11.24: seriously, are you tired yet? (Alinea, part 3)

course 11: octopus + green peanut + mint + dill
wine pairing: vecchio samperi "ventale", marsala, sicily

This course was *really* tricky because the bowl had no flat base, which meant that it couldn’t be set down on the table. Rather, it was meant to be eaten quickly in one bite. I was really proud of myself for holding the dish in one hand and taking a picture with the other. I shouldn’t have been so smug. (Especially after all that wine.) *Just* as I was about to set down my camera, I actually dropped my dish. OH NO!! I was SO embarrassed and my brother looked like he wanted to kill me. The servers, however, didn’t skip a beat. They cleaned up my spill and took *both* of our dishes to the kitchen so that they could prepare new ones for us to eat together. All the while Tim was shaking his head muttering about how I’d completely thrown off the kitchen’s service. If the kitchen hated me, they certainly didn’t let on. We got new dishes. But I’d learned my lesson and I didn’t attempt to take any more photos of this dish and enjoyed my dish like a “normal” person would.

The wine pairing for this dish, btw, was very strong but very good…almost more like a smooth bourbon than a wine.

course 12: matsutake + pine + otoro + mango
wine pairing: antonio caggiano "bechar" fiano di avellino, campania 2007

This dish was just a work of art.

course 13: pheasant + apple + shallot + burning oak leaves
wine pairing: w.h. smith "marimar estate vineyard" pinot noir, sonoma coast 2006

The presentation of this dish was phenomenal. Smell is a strong component of the experience at Alinea (you’ll see in some of the subsequent courses). Fall is my favorite season and the faint smell of the burning leaves evoked all sorts of great memories.

course 14: hot potato + cold potato + black truffle + butter

This was one of my favorite dishes of the night. A custom-made paraffin wax bowl is pierced with a pin on which a truffle topped potato and parmesan cheese hover over the hot potato soup. To eat, one pulls the pin through the wax releasing the truffle, potato and cheese into the hot soup. Eaten in a shot you can actually feel the hot soup and the cold portions intermingling in your mouth. Simple amazing.

course 15: lamb + pumpkin + eggplant + rosemary aroma
wine pairing: josef umathum "ried hallebuh", burgenland, austria 2001

Finally, our centerpiece came in handy. The thin metal tray for the lamb portions was screaming hot which allowed the meat to sear marvelously. The addition of the rosemary sprig to the hot plate released the aromas.

course 16: concord grape + maytag blue + toasted walnut
course 17: lemon soda, one bite

Sadly, I didn’t get pictures of either of these courses although I don’t think you’re missing much. These were both dishes that had to be eaten right away. The concord grape dish was interesting texturally (sort of like eating an eyeball if you can imagine that) but neither of us were crazy about this dish. Tim and I both found the blue cheese a bit overpowering. (And I normally like blue cheese.) The lemon soda was basically a tiny packet eaten in a single bite. Sort of pop-rock like.

course 18: blackberry + goat milk + onion + lavender
wine pairing: elio perrone "bigaro", piemonte 2008

This dish was eaten hands free, straight off the wire by leaning into the dish. (This picture will give you an idea of how long the wire is.) My memory is a bit hazy but I think courses 16-18 were brought out together.

course 19: bubble gum: long pepper + hibiscus + creme fraiche

This dish was SO fun to eat. The contents were sucked out of the tube just like drinking of the straw. All the different tastes rushing in felt and tasted fantastic.

course 20: transparency of raspberry, yogurt

This is clear proof that my limited photography skills had deteriorated significantly over the course of 20+ courses and several glasses of wine. But pretty, right??

course 21: hay + burnt sugar + coffee + huckleberry
wine pairing: klein constantia "vin de constance", south africa 2004

This dish was so beautiful and came out on these giant pillows filled with nutmeg air. The pillow deflated as we ate, releasing the aromas.

Ok, that’s enough for one night. Another post with the grand finale (and believe me, it was quite grand) to follow shortly.

Earlier: Alinea (Part 1); Alinea (Part 2)
Also: Someone else’s much better photos at Alinea

11.23: back by popular demand (Alinea, part 2)

Apologies to the people I’ve kept waiting. It’s time for the main event: the food at Alinea. In a few words: amazing, thoughtful, challenging, unbelievably creative, and (dare I say?) life changing. But I’ll shut up now and let the photos do the talking:

course #1: osetra + traditional garnishes
wine pairing: cocktail with henriot brut with chartreuse, akvavit, and orange curacao
The foam was a “brioche foam,” the idea being that the garnishes were the distilled essence of things without any of the textural elements. I wish I remembered what else was on the plate besides the osetra. Regardless, it was so amazing to get such a clear taste of things without the associated textures. Tim and I knew then that we were in for something really special.

course #2: pork belly + iceberg +cucumber + thai distillation
wine pairing: abbazzia di novacella kerner, valle isarco, alto adige 2008

Two pictures because this course was so damn pretty and so damn tasty. The Thai distillation was taken first as a shot to prime the palate. We were a bit concerned at first because we wouldn’t normally think to shoot fish sauce + chili + lime but it was surprisingly light and clean tasting. It was a good primer to prepare for the richness of the pork belly which was cooked in coconut milk. The cucumber element to this dish was injected into the lettuce. Crazy, huh?

course #3: yuba + shrimp + red miso + togarashi

This was probably my favorite savory course of the night. Crunchy, savory finger food. We were encouraged to double dip, which was a good thing because that red miso dip was amazing. And Tim got to make fun of me because they brought this dish with screaming hot towels to the table. I nearly scorched my hands using the towel before eating this. Tim reminded me that the hot towel was to clean our hands after eating this. Oh hai, who’s classy?

course #4: trout monseigneur
wine pairing: franz hirtzberger “pluris” grauburgunder smaragd, wachau 2000

This was a fun, whimsical dish, as the the trout was surrounded by pastry “roe boats.” The dish was apparently a page out of Escoffier and as a nod to this historical element, the dish was served on fabulous 100 year old china. I couldn’t stop staring at the details on that wine glass. Gorgeous.

course #5: black truffle explosion + romaine + parmesan

A single bite. That burst of truffle in my mouth was arresting. Wow.

course #6: duck + chestnut + mace +orange
wine pairing: d’arenberg “the twentyeight road” mourvedre, mclaren vale, australia 2006

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t crazy about this dish, (not a big fan of chestnuts or mace) but the beauty of Alinea is that even the less remarkable dishes are a simply a cut above the rest.

course #7: kumquat + rye+ lemon + demerara

This dish was supposed to simulate a sazerac cocktail. A lot of strong flavors. Tim wasn’t crazy about it and I probably wouldn’t have been either but for the demerara sugar, which saved it for me. If nothing else, it sure was pretty.

In case you’re wondering about portions and pacing for 23+ courses, it’s fairly comfortable because a lot of the portions are small single bites. This is obviously no place to be in if you’re rushed (our dinner lasted just about 4 hours), but to save on some time a few of the courses were brought out in groups, as was the case here for courses 8, 9, and 10. (Don’t worry, individual pictures and descriptions follow.)

course #8: bacon + butterscotch + apple + thyme

We were instructed to pluck the bacon from the wire and eat it in one bite.

course #9: peanut butter dried and spicy

This was a crazy textural experience…on the little metal pick the peanut butter was in powder form but when it hits my mouth and it turned the texture of regular peanut butter…but spicy.

course #10: thai banana + beer + mustard + pecans

This was on a tiny pin, again, to be eaten in one bite.

Ok, that’s enough ground to cover for one night. Can you believe we’re not even halfway through? More soon….

Earlier: Alinea (part 1)

11.22: wanted

Wanted: hungry neighbor. Must like bacon. May occasionally be asked to do dishes.

Tomorrow’s supposed to be a little crazy at work but I will endeavor to resume Alinea-related posts then.

11.21: intermission

Am enjoying a weekend to myself. Alinea-related posts will resume on Monday.

11.20: finally Alinea! (part 1)

Ok, without further adieu, it’s time to talk about the main event: my dinner at Alinea. I know I am prone to hyperbole when it comes to food, but I don’t hesitate to say that it was the BEST meal of my life. Moreover, it was just one of the neatest things I’ve ever experienced. Period. (Btw, if you’re curious and want to know more about Alinea, this is a great piece from last year’s New Yorker on Achatz, his restaurant, and his battle with tongue cancer.)

the atmosphere

our centerpiece for the evening

Alinea’s interior is wonderfully modern but extremely warm and inviting. A stark contrast from our dinner the night before at L2o, where the interior was a little too sleek and cold. Alinea, despite it’s hefty price tag, is a comfortable place to dine and the excitement (about the food, the experience) is palatable from the moment you walk in. Most of the crowd at the tables around us were much older but a great sense of wonder abounded. People were oohing and ahhing and snapping lots of pictures. I instantly felt like I was in good company. After we were seated and greeted, someone brought these two sprigs of rosemary to the table. We were told that they were both our centerpieces and a component of a dish later in the evening.

The napkin with the restaurant’s signature.

Alinea is the backward “P” symbol that proofreaders put at the beginning of a new paragraph. Every time I got up from the table (and there were more than a few trips to the bathroom as the dinner lasted nearly four hours and wine was quite abundant), the napkin was either refolded just like this or it was replaced (if it was too dirty). I seriously wonder how many of these they go through in an average dinner service.

opening champagne cocktail

Alinea does not have a bar and does not serve hard liquors. That said, their wine list is unparalleled and a great deal of thought, research, and knowledge has been invested in constructing wine pairings for the meal. The wine pairings are highly recommended by the staff. (The pairings come at an added cost, about 2/3 the cost of the meal itself.) Neither my brother and I are big drinkers so we opted to split a pairing. I’m glad we split the pairing because honestly by the end of the meal I’d probably had a little too much to drink. (I got carried away, as the wines were all spectacular.) The sommelier was extremely knowledgeable and each pairing arrived at our table with a great story. My brother, (though he’s younger than me, he was much wiser that night) ducked out of his share of the pairings about halfway through the meal, feeling that he’d had enough. The price was adjusted accordingly and we were actually (pleasantly) surprised to see how little they ended up charging us for trying so many different wines. I would recommend the wine pairings to people with the caveat that pacing is key. I think if I were ever lucky enough to go back to Alinea, I would skip the wines. They were all fantastic and I’m glad to have experienced it once, but I’m really not a big drinker and I left feeling a bit overwhelmed (i.e. durnk).

table settings

All of the utensils for the evening were placed on these slightly elevated pillows and the service was switched out for each course. We went through a lot of utensils in 23+ courses.

superb service

Part of what made the evening such a spectacular experience was the service. It is unparalleled. I can’t even imagine how much thought, practice, training, etc. goes into achieving that level of service.

the kitchen

Tim makes a bee line for the kitchen

One of the *true* highlights of the evening was getting a tour of the kitchen. My brother thinks Grant Achatz is a true culinary genius so we were completely bowled over when the staff offered us a tour. I don’t think it’s a typical part of the experience there but we had called in advance to ask about purchasing the slip cover edition of the Alinea cookbook and possibly getting it signed. They said that the book would be signed if the chef was around and had the time. We kept our fingers crossed the whole night. Tim, persistent fellow that he is, also asked at the end of the meal about possibly getting a picture with Achatz. Achatz was too busy so we got the kitchen tour instead. Boy am I glad we did. The back of Alinea is just as amazing as the front. It is a serious operation. Check it out:

In the middle two photos you can actual see Achatz from the back hard at work on a dish. (Second photo, he’s on the left; third photo he’s on the right.) The pictures are kind of crummy because we were sorta in the way and I had to move quickly just to get a few shots.

As we left, our server handed us the cookbook in a black bag and another person hailed us a cab. When we got home, we opened the cookbook and found out not only had the chef signed the book but several other people from the kitchen as well. AND inside the bag were copies of the menu from the evening (Alinea gives everyone a menu at the *end* of the meal) also signed by Achatz. Wow. All in all, an *amazing* evening and I haven’t even started talking about the food. That post to follow shortly.

11.19: working it out

What a difference 48 hours can make. Last week: heart-warming, exhilarating, a blast. This week: disappointment, skull-crushing loneliness, and some completely unexpected (and potentially expensive) setbacks. Talk about a kick in the teeth. Not much more to say, other than I’ve cried my eyes out, am hoping for the best but anxious. I confess that part of this anxiety, while certainly driven by some external factors out of my control, is probably also related to the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays. I now totally get why there’s an uptick of suicides around the holidays. Not having anywhere to go or anyone to see is pretty f’n depressing. This is not to say that I haven’t gotten any invites, but most would involve taking some time off of work (something I can’t afford right now) and/or a significant drive. I just don’t have that in me right now. And as sad as I am about not doing anything to mark (what used to be) my favorite holiday, I’m feeling increasingly grateful that I’ll just have a few quiet days off of work (hopefully) to sleep, to craft, and to mentally reconnect. I really need that.

In the meantime, I will attempt to knit myself back to sanity. As you can see from this picture, my honeycomb vest is almost done. I should be able to seam it this weekend and finish the arm and neck edging. I’m pretty excited about this since I haven’t finished a knit garment in years. And I’ve already started casting on for another project: a Christmas present for my dad. I also have a dress that just needs a collar and a hem. Wow. Thinking about finishing some big creative projects already has me feeling a little bit better.

11.18: L2o (part 4)

And wrapping up our food tour of L2o:

course #7: copper river salmon + yuzu in meyer lemon dust + daikon radish with fig + grits and frisee salad

The salmon was perfectly cooked but otherwise unremarkable. The daikon radish, humble though it may seem, was outstanding. We grilled our server about its preparation and learned that it was carved into cylinders, drilled with holes, steamed, and then seared in clarified butter. The holes were then filled with a fig spread. Phenomenal.

course #8: pork belly + black truffle + potato

course #9: shabu shabu hiramasa + konbu bouillon + king oyster mushroom, daikon radish, napa, and shiso

The hiramasa was outstanding. Far and away some of the best raw fish I’ve ever had. We ate the first piece raw, no sauce. The second piece we cooked briefly in the bouillon (just 30 seconds) and then dipped in sauce. Delicious.

course #10: chocolate surprise: guanaja + praline + almond

This dish looked promising but was a little weird for us both. It was dusted with some sort of soy powder that had a weird aftertaste. Still, I’m not one to refuse chocolate so I managed to get it down somehow.

course #11: key lime something
Looks unassuming but it was quite refreshing. Nice palate cleanser.
(Yeah by this course, my memory is really starting to fail me and now I’m more annoyed than ever that they didn’t send us home with a copy of the menu.)

course #12: raspberry + golden yuzu + mascarpone

The presentation on this one was quite fun! They brought a yuzu gold “bouillon” cube (ha-ha) cube to the table in a carafe, poured in the liquid, and swirled around to help it dissolve. Then they poured it into the dish. The flecks in the liquid and the garnish on the raspberries are bits of gold leaf. We had to eat this one quickly because once the liquid hit the mascarpone sorbet things starting to dissolve rather quickly. But a very pretty, very refreshing dish and good preparation for the surprise that followed.

bonus: souffle: orange + grand marnier

Sorry for the crappy picture but I was REALLY tired and REALLY full by this point. We weren’t even expecting this one but it was DIVINE. Best souffle of my life, no question. Light as air, perfectly rise, and cracked so they could pour a grand marnier cream into the center. It was a volcano of sweet goodness.

Afterwards, they also brought us two mignardises (can you believe that?) which I did not get pictures of. I mean really, after all these pictures, I was kinda done for the night. One was a french pastry (name escapes me at the moment) coated in beeswax. (I’ve had the pastry before but not with the wax. Neither my brother or I cared for it.) The second was a chocolate truffle explosion. Pretty harmless looking but the sensation of it bursting in our mouths was quite the experience. Delicious.

As many gripes as I had about the service with this meal, I have to say the desserts were all fabulous and top notch.

So that’s it on L2o. In a nutshell, a good meal but not great, and we only ended up spending slightly less here than we did at Alinea, which was a much better meal on all fronts. Knowing what I know now, I would maybe consider going back and ordering a la carte. Tim was glad to have tried the tasting just to get a sense of what the kitchen is capable of, but I say save your dining dollars for something else. That said, if I could figure out a way to go there just for bread + butter and desserts, I’d definitely go. Their breads and their desserts are unparalleled.

I know some of you (ahem, Katie) are really excited to hear about my dinner at Alinea but I’ll start that posting on Friday. Tomorrow, a small break from the food-centric posts to show you some crafting and things I’ve been doing besides eating.

11.17: L2o (part 3)

Ok, now on to the food at L2o.

amous bouche #1: lobster + beet

amous bouche #2: green olive + cheeks of halibut + tomato confit (or at least that’s as best as I can remember)

1. mother of pearl spoon and place setting
2. miyazaki wagyu beef tartare with caviar, wasabi, and shiso flowers

This was not part of the 12 course tasting menu but my brother really wanted to try it so we got it as a supplement. Honestly, I wasn’t crazy about this dish, which was disappointing because I loved all the components–wagyu beef, shiso, wasabi, caviar. But for some reason, they just didn’t play well together.

course #1: sea scallops + yuzu + jalapeno + shiso
(You can’t tell in the photo but the jalapeno is cut into the tiniest, most perfect star shape.)

course #2: a hiramasa (yellowtail amberjack) tartare with a bunch of different elements
(Will have to consult my brother’s notes at some point.)

course #3: house made soft tofu + itogaki + white miso
(This was one of our favorite dishes of the evening. Subtle, elegant, delicious.)

course #4: shimaaji (a variety of aji/horsemackerel-Saurel) over matsutake mushrooms sauteed in clarified butter and red wine reduction
(The fish was fabulous but the mushrooms were divine.)

course #5: peekytoe crab in foie gras emulsion
(My brother and I agreed, the least favorite dish of the evening.)

course #6: salted cod + fingerling potato emulsion + smoked ribbon
(The yellow dots are drops of olive oil, which my brother thought was a bit too fruity/aggressive but I liked it.)

Ok, crazy as this might seem, that’s the halfway point. I’ll post the remaining photos tomorrow. Then on to Alinea!

11.16: L2o (part 2)

1. asiago cheese epi; 2. rosemary salt croissant, tomato chorizo epi

And now that I’ve thrown out all my major gripes and criticisms about my meal at L2o, I’ll tell you about two things that I think they got completely right. The first thing: their bread service. Now I know what you’re thinking. Bread service? How good could it be? Good. Really good. In fact, I won’t hesitate to say that this is the most amazing selection of breads I’ve ever had at a restaurant.

L2o bakes several types of breads in the French tradition on the premises. Throughout the evening, servers bring around trays of various breads to each of the tables. Depending on what is coming out of the ovens, the selection varies. Breads are baked continuously throughout the evening. (I wish I had taken a picture of the trays that they take around from table to table but between several kinds of bread, soaking in the atmosphere, and a 12+ course I was a tiny bit distracted.) Pictured above are just three of the breads I tried. I also tried a pain au lait that was really delicious and a country wheat bread. (For the baking ambitious, you may want to try the pain au lait recipe, which was divulged here. Thanks to Peter for pointing me to the link.) My brother tried all of these breads plus a demi baguette. We both agreed that of the breads, the rosemary salt croissant was a complete standout. As much as I was disappointed by the overall experience, I would seriously consider going back just to eat their bread. Yes. It was THAT good.

Now, the second thing they got right? Well that goes with the first. BUTTER! I know that this is just butter, but holy wow was this stuff fabulous and the presentation was pretty nifty too. Being the idiot that I am I actually thought this was some sort of candle centerpiece sitting on our table. (My brother *totally* rolled his eyes when I said that.)

In any case, when the bread service commences (and not a moment sooner, because the butter starts to oxidize once it comes into contact with the air), the server comes out and flips the glass top. The result is that you get this amazing, perfectly shaped dome of butter. What was most interesting is the way the butter changes throughout the evening. It starts off very hard and cold but throughout the meal as people take away more and more of it, it softens, changes shape, etc. There are subtle changes in the flavor as well.

This butter is, not surprisingly, something that the restaurant churns itself in the kitchen. (My brother tells me that the kitchen has gone to some lengths to get a particular type of culture to make this butter.) The difference is, obviously, quite palatable. In color, taste, and texture, this is unlike any sort of butter I’ve ever had before. (I actually got to see the butter churning machine and the bread oven. Both are *serious* pieces of equipment. We got a brief tour of the kitchen after our meal…but more on that later.)

So how about that?? The things that possible saved a $$$$ meal for me are the only complimentary items from the meal. Go figure.

11.15: L2o (part 1)

I know that a few of you (basically Lauren and Peter) are a bit curious about my experience at L2o, so I thought I’d post a full blow-by-blow review here. I took a LOT of pictures so this review will unfold in a few parts. Apologies to non-foodie readers of this site…regular crafting and home-cooking posts will resume soon.

So I should start by saying it was my brother’s idea to go to L2o and that I wasn’t all that excited about going. My initial thoughts about this restaurant was that it was trying a little too hard and a bit on the pretentious side. My visit there more or less confirmed that suspicion. That’s not to say that the food wasn’t good…parts of the meal were phenomenal but the service was completely hit or miss and the atmosphere of the place was extremely austere and very uncomfortable, something that matters to me if I’m going to be sitting down to a 3+ hour meal.

Some problems I had with the place:
1. I understand that Laurent Gras is going for a clean, modern feel to the place but the restaurant was so cold and austere as to almost feel clinical. I spent most of the dinner feeling like I was about to enter into surgery or some sort of military operation. The idea of this place seemed to be sit down, shut up, eat, and be grateful that we’ve even let you in here.

2. Our server was basically a robot. Completely unexcited about the food and his job. Again, I realize a bubbly, over-excited server is not necessarily in keeping with a highly modern concept restaurant, but he really couldn’t provide much guidance or recommendations on things. Aside from that, he wasn’t particularly attentive but would FREQUENTLY interrupt my picture taking or my brother’s note taking to do something that really didn’t matter, like refill our already mostly full water glasses or to move the silverware or cups ever so slightly. This felt extremely intrusive. (And yes, I realize that the typical diners at a fine dining restaurant probably aren’t taking pictures or notes, but I would still expect them to accommodate our right to do so…especially if we’re paying several hundred dollars for the privilege to eat there.) Meanwhile, he would not be around when we actually needed something, like for example when I went to the restroom and then needed to be let back into my seat. (The way the seats were set up, the servers basically had to move the table for you for you to get up.) In my opinion, really good service knows when to step in and when to step back. This place sort of failed on both counts.

3. The front end of the house was a general mess. Service was extremely uncoordinated. Servers would routinely cross each other’s paths. Our server changed halfway through the evening. One person would come out and drop off our plates. Another person would set the service. Then we would have to wait until some other server came to explain what we were actually eating. We routinely got conflicting messages about what our food actually was. Sometimes, people flat out didn’t know what the hell was on our plates. They had to run back to the kitchen and then come back and tell us. This happened several times. (And unlike Alinea, this restaurant didn’t send us home with copies of the menu so we’re still a little bit in the dark about what we actually ate.) I get the sense that 99% of the clientele of this restaurant do not give a s*** what’s on their plates…they’re just people who like going to fancy restaurants to impress people and spend a LOT of money. (I would say that the typical tables were populated by groups of men wheeling and dealing or old dudes with trophy wifes/girlfriends.) Given that, I think the people were clueless about how to deal with someone like my brother and I.

In short:
1. The food (I will post more on that later) was good but I would say much of it did not remotely warrant the exorbitant price. The attitude of the staff suggests to me this is not a place for people who are serious about food and really care about what they’re eating.
2. The service was bad to the point of being distracting. All of the criticisms I had may be excusable at a lesser priced restaurant but not at one in this price range. I don’t expect flawless service but I at the very least expect the server to tell me what the hell is on my plate. (My brother and I did the seasonal tasting menu so we wouldn’t know what we’re eating unless the server could explain it to us.)
3. The place was just extremely uncomfortable. Don’t get me wrong. I like modern interiors and decor. I’ve eaten at my share of fancy restaurants. But the service, the interactions with the staff, the furnishings, etc. all left me wanting to run home immediately and change into my pajamas.

All of these criticisms stand out in even clearer relief to me after last night’s dinner at Alinea, which was nothing short of AMAZING. I will also discuss that in great detail sometime soon but suffice to say, Alinea filled in all the gaps that I felt were missing in my dinner at L2o.