Alinea - Chicago, IL

CAUSE IT'S BIG TO RECEIVE 3 STARS!

I've heard this about the French Laundry aswell... Not relaxing at all.

I'm going to put my lunch in the microwave--Hungry-Man 16 oz. boneless pork with mashed potatos and corn and a brownie desert--"It's good to be full".

Did u go there? 380 dollars for how many courses??? what happened?

I honestly have a problem with the structure of the restaurant...the food looks too complex for the main stream foodies....i don't mean the avarage joe type, i mean it's got to be very expensive, just by looking at the amount of ingridiants, preperations for service and the amount of chefs in the kitchen in service / shift...the labour cost must be freakin gigantic....got to be expensive food or else the restaurant will not make money

labor is cheap... it's called free labor....

it's a good restaurants, nice looking food.

I'm going in 18 days. totally excited.

restaurants like this pay very little hourly and a lot of times pay nothing, cause the guys in the kitchen WANT to be there, either to learn or do their internship. its the same thing with "the french laundry" with Keller, you go there dont get paid and have to be there a min of 3 months. its the nature of the business when your good and people want to work for you!!

favorite restaurant , I like it

Not pretentious? Maybe, but it is hateful. If you do not feel guilt over spending 250$ on a single meal then any lecture on practical ethics is beyond your grasp. The love of many has grown cold....

It's art! not cooking!

Excellent ! These are once in a lifetime experiences.

@atter1cob i disagree with everything you said except the last sentence

@andromanche1337 good luck to you trying to get in at alinea ;) @savorycities yes, they are oak leaves.

This is too much..

a experience to live...

he is HOT! sorry to hear about the diagnosis of cancer; great to hear that he is now better....

@atter1cob ----You can't compare Red Lobster or not too many restaurants to Alinea..You can however compare Alinea to Per Se in NY or WD-50 in NY. Btw,I wouldn't eat at Red Lobster ONCE much less 10 times. I have eaten at Per Se and WD-50 a couple of times

@atter1cob 4 people? more than that. Think about the prep work, more than 4 are needed

@ Sandrodream Actually you have 1. theworlds50best(dot)com

im olny 15 and im making my career choices right now i think cooking will be one of my choices then some other career like computer sciences or some shit

Good lucky with Michelin! YOUR WORTH IT!

@kevinrocksyo check out Le Cordon Bleu programes in your area. I go to Chicago. REMEMBER YOU CAN DO AND BE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO BE!

@jimamily Enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu Chicago! So happy with my choice!

I will do anything to go to Alinea teenchefteddy.blogspot

i am like wow ! i am new in this i have only 3 yeras in this job and i am still like wow ! what is it ?how can i made it !? thanks you to give me the opotrunity to watch your job!

@Andromanche1337 Yeah you and me both! Im really starting to play with texture and flavour and its becoming a complete obsession... Its a little scary! :P

@hoodedrobin Then dont go. Problem solved. You either get it, or you dont. You obviously dont. I for one cant wait to experience this.

@atter1cob - but undoubtedly that is because you CAN cook at home, and you have taste. Most Americans today can't cook. They think places like Red Lobster and Burger King are actually good food, because they have NO culinary awareness. Pearls before swine.

I notice all these "molecular gastronomy" restaurants like the down play the science angle which is kind of backhanded considering it was literally science that allowed them to create these new dishes. Point being, art is the dream science makes a reality. On another note I don't know where this $500 for 2 came from their website says $195 a head & that's in line with the 5 restaurants ranked ahead of it.

@stickshaka tax and tip

okay... but how does the scent of burning leaves affect the experience of the person dining at the adjacent table? What if it clashes with the taste of what they're eating? It's a good thought, but I think setting is also important to consider in that situation. I'll still try it next time i'm in Chicago...really interesting!

WTF there is nothing on those plates.....most of it is my single bite

The fact that he has to defend the restaurant, and say it's not pretentious.... to me that says that a lot of people have said the restaurant is pretentious. To be honest, I'm not sold by this video, the restaurant looks stuffy and it seems soul less. The kind of place Patrick Bateman goes to.

If you work in the restaurant business.. you would drop a paycheck to go eat.... as for me 1/2 of my paycheck goes to food.

It's amazing how much tongue cancer changed Achatz's voice. I actually think his voice has more character to it, now.

I hate to say it, but no matter how much you might like this place, I bet you'll crave a cheeseburger on the way home.

Grant Achatz look SOOOo different now. He seems a humbler, and more driven cook now.

How much to go there for the 4 and half hour show?

I would like to work there.....I think thats a great place....and i can make some money......lol

@hankvessel ahhhhh i envy you :(

@hoodedrobin don't hate. it makes you look fat

He looks like an entirely different person nowadays.

I WILL BE LIVING IN CHICAGO SOON BUT I REGRET I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO VISIT AHHHHHH

Hey, just wondered... you posted this comment a year ago.. how's your career in cooking going? Have you eaten at Alinea again?

The main thing is that Grant Achatz is alive & survived cancer. Scars from medical & health battles builds & leaves some strength & character. Alinea is on my bucket list. I would love to visit there someday. I'm glad Achatz wrote a book sharing his life experience, too. It would be great to meet him as well, too.

I hope I get to experience this soon. Not sure if it could top Per Se, but I have high hopes.

Very nice

Are you kidding me, it's science and pretentious ..