Alinea Trip

While it's still a bit cold for Motorcycle riding I did receive tickets to Alinea and figured this would be the best place to post a quick trip report.

 

We had a 5:30 seating and you have to arrive on time or you get bumped with no refunds so we left extra early and even though we had problems finding the restaurant (hint there is no signage, just a black exterior) we ended up being about an hour early.  We grabbed street parking and went to the Black Duck across the street and grabbed a few drinks and waited.  About 5:00 we headed over and dropped our keys off for the valet and headed in.

The restaurant had a cool atmosphere and architecture but I'll leave it as a surprise.  The staff greeted us by name and had been briefed on all our info which was a slightly eccentric way of doing things but it established a bit of mystery.

I snapped one picture with flash and was told while we were welcome to take photos the chef asked we not use flash.  This makes sense as food photos with flash always look terrible but the photos from now on will be a bit grainy :(

Michelle elected to get the wine pairing which started instantly.

I oped to stay NA as I had to drive home and asked for a Diet Coke and was informed they don't carry and colas but something Russian.  So I decided to try that.

It was actually similar in taste to Diet Coke and was very good even if I can't pronounce the name on the label.

Then came the first course.  Char Roe with Ginger, Banana and a Passion Fruit Foam.

It was served in a unique glass that shifted as you tried to eat it.  The flavor was a bit unique as well.

Next they presented us with a smoking tureeen of "Monkey Brains"

On closer inspection the smoke was dry ice vapor that was scented with lemon grass and concealed a shell with our next course.

Scallop with citrus and 14 textures

Next they gave us a centerpiece and lit it on fire to set the mood for the next course.

Lobster with curry, Earl Grey and grapefruit.

After the lobster they placed this cutting board on the table and informed us that the next course was in the centerpiece.  They knocked the smouldering chunks of wood apart and pulled out a seaweed wrapped piece of Wagyu and a charred lump of parsnip that they carved and served on a charred stump round.

 

 Wagyu with parsnip, black trumpet and kombu

Michelle was pretty excited or drunk, the wine was flowing freely.

Next course Lily Bulb with rambutan and distillation of caviar lime

For the next course they asked if we would be comfortable using chopsticks.

The chef took inspiration from orange chicken and served Asian Sweetbreads with Orange, Lily bulb and Mustard

There was some chopstickery shenanigans as compiled by autoawesome.

The next course was time sensitive

There was a hot piece of potato on the skewer along with cold potato, black truffle, butter and cold soup base.  You pull the pin and quickly shoot the mini bowl letting the temperatures and ingredients mix in your mouth.

Next up was duck prepared five ways.  With a platter of 60 different flavors to mix with the duck as you ate it. 

Definitely a great way to discover new tastes but much like sushi I had no idea what I was eating.

Next they set the table with this cryptic setting.

What could it be?

A pumpkin dumpling served on a smouldering cinnamon stick.

You're supposed to eat it not smoke it.

Another auto awesome cell.

Moving to desserts we next had Pistachio Mascarpone with strawberry and black walnut flavors to mix it with.

The next course was a balloon with a pin.

Where's the Food?

Waiter got the best shot of the night.

 

Turns out the Balloon is apple taffy stretched around apple infused helium and everything but the pin is edible if you can figure out how to eat it.  I knew I'd screw it up and decided videos would be in order.

Apparently even in a nice place I act like a "retard"

At least I swallowed most of my helium.

The string was like a sour fruit roll up.

This course included much needed hot towels.  After the balloons we were pretty keyed up and informed the last course was coming and was the only one that needed a table cloth.

A chef came to our table and created a world class dessert before our eyes.

The end result.

Look who likes the Creme Fraiche.

I was offered coffee or esspresso with dessert and figured the esspresso would be worth a try.

The Aftermath

Here is our menu the dots next to each course indicate sweet or savory by their placement to the left or right and their impact by size which was a pretty nifty setup.  The wine pairings are also listed but you'll have to ask Michelle about those.

Overall, Alinea was amazing.  Rather than just a restaurant it was more of an performance and is an experience that will be in my memory of awesome food forever.  I rank it up there with my meal and experience at the Flagstaff house in Boulder, CO.