Alinea

As an anniversary present Jose and Meigan got reservations at Alinea and were kind enough to invite Nicole and I along. Alinea is one of two three-star Michelin restaurants in Chicago, one of a dozen in the US. It specializes in molecular gastronomy and focuses on creating a complete dining experience on top of great food. I'm not a foodie and have rarely had any meals that could be called "fine dining" so this was a once in a lifetime type of experience for me.

When we got there we were quickly ushered upstairs to a relatively spacious room with only a handful of tables. The design of the room was such that it created a subtle atmosphere of privacy for each table, you could hear the murmur from other tables but not their conversations. All the staff were knowledgeable and kind, adaptable and fluid, we didn't have a specific server per say but there were a couple that stayed in our particular room, and they alternated with who presented each course.

The food was all challenging and mostly incredible. I say challenging because a couple of the courses featured bizarre preparations and pairing. The one that sticks out the most was a pea and lemon powder(freeze dried?) and a cold Parmesan soup that I would quite frankly describe as gross. This right after easily the best soup I've ever had. Later in the meal there was a pork belly with curry and mango which was transcendent and then later a gruyere, black truffle, and pumpernickel toast that was, odd. There was a cold clear nut gel as part of the first course and an edible helium balloon as part of the desert. A lot of delicious food but also a lot of thought provoking combinations, scents, sauces, and visual compositions. Truly unique.

The food itself was playful and absorbing but the real surprise, to me, was the service. After the first course they began setting the subsequent courses to favor our dominate hand. Maybe a right-handed person wouldn't have noticed as the world for the most part is skewed toward them but as a left-hander that small adjustment meant the world. I was stunned, not only that they had thought to do it but someone had been observing us during the first course and made a note of it. It was a huge surprise and made me feel very special and taken care of. The various servers also were relatively talkative with us, I think it was clear early on we were there to have a good time and laugh and also that we weren't terribly familiar with that kind of atmosphere, the servers responded in kind. I noticed with other tables they weren't necessarily as outgoing or causal, I can only assume they read the room and tailor their interactions to provide the best experience for the diners. Amazing they even try to do that doubly so given they are successful.

My taste isn't too complicated and I'm not really one for cucumbers that look like grapes or clear maraschino cherry glass, I think there were some courses that I didn't really get because they were too complex, but it will without a doubt stand as one of the best meals of my life. Incredible food, Magnificent service.