Harlequin bug pinbox full#

I'd also single out the veal cheeks course as exceptional. The seafood opener(s) were fabulous, in concept, presentation, and-best of all-in the mouth. We liked the concept more than the actual eating, I guess. And very hard to know which organs/preparations would pair best with which unknown garnish. While it was fun to discover wonderful pairings (you were purposely not told what was there, though a number of items were pretty obvious), it was less fun to discover less-successful pairings. This time, I can only recall one dish that didn't really work for us: the small portions of various duck anatomy (or preparations) and the 60 garnishes. On previous visits, we've tended to have a couple favorites, a couple less-than-happy items, and a high overall level of happiness. We were quite happy with the meal as well and one of the nice things was that virtually everything was a great success. Saves me from having to work on mine since we were there about three weeks ago and had substantially the same meal (except, of course, the comped things). Thanks, Ron, for the de rigueur great shots. When you think that there's absolutely no one left from the opening other than chef Achatz, it really is a testament to his creative vision, culinary skill and ability to lead.

Harlequin bug pinbox full#

8 years in and they still have a full head of steam. This meal was among my very favorites I've ever had at Alinea. Needless to say, we tipped heavily in an attempt to reciprocate.

Whoa! That was an incredibly sweet gesture on the part of the house. Somehow - I don't believe I ever mentioned it - the house knew that it was the birthday of one of the people in our party.ĭark Chocolate | chestnut, rye, maple syrupĪt the end of our meal we were informed that the 2 reserve wine pairings the 4 of shared had been comped.

Such a cool concept.Īdditional Duck Course | breast, foie grasīlack Truffle | explosion, romaine, parmesan We were told that there was no expectation we try them all but with 4 of us at the table, we pretty much did. These were served with the duck course shown above. Hot Potato | cold potato, black truffle, butterĭuck | heart, neck, tongue, wing, breast, kidney, liver, mousse, leg This was a course that I'm pretty sure was sent out for us, in addition to the standard menu for the evening. Seafood Course: Blue Prawn | tamarind, mintĪdditional Duck Course | breast and foie gras Seafood Course: Chilled Petal Bath for Uku Seafood Course: Monchong | banana leaf, sugarcane Seafood Course: Shrimp Head | togarashi, pincage Seafood Course: Papa Papio | lemongrass, star anise Osetra Caviar | lobster, meyer lemon, cotton candy It had been a while since my last trip to Alinea but last Thursday, even on a night that I believe was new chef de cusine Mike Bagale's first service, things were humming along at their usual world-class level on every dimension.