The names means a sort of philosophical revelation or birth, which is evident upon arrival as restaurant guests are handled with meticulous, almost cumbersome service in a gentile reception lined in modern gallery-worthy art. Maitre d’ in buttoned-up three-piece suit with slicked back hair ala Wall Street hedge funders addresses by last name and escorts diners into a simple but serine dining space of Barbara Barry �"inspired décor with club chairs of rounded back detailing within a series of interconnected rooms. An equally dapper staff in three-piece or specially made suits works the room with minimal chitchat as not to disturb this virtuoso dining experience regarded as one of the very best in the country. <br />
The Food
The standard tasting menu includes up to 12 seasonal presentations divided into categories like English Pea, Lobster and Distillation, that equate to a robust pea soup with Iberian ham and sherry reduction, Lobster with lychee and gruyere and a molecular Thai presentation that clears the palette for the following sequence of dishes like reflection of lamp, king crab with rhubarb and fennel and smoked sturgeon with potato and leeks. Tour Tasting Menu includes most of the dishes of the standard menu, albeit in slightly smaller portions, with added culinary panache of octopus with red wine and lavender, butterscotch bacon with apple and thyme and squab served with strawberries and birch log.
Last Word
At simple wood tables with studious service so perfect that they don’t even use a tablecloth, Alinea offers two tasting menus that include a Tour Menu composed of over 22 dishes presented in a three-hour stretch that is only rivaled by those at French Laundry and Fat Duck in the UK.
