Alinea Restaurant, Chicago
Alinea takes its guests on a culinary journey focusing on all aspects. The most obvious is the food and ingredients but there is also a great importance placed on the presentation and service.
Alinea conjures ingredients in a exclusive corner of Chicago’s Lincoln Park. Like its surroundings city, it contributes as an art work to enjoy. Three of our sensory abilities are applied taste, sight, and scent. It focuses on taste in its original combinations, sight with it extreme presentation methods, and scents to heighten taste by placing small pillows designed to release potent fragrances while eating.
Achatz has gone on to say “ …molecular gastronomy, modernist cuisine, progressive cusine — whatever you want to call it — in a way, not that it’s coming to an end, but it’s moving past the focus of that. Where, now, at least at Alinea we’re focused more on emotion and guest interaction” At Alinea they defiantly exceed these goals.
It serves international,eclectic, molecular gastronomy. The molecular gastronomy emphasizes more than traditional fare, it sees to create new ways to blend different ingredients to create a mind blowing taste. The cuisine changes at Alinea as it is inspired by the seasons. All dishes are radical as Achatz re-imagines fine food. There is absolutely no “duds” served in this restaurant.
Presentation is a key factor to Alinea. Displays are incomparable to any others. Many are served in test tubes, cylinders or multi-layered bowls that come apart. One amazing display is the smoked salmon and soy foam on an antenna that suspended the food 14 inches off the table’s surface!
Lastly, they focus on a fun atmosphere rather than an uptight one without losing its prestige of course.
