Alinea (Chicago, IL) [3]
Alinea Restaurant
1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
www.alinearestaurant.com
Mon 08/17/2026, 07:45p-10:55p
If we're talking about the most impactful American restaurants of the last two decades, then I think Alinea has to be on that list. The place was opened on May 4th, 2005 by Chef Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas, and right from the beginning, offered diners a taste of a new-fangled style of cuisine that generally went by the clunky moniker of "molecular gastronomy." The cooking was whimsical, audacious, artistic, technical, innovative, playful, provocative, contemplative, confusing, and unlike anything most of us had ever eaten.
That was certainly the case for me. My earliest meal at Alinea took place on August 17th, 2006--my first ever encounter with modernist dining--and I left the restaurant with newly-challenged perceptions of what food could be. I didn't fully comprehend what I just ate, but I knew that it hinted at something special, a new culinary paradigm of sorts. In fact, I was so taken aback that I felt obliged to document the dinner on my Myspace page, hence the birth of this blog.
Yet, as groundbreaking as Alinea has been, what was once novel has the pesky tendency to become the new normal. Therefore, the question inevitably becomes: do you evolve, or do you go the "museum" route?
Chef Achatz has chosen evolution, more than once. The first instance came at the start of 2016, when he shut down the restaurant for five months for a seven-figure renovation. When Alinea 2.0 reopened that May, it boasted a drastically remodeled interior and a refreshed menu, now offered in two distinct spaces: The Salon (upstairs) or The Gallery (downstairs), the latter representing a more immersive, more experimental dining experience.
Those '16 changes kept things humming for another decade or so, but by the end of 2025, Achatz--possibly spurred on by Alinea's demotion to two Michelin stars and/or muted responses to its series of 20th anniversary residencies--determined that more was needed. Thus, he got to work on "Alinea. Again," a creative movement intended to spearhead the development of completely original dishes, served alongside heightened narrative and theatrics in The Gallery. This was a risky, but also seemingly necessary move in order to stave off creative demise, and I was excited to return to the restaurant to witness the progress for myself.
Design-wise, Alinea was arguably most known for its iconic entry hallway, but said hallway is no longer, replaced by a more traditional host stand and waiting area.
Unfortunately, The Gallery isn't offered for solo diners, so I had to settle for The Salon, which is essentially a traditional dining format without the additional theater. Pictured above is one of three upper-floor dining rooms (the rearmost) that comprise The Salon. Interestingly, I was the first party to be seated, so I ended up having the room to myself for quite a while.
Here we see tonight's menu, which was priced at $375 to start, plus 20% service, 11.75% tax, and $5 Tock order fee, so $507.89 in total. Beverage options included the $195 Standard Salon Pairing, $285 Reserve Salon Pairing, $475 The Alinea Salon Pairing, and $95 Non-Alcoholic Salon Pairing, and of course, diners are also welcomed to order off the restaurant's considerable wine list. However, I opted to BYOB, paying a corkage fee of $125. Click for a larger version.
1: Chilled Vidalia Onion Soubise | sweetened, soured, and charred spring onion, nugget of golden honey, amontillado sherry
Dinner started off strong thanks to a chilled onion soubise incorporating charred orange, mānuka honey chews, fried Marcona almonds, green almonds, charred and pickled green onion, a brioche crouton, and a white pepper tuile. I loved how multifaceted the course was, with each bite seemingly revealing a new dimension, both in terms of taste and texture (especially with the unexpectedly "harsh" crunch of that tuile). I particularly appreciated the sugary, gummy qualities of the honey and all the pickle-y, tangy components, while a nutty, curry-esque aroma pervaded the dish.
2: Regiis Ova Osetra Caviar | 2-month-aged délice de bourgogne, french chamomile honey, transparent leeks
The salinity of ossetra caviar served as the perfect partner for the sheer lusciousness and slight funk of triple cream cheese. The matchup was made all the better by the savoriness of those leek crisps, while a saffron-spiked, chamomile-boosted honey served as a consummate finisher with all of its fruity, floral, astringent characteristics. I've never run across caviar quite like this before. Really smart, and a favorite for sure.
3: Aleutian King Crab Thigh | roasted and silkened walnuts, smoked grapefruit, celery branch
Poached, seared in clarified butter, and glazed with a vinaigrette of grapefruit and Sichuan pepper, king crab showed off a wonderful sweetness, smoke, and tang. A base of silky roasted walnut purée fortified with crab stock added further oomph to the dish, but my favorite thing here was the celery and how its punchy, zesty flavors worked as the perfect accent piece.
4: Roasted Peanut Sponge | massaman curry
The idea behind this next course was to play with heavy flavors but light textures. Hence, we had here an impossibly airy microwaved aerated brioche imbued with roasted peanut, stuffed with a massaman curry teeming with its familiar, heady flavors and herby sting.
In terms of wine for this trip, I'd purchased an assortment of red Burgundy from Unicorn Auctions earlier this year, and had them store the bottles for me until I could pick 'em up, shortly before this meal. My selection for Alinea was the 2005 Mommessin Clos de Tart Grand Cru Monopole, which I chose as a nod to the restaurant's founding year.
5: Cryodesiccated Baby Corn | hoja santa, caramelized corn, bitter cacao untuoso
A thoroughly reimagined taco was composed of a fragrantly vegetal yerba santa "tortilla" wrapped around an aggressive (both taste- and texture-wise) mole negro, chili oil, fresh avocado, finger lime (for pleasant pops of citrus), and some unusually maíz-y freeze-dried baby corn. A pleasant bite, but not one that really "clicked" for me.
6: Skatewing á la Pharos Siamois | fermented green peppercorn, tamarind, bai horapa
My Thai-inspired presentation of skate wing had the fish lacquered in a tamarind glaze, dusted with pickled green peppercorn powder, then set atop cashew butter, lime zest, basil, and a coriander cracker. I think the key here was the back-and-forth between the brininess of the skate and the sour-sweet-sticky tamarind, with supporting elements of zesty basil, traces of nuttiness, and this captivating "meaty" quality that I couldn't put my finger on.
Given the hands-on eating required for the courses above, a moistened hand towel was provided.
7: Confit Abacaxi Pineapple | jamón ibérico de bellota, whole grain mustard oxymel, opal basil buds
A floppy slice of confit'd pineapple set the stage for fixins of jamón ibérico, mustard oxymel, pickled mustard seeds, and basil buds. Think piquant and nutty and only subtly mustard-y, with a long-lingering finish reminiscent of juicy pineapple. This one didn't quite come together as well as I'd hoped.
8: Ice Cream Sandwich | passionfruit sherbet and dijon mustard shortbread
Another highlight for me was a reworked ice cream sandwich composed of surprisingly sturdy Dijon mustard shortbread cookies encasing a passion fruit sherbet. I was impressed by how effectively the one-biter married the trademark kick of the moutarde with a bevy of fruity, tropical flavors. I could've used another!
9: Grilled Atlantic Halibut | halos of cucumber and honeydew melon, ginger, cucumber skin cream
Halibut was dry-aged for five days, butter-poached to achieve a supple, flaky consistency, then finished on the grill. The fish was placed in a honeydew and cucumber cream, then crowned with thin-sliced honeydew and black mint. Here, I was a big fan of the clever interaction between the savoriness of the halibut and the fruity brightness of the melon-cucumber duet, with the pungency of the huacatay offering a touch of contrast. A standout course.
10: 14 Day Aged White Pekin Duck | szechuan peppercorns, plum rouennaise sauce, pyrolyzed fennel
Duck breast ate juicy and tender, its dry-aged depth complemented by sweet-n-spicy nuances and a crisp, flavorful skin, while a heady foie gras- and bone marrow-enriched Rouennaise sauce amped things up even more. Further accoutrements included a sweet-fragrant vanilla custard, a salted plum braised in port, and a zingy stalk of pyrolyzed fennel.
11: Boucané of Pork Belly | chien gratin, rhum agricole, charred sugarcane
Pork was cured, smoked, grilled over charcoal, and glazed with rhum agricole, giving it an agreeable chew along with plenty of sticky-sweet, savory flavors. The belly was set atop rum-soaked sugarcane, while a drag through a pea-thickened sauce chien imparted some lovely aromatics and some much-needed zip.
12: Strata of Figs, Coffee, Chocolate | dark roasted coffee, black mission figs, dark chocolate
This rather neat one-biter comprised a purée of Mission fig, 70% dark chocolate, and reduced port, layered within wafers made from espresso. Just a great mélange of coffee, cacao, and dark fruit flavors here. I wouldn't have minded a few more of these.
13: 7X Ranch Beef Ribeye | broccoli crown, cane, core, sesame, soy sauce
I immediately recognized this next course as a riff on beef and broccoli as it was heading to my table. I was actually surprised by how well the rib eye mimicked the texture and taste of what you might find in the American Chinese staple, despite its elevated level of fattiness. Paired with the meat was a ginger-y floret of dehydrated broccolini dipped in chili glaze. An umami-packed black garlic-soy concentrate help tie things together, while a nutty toasted sesame tahini was more unexpected, though not unwelcomed. My quibble here is that I would've liked the wok hei element to have been conveyed more clearly.
14: Paint | matcha ice cream, wakamomo peach, pecorino and white chocolate, raspberry
As I mentioned above, Alinea is in the process of revamping the menu, and thus, the restaurant's iconic "table dessert" will be going away in the near future, so apparently, I'll be one of the last to enjoy it. The dessert's various ingredients are constantly updated, but tonight we had white chocolate-pecorino romano sauce, white peach sauce, raspberry syrup, raspberry-ginger crumbles, an encapsulated wakamomo peach, a pistachio cake, an orange-bergamot tart, matcha ice cream, and finally, a sprinkle of peach glitter. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot going on, but it all came together pretty cohesively. I particularly liked the interplay between sweet peach and bitter green tea, tarted up by raspberry, while there was some nice textural variation happening as well.
Two wines arrived along with dessert. First was the Royal Tokaji Co., The Alinea Group Single Barrel, 5 Puttonyos Tokaji Aszú 2022 [$24], selected by Assistant Wine Director Tom Santelle for its higher acidity and slightly toned-down sweetness. Nevertheless, it was still loaded with all those tropical, pineapple, stone fruit-y flavors I wanted, and veered almost Sauternes-like at times. There was also the D'Oliveiras, Boal Frasquiera 1987 (bottled 2018) [$45], a completely different animal that showcased dusty, nutty, raisin-y dark fruit, undergirded by a backbone of saline. Note that both pours ended up being complimentary, I assume because I shared the Clos de Tart quite liberally with the staff.
With dinner done, I was taken downstairs and given a brief tour of the kitchen, which doesn't seem to have changed much over the years.
There were quite a few gifts to take home: pancake mix, raw/unfiltered honey from local producer Heaven's Honey, tart cherry-yuzu compote made with Seedling Farms produce, black truffle butter crafted from Gourmet Attitude Périgord truffles combined with Lurpak Danish butter, and a marzipan-y almond-brown butter financier (which I ate right after I got back to my hotel).
I walked out of my first meal at Alinea with a palpable feeling of bewilderment and beguilement, and this dinner did rekindle inklings of those same sensations, tempered surely by how much I've experienced and grown over the past 20 years. Tonight's cooking leaned more overtly pleasurable, a bit more restrained, a bit less cerebral, but still demonstrated some moments of marvel, as well as puzzlement. It's still somewhat of a work in progress. Achatz has likened Alinea's current evolution to the restaurant's own Kid A moment--a new, perhaps jarring album from your favorite artist. I like that analogy, and look forward to returning and seeing how the band is carrying on in the coming years.
1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
www.alinearestaurant.com
Mon 08/17/2026, 07:45p-10:55p
If we're talking about the most impactful American restaurants of the last two decades, then I think Alinea has to be on that list. The place was opened on May 4th, 2005 by Chef Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas, and right from the beginning, offered diners a taste of a new-fangled style of cuisine that generally went by the clunky moniker of "molecular gastronomy." The cooking was whimsical, audacious, artistic, technical, innovative, playful, provocative, contemplative, confusing, and unlike anything most of us had ever eaten.
That was certainly the case for me. My earliest meal at Alinea took place on August 17th, 2006--my first ever encounter with modernist dining--and I left the restaurant with newly-challenged perceptions of what food could be. I didn't fully comprehend what I just ate, but I knew that it hinted at something special, a new culinary paradigm of sorts. In fact, I was so taken aback that I felt obliged to document the dinner on my Myspace page, hence the birth of this blog.
Yet, as groundbreaking as Alinea has been, what was once novel has the pesky tendency to become the new normal. Therefore, the question inevitably becomes: do you evolve, or do you go the "museum" route?
Chef Achatz has chosen evolution, more than once. The first instance came at the start of 2016, when he shut down the restaurant for five months for a seven-figure renovation. When Alinea 2.0 reopened that May, it boasted a drastically remodeled interior and a refreshed menu, now offered in two distinct spaces: The Salon (upstairs) or The Gallery (downstairs), the latter representing a more immersive, more experimental dining experience.
Those '16 changes kept things humming for another decade or so, but by the end of 2025, Achatz--possibly spurred on by Alinea's demotion to two Michelin stars and/or muted responses to its series of 20th anniversary residencies--determined that more was needed. Thus, he got to work on "Alinea. Again," a creative movement intended to spearhead the development of completely original dishes, served alongside heightened narrative and theatrics in The Gallery. This was a risky, but also seemingly necessary move in order to stave off creative demise, and I was excited to return to the restaurant to witness the progress for myself.
Design-wise, Alinea was arguably most known for its iconic entry hallway, but said hallway is no longer, replaced by a more traditional host stand and waiting area.
Unfortunately, The Gallery isn't offered for solo diners, so I had to settle for The Salon, which is essentially a traditional dining format without the additional theater. Pictured above is one of three upper-floor dining rooms (the rearmost) that comprise The Salon. Interestingly, I was the first party to be seated, so I ended up having the room to myself for quite a while.
Here we see tonight's menu, which was priced at $375 to start, plus 20% service, 11.75% tax, and $5 Tock order fee, so $507.89 in total. Beverage options included the $195 Standard Salon Pairing, $285 Reserve Salon Pairing, $475 The Alinea Salon Pairing, and $95 Non-Alcoholic Salon Pairing, and of course, diners are also welcomed to order off the restaurant's considerable wine list. However, I opted to BYOB, paying a corkage fee of $125. Click for a larger version.
1: Chilled Vidalia Onion Soubise | sweetened, soured, and charred spring onion, nugget of golden honey, amontillado sherry
Dinner started off strong thanks to a chilled onion soubise incorporating charred orange, mānuka honey chews, fried Marcona almonds, green almonds, charred and pickled green onion, a brioche crouton, and a white pepper tuile. I loved how multifaceted the course was, with each bite seemingly revealing a new dimension, both in terms of taste and texture (especially with the unexpectedly "harsh" crunch of that tuile). I particularly appreciated the sugary, gummy qualities of the honey and all the pickle-y, tangy components, while a nutty, curry-esque aroma pervaded the dish.
2: Regiis Ova Osetra Caviar | 2-month-aged délice de bourgogne, french chamomile honey, transparent leeks
The salinity of ossetra caviar served as the perfect partner for the sheer lusciousness and slight funk of triple cream cheese. The matchup was made all the better by the savoriness of those leek crisps, while a saffron-spiked, chamomile-boosted honey served as a consummate finisher with all of its fruity, floral, astringent characteristics. I've never run across caviar quite like this before. Really smart, and a favorite for sure.
3: Aleutian King Crab Thigh | roasted and silkened walnuts, smoked grapefruit, celery branch
Poached, seared in clarified butter, and glazed with a vinaigrette of grapefruit and Sichuan pepper, king crab showed off a wonderful sweetness, smoke, and tang. A base of silky roasted walnut purée fortified with crab stock added further oomph to the dish, but my favorite thing here was the celery and how its punchy, zesty flavors worked as the perfect accent piece.
4: Roasted Peanut Sponge | massaman curry
The idea behind this next course was to play with heavy flavors but light textures. Hence, we had here an impossibly airy microwaved aerated brioche imbued with roasted peanut, stuffed with a massaman curry teeming with its familiar, heady flavors and herby sting.
In terms of wine for this trip, I'd purchased an assortment of red Burgundy from Unicorn Auctions earlier this year, and had them store the bottles for me until I could pick 'em up, shortly before this meal. My selection for Alinea was the 2005 Mommessin Clos de Tart Grand Cru Monopole, which I chose as a nod to the restaurant's founding year.
- Initial Impressions: Nose of strawberries, flowers, and sous bois, with a smidge of funk. On the palate, I found a healthy dosing of acidity and some fine tannins, with notes of suānméi, red fruit, and undergrowth rendered in a still-vivacious manner.
- After 10 Minutes: Jammier for sure in terms of bouquet, but also with plenty more forest floor, while taste-wise, things went in a more herbaceous direction.
- After 40 Minutes: Aromas highlighted sweet spices, red berries, and red roses. In the mouth--distinctly mintier now, with more restrained fruit and a good amount of grip.
- After 90 Minutes: At this point, the Pinot noir smelled sweeter, fruitier, but with this barnyard-y backing. In terms of taste, I got a cooler presentation of fruit, along with some astringent, spicier nuances making themselves known.
- After 110 Minutes: Nearly two hours in, the wine's heat became more pronounced, but so did the fruit, with the aforementioned earthier tastes largely fading away.
5: Cryodesiccated Baby Corn | hoja santa, caramelized corn, bitter cacao untuoso
A thoroughly reimagined taco was composed of a fragrantly vegetal yerba santa "tortilla" wrapped around an aggressive (both taste- and texture-wise) mole negro, chili oil, fresh avocado, finger lime (for pleasant pops of citrus), and some unusually maíz-y freeze-dried baby corn. A pleasant bite, but not one that really "clicked" for me.
6: Skatewing á la Pharos Siamois | fermented green peppercorn, tamarind, bai horapa
My Thai-inspired presentation of skate wing had the fish lacquered in a tamarind glaze, dusted with pickled green peppercorn powder, then set atop cashew butter, lime zest, basil, and a coriander cracker. I think the key here was the back-and-forth between the brininess of the skate and the sour-sweet-sticky tamarind, with supporting elements of zesty basil, traces of nuttiness, and this captivating "meaty" quality that I couldn't put my finger on.
Given the hands-on eating required for the courses above, a moistened hand towel was provided.
7: Confit Abacaxi Pineapple | jamón ibérico de bellota, whole grain mustard oxymel, opal basil buds
A floppy slice of confit'd pineapple set the stage for fixins of jamón ibérico, mustard oxymel, pickled mustard seeds, and basil buds. Think piquant and nutty and only subtly mustard-y, with a long-lingering finish reminiscent of juicy pineapple. This one didn't quite come together as well as I'd hoped.
8: Ice Cream Sandwich | passionfruit sherbet and dijon mustard shortbread
Another highlight for me was a reworked ice cream sandwich composed of surprisingly sturdy Dijon mustard shortbread cookies encasing a passion fruit sherbet. I was impressed by how effectively the one-biter married the trademark kick of the moutarde with a bevy of fruity, tropical flavors. I could've used another!
9: Grilled Atlantic Halibut | halos of cucumber and honeydew melon, ginger, cucumber skin cream
Halibut was dry-aged for five days, butter-poached to achieve a supple, flaky consistency, then finished on the grill. The fish was placed in a honeydew and cucumber cream, then crowned with thin-sliced honeydew and black mint. Here, I was a big fan of the clever interaction between the savoriness of the halibut and the fruity brightness of the melon-cucumber duet, with the pungency of the huacatay offering a touch of contrast. A standout course.
10: 14 Day Aged White Pekin Duck | szechuan peppercorns, plum rouennaise sauce, pyrolyzed fennel
Duck breast ate juicy and tender, its dry-aged depth complemented by sweet-n-spicy nuances and a crisp, flavorful skin, while a heady foie gras- and bone marrow-enriched Rouennaise sauce amped things up even more. Further accoutrements included a sweet-fragrant vanilla custard, a salted plum braised in port, and a zingy stalk of pyrolyzed fennel.
11: Boucané of Pork Belly | chien gratin, rhum agricole, charred sugarcane
Pork was cured, smoked, grilled over charcoal, and glazed with rhum agricole, giving it an agreeable chew along with plenty of sticky-sweet, savory flavors. The belly was set atop rum-soaked sugarcane, while a drag through a pea-thickened sauce chien imparted some lovely aromatics and some much-needed zip.
12: Strata of Figs, Coffee, Chocolate | dark roasted coffee, black mission figs, dark chocolate
This rather neat one-biter comprised a purée of Mission fig, 70% dark chocolate, and reduced port, layered within wafers made from espresso. Just a great mélange of coffee, cacao, and dark fruit flavors here. I wouldn't have minded a few more of these.
13: 7X Ranch Beef Ribeye | broccoli crown, cane, core, sesame, soy sauce
I immediately recognized this next course as a riff on beef and broccoli as it was heading to my table. I was actually surprised by how well the rib eye mimicked the texture and taste of what you might find in the American Chinese staple, despite its elevated level of fattiness. Paired with the meat was a ginger-y floret of dehydrated broccolini dipped in chili glaze. An umami-packed black garlic-soy concentrate help tie things together, while a nutty toasted sesame tahini was more unexpected, though not unwelcomed. My quibble here is that I would've liked the wok hei element to have been conveyed more clearly.
14: Paint | matcha ice cream, wakamomo peach, pecorino and white chocolate, raspberry
As I mentioned above, Alinea is in the process of revamping the menu, and thus, the restaurant's iconic "table dessert" will be going away in the near future, so apparently, I'll be one of the last to enjoy it. The dessert's various ingredients are constantly updated, but tonight we had white chocolate-pecorino romano sauce, white peach sauce, raspberry syrup, raspberry-ginger crumbles, an encapsulated wakamomo peach, a pistachio cake, an orange-bergamot tart, matcha ice cream, and finally, a sprinkle of peach glitter. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot going on, but it all came together pretty cohesively. I particularly liked the interplay between sweet peach and bitter green tea, tarted up by raspberry, while there was some nice textural variation happening as well.
Two wines arrived along with dessert. First was the Royal Tokaji Co., The Alinea Group Single Barrel, 5 Puttonyos Tokaji Aszú 2022 [$24], selected by Assistant Wine Director Tom Santelle for its higher acidity and slightly toned-down sweetness. Nevertheless, it was still loaded with all those tropical, pineapple, stone fruit-y flavors I wanted, and veered almost Sauternes-like at times. There was also the D'Oliveiras, Boal Frasquiera 1987 (bottled 2018) [$45], a completely different animal that showcased dusty, nutty, raisin-y dark fruit, undergirded by a backbone of saline. Note that both pours ended up being complimentary, I assume because I shared the Clos de Tart quite liberally with the staff.
With dinner done, I was taken downstairs and given a brief tour of the kitchen, which doesn't seem to have changed much over the years.
There were quite a few gifts to take home: pancake mix, raw/unfiltered honey from local producer Heaven's Honey, tart cherry-yuzu compote made with Seedling Farms produce, black truffle butter crafted from Gourmet Attitude Périgord truffles combined with Lurpak Danish butter, and a marzipan-y almond-brown butter financier (which I ate right after I got back to my hotel).
I walked out of my first meal at Alinea with a palpable feeling of bewilderment and beguilement, and this dinner did rekindle inklings of those same sensations, tempered surely by how much I've experienced and grown over the past 20 years. Tonight's cooking leaned more overtly pleasurable, a bit more restrained, a bit less cerebral, but still demonstrated some moments of marvel, as well as puzzlement. It's still somewhat of a work in progress. Achatz has likened Alinea's current evolution to the restaurant's own Kid A moment--a new, perhaps jarring album from your favorite artist. I like that analogy, and look forward to returning and seeing how the band is carrying on in the coming years.
posted by kevinEats at
7:45 PM
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