This weekend I was lucky enough to fly to Chicago and eat at the famed restaurant Alinea.  It was a 20 course meal with magical wine and magical company.

The chef Grant Achatz has created something very special at his post modern restaurant.  For me, someone who has been lucky enough to have experienced some meals cooked at the hands of the greatest chefs alive, this meal surpassed anything I’ve ever had.

I look for 3 things when I eat at top restaurants like this.  Substance, design and originality.  I can’t simply have a dish that is deigned and plated well without an intense flavor.  I don’t want comfot food when I come to a place like this.  I want my tongue to be shocked… I want to taste something new.

I tasted flavors and textures that I have simply NEVER had before Alinea.

I had a Rhubarb dessert plated on top of a deflating pillow which released a lavender scented smoke into the air … yah… ‘nough said.