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A New Alinea Plans to Serve Emotions as Well as Entrees A New Alinea Plans to Serve Emotions as Well as Entrees
(4 days later)
CHICAGO — In the weeks leading up to the reboot of his three-Michelin-star restaurant Alinea, the chef Grant Achatz and his team have staged a series of wildly experimental pop-up dinners. Perhaps the most startling moment one night came when diners were given an envelope bearing a simple message: “Please, shut up.”CHICAGO — In the weeks leading up to the reboot of his three-Michelin-star restaurant Alinea, the chef Grant Achatz and his team have staged a series of wildly experimental pop-up dinners. Perhaps the most startling moment one night came when diners were given an envelope bearing a simple message: “Please, shut up.”
The dining room was suddenly bathed in harsh bright light as waiters in white coveralls served a monochromatic dish of Marcona almonds, clamshell mushrooms and white asparagus in a white velouté on white plates atop white tablecloths. Servers, with a finger poised over lips, signaled everyone to eat in silence.The dining room was suddenly bathed in harsh bright light as waiters in white coveralls served a monochromatic dish of Marcona almonds, clamshell mushrooms and white asparagus in a white velouté on white plates atop white tablecloths. Servers, with a finger poised over lips, signaled everyone to eat in silence.
Minutes later, the room plunged into near darkness to the ominous guitar intro of “Paint It Black.” Servers described the next dish in a frantic manner: a duck stew with mushroom, blackberry and Chinese vinegar reduction, blackened forbidden rice and fried black lentils. The food was so dark, it was difficult to tell if one had finished it.Minutes later, the room plunged into near darkness to the ominous guitar intro of “Paint It Black.” Servers described the next dish in a frantic manner: a duck stew with mushroom, blackberry and Chinese vinegar reduction, blackened forbidden rice and fried black lentils. The food was so dark, it was difficult to tell if one had finished it.
That one-two punch, Mr. Achatz later said, was meant to convey a sense of tension and release, a ride from valley to peak along the emotional sine curve.That one-two punch, Mr. Achatz later said, was meant to convey a sense of tension and release, a ride from valley to peak along the emotional sine curve.
And while he has no plans to stage anything as extreme once the restaurant opens, it may provide some clues about his intentions for one of the world’s most renowned, and unpredictable, restaurants.And while he has no plans to stage anything as extreme once the restaurant opens, it may provide some clues about his intentions for one of the world’s most renowned, and unpredictable, restaurants.
Alinea has been closed since New Year’s Day for a seven-figure gut renovation and conceptual reset. It is scheduled to reopen in the coming weeks; the pop-up dinners, called the Progression, were served in the space that previously housed Moto, a restaurant owned by the late chef Homaro Cantu. Alinea, which on Monday won a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant, has been closed since New Year’s Day for a seven-figure gut renovation and conceptual reset. It is scheduled to reopen in the coming weeks; the pop-up dinners, called the Progression, were served in the space that previously housed Moto, a restaurant owned by the late chef Homaro Cantu.
Mr. Achatz, 42, said his cooking would rely less on the pyrotechnics of molecular gastronomy that he favored as a 30-year-old. These days, he said, it’s about “less shock value.” What intrigues him now is how to enhance the dining experience by evoking emotions.Mr. Achatz, 42, said his cooking would rely less on the pyrotechnics of molecular gastronomy that he favored as a 30-year-old. These days, he said, it’s about “less shock value.” What intrigues him now is how to enhance the dining experience by evoking emotions.
“A good cook will understand nuances in layers of flavors through seasoning: maybe it’s acid, spice, bitterness,” Mr. Achatz said in an interview at the restaurant. “We want to keep that going. How do we season with sound? With light? With elements of emotions? For us, that makes the experience more complex and nuanced.”“A good cook will understand nuances in layers of flavors through seasoning: maybe it’s acid, spice, bitterness,” Mr. Achatz said in an interview at the restaurant. “We want to keep that going. How do we season with sound? With light? With elements of emotions? For us, that makes the experience more complex and nuanced.”
Through highs (Ruth Reichl proclaimed it the best restaurant in America in Gourmet in 2006) and lows (Mr. Achatz’s bout with cancer in 2007), Alinea has operated continuously in the upscale Lincoln Park neighborhood since its first day, May 4, 2005. The reopened Alinea will be a brand-new restaurant in everything but the name.Through highs (Ruth Reichl proclaimed it the best restaurant in America in Gourmet in 2006) and lows (Mr. Achatz’s bout with cancer in 2007), Alinea has operated continuously in the upscale Lincoln Park neighborhood since its first day, May 4, 2005. The reopened Alinea will be a brand-new restaurant in everything but the name.
Every signature Alinea dish (the one-bite dumpling bursting with black truffle broth, an edible helium balloon of green apple taffy, spring vegetables graffitied with spray-painted carrot juice) is gone. New dishes have yet to be worked out, but the goal will be purity of flavor: peak-season fava beans, for instance, dressed with lavender and olive oil. “The complexity comes in its simplicity,” Mr. Achatz said.Every signature Alinea dish (the one-bite dumpling bursting with black truffle broth, an edible helium balloon of green apple taffy, spring vegetables graffitied with spray-painted carrot juice) is gone. New dishes have yet to be worked out, but the goal will be purity of flavor: peak-season fava beans, for instance, dressed with lavender and olive oil. “The complexity comes in its simplicity,” Mr. Achatz said.
The most significant change is the restaurant’s interior. Its minimalist stainless steel and glass have been replaced by warm tones, plush banquette seating and ornate crown molding that brings to mind turn-of-the-century Parisian rowhouses. Classicism is punctuated by modern touches, like a tabletop made with a translucent resin that makes plates look as if they float.The most significant change is the restaurant’s interior. Its minimalist stainless steel and glass have been replaced by warm tones, plush banquette seating and ornate crown molding that brings to mind turn-of-the-century Parisian rowhouses. Classicism is punctuated by modern touches, like a tabletop made with a translucent resin that makes plates look as if they float.
The downstairs oval-shaped room, known as the Gallery, has been fitted out like a performance space, with lighting and sound systems that can be synchronized using an iPad. Furniture can be moved in and out with ease, turning a seated area into an open cocktail-lounge space. Halfway up the curving staircase is a nook where a musician or poet may perform.The downstairs oval-shaped room, known as the Gallery, has been fitted out like a performance space, with lighting and sound systems that can be synchronized using an iPad. Furniture can be moved in and out with ease, turning a seated area into an open cocktail-lounge space. Halfway up the curving staircase is a nook where a musician or poet may perform.
Every ceiling tile has up to four brass anchors that can hold nearly 100 pounds in weight. Mr. Achatz envisions suspending legs of Ibérico ham, or baskets where diners forage for their next course.Every ceiling tile has up to four brass anchors that can hold nearly 100 pounds in weight. Mr. Achatz envisions suspending legs of Ibérico ham, or baskets where diners forage for their next course.
The first thing to hang from the anchors will be paintings by the Chicago artist Thomas Masters. During the meal, they will be unhooked from the ceiling and a course will be plated atop the acrylic panels, making a visual connection between the colors and textures in the food and the artwork.The first thing to hang from the anchors will be paintings by the Chicago artist Thomas Masters. During the meal, they will be unhooked from the ceiling and a course will be plated atop the acrylic panels, making a visual connection between the colors and textures in the food and the artwork.
The Gallery is closest in spirit to the playful, and polarizing, experiments conducted at the pop-up dinners. Like a theatrical presentation, meals at the Gallery will be limited to 16 diners for each seating, with a set start time. (Mr. Achatz and his business partner, Nick Kokonas, have already pioneered the selling of tickets at their restaurants.)The Gallery is closest in spirit to the playful, and polarizing, experiments conducted at the pop-up dinners. Like a theatrical presentation, meals at the Gallery will be limited to 16 diners for each seating, with a set start time. (Mr. Achatz and his business partner, Nick Kokonas, have already pioneered the selling of tickets at their restaurants.)
He said Gallery meals would cost more than those upstairs, where he would offer a more traditional sit-down dining experience.He said Gallery meals would cost more than those upstairs, where he would offer a more traditional sit-down dining experience.
Though servers are unlikely to ask diners to “please, shut up,” the pop-up dinners’ spirit of experimentation will carry over to the new restaurant.Though servers are unlikely to ask diners to “please, shut up,” the pop-up dinners’ spirit of experimentation will carry over to the new restaurant.
“We’re not really worried so much about offending anybody as we are trying to keep our beliefs true,” the executive chef, Mike Bagale, said. “Being normal is a fear.”“We’re not really worried so much about offending anybody as we are trying to keep our beliefs true,” the executive chef, Mike Bagale, said. “Being normal is a fear.”