I also dined in the upstairs Salon, which serves largely the same meal, albeit in eight blocks instead of 10, with a bit less razzle-dazzle and at three-quarters of the price. Astronomically expensive reservations vaporize in seconds, at least for the downstairs Gallery, billed as “a multi-sensory menu that combines fine dining with experimental moments.” After two months on the waiting list, I secured a spot in the Gallery at 9 p.m. Alas, not much else about the experience did.Īs the city’s only Michelin three-star restaurant, 17-year-old Alinea - now supervised by executive chef Douglas Alley - remains the pillar of the culinary community and a bucket list spot for diners. Smart move: It feels much more in tune with today’s dining mood. Unlike before, when a meal could stretch into its fifth hour, this format offers just as many bites but finishes in a sprightly two or three hours. They have cryptic names like Chipped, Japan Urchin, and Paint. Chef and co-owner Grant Achatz has rewritten the menu to unfold in thematic “blocks,” which can consist of a sole dish or more than half a dozen that fill the table with custom ceramics and centerpieces. The combo is one of several edible tableaux that now define the dining experience at this once-groundbreaking Lincoln Park restaurant.
Tip Can’t get a reservation? Tables open up late. Hi, Alinea.ĭinner for two Salon starts at $590 Gallery at $810 It bounced twice on the surface, creating a fissure, then slipped inside. The server hovered a spoon containing a yellow sphere of encapsulated aïoli above the bowl. The “trampoline” - a membrane cast from modified potato starch and stretched over a bowl of bouillabaisse - was new to me. The papillote part of the dish looked familiar enough, a parchment bag I tore open to reveal a burst of steam and a tasty slice of scallop nestled on a tart sauce niçoise.
Our meal’s third course, Trampoline Papillote, had the flavors of southern France literally all wrapped up.
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