I know this is super-late in coming, but I finally have time (and thus, will be posting apt pics soon) but here’s my review of Alinea.
We pulled up to the address, but I wouldn’t have known that Alinea was there except for the valet sign. There’s no name on the outside of the restaurant, and as you enter, you’re in a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-esque shrinking hallway. You walk down the hall and suddenly, an automatic door opens on the left and you’re in the restaurant.
The decor is minimalist, definitely lets you focus on the food. The tables don’t have tablecloths, just the black ebonized wood surface. The chairs were extremely comfortable, good considering you’re sitting in them for about 3 hours.
We were definitely pampered by the service. Our waiter delivered a pleasant repartee, but wasn’t obnoxious. Also, we needed a lot of help identifying what we were eating and instructions for how to eat it. Let’s dive in.
First Course: King Crab, sudachi, avocado, bay branch
This was before I got my camera settings adjusted. The metal thing is holding a crunchy ball of king crab, avocado and sudachi (a rare fruit). The bay leaf was stuck in the top to be used as a skewer and to scent the dish. A large part of what makes Alinea so cool is they focus on the dining experience as a sensual experience. Smells, visuals, and textures all factor into the experience. I joked that they might as well have brought out a bose sound dock. This dish was absolutely perfect and I could have eaten about 10 of these little things.
Second Course: Fava Beans, lavender, banana, pecorino
So, the plate here is sitting on a pillow filled with lavender scented air. As you eat the dish you smell lavender. I mentioned similarities between Alinea and Trotters in my earlier post, and here’s the first, the fava bean craze. I had never had fava beans in my life before that weekend, and always associated them with Hannibal Lecter. I really loved the lavender scent, but I don’t think fava beans are my favorite.
Third Course: Rouget, artichoke, garlic, bottarga
Rouget isn’t a fish you’ll see on many fine dining menus. I think it’s interesting to have something other than tuna or salmon, so I enjoyed the dish, but I think my mom was weirded out by the fish. The pieces of fish were wrapped in garlic that had been mashed, dehydrated and cut into strips, then wrapped around the fish like pasta. The artichoke was in the tiny cubes, which I loved. Bottarga is a type of fish roe, and it was the beige puree on the plate. This was one of my favorite dishes. The flavors appealed to my palate, and it contained techniques and ingredients I had never seen before.
Before they brought out the next course, this “centerpiece” was placed on our table. We were told the item had been frozen in liquid nitrogen and that it would factor into our meal later, but not to touch it at the moment. After scrutinizing it for a moment, my guess was that it was wagyu beef. It turns out I was correct :)
Fourth Course: Lobster, peas, ramps, mint vapor
This was a clever play on lobster bisque. The mint vapor was revealed when the waiter poured hot water into the outer bowl, which released the scent of the mint. I loved the lobster foam and pieces of lobster in the bowl, but the green blob in the middle (the peas) was cold and jelly-ish and it just freaked me out. Ramps are in the onion family, and were used for seasoning in this dish.
This little crunchy was served with the lobster dish. It had similar flavors in it, but it was just one bite meant to be popped into your mouth. Every dish was served with different utensils and instructions and we ended up eating with our hands often.
Fifth Course: Short Rib, Guinness, peanut, fried broccoli
So, the short rib is on the bottom, and it was perfectly cooked. The Guinness had somehow been turned into the brown square film you see on the plate. It was like a sauce for the dish, along with the peanuts for garnish. I usually hate broccoli, but if I’m going to eat it anywhere, it’s going to be at Alinea. I actually ended up enjoying the tiny fried pieces, they were mainly just crunchy texture. This dish had a lot of pleasant Asian flavors, but done in an incredibly different way.
Sixth Course: Wagyu Beef, morel, smoked date, Blis elixir
Our waiter used chopsticks to drape our wagyu beef over a line of morel mushrooms. I loved the dish, but my mom hated cured meats, so it didn’t sit well with her. Here’s another Trotter’s-Alinea crossover. Wagyu beef is officially the new trendy beef to serve at upscale establishments. I have no earthly idea what Blis elixir is. I tried to Google it, but seriously, let me know if you possibly find out.
We were served several breads throughout the evening. This plate includes (clockwise from left) the sweet bread, the oolong bagel, and the fennel bread. There was another that was sweet on the outside and was filled with sausage. We were served two different kinds of butter to put on the bread.
Seventh Course: Hot Potato, cold potato, black truffle, butter
So, obviously loving the pun here. The skewer has a ball of “hot potato” on it, covered in a slice of black truffle. Also on the skewer are a cube of butter and a cube of cheese. In the bowl is a cold potato soup with black truffle oil. How do you eat it? Pull out the pin and the skewered items drop into the soup, then pick up the bowl and sip. I loved this dish, it was fun, playful and salty.
At the end of the meal, they gave us each a menu with the dishes listed and the wine pairings. Here’s a picture of the menu. The circles are bigger for courses with bolder flavors, and farther to the left for savory dishes, to the right for sweet.
Eighth Course: Duck, chocolate, blueberry, Thai pepper
This was one of the strangest dishes as far as my American palate goes. As I mentioned in the Trotter’s post, mixing sweet and savory is new to me. While we were eating the dish, I wasn’t sure I liked it, but now, looking back at the menu, it was one of my favorites. Our waiter told us it was the current staff favorite. The duck was inside the chocolate bar. Obviously blueberries on the plate, and I forget what the purees were. There was also homemade granola on the plate, which mixed well with the chocolate duck. The richness of the duck paired well with the chocolate and overall, this was a dish I ended up loving. I also love that it opened me up to something new.
The next three courses were served simultaneously.
Ninth Course: Rhubarb, ginger, basil
The rhubarb was juice frozen in a ball with basil and ginger pureed underneath it. Our waiter advised us to take it like a shot, but to close our mouths because the ball would break and juice would explode everywhere. This was the funniest moment of the meal because Eric took the “shot” advice a little too literally and threw it back, the juice ball exploded in the back of his throat and he ended up coughing for about a solid minute. The sour rhubarb juice mixed well with the herbal ginger and basil for a fun refreshing dish. I much prefer this to the sorbet.
Tenth Course: Strawberry, violet, nicoise olive
This was maybe my favorite dish of the night. You popped it in your mouth and let it melt on your tongue. The strawberry flavor was exquisite, and it was more like a dessert than a savory course. Just completely delicious.
Eleventh Course: Bacon, butterscotch, apple, thyme
Just pull down on the bacon and put it in your mouth. Despite the bizarre presentation (which Eric, as an engineer, proceeded to play with for the entire course) this course was pretty straightforward. The applewood-smoked bacon was dipped in butterscotch for a sweet kick.
Twelfth Course: Sorrel, honey, fennel, poppyseeds
Sorrel sorbet with honey gelee and fennel foam, poppyseeds on the plate. This dish was best when you mixed all the flavors together. I used to read Redwall books when I was a kid, and they always described these fabulous feasts in the books. I feel like this would be an appropriate dish for them to serve at one of those feasts, very rustic.
Thirteenth Course: Whole Wheat, almond, apricot, chevril
“Just really dig around in there, there’s lots of good stuff at the bottom”-our server. This dish was like a treasure hunt in a deconstructed cake. I found it to be a little dry, and was getting full at this point, so I let Eric finish mine.
Fourteenth (and final-whew) Course: Chocolate, blueberry, hazelnut, Thai pepper
You can’t go wrong ending with chocolate. You throw the powder in your mouth and let it sit and it hydrates into chocolate. I also liked how they brought back flavors from earlier dishes for the final one. We had tea and coffee with this course, and they had a fabulous tea selection, I chose a decaf ginger peach.
Well, it was a long dinner, making for a long blog post, so I won’t wax too poetic at the end here. General impressions: impeccable service (they stop bringing out dishes when someone gets up to use the restroom), impressive wine pairings, and amazingly beautiful food. This was definitely the most fantastic meal of my life. Would I go back? Maybe, someday. It was an experience more than anything. My mom always says she doesn’t care about seeing celebrities, she thinks it’s more exciting to see a famous work of art than to see Madonna on the street (and I tend to agree). But while my mom gets a rush out of famous art, I get my kicks at fabulous restaurants. This was a five-star performance. It was like seeing a ballet. The attention to detail, the creativity and the level of service were unparalleled. So, which was better, Trotter’s or Alinea? I think they are both masters at the top of their game (they are both featuring current trend food: fava beans and wagyu, but obviously have talent beyond trends). But to use the art analogy again, at Trotter’s, it’s like impressionism. Everyone loves impressionism, it’s inoffensive and classic, but still innovative. Alinea is like modern art. It’s avant garde, shocking and completely different from anything you’ve ever expected to see. I know it’s a cop out, but it’s impossible for me to do a fair comparison because they’re just so different.
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