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Alinea - I'm a believer

Alinea - I'm a believer
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  • Post #241 - July 4th, 2012, 9:43 pm
    Post #241 - July 4th, 2012, 9:43 pm Post #241 - July 4th, 2012, 9:43 pm
    Summer is high season for them. Especially if you wanted a Friday or Saturday night. It might be especially bad right now because they haven't yet implemented the new ticket based reservations system a la Next.

    How many people are on the wait list with you? I've seen figures of 75-100 as "typical" quoted before.

    I believe their cancellation policy is "at least 48 hours in advance," so you might get a call at the very last minute. I guess it depends how far down you are on the list.
  • Post #242 - July 13th, 2012, 7:51 pm
    Post #242 - July 13th, 2012, 7:51 pm Post #242 - July 13th, 2012, 7:51 pm
    Somehow someone mistook Alinea for a steakhouse:

    http://312diningdiva.blogspot.com/2012/ ... e.html?m=1
    Twitter: @Goof_2
  • Post #243 - July 14th, 2012, 9:46 am
    Post #243 - July 14th, 2012, 9:46 am Post #243 - July 14th, 2012, 9:46 am
    That review parses out as computer generated spam. I've seen similar cookie cutter text which is designed to sound like it's significant without saying anything on other websites including genealogy, product reviews etc. the only point is to draw you to the ads on the site.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #244 - July 14th, 2012, 10:17 am
    Post #244 - July 14th, 2012, 10:17 am Post #244 - July 14th, 2012, 10:17 am
    Yeah, that makes sense. Sure was an entertaining read. Nick Kokonas was amused and had posted the link on Facebook.
    Twitter: @Goof_2
  • Post #245 - July 26th, 2012, 3:09 pm
    Post #245 - July 26th, 2012, 3:09 pm Post #245 - July 26th, 2012, 3:09 pm
    Alinea tickets now on sale for August https://content.alinearestaurant.com/html/index.html (Yes, I spend too much time on Facebook :oops: )
    "Baseball is like church. Many attend. Few understand." Leo Durocher
  • Post #246 - July 26th, 2012, 4:14 pm
    Post #246 - July 26th, 2012, 4:14 pm Post #246 - July 26th, 2012, 4:14 pm
    And if you want a 4 or 6 top, tables are still plentiful
  • Post #247 - August 2nd, 2012, 11:36 am
    Post #247 - August 2nd, 2012, 11:36 am Post #247 - August 2nd, 2012, 11:36 am
    Interesting...Alinea is now using their Facebook page to announce same night tables, much like their Next page. In any case, here's a link if anyone is interested: https://www.facebook.com/alinearestaurant
    "Baseball is like church. Many attend. Few understand." Leo Durocher
  • Post #248 - August 25th, 2012, 4:04 pm
    Post #248 - August 25th, 2012, 4:04 pm Post #248 - August 25th, 2012, 4:04 pm
    Sept/Oct tables now available. The on sale schedule for the rest of the year has been posted to their site as well.

    In response to a query about single diners, Nick posted this:

    What we actually do is this (probably more detail than you want, but transparency is important to me):

    Single diners experience the menu in under 2.5 hours usually, whereas a table of 4 takes about 3:15 on average and a table of 6 just shy of 4 hours -- with some going well over. Why? Well we don't use heat lamps in the kitchen to hold food, we don't plate food if a diner is 'up' from the table, and of course with a table of 6 at any given moment someone is more likely to be outside smoking or using the restroom. We book 1 or 2 tables every 15 minutes between 5:30 and 7:30 at which time every seat is full. Given the time difference in party size, once we have the full template for the night, we can often place a single diner at a table on the early or late side knowing that having an 'extra' table or two works for the single diners.

    BTW: we keep every 'ticket' from the expediters station in the kitchen, so we could tell you how long it took to serve your third course and how long you spent on the cell phone in the bathroom waiting area in 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjoYQduECt0 Please watch this video... and yes that's our sous chef Rene from Next! Guy's a rock star chef, and worked nearly every position at Alinea from runner to expo to chef to learn the biz.

    Again, at a restaurant that is not full every night there is no need to address these issues -- they can seat a single diner at any table, any time. We've thought long and hard about how to accommodate single diners -- and there is a long tradition of honoring the single diner at Michelin 3* restaurants (little secret: at the VERY high end places single diners get bumps) -- and this allows us the most flexibility in accommodating them without hurting the business of the restaurant and while accommodating the largest number of people we can to dine with us.

    What we will do is gather up all of the single diner requests then see if we can slot them in. Keep in mind that for a given night we might get 10 or 20 such requests and only be able to accommodate 1 or 2.

    We do in fact prioritize for: visiting chefs, visiting industry professionals, credible press (never anyone who asks for a comp in exchange for press), and regulars who have dined with us more than 25 times over the last 7 years. After that, it simply luck of the draw. Bourdain's wife would get in (she said we were the best dinner ever), Bourdain himself I'm not so sure.
  • Post #249 - August 28th, 2012, 2:25 pm
    Post #249 - August 28th, 2012, 2:25 pm Post #249 - August 28th, 2012, 2:25 pm
    Well, this is interesting:

    It's official: Alinea, Eleven Madison Park swap restaurants for a week

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/ ... 7674.story
  • Post #250 - August 28th, 2012, 2:36 pm
    Post #250 - August 28th, 2012, 2:36 pm Post #250 - August 28th, 2012, 2:36 pm
    Shasson wrote:Well, this is interesting:

    It's official: Alinea, Eleven Madison Park swap restaurants for a week

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/ ... 7674.story

    Ouch! Tickets are $495.
    What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
    -- Lin Yutang
  • Post #251 - August 28th, 2012, 6:21 pm
    Post #251 - August 28th, 2012, 6:21 pm Post #251 - August 28th, 2012, 6:21 pm
    You can actually fly to NYC and eat at Eleven Madison Park for less (assuming you can crash on someone's couch).
    -Josh

    I've started blogging about the Stuff I Eat
  • Post #252 - November 7th, 2012, 7:16 pm
    Post #252 - November 7th, 2012, 7:16 pm Post #252 - November 7th, 2012, 7:16 pm
    Some reservations are open right now for January. Just finished reading Life, on the Line, a great read, makes me want to go after one of these reservations.
  • Post #253 - November 7th, 2012, 9:15 pm
    Post #253 - November 7th, 2012, 9:15 pm Post #253 - November 7th, 2012, 9:15 pm
    Cinnamon Girl wrote:Some reservations are open right now for January. Just finished reading Life, on the Line, a great read, makes me want to go after one of these reservations.


    Go for it; truly an amazing unforgettable dining experience.
    Twitter: @Goof_2
  • Post #254 - February 11th, 2013, 3:19 pm
    Post #254 - February 11th, 2013, 3:19 pm Post #254 - February 11th, 2013, 3:19 pm
    I realize it's pricey, but is anyone else surprised by how many reservations are open for Alinea these days? I just checked their site and you can get most days over the next two months at not bad times on Wed/Thurs with a decent number of Fri/Saturday openings. Maybe I'm just used to Next selling out immediately, but there are lots of tables in March available. Kind of makes me want to go just because it's so much more available than Next. But $275 minimum after tax/tip with water pairings is still a big chunk of change.
  • Post #255 - February 11th, 2013, 5:19 pm
    Post #255 - February 11th, 2013, 5:19 pm Post #255 - February 11th, 2013, 5:19 pm
    Hopped Up wrote:I realize it's pricey, but is anyone else surprised by how many reservations are open for Alinea these days? I just checked their site and you can get most days over the next two months at not bad times on Wed/Thurs with a decent number of Fri/Saturday openings. Maybe I'm just used to Next selling out immediately, but there are lots of tables in March available. Kind of makes me want to go just because it's so much more available than Next. But $275 minimum after tax/tip with water pairings is still a big chunk of change.


    Well, Alinea's lowest price is $210 per person. Next's lowest entry point can be as low as $85pp (or lower?) dependent upon the menu.

    You could eat at Next at least twice and some money leftover compared to the price of Alinea.

    I'd also say we're seeing lots of 4-tops and 6-tops sitting around on the Alinea site because it's harder to wrangle 4 people who are all available at the same date/time and can afford $210+ per person, as opposed to just 2 who can afford it.

    The 2-tops at Next go at lightning speed because it's more affordable and there's only 6 of them compared to the 11 4-tops. I'm not sure how many tables for 2 there are at Alinea. Both Next and Alinea have roughly the same number of seats (62 vs 64).

    Also Alinea does not explicitly change menus every few months, creating artificial scarcity and necessitating a re-review in the media with every new menu. There are many out there who want to "collect" every Next menu even if they don't have season tickets. And Next has already pre-sold a good number of tables to season ticket holders, so when tickets do go on sale, there's the mentality that you're going to miss out. Which leads to people buying dates they can't make and then trying to trade around.
  • Post #256 - February 11th, 2013, 5:23 pm
    Post #256 - February 11th, 2013, 5:23 pm Post #256 - February 11th, 2013, 5:23 pm
    You could eat at Next at least twice and some money leftover compared to the price of Alinea.


    You're talking as a solo diner, right? Because even that would take some doing at Next.
  • Post #257 - February 11th, 2013, 5:42 pm
    Post #257 - February 11th, 2013, 5:42 pm Post #257 - February 11th, 2013, 5:42 pm
    Do you think that Alinea's switch from a conventional reservation system to pre-paid ticketing is having any effect the perceived slow down there? Aand again, we're just guessing about a slow-down because we have no idea of what Alinea's numbers actually are. Still, I'm curious about the possible effect of that change on their business.

    =R=
    By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. --Kambei Shimada

    Every human interaction is an opportunity for disappointment --RS

    There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM

    That don't impress me much --Shania Twain
  • Post #258 - February 11th, 2013, 5:53 pm
    Post #258 - February 11th, 2013, 5:53 pm Post #258 - February 11th, 2013, 5:53 pm
    ronnie_suburban wrote:Do you think that Alinea's switch from a conventional reservation system to pre-paid ticketing is having any effect the perceived slow down there? Aand again, we're just guessing about a slow-down because we have no idea of what Alinea's numbers actually are. Still, I'm curious about the possible effect of that change on their business.

    =R=


    I think it's making it more visible--before, you called, asked for a reservation and either they confirmed your choice or verbally gave you other options. With the on line reservation system, you get to see everything available-and, as Kathryn notes, those larger tables are understandably more difficult to fill, especially in the winter outside of convention season. I'd be surprised if there was any significant slow down occurring and even more surprised if the reservation system has anything to do with it.
    "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad." Miles Kington
  • Post #259 - February 12th, 2013, 9:58 am
    Post #259 - February 12th, 2013, 9:58 am Post #259 - February 12th, 2013, 9:58 am
    Vitesse98 wrote:
    You could eat at Next at least twice and some money leftover compared to the price of Alinea.


    You're talking as a solo diner, right? Because even that would take some doing at Next.


    Well, fine, a party of 2 or 4 or 6 will still spend over twice as much at Alinea than Next if they drink only water. I think the lowest price for the Hunt menu is currently $95pp.

    I'm not counting the solo dining thing at Alinea since given what Nick has posted to Facebook, the chances of someone getting in that way seem to be very low, say 5-10%.
  • Post #260 - February 12th, 2013, 10:42 am
    Post #260 - February 12th, 2013, 10:42 am Post #260 - February 12th, 2013, 10:42 am
    It's purely anecdotal, of course, but I find that the ticket system creates just enough necessary extra effort and imposes just enough extra commitment that perhaps it is scaring some folks off. An invented scenario that surely has come up: Say my parents wanted to take me out to Alinea. In the past, I could call, make reservations, etc., and they'd just grab the bill at the end (so generous, my fake take-me-to-Alinea parents!). The ticket system screws that up. Either I'd have to buy, say, four $$$ tickets myself and have them pay me back, or they'd have to navigate the ticket system themselves. Not saying either of those is somehow a major imposition, but it's just enough hassle that I might choose some other place. And then if for whatever reason my parents could not make it from out of town for my special fake dinner, we have to deal with selling off the tickets.

    Now, Next is a different creature, because as I've noted before, it's sort of like a perpetual motion hype-machine that all but guarantees every table is claimed. But at the same time, I don't hear anyone talking about it, because they just assume it's too hard to get tickets.

    The flipside to that may be Aviary, which arrived with this wave of hype and exclusivity, but whose relationship to Next I think may have hurt it. Frankly, I'd be surprised if Aviary was doing so hot, since, even without tickets, it transformed what used to be a casual outing - going for drinks - into a much bigger commitment. Certainly the talk of tables and (no) reservations there, combined with the Office boondoggle, made it seem at first like it'd be a hard place to hit, but I don't get the sense it carries nearly as much hip wait-in-line cachet as, say, Violet Hour.

    I could be wrong on all fronts, however! I'm just hypothesizing.
  • Post #261 - February 12th, 2013, 12:03 pm
    Post #261 - February 12th, 2013, 12:03 pm Post #261 - February 12th, 2013, 12:03 pm
    I would think that all ticketing does is to make you wait until you're closer to your intended date to make sure you won't need to reschedule due to the added complication of reselling your tickets.
  • Post #262 - February 12th, 2013, 12:07 pm
    Post #262 - February 12th, 2013, 12:07 pm Post #262 - February 12th, 2013, 12:07 pm
    Alinea wasn't that hard of a reservation to get, even before the ticketing system went into effect.
    -Josh

    I've started blogging about the Stuff I Eat
  • Post #263 - February 12th, 2013, 12:14 pm
    Post #263 - February 12th, 2013, 12:14 pm Post #263 - February 12th, 2013, 12:14 pm
    jesteinf wrote:Alinea wasn't that hard of a reservation to get, even before the ticketing system went into effect.


    It wasn't hard to get the reservation they offered you, but it wasn't always easy to get the date you wanted.
  • Post #264 - February 12th, 2013, 1:04 pm
    Post #264 - February 12th, 2013, 1:04 pm Post #264 - February 12th, 2013, 1:04 pm
    spinynorman99 wrote:
    jesteinf wrote:Alinea wasn't that hard of a reservation to get, even before the ticketing system went into effect.


    It wasn't hard to get the reservation they offered you, but it wasn't always easy to get the date you wanted.

    I'm not so sure. Before they implemented the ticketing system, they accepted reservations starting on the first of the month 2-3 months in advance (e.g. they accepted May reservations starting on March 1). My recollection was that it wasn't that hard to get a reservation if you called during the first week or two your desired date became available, but that if you were only calling a couple of weeks ahead of your desired date, you would rarely find any availability whatsoever. Is that not accurate? :?:
  • Post #265 - February 12th, 2013, 3:35 pm
    Post #265 - February 12th, 2013, 3:35 pm Post #265 - February 12th, 2013, 3:35 pm
    That's my recollection, too. The one time I went, we all picked a date, then I circled the date two months before that on the calendar. That's when I called and got a res.

    Re: rescheduling, I honestly don't know how much stuff like that does or does not come up. But I do know that when dealing with that kind of money and commitment, the less further required of me the better, afaic.
  • Post #266 - February 12th, 2013, 6:10 pm
    Post #266 - February 12th, 2013, 6:10 pm Post #266 - February 12th, 2013, 6:10 pm
    Instead of calling on the 1st of the month at a specific time to try to get the date you want, would-be customers now have to obsessively check Twitter and Facebook. Or be savvy enough to know how to push SMS alerts to their phones via Twitter.

    New batches of tickets are released at some point during the day around the first week or so each month.

    No advance notice is ever given in regards to the time.

    There's a ticket schedule on their site that hasn't been updated in some time:

    November will become available Wednesday, September 12
    December will become available Wednesday, October 10
    January will become available Wednesday, November 7

    At least when it was the 1st of the month, it was always 1st of the month, and always at the same time. Now it's unpredictable.
  • Post #267 - February 12th, 2013, 6:44 pm
    Post #267 - February 12th, 2013, 6:44 pm Post #267 - February 12th, 2013, 6:44 pm
    kathryn wrote:Instead of calling on the 1st of the month at a specific time to try to get the date you want, would-be customers now have to obsessively check Twitter and Facebook. Or be savvy enough to know how to push SMS alerts to their phones via Twitter.

    New batches of tickets are released at some point during the day around the first week or so each month.

    (remainder deleted)

    But kathryn, have you checked for availability recently? All that time-wasting on Twitter and Facebook, while necessary for Next, is no longer needed for Alinea. At least, not right now. I went into their website today to check availability of tickets for Alinea, and found that there were openings for seven of the next seven Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, and four of the next seven Fridays and Saturdays. If you have a specific time you'd like to dine and/or specific party size, you may not have all those times to choose from, but if you're a little flexible, you can still find a reservation to your liking. Without having to deal with an endless waiting list or wasting time checking when tickets are released.
  • Post #268 - February 12th, 2013, 8:25 pm
    Post #268 - February 12th, 2013, 8:25 pm Post #268 - February 12th, 2013, 8:25 pm
    nsxtasy wrote:
    kathryn wrote:Instead of calling on the 1st of the month at a specific time to try to get the date you want, would-be customers now have to obsessively check Twitter and Facebook. Or be savvy enough to know how to push SMS alerts to their phones via Twitter.

    New batches of tickets are released at some point during the day around the first week or so each month.

    (remainder deleted)

    But kathryn, have you checked for availability recently? All that time-wasting on Twitter and Facebook, while necessary for Next, is no longer needed for Alinea. At least, not right now. I went into their website today to check availability of tickets for Alinea, and found that there were openings for seven of the next seven Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, and four of the next seven Fridays and Saturdays. If you have a specific time you'd like to dine and/or specific party size, you may not have all those times to choose from, but if you're a little flexible, you can still find a reservation to your liking. Without having to deal with an endless waiting list or wasting time checking when tickets are released.


    Yes, but I think we just happen to be looking at a slower period right now. If I recall correctly, it took a day or two to sell out a month when they first moved to a ticketing system.

    And if you're flying in from out of town for the weekend, looking for a 2-top to celebrate a milestone (like a lot of people are), you still need to be pretty vigilant.
  • Post #269 - May 29th, 2013, 1:02 pm
    Post #269 - May 29th, 2013, 1:02 pm Post #269 - May 29th, 2013, 1:02 pm
    Going tomorrow (finally!) for the first time. Any tips? What's the wine list price range look like?
  • Post #270 - May 29th, 2013, 1:17 pm
    Post #270 - May 29th, 2013, 1:17 pm Post #270 - May 29th, 2013, 1:17 pm
    sbhaskar wrote:Going tomorrow (finally!) for the first time. Any tips? What's the wine list price range look like?

    My one tip would be to do the wine pairing, either regular or reserve (can't recall the price), but to share it. It's quite a lot to drink for one person, and sharing will bring the price down too.

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