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! 

New York City: Momofuku Ko (May 2011)

Our mid-May 2011 meal at Momofuku Ko was one of the most amazing meals that my spouse and I have ever eaten! (Previously, the only David Chang restaurant at which we had eaten was Ma Pêche in mid-January 2011). Although we’re embarrassed to say, Ko wasn’t our first choice for dining, but when the choice wasn’t available (despite trying to reserve 30 days in advance), we became more creative in our endeavor. Knowing that David Chang has his own reservation system, we signed up for an account, and learned a little more about Ssäm, Noodle Bar, and Ko. While Ssäm and Noodle Bar sounded great, we were intrigued by their large-party offerings of the fried chicken dinner and the bo ssäm dinner. Being a party of only 2, these amazing meals wouldn’t work for us, so we decided to try for Ko, and added “make a reservation” to our to do list for 2 weeks prior to the date we wanted to dine (we wanted to eat lunch, where the reservations are available 2 weeks in advance, as opposed to dinner, for which reservations become available only 1 week in advance). We had no trouble securing a reservation for both the date and time that we wanted, which was a spring Saturday at 12:00 pm. The only option is the multi-course tasting menu for $175 per person, which doesn’t include beverages, tax, or gratuity. There isn’t even a menu provided to the guests, so you never actually read what you will be eating or the ingredients composing the dishes. Although we thoroughly enjoy blind tasting menus, we would have liked to have a written menu to take away with us. But since we didn’t receive a menu, we’ve tried to make a list of the dishes that we ate at the end of this review. Only 12 people dine at this restaurant at any lunch or dinner, seated at a upscale luncheonette counter surrounding the chefs and the grill. We read reviews about people complaining about the wooden (movable) barstools, and that they become uncomfortable after sitting for 3 hours, but we didn’t really notice because we were so enthralled with the food preparation. We’ve eaten wonderfully prepared and presented meals before, but we’ve never had them created and plated before our eyes. The chefs were engaging and entertaining, but we would have to agree with other reviews that we’ve read that the host and hostess, who also serve as the bartenders/drink deliverers, are a bit surly. The most memorable part of the meal for us was because we were the first arrivals. As we sat at the end of the 12-person counter, the chef in front of us began to prepare the live soft-shell crabs for their later incorporation into hand rolls. He cheekily said to us that he always waits until a few customers are present so that they can appreciate the freshness of the ingredients. We each received a small onigiri to take home, which was a bit odd because it didn’t travel very well. The restaurant has an outstanding menu, and we will definitely return when our schedules allow. We still talk about this meal often, and our visit was over 3 months ago.

1. Oyster served on a bed of crushed ice
2. Fried artichoke on parsley root puree with olive and lime served on a spoon
3. Braised fennel served on a spoon
4. Potato souffle tube filled with cauliflower and caviar served on a slate piece
5. Vegetable tasting: chinese onion, asparagus
6. Crudo of four types with:
7. Fish topped with crispy fish scales,
   Fish topped with beets and freeze-dried soy sauce
   Branzini
   Clam with topped with poppy seeds
8. Charcuterie: rabbit terrine, smoked duck slice with mustard, pig face with crispy pig ears
9. Multiple mushroom salad: lobster, black trumpet, white cauliflower and chanterelle mushrooms with pickled red onion, served with mushroom consommé with basil oil
10. Puffed Hillcrest Farms chicken egg, Benton's bacon dashi, kombu
11. Bento box including:
    Soft-shell crab hand roll (the crabs were still living when we arrived)
    Smoked bacon fat sticky rice
    Mustard greens with black sesame paste and white sesame seeds
12. Cold dashi broth, sugar snap peas, Santa Barbara uni
13. Ricotta-filled dumplings served in fried chicken broth and topped with grilled ramps and crispy fried chicken skin
14. Kimchi gelée  soup with spring vegetables
15. Fish with crispy skin, warm potato salad
16. Spring chicken with leg and thigh sausage, green chick peas, asparagus
17. Shaved torchon of Hudson Valley foie gras, Riesling wine gelée, lychee, pine nut brittle (SIGNATURE DISH)
18. Goat cheese topped with 4-layer gelée of milk, honey, tea, pomegranate
19. Spring pea ice cream
20. Miso ice cream in sugar cone with sticky-rice mochi topped with burned rice krispies

New York City: Le Bernardin (July 2010)

My spouse and I dined for dinner at le Bernardin in July 2010. We felt like we had a substandard table, yet we had an amazing meal. I never knew that I liked fish before! The food was amazing; each dish was sauced at the table. One sauce even made the fish taste like beef. We had read some reviews of the restaurant beforehand, which led us to request the special "Laiskonis Egg", which was an additional dessert course that other diners did not receive. Le Bernardin is a Michelin Guide three star, Zagat-rated French seafood restaurant started in 1972 in Paris by Gilbert Le Coze and his sister Maguy Le Coze under the name Les Moines de St. Bernardin and moved to New York in 1986. Gilbert le Coze died of a heart attack in 1994, and Eric Ripert succeeded him as the head chef. Signature dishes include kindai maguro (sustainably raised Japanese bluefin tuna), Kobe beef and escolar. In 2009, Le Bernardin was voted 15th best restaurant in the world in the Restaurant magazine Top 50. Le Bernardin is one of only seven restaurants in New York awarded three Michelin stars, and is the restaurant that has held four stars from The New York Times for the longest period of time, having earned the ranking in early 1986. It has received James Beard Foundation Awards such as Outstanding Restaurant 1998, Outstanding Chef Eric Ripert 2003, and Outstanding Pastry Chef Michael Laiskonis 2007. Regarding the famous "Laiskonis Egg", where some chefs might see trash, Michael Laiskonis sees a dessert. Most chefs wouldn’t think twice about cracking open an egg and throwing out the shells, but that’s not the case with Laiskonis. One of his signature desserts uses humble brown egg shells to hold a delicate custard-filled dessert.

New York City: Per Se (December 2009)

ONE OF THE BEST MEALS EVER!  We recommend vegetable-based tasting menu, priced at about $275 p/p (includes gratiuity and nonalcoholic beveverage), as well as the 9-course lunch or dinner also priced at $275 p/p (includes gratiuity and nonalcoholic beveverage). Chances are you'll only visit Thomas Keller's lauded
establishment to celebrate a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, say, an engagement or an organ transplant! This restaurant has held 3 Michelin stars since it opened. Per Se is a New American and French restaurant located on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center at 10 Columbus Circle (at West 60th Street and Broadway). In
2011, it was called the best restaurant in New York City by the New York Times. The chef is Eli Kaimeh. Per Se is currently the third most expensive restaurant in the world after Sublimotion and Urasawa with an average guest spending approximately $851. The owner of Per Se is Thomas Keller, who is also involved in the
restaurants French Laundry and Ad Hoc in Napa Valley; Bouchon in Napa Valley, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles; Bouchon Bakery in Napa Valley; and the Time Warner Center and Rockefeller Center in New York. Per Se opened in February 2004. Keller chose restaurant/hotel designer Adam Tihany to draw together subtle
references to The French Laundry and elements from both his and Keller's pasts; for example, the decorative blue door to the right of the main entrance is modeled after the blue door at The French Laundry.The restaurant features a salon, bar, and wine cellar. Like Keller's previous project, The French Laundry, Per Se
features two daily prix fixe menus, one of which is vegetarian. Menus frequently include up-charges for luxury ingredients such as foie gras and truffles. The private room can accommodate approximately 10 people, while the west room can accommodate 62 – the same number of seats as the French Laundry.

San Francisco: The French Laundry (May 2009)

My spouse and I dined at The French Laundry for lunch on a Friday in late May 2009. We were so lucky to get this reservation! At first, we were placed on a waitlist because of lack of availability, but several days before we departed for California, we received a call that a spot had opened up! This meal began a culinary quest that would last for years to come!

Chef Thomas Keller visited Yountville, California, in the early 1990s to find a space to fulfill a longtime culinary dream: to establish a destination for fine French cuisine in the Napa Valley. In his travels, he came across a rustic two-story stone cottage. As he walked into the restaurant’s quaint courtyard, he knew it was where he had been headed throughout his career. The French Laundry, a 1,600 square-foot structure constructed of river rock and timbers, was built as a saloon in 1900 by a Scottish stonemason. The building later served as a residence, and during the 1920s operated as a French steam laundry. In 1978, town mayor Don Schmitt and his wife Sally renovated the structure into a restaurant, which Keller then purchased in 1994. The French Laundry has received numerous honors and accolades. Most recently, the Michelin Guide San Francisco awarded The French Laundry their highest rating of three stars for the sixth year in a row, making Thomas Keller the only American-born chef to have two three-starred Michelin restaurants. In 2006, the James Beard Foundation gave The French Laundry the highly coveted “Outstanding Restaurant Award” and awarded Chef Thomas Keller “Outstanding Restaurateur” in 2007. The French Laundry is a member of French-based Relais and Chateaux, Relais Gourmands, and Traditions and Qualite; organizations recognized for their dedication to maintaining the highest international standards for hospitality and culinary excellence. Through The French Laundry’s menu, which changes daily, the restaurant commits itself to creating classic French cuisine with the finest quality ingredients, along with a similarly intense focus on impeccable guest service. In 2007, the Michelin Guide came to San Francisco and The French Laundry received its first 3-star rating, which it has maintained every year since 2007. Chef Keller received the "Outstanding Restaurateur" award from the James Beard Foundation. Since 2003, The French Laundry has remained on "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" "Best in the Americas”.