This was a really fun and enjoyable evening. The service was top notch, with the service being very friendly, and attentive. The ambience and dim setting has created a very firm memory of a beautiful evening for me and my partner. The food was very interesting and tasty, well presented and spanned different parts of the globe, the type of variety we enjoy. The wine pairings were well done and the sommelier was a wealth of information. One minor quibble was that the Salon was fairly cool. I was comfortable in my blazer, but my partner was cold in her short sleeves. In the last minute, we did have some recent dietary restrictions and even with the short notice, they did their best to accommodate. All in all, it was a wonderful evening and worth the high ticket price.
I've had the good fortune to have eaten at some of the top restaurants in the world. Alinea certainly deserves its place among them. Each dish was an experience, but more importantly each was incredibly delicious and equally innovative. Each course unfolded and built upon the last to create a wonderful whole. Service was as exceptional as the food. Yes, it isn't cheap, but if you want an unforgettable experience that transcends a mere meal, then this is the place.
I have been to Alinea 3 times over a number of years on visits to Chicago (I live in San Francisco) and this meal was the best of the three. The first time I went, which was near when it opened, I was blown away by the uniqueness and surprise of each dish. But the second time I felt the use of special "molecular" techniques was overdone. While I was full when I left and the courses tasted very good, I oddly felt that I hadn't eaten real food as almost everything was altered in some way. However on this visit I thought the use of "molecular" techniques and more classical approaches was well balance and very satisfying. The presentations are amazingly creative and the quality of each dish was very good to excellent. The only dish I did not care for was a squash served with a mole sauce, which to me was too salty and not very nuanced, in contrast to all the other courses (however one of my dining companions loved it). Highlights were a caviar course, an arctic char, a thai influenced king crab, a Japanese influenced portobello mushrooms with razor clams and an amazing desert which is actually made directly on the table and when finished resembles a painting by Jackson Pollack; this dessert consists of butter pecan, dark chocolate, a liquid nitrogen prepared ice cream and various sauces spread out in an array of colors and textures. We had the highest tier of wine pairings (they offer 3). The wines were good to excellent on their own but with a few exceptions were not particulary good matches to the food, which led me to give the restaurant 4 rather than 5 stars. The service was excellent, efficient without being intrusive. The wait staff and the sommelier gave rather extensive descriptions of the preparation and ingredients of the food and wine. I have eaten at a number of Michelin 2 and 3 start restaurants around the world and of those meals this meal would rank it among the best. Of course this meal was expensive, but not the most expensive I have had at similarly acclaimed restaurants.
I hate to admit that this long anticipated restaurant experience was completely subpar. This was the dinner we were looking forward to the most in Chicago and it was by far our worst dinner and least hospitable experience. We had the salon tasting menu and immediately got yelled at for using flash photography (we weren’t advised otherwise until snapped at). The first course tasted like French onion chip dip on a crepe… 90% of the dishes were room temperature and seafood forward. The best dishes were the beef and dessert. Don’t let the hype of the experience sucker you into paying for this overhyped and overpriced dinner! Also, they do not serve cocktails and you basically eat in the dark.
There are plenty of detailed reviews explaining the whole experience at Alinea, so I won't try and replicate those. I went in hoping to be blown away, and my expectations of being blown away, were blown away. The detail in every dish, every direction, and every moment of the experience was perfectly crafted to create a dining experience unlike anything I had ever imagined. The flavors, textures, smells, and presentation were all outstanding. The servers were very friendly and guided us through the journey with extreme attention while not being overbearing and keeping the pacing between courses perfect - not too rushed, but never bored and waiting. The servers were also a perfect balance of extremely professional and detailed, while also being down to earth and non-pretentious, which is difficult to do in such an esteemed place and with such a wide array of clientele. While the price may seem absurd at face value for any meal, having now been, I can highly recommend it as worth every penny and look forward to coming back in the future.
This was an experience unlike any other. The food was beyond amazing and the service from Stuart, Jared and thr rest of the team took it to a whole other level. I could have easily come to Chicago just for this and been satisfied.
It's an EXPERIENCE. When you're there, you have to remember you're paying for the experience in addition to the food.The food by itself is not worth price. The food and experience are subjective depending on who you ask. My experience was good. There were courses that were amazing to eat and unlike anything else I've had - those were mostly the seafood dishes. Chef Grant has an amazing palette for seafood, other cuisines not as much. The other dishes were high quality but not top tier as if you were to get them from a high quality restaurant of that cuisine. The experience made it fun though, as you were eating it in new ways than before. The price was steep, and it's a once in a very long time experience to pay. I might come back in 5-10 if I did. The 6 person kitchen table has a clear glass wall where you can see the staff and sometimes Chef Grant, and I would highly recommend that. If the price was lowered, I would consider giving this a 5 rating.
Absolutely not worth the hype and certainly not the price. The food was either over salted or over cooked. Crazy to me that this kind of quality would pass at a Michelin starred restaurant let alone a three star. The courses did not tie together at all and it seemed really gimmicky. My husband and I didn’t finish a single course and even had to spit some of it out because it was so bad. The saving grace here was the service staff.
I never felt cheated out of 1k USD before. I've eaten at four 3 stars in Paris and in Bangkok. I went here, and I disliked half the courses. Come on guys.
Great food however don’t expect them to make any accommodations if you’re lactose intolerant - couldn’t really enjoy all the dishes