Chicago: Three Michelin Star Restaurant Alinea, Friends, and Food

After our experience at Benu Caiqian and I had an itching to go to another three star Michelin Restaurant. After some research Caiqian and I set our sights on Alinea (pronounced uh-lin-aye-uh, not ow-lyn-ee-uh), the poster child of Molecular Gastronomy. After months of trying and failing to get a reservation Caiqian and I snagged a couple of 9:30pm seats at Alinea's coveted Gallery, which only seats 16 people at a time (there are other seats which bring Alinea's total seating to 64, but we wanted the prime Gallery experience).

BEFORE CONTINUING, PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS POST CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS SO IF YOU HAVE ANY INTENTION TO GO TO ALINEA PLEASE DO NOT READ AHEAD, A LOT OF THE RESTAURANT'S MAGIC IS IN THE SURPRISES IN ADDITION TO THE FOOD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

The night began with us showing up 15 minutes early and waiting in the front hallway. We were told to not peek in the dining room, which was behind a large and heavy looking swinging door. At the time I wondered why we weren't allowed to look.

In the entrance hall (no peeking in the dining room allowed)

Walking into the gallery the first thing we notice is a giant table that sat all 16 folks participating in the Gallery that night. As we walked up to the table we heard crunching underneath our feet. Image our surprise when we looked down and found the floor completely covered in a deep layer of autumn leaves! This was the beginning of a night that was going to be full of sensory surprises.

A giant communal table with the ground covered in crunchy leaves!

As in any restaurant, we received our menu. To our surprise though, our menu was more of a game than a preview of what's to come. There were 21 courses, each with their own title, and therefore 21 words. Can you find any of them?

Tonight's Menu

Our first course was "Communal" (hint, look at the "C" in the top left of the menu and look down) which was a visual spectacle as the waitstaff brought out all the plates and lifted the glass domes, releasing the smoke trapped inside. I really liked the Osetra caviar which wasn't overly salty.

Communal | Parsnip,  Osetra,  Lemon, White Pepper, Smoke

After our first course we were invited to visit the kitchen. Imagine us, walking around a 3 Michelin star kitchen!

Deep in the Alinea Kitchen :)

The kitchen was clean, with well labeled containers and previews of meals to come.

Purple Spaghetti??? NOPE!

In the kitchen a chef introduced an old-timey cocktail shaker and treated us to a pomegranate cocktail and cake of some sort which reminded me of the inside of an airy french baguette, except sweet like a cake.

Shaker |  Pomegranate
Cake | Black Walnut, Mace

After the kitchen tour the diners returned with Caiqian and I in the back of the line. When we got back to our room, the giant communal table was gone, replaced with individual tables. Perhaps most shocking was that all the leaves on the floor had disappeared. Caiqian froze in place and put her hands to her face when she saw the transformation.

Caiqian in SHOCK from the magically changed room

At our new private two person table, we were served our next course which consisted of a dehydrated sheet that they rehydrated with broth.

Paper | Langoustine, Bouillabaisse, Olive Oil 

To accompany the broth and giant noodle we had small rolls that gave a satisfying crunch when bitten into, which I enjoyed quite a bit.

Crunch | Rouille, Nori

Next up was probably my favorite dish of the night, which was also the only one not in the crossword menu (so I made up a name). It was amazingly tender squid, poached in butter and surrounded by a savory, rich butter sauce of some sort. Accompanying it was a pitch black smooth paste of black garlic and squid ink which was fun to eat.

Squid |  Black Garlic, Squid Ink, Allium Flowers

Along with the squid the waitstaff gave us a plate of black rocks. We were then given the task of finding the two edible black rocks amongst the plate of literal (inedible) rocks. I'll leave it to you to guess which were food.

Ink |  Olive, Artichoke

Next was our "salad" dish, which consisted of delicious heirloom tomatoes and a side of microgastronomy frozen lemon spheres.

Garden | Orange, Sherry, Tomato

Next was a fun play on cheese sandwiches. These were inverse sandwiches, with crispy cheese "bread" holding a "baguette cream" which was smooth and was packed with the essence of a delicious french baguette .

Bocadillo | Manchego, Jamon

Almost as an intermission of sorts, we had an olfactory delight as our waitstaff poured a mysterious liquid over our giant bowl of oranges, releasing a explosion of amazing citrus scents (which Caiqian inhaled deeply).

Wonderful Citrus Liquid Nitrogen

Next up we had a mysterious bowl placed on our table which was very hot and full of salt. Soon we learned it's purpose once it was set alight. I guess it wasn't just salt.

Tableside fire before turning off the lights

After the fire was lit the lights were turned off and we ate a delicious fish-buried-in-fish-foam dish by fireside. The experience brought my mind back to over a decade ago when I ate by campfire in the boy scouts. It was a fond memory that I hadn't thought about in years. Dad, if you're reading this, we need to go camping together!

Brook | Michigan Brook Trout, Roe, Apple, Watercress

Next the waitstaff brought a bowl of ice which must have been illuminated underneath by a bright white-blue light, which felt like it came straight out of Lord of the Rings. It was visually stunning being in the dark with a red hot flame on one side of our table and this cold blue ice bowl on the other side. In the ice bowl were two spheres of citrus liquid barely contained in a thin, hard shell with the flavor and texture of frozen yogurt .

A Meal of Ice and Fire

Soon the lights were turned on and our fire was extinguished, the fire bowl was covered with rosemary stalks, two of which featured speared cubes of Hamachi. Ah, now we know what the fire blow was really for! The smell of smoking rosemary stalks was really wonderful and perfectly accompanied the fish.

Steam | Hamachi, Rosemary, Kombu

Next was a blueberry dish, which was nice. The most intriguing part were the other ingredients, mushrooms and tea, which you think wouldn't go with mushrooms but all the ingredients combined to give a single, cohesive flavor.

Fungi | Blueberry, Lapsang Souchong, Maitake

Right when we thought the waitstaff were going to take away the extinguished fire bowl, we were shocked to learn that it wasn't only for smoking rosemary. That's right, in addition to providing ambiance and smoking fish, there was a potato underneath the whole time!

Surprise potato and  tableside prep by (unknown to us) head chef  Grant Achatz (pronounced A-kitz, as in “Packets")

At the time we didn't know who was preparing our dish, but it turns out it was the head Chef, Grant Achatz! He sometimes isn't even at this restaurant since he owns several, but tonight he was here, and directly serving us. The worst part is, we had no idea, but when we asked him about the truffles being used in our fancy potato salad, he said with confidence that the truffles were particularly nice at this time.

Next time we go to a restaurant of this caliber Caiqian said she will do her research beforehand so this doesn't happen again. I'd like to think Grant enjoyed the anonymity, and I might be superstitious but I feel like this kind of situation would only happen when it's a total surprise.

The potato salad with dairy and truffles were to die for. So good!

Spud | Truffle, Midwest Dairy

For our last savory dish Caiqian and I enjoyed veal cheek with pineapple, hearts of palm, and black garlic pairings. It was accompanied by a dressed romaine leaf served on a lime.

Cheek | Veal Cheek,  Pineapple, Hearts of Palm

By this point we were looking over our shoulder trying to anticipate what the next surprise would be. That's when the waitstaff gave each table a bottle of Alinea vanilla beans, which we had noticed in the kitchen earlier.

Vanilla?

These jars, as it turned out, did not have vanilla. But it did LOOK and SMELL like vanilla. However, they really contained tender beef jerky. Magic.

Bean | Tenderloin, Spices

Dessert came over several courses. First was a bowl (in a bowl, in another bowl) of rocks, which were actually all edible delectables of various flavors.

Rock | Sweet Potato, Chocolate, Miso

We were then treated to the smallest slice of transparent pumpkin pie. Hooray for halloween.

Invisible | Pate Brisee,  Pumpkin

Along with the pumpkin pie came another throwback to boyscouts, a marshmallow, with chocolate inside, on a stick.

Campfire | Dark Chocolate, Birch, Marshmallow

Next up was a real treat, an icon of the Alinea restaurant from before it got its Michelin stars. The famous  helium balloon, completely edible from the balloon to the string. It was surreal having our waiters hand us our respective grape-flavored balloons (remember the purple spaghetti from before, that was the string!)

Balloon |  Helium, Grape

We were advised to bring the balloon down to face level and inhale the helium. If you want to see Caiqian inhale the helium and say some words, click the video below :)

For our last dessert of the night, I was asked to sit next to Caiqian. By this point we felt like Alinea veterans and were ready for some kind of surprise. However, even with our experience of continual surprises we didn't anticipate the waitstaff pulling out ladders and taking the PAINTINGS THAT HAD BEEN DECORATING THE CEILING THE WHOLE NIGHT down. Turns out the local artist paintings doubled as gigantic plates for Alinea's finale.

As the lights dimmed down and the music cranked up we knew the chefs were about to put on a real show...

Paint | White Chocolate, Grapefruit, Coffee

Above are the before and after shots of the making of our dessert. If you would like to see how a series of chefs created the final product in front of our eyes feel free to click the video below.

And with that, our experience was concluded. As an afterward Caiqian and I drank coffee and tea respectively along with some edible golden nuggets as a parting finger food.

Nugget | Sesame, Brown Butter, Gold

Lastly we were handed the solution sheet to accompany the menu.

Our menu, solved

What an experience!

In addition to Alinea, we saw our friend Matt and his friend Rachel. We went to a Nutella Cafe, Lego Store, WildBerry Pancakes and Cafe, Eataly, and Molly's Cupcakes. I learned it's better to make good, plain pancakes and then put on good toppings instead of cooking ingredients in the pancake. We also learned cupcakes are better when the core is removed and replaced with delicious stuff like creme brulee creme.

Whelp, that was Chicago. Who know's what the next post will be about??

San Francisco: Three Michelin Star Restaurant Benu, Paragliding, and Redwoods

For my 25th Birthday Caiqian and I decided to see my Uncle in San Francisco. After buying the plane tickets, my friend Mikey got word and bought a ticket to see us, a true birthday miracle. Not only did Mikey decide to drop by, he also setup the most amazing restaurant experience of my life by booking a reservation at Benu, a THREE MICHELIN STAR restaurant. 

Day One - My B-Day

For those who do not understand, three michelin stars is the most michelin stars a restaurant can have, and is indicative of that being one of the finest restaurants in the world. Even getting a reservation at one can be a lengthy process that has to be booked months in advance.

Our crew at Benu!

Upon walking in, we immediately felt the luxurious, yet casual atmosphere. There was no dress code, but Mikey (whose parents own a restaurant) immediately noticed and pointed out how the floor was immaculate, no crumbs or anything. 

We all got the tasting menu, when consisted of "small delicacies" followed by several courses and then dessert. Benu immediately left a great impression with their first small delicacy, my first experience with real caviar! 

Small Delicacy - Sturgeon Caviar with Gold Foil

The next dish was a food I didn't even know existed.

Small Delicacy - Tuna Marrow

Perhaps the most memorable small delicacy was the tiny taco. This is one I'll want to re-create at home someday.

Small Delicacy - Tiny Horse Mackerel Taco

I know it looks like we took a lot of pictures of small delicacies, but the truth is this isn't even all of the small delicacies they gave us. In fact, the next abalone pic is from Yelp.

Small Delicacy - Abalone

The shrimp toast below was neat because we were instructed to grab it by the two toasted sides.

Small Delicacy -  Shrimp Toast

For this small delicacy, the kimchi is actually the crispy wrapper on the outside.

Small Delicacy -  Oyster, Pork Belly, Kimchi Siu Mai

Lastly in our small delicacy adventure, we were given black truffle imitation shark fin soup.

Small Delicacy -  Black Truffle, Dungeness Crab, Faux Shark Fin

Following the small delicacies, we were served a bread, butter, and honey platter.

Bread and butter with jasmine and gingseng infused honey

Our first item off the real menu (hence no golden plate beneath)was a 1000 year old quail egg, with the richest, most delicious soup I've ever drank (even richer than lobster bisque).

1000 Year Old Quail Egg with Cabbage Bacon Soup 

Next up was some dumplings served on a specially made plate just for the two dumplings. Here was another point of perfection: the dumplings were dialed in at the perfect, hot-but-not-scalding temperature so that they could be eaten immediately without hurting the mouth. 

Lobster Xiao Long Bao

Next was a most amazing quail. Somehow there was a lot of meat on the quail, not too bony at all. And the skin was (clearly) browned to perfection. And it was tender enough to be cut with a fork, all while maintaining the meat structure.

Smoked Quail, Nasturtium, Lam Kok Olive

After the quail, we ate the second bread dish so fast we had to grab this picture from Yelp as well. This one was Mikey's favorite. He said he could eat this all day.

Black Truffle Man Tou with Black Truffle Butter

That's right, somehow the quail wasn't even the main dish. That honor belongs to the unique steak dish. It was very well cooked and cut around the rib. Here is the only dish that I believed could be improved (blasphemous, I know.) but I happen to have firsthand experience with wagyu A5 steak in Singapore, and that was actually the best steak I've had. This was definitely a strong #2 though!

Beef Rib Steak Finale

What you have below is not a withered strawberry, but actually an alpine strawberry which is softer and sweeter than any strawberry I've ever had. The ice cream quality was also on par with the rest of the food we ate.

Sesame Leaf Ice Cream with Alpine Strawberry

The prettiest dish was the almond cookie, no question.

Apricot osmanthus, and almond cookie

As a surprise treat, the folks at Benu arranged a cute birthday cake box since we were celebrating my 25th. It was very tasteful, they didn't even say anything, they just but this mysterious wooden box in front of me with a hand crank to the right side of the box. When I turned the crank, it played a crank music box version of happy birthday.

Happy Birthday musical crank box

By the time we reached the last dinner fruits, we were all stuffed and we had been in the restaurant for three hours, although it felt much shorter than that.

Pear and Persimmon slices with candied ginger herb

Another testament to the quality of Benu was the utensils and tableware. They challenged all standards. Two Pronged forks? FIVE Pronged forks? And a non-condensing metal cup that was room temperature to the touch, despite being filled with ice cold tea?

The mind-blowing tableware of Benu

As a final nail in the coffin, we looked up the price of the cup and the five pronged fork afterward. Apparently the cup is only made my one company in Japan and is vacuum sealed double walled titanium, and each cup goes for $400 (from SUS)! A cup set was given to Obama as a gift! And even the 5 pringed fork goes for $45 (From Carl Pott).

My restaurant eating experience will never be the same.

Day Two

After crossing off that from my bucket list, the next day we crossed another item off my bucket list, namely skydiving. This time it was my Uncle who arranged everything. So after some coordinating, we all found ourselves on the top of a very slippery, very spiky hill, ready to be airborne. I have to thank Mikey, who was volon-told to carry the heavy paragliding equipment.

A beautiful day to skydive off a thorny slippery hill

After teaching us all how to operate our Go-Pros, we quickly found ourselves in the air, which was a surprisingly smooth experience. 

Our heroes take to the skies.

Overall, the views were beautiful, but somewhat more nauseating and less thrilling than skydiving. Caiqian, Mikey and I in particular needed to sit down after our flights, while Uncle Oreste was 100% fine. Oddly enough, Caiqian felt better after she took a ride on my Uncle's Onewheel, his newest, skateboard-like motor-powered method of transportation.

Post flying entertainment with Uncle Oreste's OneWheel

The Onewheel was fun, certainly easier than his prior mode of transport, the self-balancing unicycle.

Day 3 - Redwoods

On day three I had yet another bucket list item crossed off, namely seeing Redwoods with my own two eyes.That day, my Uncle Oreste, Mikey, and I took subway, ferry, and bus to head over to Muir Woods.

On the ferry

Getting to Muir woods was tricky, but we overheard from a tour guide that the difficulty getting to the woods is the primary reason why it exists. Apparently, When Redwoods were discovered, 95% of them were chopped down. This is because one Redwood tree could build five four-bedroom houses. However since Muir woods was only accessible through a long, winding valley, the trees were spared since they couldn't easily be transported.

It's impossible to capture the full height of the redwoods in one picture

Overall it was a serene experience, walking amongst the giant trees. As you can tell from the photos, it is nearly impossible to get a photo spanning from the ground to the tops of the tree, but as a neat visual, Redwood trees are about as tall as a football field is long (~360ft).

dang that's a big tree.

One aspect of redwoods that I didn't know about was their beautiful bark structure. THe bark is very thick, almost a foot from the most protruding sections to the troughs of the bark, and very fibrous and stringy as well.

Fascinating bark and branch structure

The other activity of the day was meeting Caiqian's college friend Jack, who's at Berkeley.

Day 3 - Meeting up with Jack

We all met up with Jack at a charming pizza/brunch location called Gather.

UT students gathering at Gather

Jack recommended Gather as one of his top three pizza joints in San Fran, which is high praise considering the quality of the many pizza competitors.

Mikey and the Brunch Pizza

At breakfast we told him about our amazing three star experience at Benu. Then I thought it might be fun to go to a one star Michelin restaurant, so that Caiqian could feel qualified to be an unofficial Michelin critic when we came back home. So Mikey worked his magic and later that day we went to Kin Khao, a One-Michelin-Star Thai restaurant.

Kin Khao

Upon walking in we suspected this wasn't going to be the sublime experience Benu was. In fact, I felt bad because it was hard not to compare the two experiences while we were eating at Kin Khao. Nonetheless, there was creative and delicious dishes, certainly not the usual Americanized Thai plates I'm used to.

Nam prik long rua

One dish that stood out was the pork belly. very tender and nicely burnt, we suspect it was a big factor in earning the michelin star.

Caramelized Pork Belly

The curries there were nice too. Good and filling, but not anything I would come back and crave for.

Top: Massaman Nuea Curry. Bottom:Mussels & Nectarine Gaeng Kua Curry.

Unfortunately, I feel like the desserts were real misses. Due to an ordering mix-up, we actually got desserts on the house. But even with that huge perk, desserts were still by far the weakest aspect of the Kin Khao experience. The black rice pudding was unique, but not sweet and the add-ons felt somewhat tacked on.

Black Rice Pudding

And the beignets were very dry to me, our table didn't even finish them if I recall correctly.

Beignets

That said, now I feel like Caiqian can informally assign stars to her favorite restaurants now. For instance, for our rehearsal dinner we went to Uchi, and now Caiqian feels confident Uchi would get at least two michelin stars if Michelin reviewed restaurants in Austin. So my mission was a success!

Day 4

And on the fourth day we rested. On our last day in San Fran we mostly woke up late, played board games, and then took our respective flights back home. I couldn't believe I had crossed off not one, or two, but THREE items off my bucket list. What a birthday!

Just Chillin

Overall I really enjoyed San Francisco. I was afraid since this was the third time around there might be less to look forward to, but this might have been the best trip yet. And with that, I'll leave you all with the view from our hotel window of the city below.

View from the Hotel, tilt-shifted