Hi buddies! How are you? Hope you’re having a cheerful Monday! I’d love to listen to about your weekend and what you have been as much as! Today, I’m sharing a really thrilling Alinea evaluate!
In 2017, we took an AMAZING journey to Chicago to rejoice our tenth anniversary. We met up with our buddies Betsy and Jeremy (who dwell in San Diego) for a weekend of enjoyable, together with ridiculous eating places, a present (HAMILTON! It was all the pieces), and many procuring.
Whenever we meet up with them, it’s like no time has handed in any respect. Since we transfer so typically, we’re fortunate to have buddies all around the world. I really feel so lucky that our time in San Diego launched us to those fantastic buddies, who’re actually extra like household.
I’ll be recapping a number of the adventures, together with the place we stayed + all about Hamilton within the am, however for now, let’s discuss concerning the meals.
Chicago Eats: Alinea Review + Menu Details
Oh, the meals.
In Chicago, there’s an superior restaurant each 20 toes or so. I may keep there for two weeks, go all out for each meal, and never even start to the touch the entire greatest eating prospects. While we depended in your wonderful recommendations + on-line evaluations to make restaurant choices, going into the journey, we knew there was one place we had to go: Alinea.
Alinea Chicago Booking
The Pilot and I are large followers of Chef’s Table on Netflix -it’s one of many few exhibits we each like- and after we noticed the episode that includes Alinea and Chef Grant Achatz, we knew we needed to go at one level or one other. When we selected a visit to Chicago with Betsy and Jeremy, Betsy was prepared to put our reservations precisely two months upfront, as a result of they promote out shortly. (I used to be knocked out on painkillers from my surgical procedure, so there was no approach I may/ought to have made reservations haha.) We acquired the LAST reservation of the weekend, for 9:15pm on Thursday night time. It was an thrilling factor to stay up for, and the right strategy to rejoice our first night time in Chicago collectively.
We acquired dressed and able to go, after which grabbed a cab to the slightly-hidden vacation spot.
(gown is right here and tassel earrings are right here)
Alinea is a smaller restaurant, and solely seats 16 individuals at a time in the principle eating room. There are three experiences to select from: The Kitchen Table, The Gallery, and The Salon. It was a 16-course meal, and we had no concept what to anticipate. I figured that they might be messing with us all the time, by serving dishes that seem like one factor however style like one other. I didn’t understand how a lot we’d be shocked throughout the meal, and the way extremely flavorful and totally different every course can be. It was the eating expertise of a lifetime, and by far, one in every of my most memorable meal experiences.
When we have been led into the eating room, the scene was ethereal, with a protracted white desk, candles, gentle tulle, and small steel flowers. Potted flowers hung from the ceiling.
They stuffed glasses of champagne for everybody, and dinner formally started.
Our first course was a mixture of totally different small bites: chamomile meringue flower petals that have been positioned on prime of the steel flowers that adorned the tables, Japanese cheesecake, and a chilly, creamy melon drink poured right into a tiny china teacup. It was sort of like ice cream? I can’t even start to elucidate, it was INSANE! We have been all having fun with the small bites, and one of many servers instructed us that they at all times water the flowers for every meal. They started to pour a liquid into the potted flowers that hung over the desk, and earlier than we knew it, dry ice fog started spilling out with a robust rose scent. It introduced a wholly totally different layer to the course and gave the bites a candy floral taste.
We headed into the kitchen for the following course and loved a romaine chunk with avocado, coriander flowers, and lime.
We additionally had cocktails that have been blended utilizing this machine.
There are solely 30 on the planet! I want I may keep in mind what was in mentioned cocktail, nevertheless it was fruity, barely candy, and boozy. <— all you actually need.
We have been all feeling fairly completely happy by the purpose we headed again into the effective eating room, and noticed that it was a wholly totally different room. The lengthy desk was gone and it was separated into 4-seater tables, the artwork and ceiling coverings have been fully totally different.
I received’t undergo every course intimately -it was a 3-hour meal!- however snapped some fairly pics of the meals, which was exquisitely plated.
Alinea Restaurant Chicago Menu
The menu:
I ate all the pieces, and looooooved it, minus the veal. The Pilot was completely happy to take it off my fingers.
Some of my very favorites:
The hamachi with rosemary, kombu and sea salt was DIVINE.
Potato salad! A potato had been buried in salt and roasted on our desk all the time. It was beforehand cooked sous vide in butter for 12 hours. Our server turned it right into a potato salad with crème fraîche, truffle butter, and chives. (I may have curled up and lived in that potato salad.)
A soup with dehydrated langostino -it was SO savory and satisfying- served with nori rolls, with a cashew-potato combination inside.
The invisible Butterfinger. They positioned a glass bowl on every setting that had an empty Butterfinger wrapper inside. At the highest of every bowl was a transparent gel. The gel tasted JUST LIKE A BUTTERFINGER bar. It was pure magic, I inform ya.
The well-known dessert course -painted and splattered onto fiberglass at every table- and the harmony grape sugar balloons.
When we left, we couldn’t cease speaking concerning the meal. It was a lot greater than I used to be anticipating, and whereas I knew the meals can be plated gorgeously and be offered in a approach that may fully mystify us, I didn’t anticipate it to style pretty much as good because it did? I imply, it’s a Michelin Star Restaurant, so it is smart. Alinea took delicacies to a wholly totally different stage, by fully intriguing all of our senses, experimenting with totally different textures, sights, sounds, scents (the Denver campfire smoke was unimaginable), and taste profiles throughout the course of the meal. If you have got the possibility to go, I extremely, extremely advocate it. I’d love to return in a number of years, attempt Chef Grant’s restaurant known as Next, and see how a lot the Alinea menu has modified.
While it was a whole lot of meals, I discovered that it wasn’t heavy in any respect. We have been completely full after we left, however not in a depressing approach.
In different phrases, we had no drawback consuming our approach by way of Chicago for the remainder of the weekend. 
The menu has in all probability modified a bit now, I hear they’re serving issues like arctic char roe with carrot and coconut curry. Droooool!
Some More Highlights
Donuts at Do-Rite. The chocolate old style donut was the most effective I’ve had in my life. The candied maple bacon appeared fairly cool. Maple syrup AND bacon on a fluffy donut? Say much less.
Beers and snacks at Centennial
We loved cheese board, chips, and dip earlier than the boys headed to a cigar bar, and Betsy and I acquired blowouts at Drybar. 
Brunch at Nico Osteria– Now completely closed 
My good buddy Mara, whom I met within the early weblog days of yore, invited us to hitch her fam for brunch. I’d been dying to fulfill her candy little lady, who can be BFFs with P, and likewise check out her sister’s restaurant. Her sis Leigh was the pastry chef, and she or he shocked us with essentially the most delectable desserts I’ve had in a very long time. Everything was attractive, and a novel mixture of flavors and textures. There was a bit little bit of crunch in every providing. (She instructed me that “crunch” is her favourite taste.)
The croissants have been buttery and recent, the chocolate desserts have been tremendous dreamy, and my absolute favourite was the apple tart. It tasted like fall on a dish. We spent a whole lot of time catching up with Mara and her household, in between moaning with happiness hahah, and I’m so glad we acquired the possibility to see all of them!
We additionally managed to eat “real” breakfast in there, too. When you’re in Chicago, you RALLY.
Pizza at Lou Malnati’s.
There are fairly a number of fashionable Chicago pizza choices, and locals are tremendous captivated with pizza suggestions. We determined to hit up Lou Malnati’s for deep dish earlier than Hamilton, and the gluten-free thin-crust pizza gave me life. The crust was buttery and crisp, and the tomato sauce was fantastically easy. I like when tomato sauces aren’t loaded down with a ton of spices. I’ll dream about this pizza any longer, however the excellent news is that they ship! So when a craving strikes… there ya go.
Caviar and cocktails at Heritage
As you possibly can inform, we ate a whole lot of candy treats and decadent meals whereas we have been there. By the time Saturday rolled round, we didn’t suppose we may deal with one other large meal. Instead, we caught an Uber over to Heritage, and loved our personal little tasting menu of caviar, cocktails, and snacks (curly fries, a caviar panna cotta, and a crudités platter). These guys even have a wine-pairing menu that I’d love to return again and check out once more.
While the meals was actually good, the standout was the cocktail. The mixologist made me a lavender creation that was tremendous easy, not too candy, and infused with lavender syrup + recent herbs.
In addition to the extra deliberate sit-down meals, we additionally loved some Chicago classics. We introduced dwelling baggage of Garrett’s popcorn, that are nearly gone, and the Pilot loved a Chicago sizzling canine whereas we people-watched in Lincoln Park. It was a scrumptious journey, certainly.
With all of this meals discuss, it’s breakfast time in our home. I’ll be again quickly to share a few of our adventures!
Have you been to Chicago? If so, the place’s your favourite spot? Do you have got a Chicago bucket listing?
Are there any specific eating places or chef’s eating places you wish to go to?
Thank you a lot for stopping by the weblog at this time and I’ll see you on Instagram, and within the am.
xo
Gina
Looking for a exercise? Here ya go!