Here’s something fun…on Leite’s Culinaria there’s a live recording of food writer Jess Thompson describing her experience at Alinea, Chicago’s temple of Molecular Gastronomy. While the delivery isn’t perfect (it’s live, after all), some parts are pretty darn funny. As you listen, keep in mind that Gourmet magazine named Alinea the best restaurant in the country in 2006.
After listening, I hopped over to the restaurant’s website, which is as odd as one might suspect after hearing Thompson’s tale. There are two menus, “Tasting” and “Tour.” “Tour” has more courses. If you’re the type who rebels against mega-menu descriptions which include the age and place of origin for each ingredient, you’ll find the Alinea menu refreshing. Here are a couple of samples (the 0s stand in for a smoke-ring-like symbol used on the menu):
SWEETBREAD 0 cauliflower, burnt bread, toasted hay
LAMB 0 in cubism
BLACK TRUFFLE 0 explosion, romaine, parmesan
CARAMEL CORN 0 *liquified*
For a lengthy glimpse into a meal at Alinea, check out this post on the peacelovefood blog. There’s a shorter one at cravings. And here‘s what Frank Bruni had to say after dining there.
This article appears in Feb 6-12, 2008.
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