Alinea Kitchen Table. Chicago. Illinois. 11.12.2016.

It was in 2006 when I really fine tuned my palate and that was what essentially made me into the food "consultant" that I have become. It was also in 2006 when I had a reservation to Alinea. Sadly, life happened for me in a big way in 2006 and that was also why I did not make it to Chicago. Since the Bay Area food scene has kept me plenty entertained, I had completely forgotten about my desire to dine at Alinea until I watched Chef's Table Season 2 Episode 1 this summer. That was when I decided that I will go this year before I forgot again. Immediately I texted Derrick Carter to make plans for my Chicago trip and for this meal.

If you cannot let go of your preconceived notion of how food should function, react, taste or look, you will only set yourself up for disappointment for this meal. Much like some of modern art, I think this fine art dining may go over a lot of people's heads. You need to be able let go and enjoy this Le Cirque des Rêves of a meal, as it is simultaneously "whoa," "intriguing," "WTF," and "mildly disturbing." *quotes directly taken from comments in my social media posts for two dishes.

We opted for The Kitchen Table experience as I tend to go big or stay home. For the record, I am home 90% of the time. After all, how many times in your life will you be dining at Alinea? We also opted for the white truffle addition and the wine pairing.

Alinea
1723 N Halsted St
Chicago, IL 60614
312.867.0110

In truth, Chandresh prefers not to know all the ingredients, not to understand each technique. He claims such ignorance gives each dish life, makes it more than the sum of its parts.
-The Night Circus

























Please make sure you have the sound on for this video as it's choreographed. Enjoy!

A video posted by Amy Yvonne Yu (@amyyvonneyu) on Nov 12, 2016 at 11:03pm PST