New York City: Momofuku Noodle Bar (January 2015)

My spouse and I dined at Momofuku Noodle Bar on a Sunday afternoon in mid-January 2015. Noodle Bar does not accept reservations, except for its large-format meals (available for parties of six or more). We arrived at Noodle Bar just prior to 12:00 noon, when the restaurant opens for business, and already a line of about 10 guests had formed. Noodle Bar is open daily for lunch and dinner.

Momofuku Noodle Bar is located on First Avenue (between 10^th and 11^th Streets) in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan. The restaurant contains blonde-wood low tables and stools, and two counters with barstools: one counter serves drinks, and the other is the food prep counter; diners eat at both spaces. The restaurant offers a coat check area, and two unisex restrooms are located at the back of the restaurant.

David Chang is the chef/owner of the Momofuku restaurant group, which includes Noodle Bar. Momofuku means “lucky peach”. Other NYC restaurants include Ko (see our separate review from May 2011), Ssam Bar (see our separate review from July 2013), Ma Peche (see our separate review from January 2011), and Booker and Dax. Chang also operates a restaurant in Sydney, Australia called Seiobo (see our separate review from August 2012). Four additional restaurants are located in Toronto, Canada. We are huge David Chang admirers, and we try to dine at as many of his restaurants as possible.

We ordered two types of buns to start: al pastor (pork shoulder accented by guacamole, pineapple, and cilantro) and brisket (served with pickled red onions, cucumber, and horseradish mayonnaise). We then ordered the Momofuku ramen (which contained shredded pork shoulder, a slice of pork belly, and a poached egg), and the ginger scallion noodles (which contained no meat, but instead, plenty of scallions, pickled shitake mushrooms, cucumbers, and white cabbage). For dessert, we shared the sampler, which contained a cookie called “The Ritz” (which contained a bit of everything), truffled pretzel bites, and Milk Bar soft-serve peanut butter and strawberry ice cream. (The pretzel bites were the best, with a salty coating, covering a moist, dense cake!) We also ordered a spiced pear slushy to try, which we thought would contain liquor but did not (the green tea slushy was listed on the menu followed by an asterisk symbol, which indicated that it was non-alcoholic; because the pear slushy did not contain the asterisk, we assumed that it contained some type of alcohol, but it did not). No matter, it was delicious anyway, although a size small was not large enough to share!

Service was a bit perfunctory, and we felt particularly rushed toward the end of our meal. (It seems like the restaurant allots customers about one hour to eat, and then they encourage them to move along.) Although we wish that it had lasted longer, we loved our lunch at Momofuku Noodle Bar, and we would love to return!

New York City: The Breslin (November 2014)

My spouse and I stopped at The Breslin on a Saturday morning for drinks in late November 2014, prior to a lunch reservation at the nearby NoMad restaurant. We did not make a reservation at The Breslin, although the restaurant accepts bookings using the Open Table reservation system. The Breslin serves breakfast and lunch on weekdays, brunch on weekends, and dinner daily.

The Breslin is located in the Ace Hotel in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. (FYI: The Ace Hotel does not own The Breslin, however.) Besides The Breslin, the hotel also features on-site dining at the John Dory Oyster Bar; Chef April Bloomfield runs both restaurants. (She also operates Salvation Taco and the Spotted Pig in NYC.) The Breslin is named after the original hotel space that it occupies; it is not named after Jimmy Breslin, the Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist. You can enter The Breslin from the lobby of the Ace Hotel, as well as directly from West 29th Street (between Broadway and 5th Avenue).

The restaurant space is dark, with lots of wood (floors, tables, chairs, molding). The outdoor fall-themed décor for both The Breslin and John Dory was gorgeous! Inside, all manner of trinkets and knick-knacks with animal and hunting themes adorn the walls. Overhead lighting resembles that seen in my childhood church, lending a personal feel of nostalgia for me. The bar area is located towards the front of the restaurant, with dining at the rear on two floors. In the winter, The Breslin employs one of those thick curtains at its door, as well as a temporary vestibule outside to keep the indoor space nicely climate controlled. The street-level dining area contains a partially open kitchen, and additional seating is available on a second-floor mezzanine area.

We ordered a few beers, as well as a non-alcoholic cocktail that contained cucumber, celery, soda, lime, and bitters. The bartender muddled some of the ingredients in front us before pouring the drink over quality, perfectly shaped ice cubes and garnishing the glass with a cucumber slice. He told us that the restaurant/bar is often so busy that regrettably, he does not always have time to hand-craft the cocktails to order, so we were glad that we visited at a non-demanding time. The brunch menu for the restaurant is less interesting to us than the dinner menu. Dinner (and weekday lunch) features items like a terrine board, sausages, pork belly, Cornish hen, scotch eggs, and beef & Stilton pie that are not available during brunch time. Even more attractive are the large-format meals available during dinnertime for groups of 8+ people, such as the whole suckling pig dinner (or alternate meats such as duck, beef rib, fried chicken, and curry), served with appropriate sides and accompaniments. (Guests should reserve/pre-order the group meals in advance.) The various puddings available for dessert sound deliciously appealing.

The Breslin features a funky, casual atmosphere, and we plan to return someday for weekday lunch or dinner, or ideally, with a group of friends to partake in one of the large-scale meals. 

Jersey City: Thirty Acres (September 2014)

My spouse and I dined at Thirty Acres for dinner on a Saturday evening in late September 2014. We made our reservation on-line using the Open Table reservation system. Thirty Acres recently started to participate in that booking program. We made our reservation 30 days prior to dining, which is as far in advance as possible. The restaurant closes on-line reservations at 5:00 pm each night. After that time, the policy is walk-in only. No one called to reconfirm our reservation. Thirty Acres is open for weekend brunch and dinner daily.

Thirty Acres is located in Jersey City, a short trip across the Hudson River from Manhattan. If you arrive on the PATH train from the city, stop at Grove Street. You can also access Thirty Acres using Light Rail or the water taxi / ferry. If you need a taxi when you leave the restaurant, walk two blocks to the Grove Street PATH station, where taxis queue. We stayed in Jersey City at the Doubletree, so we walked from our hotel.

The restaurant enjoys a corner location (in a residential building), so the dining room has a long wall of windows, and another short wall of windows. The doors and trim are painted dusty blue on the street side. One of the (non-working) doors contained scuffed / peeling paint, which added an air of rustic authenticity to the establishment.

The restaurant name comes from an 80,000-seat arena built for the 1921 Jack Dempsey / Georges Carpentier fight because city planners would not allow the fight to occur in Manhattan. The story resonated with the owners, who previously lived and worked in New York City but then moved to Jersey City to establish their own restaurant.

The restaurant tables are spaced well throughout the dining room, which was once two storefronts that are now one large space. The bar, positioned near the kitchen door, seats 10+ people. The bar is set with plates, glasses, napkins, and silverware, so the restaurant intends diners (rather than drinkers) to use it. Most tables are small and rectangular and seat two people, but they can be pushed together to accommodate larger groups. The restaurant also offers an oval table for six diners. One wall in the main dining room contains a wooden banquette bench shared by several of the small tables. The window bays contain two tables for two, where diners enjoy a great view of the street. Decor is minimalist, with white walls and wood floors, tables, and chairs. The restaurant has two unisex bathrooms, one of which is large enough to accommodate a wheelchair. (However, the restaurant itself requires patrons to take one step up from the sidewalk to enter.)

Husband-and-wife team Kevin and Alex Pemoulie own Thirty Acres. He is an alumni of Momofuku Ssam Bar (and therefore, a student of David Chang). We enjoyed dining at several Chang restaurants (Momofuku Ko, Ssam Bar, Ma Peche, and Seiobo), so we anticipated interesting items on the menu at Thirty Acres.

Service was casual, but excellent. Staff worked well together, and exhibited the right mix of availability without being intrusive. Staff members were knowledgeable about the menu selections, ingredients, and preparations.

Food was terrific, except for the Persian cucumbers, which were just simple sour pickle slices. (In an old restaurant review, we read about a cucumber dish that the chef presented with three different preparations, which was what we thought we ordered. So it may just be a case of unrealistic expectations.) We enjoyed the steak tartare, which was different from the normal preparation because the chef used a yuzu kosho vinaigrette, topped with crispy onions and served with house-made crackers. Our other appetizer was the absolute star of the evening: fried beef tendon served with a sweet and sour sauce, sliced chili peppers, cilantro, and cucumber. It was awesome and memorable! We shared a pasta for our mid-course: house-made rigatoni with sausage and butternut squash. Fantastic! We shared the pork neck for our entree, which was delicious! The chef plated it as a thick slice atop kale, and its appearance masked the moist texture hidden within. For dessert, my spouse chose lemon cake served with homemade whipped cream. I ordered the butternut squash cinnamon ice cream, which was another memorable take-away from this meal. It tasted just like the butternut pie filling that my grandmother used to make, and somehow, served in an ice-cold bowl, it managed not to melt a bit during our prolonged dessert course. (In keeping with the Momofuku tradition, the dessert menu is purposefully small and contains only two items: the lemon cake and ice cream.)

We had been trying to dine at Thirty Acres for many months, and we are glad that it finally worked into our schedule. It was worth the time and effort that it took to get there! 

New York City: Casa Mono (October 2013)

My spouse and I dined with three family members for lunch at Casa Mono in early October 2013. We made our reservation 30 days in advance using the Open Table reservation system, and the restaurant called to confirm our date and time the day before we dined. Casa Mono has one Michelin star and two stars from the NY Times, and is located next door to sister restaurant Bar Jamon (where we had drinks in May of 2011; see my separate review.) Mario Battali and Joe Bastianich own Casa Mono and Bar Jamon, as well as other restaurants such as del Posto, Babbo, and Becco.

The restaurant space is really tiny, which we were not aware ahead of time; one member of our party has mobility issues, which could have caused problems, but fortunately did not. The restaurant occupies the corner of 14th and Irving Streets in the Union Square/Flatiron/Gramercy area of the city. There are about 12 tables, and another 12 seats at the two bars (one of which fronts the chef's area). Next time, if just the two of us dine, we will request to sit at the chef's bar so that we can watch the action of the open kitchen (however, you cannot reserve the seats at the chef's bar; they are first come - first served). The restaurant does not offer parking, although you can park on the street (just be careful of the one-hour limitations on some of the nearby streets) or in a parking garage on the next block on East 15th Street. The single restroom is incredibly tiny, and is not wheelchair accessible.

We loved the food! Despite the difficulty of seating five people in the tiny space, it was worth the squeeze because we were able to share so many dishes. Our server recommended ordering 2 to 3 plates per person, and we compromised by ordering 12 dishes total. Every dish was a success, and the menu is so large that we could easily eat here again and try 12 completely different menu items yet still not have tried everything on the menu. Our favorite items included skirt steak with onion marmalade, paella croquettes, scallops, fideo noodles with clams and chorizo, goat confit, beef tongue, and beef cheeks and bone marrow. The lunch and dinner menus are the same, and Casa Mono is open daily from noon to midnight. The wine list is extensive.

Perhaps our only criticism is that because of the tapas menu format, each guest is given a small plate from which to taste the dishes, and those plates were only changed one time during the course of our meal, so previous items and tastes began to run together. (In the restaurant's defense, though, we did not ask to have our plates changed, so they could not be expected to read our minds.)

Service was excellent, and we compliment the staff for working together so well in such a confined space.  We loved our dining experience at Casa Mono, and despite the fact that as out-of-towners we try not to repeat restaurants when we come to the city, we plan to return someday.

New York City: Momofuku Ssam Bar (July 2013)

My spouse and I dined at Ssam Bar for lunch in mid-July 2013. We have dined at several other of David Chang's restaurants, including Momofuku Ko and Ma Peche in NYC and Momofuku Seibo in Sydney. Ssam Bar had been on our "to do" list for a long time; however, the fact that they do not take reservations for small tables, and the fact that we were waiting to go with a group to order one of the large format meals held us back from visiting sooner.

We ordered five dishes to share, each of which was adequate for a party of two - the pork buns were amazing, as was the cold noodle salad, the sliced ham with black-eyed mustard sauce, the fried duck wontons, and the duck bologna sandwich, and we felt that our particular combination of menu items showed us a great variety of what the restaurant has to offer. We would still love to try one of the large format meals someday - the bo ssam or the whole duck, but it seems that you need at least a party of 4 or more to do them justice.

Service was terrific! Our server was friendly and knowledgeable about the dishes, and offered suggestions on our choices to make sure that we tried a wide variety of menu items/categories.

The space is somewhat stark, with small wooden tables and wooden stools, as well as a really long bar with counter seating. Space is a little tight, but the food and service make it all worthwhile!

We look forward to trying David Chang's last NYC restaurant, Noodle Bar, before moving onto his new Toronto restaurants!

New York City: Blanca (July 2013)

My spouse and I dined at Blanca for dinner in mid-July 2013. We traveled to the restaurant from midtown New York, which cost approximately $30 each way by taxi. On the return from Bushwick, Brooklyn, the restaurant called a car/livery service for us, which charged a flat fee to Manhattan versus the metered ride we had on the way to the restaurant.

We made our reservation on the first of the month that we wished to dine using their new online reservation system called Seat Me. It worked fabulously, as opposed to the old method of telephoning on a particular day and time, because we had been unsuccessful ever to even get someone to answer the phone.

As Blanca requested via email and telephone, we arrived at 4:30 for our 4:45 reservation; however, we were made to sit in the small bar area of Roberta's and have a drink before they agreed to seat us, which was just a bit annoying. (If you arrive really early, just around the corner is a bar/lounge called the Pine Box Rock Shop where you can have a drink in a larger, more comfortable space.) We would have rather wandered in the outdoor (but fenced in) garden space to view the gardens for which the restaurant is famous.

The space for Roberta's is very casual and informal when compared with the space for Blanca. The entire restaurant complex occupies what must amount to a quarter of the block in Bushwick. Roberta's is on the immediate corner of Moore Street and Bogart Street, but is comprised of the main building, an atrium area, and an outdoor covered area that then leads to the gardens, which are both on the ground-level and raised. The Blanca building is at the back of the entire property and is super-modern and starkly furnished. Patrons (about 12 at one seating) sit at a bar (with comfortable bar stools) to watch the chefs work. Even the bathroom in Blanca is cool - nearly hidden in the wood and plant-covered wall. You are asked not to take photographs and to put your cell phone away.

Each of our 20+ courses was delicious, carefully conceived and presented. Service was excellent, and the wait staff is extremely knowledgeable about ingredients and preparations. We were disappointed that the restaurant does not provide a menu that you can take home - most other tasting restaurants give you that as a souvenir (even Brooklyn-competitor Brooklyn Fare provided us with a basic menu outline when we requested it).

We recommend this restaurant, however, the degree of difficulty in attaining a reservation, and then in reaching Brooklyn from Manhattan would probably deter us from dining here again.

New York City: Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare (March 2013)

My spouse and I dined at the Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare for dinner in early March 2013. We had tried for about one year to get a reservation, calling every Monday at 10:30 am for a reservation six weeks later. Generally, for the first hour or hour-and-a half that we attempted to call, we would just receive a busy signal, but when someone finally answered the phone (usually around 12:00 noon), the spaces were always filled. We always asked for our names to be placed on the waiting list, but space never opened up. (Note: When someone does answer, be prepared to be transferred around a few times. To us, it seemed like the phone was being answered by someone in the grocery store, then put on hold, then picked up by someone else who saw the blinking light, then transferred again until we finally reached the reservationist.) Then one day we got lucky and secured our spot - who knows why that time was different than all our other tries? We guess that our persistence finally paid off!

After you make your reservation, you will receive an e-mail confirmation explaining more about the process. Two weeks before your dining experience, you will receive an e-mail asking you to reply to the e-mail to confirm your spot, then they charge your credit card for the amount of the dinner plus tax and mandatory 20% gratuity. Even though you have already been charged, they call to verbally confirm a few days before you dine; we are not really sure why, because we do not think they would refund your money if you cancelled at that late date. But perhaps they can resell your seats, thereby making twice the original amount for your particular seats. You will receive a handwritten bill for your drinks after dinner, on which you will tip for your beverages only; they did not seem to directly pander for an additional tip over the 20% that you are pre-billed.

The website says that formal business attire is required, but when the reservationist called to confirm our reservation, we asked if a tie was necessary, and we were told that the dress code was business casual (which to us means long-sleeve collared shirt and dress pants for men, but no tie or jacket). Fortunately, he wore a jacket, as did every single other male diner there; some even wore suits with ties. We would have felt completely out of place without the jacket!

Three seatings occur at the restaurant: half of the chef’s counter (approximately 8 or 10 seats, depending on the size of the parties) is seated at 6:30 pm, then the other 8 or 10 seats [there are 18 total] are seated at 7:45 pm. We had reservations at the earliest seating (6:30 pm). We were the last of our seating to arrive, even though we were 5 minutes early; we were assigned two seats in the middle of the counter where it curved. We thought our seats allowed more room than some of the others, although the two seats at the inner end of the counter certainly have the best view of the food plating and preparation. The “hostess”, who was also the apparent “sommelier”, took our coats and directed us to the “manager” who pointed out our seats. It was funny how the “manager” consulted her little book to find our what seats had been assigned to us; obviously it was the two open seats in the middle! We were unable to immediately order drinks, because there were only two wine lists for the entire restaurant! Seriously, with an average of four parties (of two people each) ever seated at one time, and they do not even have four wine lists? (Wine lists are a scarcity at $225 per person, plus tax and 20% gratuity?) When a wine list was finally available, the “sommelier” gave us a few minutes to read it, then came over and asked to discuss the “menu” with us. When my spouse joked “There is a menu?”, she became snippy and said that there was no menu, that we would be served a tasting, most of which was fish, and so on. Of course, we knew that there was no menu! She was the one who used that word, when she probably meant “the wine list”. At this time, Brooklyn Fare serves only wine, no beer, and only one soft drink (a tart fruit-flavored soda), along with two non-alcoholic sparkling wines. (Also note that they do not serve any kind of coffee, cappuccino, or espresso with dessert.) 

The food was amazingly delicious and presented beautifully in just the right serveware. Of the approximately 25 courses that we ate that evening, 20 were fish courses, most of which were crudo/raw shellfish (they are pretty transparent about the proteins on their website, so everyone is aware ahead of time). We had about three cooked fish courses, and only one meat course (lamb), along with a cheese course, a palate cleanser, and two desserts. Unlike other restaurants that serve a tasting menu, they do not send you home with a list of what you have eaten. The guest is really at a huge disadvantage, because they forbid photography and note-taking, so you must rely on your own memory. Even though we tried to recreate the menu soon after we left the restaurant, we could really only recall the main ingredient, not all the interesting accent components.

The atmosphere in the dining room was calm for the first hour of our dinner, until the 7:45 pm guests began to arrive; then we began to feel a little rushed and slightly ignored. There is also a 10:00 pm seating, but the 7:45 pm guests have probably nearly departed by the time they arrive, because the restaurant advises dedicating about 2 hours for your dining experience. We had an issue with the restroom at about the 8:00 pm mark - there is just one restroom, and as anyone who has done a tasting knows, you must time your “break” to fit between the courses, because no one waits for you. But there were three ladies in line to use the restroom, which ended up with two of them missing the delivery and explanation of their next course. Another issue that we had was that the “manager” who stands in the center of the serving counter and presents each dish was not loud enough when she mentioned the components of each course. As we said previously, there is no written menu, neither before, during, or after your dining experience, so if she does not call out the ingredients loud and proud, there is no way for the diners to hear every word and fully comprehend what they are eating.

We were shocked that several courses reused our silverware, although just the fork; our combination knife/spoon utensils were removed, but the dirty fork was taken off the plate and placed back on the leather placemat! This is something that we expect at a low-end chain restaurants (like Applebees), but we do not expect it to happen at a 3-star Michelin restaurant charging $225 per head! They purposely removed one of the utensils but reused the other - it just makes no sense! And as far as the service aspect goes, it was good, but not on the level of Per Se, Daniel, or Le Bernardin. The chef, Cesar Ramirez, was cooking on the night that we were there, which is not always the case with high-end restaurants like this, so we appreciated being able to watch him create. He walked around to each couple after the dinner and asked if everything was okay, and everyone simply said yes. It was nice of him to make personal contact, but he did not seem genuine in wanting to hear any comments; the task seemed like something he felt obligated to do, not necessarily that he enjoyed.

When we finished dinner, as we were waiting for our coats to be delivered, space was at a premium, so when we received our first coat, one of us attempted to step into the (winter) entry vestibule while the other of us waited for our other coat, but we found that the door to the restaurant was locked! The hostess/sommelier said that she would unlock it, but that we should be glad that it was locked, “for good reason". What on earth could that reason have been? It seems that a locked door to a restaurant with patrons inside is a fire code/safety violation; in fact, the door to a retail establishment generally posts a sign that reads that the door is to remain open/unlocked during business hours.

We feel privileged to have dined at Brooklyn Fare - the food was truly amazing! However, we wish that the service was just as flawless. We are glad that we got to experience this restaurant; it was a memorable meal that we will not soon forget!

 

 

New York City: Eleven Madison Park (October 2012)

My spouse and I dined at Eleven Madison Park (EMP) for dinner in mid-October 2012. We had tried several times previously to secure a reservation at EMP, calling at 9:00 am 28 days before we wished to dine, but we were never successful in doing anything more than adding our name to the waiting list. But in mid-September, in addition to telephoning at the appointed time, we also logged onto Open Table to attempt a reservation, and met with success! EMP serves lunch on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and dinner daily.

EMP serves only a multi-course tasting menu for $195 per person (previously, there were other less-elaborate and less-expensive menu choices and combinations). Most of the courses are blind (you have no choice); however, for four courses, you are presented with a menu with four columns, each with four rows of ingredients, and you are asked to make one selection from each row (for example, foie gras, lobster, potato, lettuce, beet, chestnut). EMP then incorporates that ingredient into your dish. We intentionally (although stupidly!) chose the least-expensive and least-interesting-sounding items, thinking that any great chef could make foie gras and lobster taste great, but that it would take a more adept and creative chef to elevate more simple ingredients such as lettuce and beets. (We followed a similar principle when we ordered one vegetable-based tasting at Per Se, and we were impressed beyond belief at how complex and interesting the mostly non-meat dishes were!) The dishes that we chose for ourselves at EMP were tasty, but we felt a little cheated (and mad at ourselves!) that we did not chose the more luxurious items. We will not go into detail about all the "standard" courses, because they may not be the same as when you dine there, and we also do not want to spoil the surprise on some of the more inventive and unforgettable courses (but our favorites involved sturgeon, carrot, cheese/beer, and dessert). Service was quite good, although not flawless.

The restaurant space at EMP is beautiful, housed in an old bank building, and features high ceilings and large windows. There is a bar area at EMP, so do not hesitate to arrive early for a drink and to soak up the atmosphere. It appeared that you could also order a limited menu at both the bar and at the bar tables, so if this restaurant is on your must-dine list and you have difficulty getting a reservation, at least you could eat and drink in the space and get a general idea of what EMP is all about.

We were celebrating both a birthday and an anniversary on the night that we dined, and there was a card on our table when we arrived, as well as personalized menus with a congratulatory message, and an extra treat to take home.

We would be happy to return to EMP again if the opportunity presented itself. However, we are also extremely excited to try chef Daniel Humm’s other restaurant, the NoMad.

New York City: Corton (August 2012)

My spouse and I dined at Corton for dinner in mid-August 2012, and we are still talking about our meal over a month later! We reserved 30 days in advance using the Open Table reservation system. This restaurant deserves both of its 2 Michelin stars, and is very close to deserving a 3rd star, in our opinion. We felt that our meal at Corton was better than our meals at Jean Georges and Daniel, and those restaurants each have 3 stars. (Our best meals ever were at Per Se and Le Bernardin, which are truly 3-star restaurants in our opinion.) 

The restaurant is located mid-block in a very unassuming-looking storefront. Once inside, however, the space is open and airy with high ceilings, stark/minimalist furnishings, and allows plenty of space between tables. Jackets are not required for gentlemen, which is appreciated. 

We were offered two menu options at Corton – a 6-course seasonal menu for $115 and a 10-course tasting for $155. We chose the larger and pricier menu, but we saw some of the dishes from the abbreviated menu, and they were every bit as beautiful and interesting. Chef-owner Paul Liebrandt aims (and succeeds!) in impressing you from the moment that you sit down, with creative amuse bouche selections presented interestingly. I won’t detail every dish that we ordered, but we were blown away by the fantastic ingredients and the way that each dish was plated. Service, although not flawless, but was still quite. 

One brilliant thing that this restaurant does is to leave you with a small “cheat sheet” of the menu items and components so that even after the server delivers a dish to you and explains it, you can refer back to the card that lists the detailed ingredients. We wish other restaurants would do this! 

Corton is part of the Myriad Restaurant Group, owned by Drew Niepont (along with Tribeca Grill, Nobu, Nobu Next Door, Nobu Fifty-Seven). 

We were really impressed with our meal at Corton - fantastic in every way!

Chicago: Alinea (August 2011)

My spouse and I ate dinner at Alinea in mid-August 2011. We called for a reservation on June 1, 2011, when the “book” opened for reservations in June, July, and August. This reservation was the most difficult that we’ve ever secured (and we’ve dined at The French Laundry, Per Se, and Momofuku Ko). Both my spouse and I telephoned repeated over a period of SEVEN HOURS before finally getting through and making a reservation, and even then, we weren’t able to reserve the exact date or time that we requested. Because we were visiting Chicago for only one weekend (three nights), we had only three dates that would work for us - Saturday, Sunday, or Friday (in that order of preference). After getting the busy signals for seven hours, Saturday evening was completely booked, but we made a reservation for Sunday night, our next choice. I chuckled to myself as the hostess was proud to tell me that she could take us “at any time we desired, up to and including until 5:45”! How generous! So we had to choose between 5:00, 5:15, 5:30, and 5:45, and we chose 5:45. Our greatest “regret” (and our most fervent suggestion for future guests) was in not taking the earliest time slot available - we would have benefited tremendously from not seeing what other guests ahead of us were eating. We felt like we had to keep our “blinders on” so that we didn’t look at other tables and wonder what they were eating, instead trying very hard to focus on the course on the table in front of us. It would have been a complete surprise if we had been the first diners of the evening.

We were seated upstairs in the room towards the front window of the restaurant, which we felt was the choicest seating area for the entire restaurant, but none of the tables/rooms/floors is truly unfavorable. There were lots of “food paparazzi” dining on the night we were there; I had read that Chef Grant Achatz forbids this practice, mainly because in the time it takes to photograph the food, the temperature can drop below what he originally intended for you to consume. But on the night we were there, diners were happily “snapping away”, some with HUGE camera lenses, and no one mentioned it.
The meal was phenomenal and worth the time, money, and effort it took to get there. I won’t ramble on about the food, the preparations, or the presentations, because they frequently change, but be assured that all were creative, delicious, and stunning! The ingenuity and innovation in the presentation is what sets this restaurant apart from any other.

The service was excellent, and the 18 courses came out in just the right amount of time - not too much waiting between each course, nor too little. Don’t be afraid to ask how things are meant to be eaten, although usually the servers are forthcoming with instructions without your having to ask. Some of the dishes are even a bit messy, but the table settings have been well thought-out and designed to be minimalistic. After dining there, we completely understand the need for no tablecloths, but it just surprised us in a Michelin 3-star restaurant.

We did the wine tasting, which we didn’t love, although it was done well and the “pours” were generous, even refilling our glasses during a course so that we would have enough to complement the entire dish. We aren’t experienced wine drinkers, but we thought that if we were to fully appreciate a wine tasting anywhere, this would be the place! Because you are never presented with a menu until you leave the restaurant, you are told ahead of time that the cost for the pairing is about 2/3 of the menu price (which you probably know ahead of time is $210 per person), with an even more expensive pairing of reserve wines available. Although we wouldn’t do the wine pairing again, other diners with more knowledge of wines may feel differently. We did feel a bit “nickle-and-dimed” by the charges for the $8 bottle of Evian (when asked “Sparkling or flat?”, we requested flat, expecting tap, but perhaps that was our mistake) and the $5 glass of (unlimited refills) iced tea. There was absolutely no attention paid to the iced tea service (as opposed to the previous night’s dinner at L2O, which did an amazing presentation with their iced tea). A lemony simple syrup was served, but after discovering that it wasn’t sweet enough, I began to use a packaged sugar substitute, and surprisingly (not in a good way), the sweetener wrappers laid on the table throughout the ENTIRE meal, growing in size with each glass that I drank, which seemed a bit out of character considering the otherwise great service and attention to detail. 

The restaurant is located near the Steppenwolf Theatre in Lincoln Park, and it is surrounded by a few other restaurants should you arrive early and need to “waste” a few minutes having a drink somewhere (there’s no bar or lounge area at Alinea). We stopped at Vinci, which was a Mediterranean restaurant, but we also saw one called Boka that looked interesting. From the downtown Loop area, we took the red line to the North/Clybourn exit, and then walked about a block to the restaurant. We got an ironic sense of satisfaction in that we arrived via public transportation at a cost of $2.50 per person en route to THE most expensive dinner that we’ve ever eaten! It was also, admittedly, one of the most memorable dinners that we’ve eaten, but we can’t say that we liked it any better than The French Laundry, Per Se, and Momofuku Ko. We love that Alinea was so different than those other unforgettable meals; it seems that every truly fine restaurant has some unique way of distinguishing itself from others. For Alinea, the phenomenal food presentations make it shine!