Alinea: The future of gastronomy

I have realized that it takes more and more to impress me when it comes to food. And when the meal costs north of $100 per head, my expectations in terms of food, service and the value I am getting for my money go up exponentially. It would take something special to actually get me to come back to a restaurant and spend that kind of money again. “Good but not great” simply will not make me a repeat customer. And it is not about being a food snob, it is simply about getting your money’s worth.

I have found that most of the so-called “best restaurants” fall under this “good but not great” category. Even a Mobil 5 star rating or being atop the Zagat survey does not guarantee a great meal. But then, once in a while, these surveys do get it right and rightfully recognize some real gems. Places that are definitely worth going back to again and again. The French Laundry. Joel Robuchon (“the restaurant” … not the Atelier). The Mansion on Turtle Creek — unfortunately I can’t think of when I am ever going back to Dallas!

But only once have I eaten in a restaurant where the food was truly mind-boggling. That was at the Chateau Les Crayeres in France prior to the retirement of its chef/owner Gerard Boyer. Maybe it was because it was the first time I had eaten in a 3-star Michelin restaurant, but Les Crayeres stands out in my mind as the best dining experience of my life as is the only place that made me say: “Wow…they can do that with food???”

Now there are two of them.

The New Star

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Grant Achatz (rhymes with “pets”) landed a job working for Thomas Keller at The French Laundry, where after two years he rose to become Keller’s sous chef. Fascinated by the work of Ferran Adria at El Bulli (widely considered to be the best restaurant in the world), Keller arranged for Achatz to work in Adria’s kitchen for a week. It is this combination of Keller’s perfectionist discipline and Adria’s out-of-the-box creativity which gave rise to Achatz’s unique approach to cuisine.

Alinea was opened in 2005 in a non-descript building bereft of any markings in Chicago’s Lincoln Park area. If it weren’t for the valet parking out in front, one would be hard pressed to realize that a restaurant – much less a top class restaurant — even existed at that location. In less than two years, Achatz has turned Alinea into the new mecca for molecular gastronomy in the United States. Both chef and restaurant have won raves, acclaims and a litany of awards including the Best Restaurant in America 2006 from Gourmet Magazine, landing the #36 spot on Restaurant Magazine’s 2007 list of Top 50 Restaurants in the World and a 5-star Award from Mobil Travel Guides.

Molecular Gastronomy

So what in the world is “molecular gastronomy”? In a nutshell, it is the use of science and technology to prepare or present food in new and innovative ways.

This concept brings chefs like Achatz to use devices probably more commonly seen in chemistry labs than in kitchens. It can also lead chefs to seek out industrial suppliers to large food companies. For example, to alter the way cheese is presented as part of a certain dish, a chef may want to know what these large food companies do to make it liquid when packaging it in a squeeze bottle. Or how it is formed as a flexible solid to be used for cheeseburgers. Or what additives are used to give it a thick viscous property when it is used as a sandwich spread. These same concepts can then be applied to the kitchen to alter the physical properties of food so that they can be prepared, used or presented in different ways.

Some critics of this form of cuisine dismiss it as being similar to the themed restaurants of the Nineties — using illusion, smoke and mirrors to cover up what truly great cuisine should be. But in the case of Alinea, this could not be further from the truth. Achatz has been quoted as saying that he would never sacrifice taste for presentation. And that is a statement that I will have to wholeheartedly agree with. Achatz brings topnotch taste that rivals the best restaurants in the world combined with fascinatingly innovative presentation on top of a multi-sensory experience.

For Achatz, it seems like tinkering with food’s physical properties is not enough. He creates a total experience for the diner that is enjoyed not just with one’s sense of taste but sight, smell and touch as well. It is about stimulating all your senses and your emotions. He wants you disarmed. He wants you slightly out of your comfort zone. Suspense and excitement are built from the minute you walk in the restaurant because the place doesn’t even look like a restaurant — neither from the outside nor the inside. You don’t get a menu so you don’t know what’s coming until it is in front of you. And the only choice you are given is whether you want the 12 or 24-course tasting menu.

The Food — Or At Least What Looks Like Food

I won’t even pretend to know what the ingredients are or what has been done to them. Besides, it may not be appropriate to spoil all the surprises that await. But the whole point of Achatz is to challenge some of your most basic beliefs and turn them on their head. To experience something you don’t expect. And to try something you never have and never would have thought you would.

One of the more interesting highlights of the meal is something Achatz calls an “explosion” which is essentially a thinly shelled ball that explodes when you bite into it. Whatever liquid or flavor that’s inside the ball then comes pouring out and mixes with the flavor of the shell. Think of it as a xiao lum pao with a thin candy-like shell.

Meanwhile, dishes such as “Beans” and “Scallop” engage your sense of smell in most unusual ways. “Beans” features a dish that is served on top of an air-filled pillow. When the bowl is placed atop the pillow, the scent of nutmeg is forced out by the weight of the bowl and combines with the flavors that you are eating. “Scallop,” on the other hand, is served in a bowl inside a larger outer bowl which is filled with hyacinth and orange peels. Hot water is then poured into this outer bowl which releases the aromas of its contents.

Eat With An Open Mind

In Alinea, you will be served and asked to eat food in ways you never even considered. Whoever said that eating is best accomplished by cutting up some meat with a serrated piece of metal and stabbing it with a three-pronged implement? Whoever said you even needed your hands to eat? Your every conception of food and how to eat will be turned into misconceptions and you will be pleasantly surprised at the resulting experience.

Whether all this is a trend or a fad is difficult to say. But if you think about it, gimmicks can only carry you so far because at the end of the day, it is still the taste of the food that must be the most important criterion. And it is the uncanny ability to excellently achieve taste, novelty, presentation and the total experience that make Achatz and Alinea so impressive.

I think that this is the next big thing in food and a way to make your meal more than just taste good. For now, there are relatively few chefs who have been successful at this new trend. Among them are Adria, Achatz, Homaru Cantu at Moto also in Chicago, Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck in London and Pierre Gagnaire in his eponymous restaurant in Paris. Eventually, there will be others who will try to emulate these pioneers and like most things, some will do it well while most will undoubtedly fail miserably.

And if all this sounds a little strange and difficult to appreciate, I would urge you to come with an open mind, check your biases at the door and at the end of the evening, you too will find yourself saying: “Wow…they can do that with food???”

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Alinea is located at 1723 North Halsted, Chicago, IL. For inquiries, call (312)867-0110, or e-mail info@alineares-taurant.com. The restaurant is open only for dinner. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

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E-mail the author at omniumg@yahoo.com.