Location Decision Making Process (Emily's Choice)
I have grown up my entire life in Illinois, in a town about 30 miles west of Chicago. Although I live out East now, I go back regularly. We decided to spend the holidays in Illinois this year, and to celebrate our anniversary Josh told me he wanted to go to a "nice" dinner there. Even though I grew up in the Chicagoland area, I was never much of a foodie so the name Alinea didn't mean anything to me when he said it - needless to say I didn't know what I was getting myself into.
Restaurant Decision Making Process (Josh's Choice)
I remember seeing some story about Alinea a couple of years ago (it was right around the time it won a James Beard award), so this piqued my interest. I did some minor research (this is also before I met Emily) and I realized this was not your normal restaurant. Once Emily and I met, and I learned that she was from Chicagoland, I frequently joked about going to Alinea. The process to booking a reservation is quite intense. You must purchase tickets (this is a show, not just a meal), and these tickets sell out very quickly. There are several different dining options, the Salon, the Gallery and the Kitchen Table. We selected the Gallery because the Kitchen Table requires you to purchase 6 tickets (and while couples do purchase 6 and sell 4, we aren't exactly the type of couple that can afford to buy 6 Alinea tickets), and the Salon does not offer as many courses at the Gallery.
First Impressions
Emily: So after we dropped a small fortune simply to make the reservation, I decided to do my research. This place, to say the least, seemed amazing. Not only did we watch Chef Grant Achatz's special on Chef's Table together, I made my sister, then my brother, then my parents all watch it with me as well. I was unbelievably excited. The dress code said casual, and some people wore jeans with nice blouses- but with the amount of money I spent, I wasn't going to let my Ireland dress go to waste, and I decided to wear it again- officially starting the tradition of our "Michelin' attire.
We were excited as we were going to Alinea after the renovations they talked about on Chef's Table, so although we had an idea of what to expect - we were excited for the adventures ahead. We were seated at a communal table, and greeted with a glass of Champagne. We were giddy and taking in the atmosphere, and we were really close to the kitchen so we just watched the hustle and bustle inside of there for a bit. An attractive man and woman sat down across from us, and I felt like I recognized them, but I couldn't say from where. The table was asked if anyone was celebrating anything, and both us and them turn out to be celebrating our anniversary. They had been married for a bit, and we were just dating - but when they commended us on our choice for a winter wedding, it seemed foolish to say we had only been dating one year, so I quickly went along with the lie and said "who needs flowers when you have the snow and pre-decorated churches?" She agreed, but as she spoke I definitely knew her. I thought maybe they went to my Church - but she also kind of looked like the wife from Dexter. I am very, very bad at actors/actresses (Denis Quade is the same to me as Nicholas Cage) but. I was pretty sure she was on Dexter. I asked Josh and he said she's an actress but couldn't name which one, we were whispering and staring - and I asked him if I could ask her. Josh told me that is extremely rude, but I countered that it may be rude if nobody recognized her. So I asked, very casually "Does anyone ever tell you that you look like someone famous?" She smiled politely, and said "Yes, sometimes. I get told that I look like...." and then a server came and gave everyone else their champagne. Now, we were definitely conspiring - the wave of mystery she just left us, she HAS to be someone. But who? I get my phone out, and it is definitely not Dexter's wife. I watch a lot of crime shows, and figure she is probably the wife or mom of some serial killer. The server pours me a little more champagne, and she whispers in my ear "you're right." But who?! I'm getting ready to ask her again, until the man sitting next to me says "I hate to interrupt, but are you Judy Greer." She confirms it, and this name doesn't mean anything to me, but I quickly look her up on Instagram where her bio is "that girl from that movie/tv show" and I like her already.
Early on in the meal we were taken back to the kitchen for a course and a drink, and I was snap-chatting my family pictures of Chef Grant Achatz that I was fan-girling over pretty hard. Judy Greer was standing next to me, and I asked if she knew about the history of the place - she said she hadn't and I gave her a very brief overview of his and this places story. When we came out of the kitchen we had individual tables, and I was excited to really start!
Josh: Because we had recently watched the Chef's Table episode featuring Alinea, there was a strange feeling of nervousness when we arrived. I honestly had no idea what to expect, and I remember thinking that literally any object around me could be food. We were seated at a large dining table with all of the other Gallery guests. It almost felt like we were at a murder mystery party. Our waiter poured the champagne, and we knew we were in for an exciting evening.
After our first course we were brought into the kitchen to enjoy an Alinea created cocktail. The cocktail was made by a very rare and old machine, if I remember correctly there were only 17 left in the world. It was very mechanical, it had a steampunk feel to it. As the machine moved up and down, for what seemed like half an hour, I caught a glimpse of the staff recreating the dining room. I tried to keep my eyes focused on the kitchen, but it was difficult.
Once our cocktails were finished (along with a tasty appetizer), we were led back into the original dining room. It was amazing what the staff was able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. Nearly everything about the dining room had changed. Instead of a large community dining table, all the parties now had their own personal dining tables, adorned with large bowls of fresh oranges. We were officially ready to begin!
Menu/Ordering
We pre-paid for both the food and wine pairing, so we did not need to do anything then. A few tables did end up upgrading at the beginning to the wine pairing, so you do have the option of doing that as well. On our table was a Word Search, and I quickly figured out that hidden in there were our courses, but really with the crazy dishes attempting to figure out what was coming was futile, so we sat back and enjoyed the show.
The Experience
Emily: Blown away by the creativity and innovation would be an understatement. With all the surprises you really lose track of counting what number of dish you are on, and the theatrics make it hard to care. The attention to detail was amazing, and I was blown away with how important we felt. Typically when we go to dine out as a couple in our 20s, we aren't always treated the same, but we felt pretty good at the beginning.
Until the "Alinea incident of 2017" as it is now called in our relationship. As a dish is being brought out on this rock-type plate, the dish (in what felt like slow motion) slid slowly off the plate onto my sweater. The server and I froze, both quite surprised as he stuttered out an apology. I let him know that luckily, I cannot afford this place where I'm eating and the sweater was from JC Penny about 3 years ago. He went back to the kitchen to get me another, and promptly a group of 6 other servers all came out and were huddling near the doorway to the kitchen, about 5 feet from our table. There was a communal sigh of relief that the dish did not fall onto Judy Greer, and the huddle broke.
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| The white morsel on the right is what slid and fell- this is the replacement plate |
We were both curious how this would be handled at a 3 Star Michelin Restaurant, and we waited. I have had the occasional mishap happen before - at Cafe Pacific in Dallas, someone accidentally bumped our table while cleaning off the table next to us. The manager came by, apologized profusely, and we got a (delicious) dessert. I thought this small mishap would give me a chance to meet Grant, who I had tried to (not so sneakily) snap some pictures when we got a tour of the kitchen as a group before the meal.
Unfortunately, I had to ask during the final coffee if they had a tide-to-go or a wet wipe (which they did have), but still no apology than the first awkward one. The bills came to those who added the wine pairing, and we were told we were all set since we pre-paid. He then went to Judy Greer's table where he announced loud enough for us to hear from the other side of the room, that she would not be expected to pay for anything. She insisted she at least tip, and he assured her that the rest of the room's service charge is more than enough. She thanked them very kindly, but we both thought this was strange they would make this announcement so loud and rubbed us the wrong way.
When Grant came out at the end of the meal, I was excited as it appeared he was stopping by tables. He briefly stopped at one, and then went and sat down at Judy Greer's table. After about 30 minutes, and us and Judy Greer's table being the only one remaining, it was clear that he was just stopping at hers, and the other brief stop was just a formality. We overheard her complimenting him on his impressive background that we told her, and at that point, with all the drinks and comedy of the evening, we left. When our friends and family asked us about how it was after, we claimed (jokingly) that Judy Greer ruined our anniversary- and have continued to say it whenever she appears on tv or a movie.
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| My not so sly attempt get a picture of Judy Greer |
Josh: I have mixed feelings about the experience, especially after we have dined at other comparable restaurants. The food was indescribable. Not everything was the most delicious, but every bite was so unique and complex that it left you wanting more. I explain it to people by comparing it to tasting certain foods for the first time. I didn't know these flavor combinations were possible, and it was an awesome experience.
The staff was very helpful in explaining how to eat each course (and this is necessary at a place like Alinea), but the staff was not so helpful after spilling food on Emily. When you pay more for service than you pay for food (see below), you expect some pretty phenomenal service. Emily and I have been to all types of restaurants, and you would expect any restaurant, especially one like Alinea, to not only acknowledge a mistake like that, but to do something to rectify it.
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| Even the string was edible |
The Price
The Gallery was $315 a person, the Standard Wine pairing was $215 a person, and the service charge and taxes were $358.28 bringing the total to $1,418.28 for two people to eat at Alinea.
The Final Reviews
Emily: While this was definitely a once in a lifetime meal that should be on everyone's bucket list, I would not go back personally. The wine pairing was alright, but I think you could have better value if you just asked for recommendations as you go.
Josh: I agree with Emily's sentiment above. I have no urge to go back, but it was a great experience, and I am glad I had the opportunity to go. If I was with someone who really wanted to go (and they were paying), I would go back.
