This past weekend I had the opportunity to dine at the new Alinea in Chicago. My fellow foodie friend Jesse invited us to dine with them when they saw reservation openings for a table of 4. (Tip: It’s easier to get a reservation for 4 than for 2) Being the foodies that we are, of course we decided to fly into Chicago for the weekend and try out a dining experience at The Gallery. I had heard amazing things about Alinea and the very creative and talented chef Grant Achatz, so was very excited for this dinner!

 

THE NEW ALINEA

Alinea has consistently been named the best restaurant in Chicago and one of the best in the States and even in the World. Last year they decided to tear everything down and reinvent the entire dining experience. And boy was it an experience! They now offer a wider variety of dining options including The Alinea Kitchen Table (for private groups of 4-6), The Gallery (multi-sensory experimental tasting show) and The Salon (a more ‘affordable’ innovative tasting menu).

Our dinner was at 9:30pm at The Gallery so we decided to take some photos, drink and chat at the lobby of our hotel, Loews Chicago, before we headed out to the new Alinea.

 

 

My Dining Experience at the New Alinea | Of Leather and Lace Blog by Tina Lee My Dining Experience at the New Alinea | Of Leather and Lace Blog by Tina Lee My Dining Experience at the New Alinea | Of Leather and Lace Blog by Tina LeeMy Dining Experience at the New Alinea | Of Leather and Lace Blog by Tina Lee My Dining Experience at the New Alinea | Of Leather and Lace Blog by Tina Lee My Dining Experience at the New Alinea | Of Leather and Lace Blog by Tina Lee My Dining Experience at the New Alinea | Of Leather and Lace Blog by Tina Lee My Dining Experience at the New Alinea | Of Leather and Lace Blog by Tina Lee My Dining Experience at the New Alinea | Of Leather and Lace Blog by Tina Lee

 

– OUTFIT DETAILS –

Black Lace Dress by Lover

Earrings Handmade by Me

Pumps by Christian Louboutin

Clutch by YSL

– SHOP THIS POST –


 

THE ENTRY

When we first entered we were seated at a long communal table with 5 amazing cocktail-sized appetizers set on top of carved ice. This included creamed egg yolk, caviar, herbs & onion, king crab and truffle mousse. Yummmmmmmmm. This was probably my personal favorite dish of the night in terms of flavor and content. (I like simple but good things!)

My Dining Experience at the New Alinea | Of Leather and Lace Blog by Tina Lee

 

THE TRANSITION

Then we are led into the kitchen to enjoy a savory parmesan donut and a cocktail shaken with an “imperial shaker” (only 32 of these vintage machines in the world! You can see it in action in the video below). We were so enthralled with the happenings of the bustling kitchen that we didn’t notice our dining table was now being rearranged! When we came back out, paintings were hung from the ceiling and re-draped and we were invited back to our individual tables instead of a communal table. Talk about a sleight of hand! In Chinese we call this 調虎離山之計

The dishes that ensued were innovative in both flavor and presentation. There were Western and Asian flavors, each with its own theme and concept. I won’t elaborate too much here as I am not exactly a professional food critic. But just know that you are in for a show!

 

 

THE MOST MEMORABLE

One of their signatures was the edible helium balloon (see video below). I didn’t actually eat the balloon because I was so focused on what to say after I inhaled the helium. I got so distracted by the balloon falling apart that I only ended up muttering “follow me on Instagram!” and got made fun of by everyone. (Hey! gotta promote that shit!)

But the most memorable part of the dining experience was definitely the desert show where the servers took down the paintings hanging from the ceiling and placed them at the center of our tables. All the chefs then proceeded to decorate and splatter the painting with each of their condiments, creating the ultimate edible artwork. (See video below)

My Dining Experience at the New Alinea | Of Leather and Lace Blog by Tina Lee

My Dining Experience at the New Alinea | Of Leather and Lace Blog by Tina Lee

 

All in all it was a great experience traveling with friends and enjoying this culinary show at the new Alinea. Although some of the cooking methods weren’t what I expected, we were always amazed by the intricacy of and thought put into each dish. It is clear that every plate is a work of passion and art. I hope we will be able to return to Alinea again in the future to explore the other dining options! Until next time Alinea!

 

xoxo Tina