Awesome stuff, Anthony. Thanks, for sharing those amazing images.

I agree that Alinea just keeps getting better and more interesting. What especially impresses me about that is the fact that it's been accomplished with essentially 100% turnover in the staff (FOH & BOH) since it opened. The fact that Alinea's mission has been so successfully and consistently acheived is a testament to Grant's prodigious vision, abilities and perseverance. Of course, (managing partner) Nick Kokonas and GM Joe Catterson have also been there since before Day 1 and they've had plenty of influence on Alinea's success, too.

=R=

essentially 100% turnover in the staff (FOH & BOH) since it opened

. This is more common than not, and often in less time.

Jazzfood wrote:

essentially 100% turnover in the staff (FOH & BOH) since it opened

. This is more common than not, and often in less time.

Yeah, I realize it's fairly common but it seems less common that the standard of quality actually increases duing the turnover process. I think that when it does happen, it signifies something exceptional about the people in charge and just about every facet of the way they run their businesses.

=R=

yellow truffle wrote:On a couple of recent visits (one pre, one post, Michelin 3-star award), I was able to experience some of the more playful (read: off-menu) dishes that I have ever had in any fine dining establishment.

Yellow truffle's post reminded me of something that put a little damper on my most recent Alinea experience: The case of "other people are more special than you are."

We were seated in the front ground floor room at a table along the west wall. There were 3 or 4 tables along the wall, plus another table on the north wall. When we arrived, the table along the north wall was occupied, and the other tables adjacent to us empty.

The meal started with the chef's riff on cocktails: 3 one-bite dishes inspired by different alcohols. It was a fantastic way to start off the meal, and we loved them.

After we'd had a few more courses, a couple was seated at the table next to us, and promptly served 5 cocktail dishes, similar to those pictured by ronnie_suburban in this post. (We got Lemon, Apple & Squash, this couple appeared to get those three plus passion fruit and something else. We had no dietary restrictions that would have limited the dishes we were served.)

Now, if you haven't eaten at Alinea & haven't read this entire thread, Alinea has one menu. Accommodations are made for allergies & dietary preferences, but to the best of my knowledge, there are no add-on options or other choices. So the logical conclusion is: The couple next to us was special and got a little something extra.

I realize we live in a free country and aren't all equal, but my parents also taught me that it's rude to play favorites in front of others. If you're going to send a bonus to one table at a place like Alinea--where there's only one menu--the adjacent tables will probably notice. Presumably the kitchen knew in advance that it was going to send out these off-menu dishes. Would it have killed them to have served the same dishes to the other tables that were already seated?

It's a minor nit pick, but something that but a slight damper on my experience. I realize that this other couple could very well eat at Alinea on a regular basis (and it was my first visit), but for a restaurant that places so much emphasis on the total dining experience, I would have expected them to be a little bit more sensitive to the perception of nearby diners.

(I will add: We loved Alinea. Although it was our first experience, it certainly won't be our last. I'm eager to go back in the late spring or summer to see what Alinea does with those seasonal ingredients. Based on those first cocktail dishes, I can't wait to try Aviary, and based on our Escoffier dish I can't wait to try Next.)

This question may sound accusatory, but I think it's at the heart of the matter. Why does it matter to you what other people were eating?

The menu at Alinea is constantly changing. Some dishes come and go in the span of minutes. Others may be specially requested in advance. I'd suggest paying attention to those around you is a recipe for disappointment, just like those who are upset that their interactive dessert was prepared by Dave Beran while the people across the way got Grant Achatz. In the end, what does it matter? More often than not the "snub" exists entirely in the mind of the one who felt they were snubed. Alinea is trying to give everyone the best possible dining experience available.

The next time I go, I plan to call ahead and ask to have an extended cocktail block and I'm sure they'll be happy to oblige. Should they have to prepare all of those extra little morsels for every table near mine? Should I care if, as a result of my request, I miss out on one of the courses served to the next table over?

For people that go to Alinea multiple times, and spend as much money as they do, it would almost be odd for the restaurant not to give them a little something extra. This happens at 99% of all restaurants, not just Alinea, and it's just good business.

I completely agree. I've never been to Alinea (although hope to remedy this as soon as I can find the damn gift certificate in my apartment), but wouldn't be offended if others were given special treatment, as long as my own experience was as-near-perfection as could be hoped for, given the price . There are a few places I go where I get a little better treatment than others, and I also spend a decent amount of money in those places on a pretty regular basis, so when I get a seat faster I appreciate it and come back more often. It seems stupid not to do these things in the overall scheme of things to me.

kl1191 wrote:This question may sound accusatory, but I think it's at the heart of the matter. Why does it matter to you what other people were eating?

Why did it matter? More than anything because it was a fabulous meal and it would have been great to experience even more (which is exactly why I'll go back). As I said, it was a minor nitpick. I certainly wouldn't raise it to the level of being "offended" (as bjackson characterized it).

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Jazzfood wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:essentially 100% turnover in the staff (FOH & BOH) since it opened

. This is more common than not, and often in less time.

Yeah, I realize it's fairly common but it seems less common that the standard of quality actually increases duing the turnover process. I think that when it does happen, it signifies something exceptional about the people in charge and just about every facet of the way they run their businesses.

I agree that those in charge are tip-top. One reason may be that some of staff have held multiple positions in the restaurant. Some of the kitchen and wait staff have been runners. I believe the runner position is the hold-over for those waiting to serve in either the FOH or the kitchen. Most of the runners and FOH, are actually culinary graduates, who have staged at Alinea, but cannot be placed into a line position for one reason or another. I think this could be one of the (many) factors why everything is so tight.

chgoeditor wrote:...I realize we live in a free country and aren't all equal, but my parents also taught me that it's rude to play favorites in front of others. If you're going to send a bonus to one table at a place like Alinea--where there's only one menu--the adjacent tables will probably notice. Presumably the kitchen knew in advance that it was going to send out these off-menu dishes. Would it have killed them to have served the same dishes to the other tables that were already seated?...

Please read this primer, When Envy is on the Menu, by Grant Achatz, for The Atlantic.



This reminds of when we had the mat for the first time. It was actually the first time on the dining room floor (we were one of two tables having it that evening). The mat was served mid-way through our meal, and was called Soft Shell Crab. It looked great, but really did not hold up well. The crab was supposed to hot, but had cooled off too much during the plating.



Although we loved the table side preparation, the dish could have tasted better if it was just on a plate, where timing could be better controlled. IMHO, the texture (from the cooling off period) was not up to the Alinea standard. I am glad that they are now using the mat for dessert, where (I guess) it would be easier to control temperature (and where you get square and round sauce droplets).



Alinea, or any other restaurant, regardless of cost, would never do certain things unless it works. In this case, we were used as "guinea pigs," because practice runs, are no match for the real thing, dinner service. And when you do it during dinner service, it is so much easier to do it to regulars, friends, and industry people. They tend to be more tolerant of things.

This is all a very interesting discussion and has made me think about how I might react in a situation where a nearby table was receiving "special" treatment. Before reading all of this, I might have been a little disappointed, but not offended or upset. However, after reading Achatz's piece, I can understand completely why a kitchen might experiment on a few friends/loyal customers or even routinely give customers a little something extra. There is just too much that as a bystander, I cannot be aware of, so I will not let somebody else's dining experience adversely impact how I perceive mine.

For all I know, the table next to me getting served an extra course had some issue when they dined at the restaurant previously and the chef/owner is trying to make amends.

I do hope to some day dine at Alinea, and I will be sure to keep this all in mind if I notice that a table next to us is receiving different courses. As long as my course are absolutely delicious, beautiful and live up to the Alinea standard, I won't be bothered.

yellow truffle, thanks for sharing that article. It's fascinating to know that they've given serious thought to the topic (and it's also a little comforting to realize that I'm not the only one who's had this same reaction--though, from the sounds of it, on a much more muted scale--as other diners).

I have a reservation question. It is my understanding that May 1 will be when they open up the July reservation book. I am treating myself and gf, to what I hope will be the meal of our lifetime, for my July bday. What time do they start accepting calls? I assume it will take a while to get through, but want to know to start the dialing.

10 AM

May 1st is a Sunday, the Alinea reservations page says their office hours are M-F, 10am-6pm. Will they open on that particular Sunday to start taking July reservations?

kmmccorm wrote:May 1st is a Sunday, the Alinea reservations page says their office hours are M-F, 10am-6pm. Will they open on that particular Sunday to start taking July reservations?

I also have this question, going to be making reservations for July but I'm not sure whether to call on Sunday or Monday.

claypoolfan wrote:

kmmccorm wrote:May 1st is a Sunday, the Alinea reservations page says their office hours are M-F, 10am-6pm. Will they open on that particular Sunday to start taking July reservations?

I also have this question, going to be making reservations for July but I'm not sure whether to call on Sunday or Monday.

This question is best addressed to the restaurant. Why don't you call today and ask them about their policy. It would be nice if you could report back.

Darren72 wrote:This question is best addressed to the restaurant. Why don't you call today and ask them about their policy. It would be nice if you could report back.

Just gave them a call, they don't take reservation calls on Sunday so Monday is the day to call.

I should have come back to answer my own question - I did call Alinea and they confirmed Monday, 5/2 at 10am for 7/1 reservations.

Just called and, after getting a busy signal for about five minutes, got an answering machine asking me to leave a message about when I wanted to come. Is that normal?

Not sure, but I was able to get an answer and get a reservation on 7/8. This was after 8 minutes of busy signals this morning.

On a different note, should I have requested an add on when I reserved or at the time of seating. A friend of mine told me the white truffle risotto is a must have, and it wasn't on the current menu. I didn't know if it is possible to add that course, especially if i'm a first timer.

I'd be surprised if they still had the white truffle risotto when your meal comes, but in any case, they ask you when you sit.

gleam wrote:I'd be surprised if they still had the white truffle risotto when your meal comes, but in any case, they ask you when you sit.

Yeah, pretty sure that's a late fall-into-winter dish, since that's when the Alba white truffles are in season.

=R=

just to corroborate, the risotto was a supplement when I was there last November.

Haha, thanks for the replies. I hadn't even considered the white truffles not being in season in my excitement.

My wife and I went on Saturday and to put it succinctly, I was blown away. We were the first or second table seated in the restaurant thanks to our 5pm reservation (all they had left by the time I got through) and as a result our meal was just a bit over three hours. While it was a little shorter than I was expecting the service did not feel rushed at all and the staff was looser than I expected, in a good way.

I'm sure there's no shortage of pictures of Alinea's food at this point but I was eager to document such a milestone meal and hopefully these provide a good feel for the current menu. I did miss the octopus course since it's served directly to your waiting hands and consumed before being set down. There is also no shortage of focus issues but I was snapping them quickly as to not distract from the main task at hand

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinmccor ... 385126481/

I see they replaced the Pea dish they had there when I went in July.... I'm not surprised, I felt that was the only unsuccessful course I had. That salad they put in there instead looks pretty great.

So happy to see this thread come back to life. I won't say that Next has stolen any of Alinea's thunder, but it has claimed some of its well-deserved attention. I think about my one meal at Alinea all the time.

Vitesse98 wrote:I think about my one meal at Alinea all the time.

I've found myself daydreaming about the food numerous times over the past week. Certain dishes or even just tastes and aromas from the meal have popped into my head out of nowhere.

With all the attention given to Next, both from the forum (and from Achatz himself, apparently, who has been spending much of his time and energy on Next), updates to this thread are relatively few and far between (obviously there are other factors at work, too ... $$$). But what's new at Alinea? Any radical breakthroughs? And quality fluctuations? Any surprises? Too few surprises?