut I liked the sweetness and the tart of this and it would have been nice to have more.

 At this point, the hanging Rhubarb came into play.  We were brought out a very cool glass bowl containing a salad containing Celery Branches, Celery Root, and a coating of Licorice along one side of the dish.  The fresh Rhubarb was sliced over the salad.  It was light and refreshing with bitterness from the celery and licorice which was moderated by the tartness of the rhubarb.

 After the palate cleanser and the salad, it could be thought that we were starting our meal over again.  This course was an entree as would be expected, but it definitely looked like we were taking a step down into Chinese Takeout.  I like Chinese Takeout and think there is a time and a place for it, but this was obviously a joke.  While we were presented with a Chinese Takeout Container, and the food that was contained inside was in an Asian Style, it very definitely was not a step down.  The container held Sweetbreads, with Orange, Ginkgo Nut, Mustard, and Cilantro and we ate it with Chopsticks that were actually Cinnamon Sticks that were lit on one end to imbue the dish with a cinnamon aroma.

We kind of stayed on an Asian theme with the next dish but it also kind of had a woodsy, natural theme to it.  We were served a Wood Ear Mushroom with Allium, a strip of Pig Ear, Parmesan Cheese, and Black Garlic.  It was chewy, savory, and very good, and one of those dishes it would have been nice to have a full plate of.

 The next dish was interactive again and the most popular dish in the restaurants history.  It has been on the menu from the beginning or if it leaves the menu, it quickly returns.  It's a small dish in a small round bowl called Hot Potato, Cold Potato.  It consists of a Cold Potato soup in the dish, over which hangs a slice of Black Truffle, a Hot Potato, a Chive, a small cube of Butter, and a slice of Parmesan Cheese which are skewered by a pin that runs through a hole at the edge of the dish.  The trick is the pull the pin, causing everything to fall into the soup, and then quickly pour it into your mouth so you can quickly experience the temperature and textural differences.  It was a lot of fun to eat and it tasted very good too.

 With the next dish, we were given very little explanation as to what everything was but that was part of the surprise.  The main part of the dish was Duck which was served 5 ways: Confited, Pulled, Roasted, and Pate which were served with a Duck Gravy, and a Duck Liver Mousse on a Cracker.  In the center of the table was placed a platter with 60 accompaniments.  Our instruction was to when we took a piece of duck (slice it in two or three pieces), take an entire accompaniment to eat with it.  That way each of our experiences would be individual.  We were not told what was on the platter, it was our job to figure that out ourselves if we desired to know what it was other than whether it tasted good or not.  Some items like the Pecan, the Fried Onion, and the Olive were fairly easy to figure out visually, and some were pretty easy to figure out by taste like the Pea Puree, the Apricot, and the Plum, but it was a lot of fun picking and choosing.  I ran out of duck before I ran out of items to to taste, but that didn't stop my tasting and we did finish everything that was on the platter.

The duck was the last of our savory dishes and we then began with desserts.  We started with a Pistachio Dessert which started with Pistachio Gelato and Pistachios, and continued with a Strawberry Marshmallow, a Black Walnut Gellee, Mascarpone Cheese, and Lemon Curd.  It was bitter, sweet, sour, and tart, with a variety of textures.  It was very good and played back into the emphases of the variety of flavors and textures in each dish.

The second dessert reprised the idea of the interactivity of many of the dishes.  It was a pretty simple dish but it was also very interactive, tasty, and fun to eat.  We were each brought a balloon.  I was then told to remove my glasses because the balloons were a course that we would be eating.  We were told that the best way to eat it was to suck out the top and more or less let it collapse around your face as you are eating it.  The balloon and string were Sour Apple Taffy and were filled with helium.  The whimsical would use the helium to talk funny but that didn't happen with everyone.  I think that I commented that it would be fun trying to get it out of my moustache.  It wasn't that bad, but there was some picking.

 For the final course, they brought out a silicone mat that covered the table top.  Chef Grant Achatz, the Executive Chef and Partner at Alinea, then came out with a round frame and several bottles and dishes and built our dessert on the table which we were to eat off of the table.  The course was beautiful and contained Milk Chocolate, Caramel, Butterscotch, Meringue, Violet, Hazelnut, and Blueberry.  It also tasted very good and was fun to eat.

I am very glad that I went to Alinea.  It is very definitely a world-class restaurant.  The food was very good and was fun to eat, the space was clean and modern, and but for an irritation that was not completely there fault, the service was exemplary.  I can have a tendency to talk loudly when I get excited and I was told that I was disturbing another diner.  I did try to tone things down but I was told a second time.  This is not a church or a library it is a restaurant and a very good restaurant.  Because of this, people will get excited and might talk with an elevated volume.  I was not shouting, so telling me to tone down the volume was an irritation to me.  Other than that point, the service was fantastic, I liked my experience, and I would definitely recommend it to those people that might appreciate it.  

L'Arpege

After my adventure in London, I traveled to Paris.  I knew that I when I was going to go to Paris, I wanted to dine in at least one fine dining restaurant that ideally was one of the world's best restaurants.  The restaurant that I chose was L'Arpege, a French restaurant that, while not vegetarian as such, focuses heavily on seasonal vegetables.  It was rated, this year, as the 16th best restaurant in the world.  It is located on the south side of the Seine in the 6th Arondissement on Rue de Varenne  which seems to be embassy row.  The narrow road had high white walls and guarded gates.  I passed four embassies on the way to the restaurant.  Because all of the walls were white and there were no signs, it was a little difficult to find, although the fact that the door was not located on Rue de Varenne didn't help either.  When I found my way into the restaurant, I was seated at what had to be the worst table in the house.  The table was located next to the door from the entry hall.  While the tables were not crowded close together, the glasses, silverware, wine and cheese were located on rolling carts, there was also not a staging area, and it looked like it would be a little difficult to move around sometimes.  While L'Arpege does have an a la carte menu, there is also a tasting menu which I went with so that I could possibly get the greatest idea of what they do.  Before my first course arrived, I was brought my first Amuse Bouche which was served to everyone regardless of what they ordered.  It was very colorful, with a lot of variety, and showed the emphasis that vegetables were going to play in the dinner.  It started with what were essentially three thick sliced potato chips formed into bowls with each filled with something different.  One of the chips was filled with a carrot puree topped with chives, one of the chips was filled with a pea puree topped with a tomato and soy sauce, and the last was filled with a beet puree topped with creme fraiche.  It was very artful, crisp, and really brought out the flavors of the vegetables.

The next dish was also called an Amuse Bouche but it was actually the first course of the tasting menu.  It looked like, and was, a Soft Boiled Egg, but it was more complex than that.  Contained in an egg shell, the egg white was on top and topped with spices.  It was light and creamy and had a sherry vinegar topping.  The egg yolk was in the bottom of the shell and was poached.  This was very flavorful, and fun to eat, and it was a great start to the meal.

My server called my first dish a beet sushi which is exactly what it was.  It was a thin beet slice wrapped around some vinegared rice.  It was very simple but because it was so simple, it had to be done perfectly because there is so little to focus on.  This was very good.  The beet was crisp and tender and was sliced thinly enough that it wrapped around the rice.  The rice was sticky and the slightly flavor reminded me of the vinaigrette that is used on a salad.  It went very well with the beet flavor.

The next dish was called Lanyard Lobster Honey with a Transparent Globe Turnip.  What it was was essentially a lobster ravioli topped with honey and caviar with the turnip used as the ravioli wrapper.  For a long time, I have been unsure as to whether I like lobster or not because they have all been stiff and rubbery.  This was definitely not the case here.  The entire thing was crisp, tender, and flavorful.  It was sweet and slightly briny and was very good.

The next dish actually was called ravioli.  It was actually called Fine Multicolored Vegetable Ravioli with Consumed Amber.  It was ravioli, but it was vegetable ravioli in a vegetable broth.  Each of the raviolis had different vegetable fillings including peas, carrots, beans, and beets.  It had a lot of variety and was done well but despite this, I actually found it kind of boring.

The next dish was another soup although this was richer and had much more substance.  It was a green garlic soup topped with a big dollop of creme fraiche.  I like squash and this was very good.  It was rich and peppery, with a lot of garlic flavor and was obviously very creamy.

The next dish was very simple but again, the simple was very good.  It was a vegetable collection, a carrot puree, sauteed spinach, and grapefruit zest candied in beet syrup.  Every element was was very brightly flavored and actually went together well.  The carrots and spinach go together well obviously but the grapefruit zest candied in beet syrup had both grapefruit and beet flavors which also went together well.

The next course was also a very simple vegetable course but for this course, the main part of the dish was very recognizable.  It was an asparagus stalk served with bay leaves.  It was crisp, buttery, with a good asparagus flavor.

After this, we proceeded past vegetables as the main part of courses.  I was served Turbot with Potatoes, Chives, and Grilled Romaine Lettuce with a Cream Sauce.  It was good and while the vegetables were very good, it was nice to get a little variety.

For whatever reason, there was a hiccup in the service after the turbot and I waited about 40 minutes for my next course.  It was a vegetable cous cous dish with beets, green onions, and garlic.  It was flavorful but it was also a little dry.  This may have been do to the wait, but I would say that this was one of my least favorite dishes.  This was the last savory dish so I would expect a pause after which there was but it wasn't as long.  There was a cheese course next although I forgot to photograph it.

Before dinner started, I was told that I had a choice to make for one of my courses.  I don't remember what my choice was but I do remember that I chose Veal Sweetbreads in a Cream Sauce with Broccoli and Spinach  I have liked sweetbreads in the past and this was really good.

The first dessert course was a lot more complex than it looked and this was actually a little disappointing.  I was served a plate of petit fors which included Macarons, Tarts, Chocolates, Nougats, Marshmallows, and Gelees.  All of the pieces were sweet but they were also more complex than they needed to be.  I don't remember what was used in each of the pieces but I do remember carrots, ginger, rosemary, cinnamon, thyme, and pepper and beets.  I might have liked some of this stuff if I had prepared for them but it was too complex.

For the last dish, I was served a Millefeuille, a multi-layered pastry of alternating thin pastry and cream.  This was very good and while it is complex in construction, it was fairly simple in taste.  It was crisp and sweet and had a slight whiskey flavor.  This made up for the overly complex petit fors and made for a fitting ending to the dinner.

While I did enjoy my dinner at L'Arpege overall, I was not happy with my seating, and the flow wasn't perfect.  I enjoyed my dinner here and Alain Passard does amazing things with vegetables but I don't know if I would return.



 
 

The Ledbury

When I travel, not only do I want to see the sights, I also want to try the cuisine.  I want to dine at the restaurants of note and try the cuisine for which the area I am visiting is known.  I visited London recently and had the opportunity to dine at The Ledbury, a restaurant located in the Notting Hill neighborhood that was rated the 13th best restaurant in the world by San Pellegrino and Restaurant Magazine.  Notting Hill is a bit off the beaten path for many London visitors but as the place I was staying was a little off the beaten path as well, it would have been a pretty easy walk if the streets of London were well marked.  I left early which was a good thing because it took the extra time to actually find the place.  In any case, I made it there and was immediately seated by a very friendly host.  The dining room was a large square with high ceilings and hanging lights.  The bar was in the corner near the entrance with a backlit wine rack there were several square pillars in the room that broke up the open space but it still felt very open and the space was very well lit.  The menu is either divided into a three course prix fixe, of which you have several choices for each course, or you can go for the Tasting Menu which lists 10 items.  As I knew that I would not be visiting again soon and i wanted to get the greatest experience that I could, I went with the Tasting Menu.  On the menu, the first item was listed as an Amuse Bouche.  It was actually two amuse bouches.  The first was a Squid Ink Crisp with Whipped Scallop, Caviar, and Apple Caviar.  It was served on a round, flat stone serving plate.  The rest of the meal was also served on stone plates.  The crisp was crisp, briny, and very flavorful with both tart and seafood flavors.  While it did get me excited for the rest of the meal the next item which I actually forgot to take a picture of was even better.  It was a Chestnut Biscuit (cracker) with Foie Gras and Blood Orange.  The flavor was not subtle.  It was sweet and tart from the blood orange, with the richness of the foie gras and the nuttiness of the chestnut.  The amuses did their job and got me excited for the rest of the meal.

For my first course, I had what they called a Cold Courgette Soup With Tomato and Creme Fraiche and garnished with Caviar, I had no idea what a courgette was but I gathered that it was a vegetable because the soup was very green.  It had a very fresh and vegetable flavor and it was pretty rich.  It was good even if I didn't know exactly what it was.  I found later that courgette is also known as zucchini which I know and love very well even if I have never had zucchini soup.

The next dish was a Ceviche of Hand Dived Scallops with Kohlrabi, Seaweed Oil, and Frozen Horseradish.  I would never think of a frozen ceviche and this wasn't completely frozen but it did have a frozen element that provided some extra texture and toned down the burn of the horseradish.  The scallop was very tender, the horseradish did provide some burn, but the ice toned down the burn and it was very good.

The next step in the progression went to fish.  It was a Grilled Mackerel with Pickled Vegetables, Celtic Mustard, and Shiso.  What I remember about this was that the fish was very mild and the vegetable flavors came to the forefront.  I was having the wine pairing with the meal and I remember discussing with the sommelier that I thought that the wine paired better with the vegetables than the fish.

The next dish was actually my favorite.  It was another fish dish.  It was a Grilled Sea Bass with Broccoli, Crab, and Black Quinoa.  The broccoli was very crisp and fresh and the fish was tender and salty.  The quinoa coated the top of the bass and was like a toothsome pasta.  The crab sort of garnished the dish and while it added to the flavor it was subtle.

The next dish was could potentially have been a dish that I didn't care for but it, like everything else was very good.  It consisted of Roast Quail, Cepes (mushrooms), Pears, and Walnuts.  I generally don't care for pears because I find the texture too gritty but they were cooked well and while I could taste the pear, it wasn't terrible.  It did pair well with the quail and the mushrooms and walnuts made for a great dish.

The next course was a pre-dessert cheese course.  I was served 5 different cheeses that went from soft to hard and included a nice blue as well as bread and jams.  I was actually surprised at the size of the course and wondered if I was going to be able to finish my meal.

For the next pre-dessert, I was served a Mango Granita with Meringue and Jellies.  It was tart, cold, sweet, and the meringue melted in my mouth.  It was very good and disappeared very quickly.

For the dessert, I was served a Brown Sugar Tart, with Poached Grapes, and Stem Ginger Ice Cream.  This was very flavorful and every element brought a lot of flavor to it.  It was sweet, spicy, and sharp, and a very enjoyable end to the meal.  If I could have gotten away with licking the plate, I would have.

For the finish, I was brought a small bowl of petit fors with a Strawberry Gelee, a Chocolate Truffle, and a Meringue with Butterscotch.  They were very light, sweet, and left a smile on my face.

The Ledbury was the best restaurant I have ever been to bar none.  The place looked very nice, the service was very friendly and prompt, the flow of the dinner was very smooth, and the food was very, very good.  It was very expensive but it was not the most expensive restaurant that I have ever been to and it was very worth  it.  Given the opportunity, I would easily make the decision to return.